Accidents

Toyota Motor Corp. officials are under fire with questions from Congress during Senate hearings on the company’s worldwide recall of 8,500,000 vehicles. The hearings are underway on Tuesday, March 2, 2010.

Toyota has attributed the problems to gas pedals that can get covered by floor mats. The gas pedals also stick due to design flaws. Safety experts have said the problem may be with the electronics inside the Toyota vehicles.

An estimated 52 deaths since 2000 have been linked to the sudden acceleration problem.  Toyota is also fixing 1.6 million cars due to oil hoses with leaks.

A large numbers of death [...]

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A 17 yr old employee at Dunkin Donuts in Smithtown, Long Island took out the garbage this past Sunday night and was caused to fall into an uncovered sewage pit. He died as a result. Amiri Zeqiri, 17, slipped into an open cesspool behind the Long Island store, about 40 miles from NYC.  It was the custom and practice of the store to keep a manhole cover over the pit or cesspool, an opening in the ground where sewage and waste drains from sinks and toilets.

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An elderly woman was walking home along a pedestrian sidewalk when she was caused to slip and fall due to an icy condition in front of a red brick building owned by an absentee landlord and rented by tenants.  She sustained a trimalleolar fracture of her ankle which required surgery in the form of open reduction internal fixaton (ORIF). State Farm insurance company was the homeowner’s insurane carrier for the building in question.  Prior to trial, State Farm took a no pay position on this case. During trial, they offered $25,000 due to difficult liability. The trial lawyers at Frekhtman [...]

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Under New York law, construction contractors and landlords of property where construction is ongoing are required to maintain certain safety standards and follow safety laws.

New York Labor Section 200 states that contractors, owners and their agents have a general obligation to provide a safe work environment for workers.

Labor Law Section 240 deals with the use of scaffolding, ladders, scissor lifts, and other devices used by workers “in the erection, demolition, repairing, altering, painting, cleaning or pointing of a building or structure” but does not apply to routine maintenance such as changing a light bulb. Scaffolding must be [...]

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If you fall due to snow or ice, you may be able to bring a successful lawsuit to recover money damages. The important factors to consider are

1. Where did you fall? Certain areas are actionable under the law while other areas are more difficult or even impossible. For example, someone who fell on a sidewalk in front of a commercial premises on a Wed when it last snowed on a Sun may have a strong case because the landlord/ management should have cleaned the snow or ice in the 2-3 day time window. However, someone who fell on [...]

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The trial lawyers at Frekhtman & Associates recently scored a major victory by settling a car accident case for $100,000.00. Although the amount is not extraordinarily high, it is a significant result in light of the injuries sustained by the client and the current New York No Fault serious injury threshold law or Insurance Law 5102(d).  The client sustained bulging discs to his cervical spine after the accident and had about 3 months of treatment.  Usually such cases can be dismissed for lack of serious injury or failure to meet the minimal threshold needed under NY law. In this case [...]

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If you have been injured, it is vital to keep in touch with your attorney. An attorney is your representative who is handling all aspects of your personal injury claim. He or she must be “in the loop” and get constant updates on your medical treatment and other important facts.  In New York, a personal injury case filed in Court may take from 6 months to 2 years or more to resolve. During that time, you need to be in touch with your lawyer and your lawyer should be proactive and be in touch with you!

At Frekhtman & Associates, we [...]

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The plaintiff was a warehouse workers who was assisting a large truck hooked to a tractor trailer that was backing up into a loading dock. The tractor trailer reversed into the loading dock improperly at a diagnol. The plaintiff banged on the side of the truck and yelled out to the driver to stop. The driver pushed the gas and moved his vehicle forward. This caused the rear tractor trailer door which was open at the time to catch on the side gate of the warehouse facility. The impact ripped the tractor trailer door off its hinges and caused it [...]

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1. If you are injured, call an ambulance from the scene of the accident and go to the hospital. Don’t leave the scene. One of the most frequent defenses raised by insurance companies is that the accident did not happen in the manner alleged or in the location alleged. Having an EMS crew arrive at the exact spot you fell and document it in their report will help prevent such arguments by the defendants.

2. Take photographs of your injuries including bruises, scarring, and casts or braces. Take photographs of the location where you fell and the defective [...]

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Frekhtman & Associates, a New York based construction accident law firm has recently settled a case involving a Brooklyn laborer who fell from a ladder while stripping a circular staircase inside a large multi-apartment dwelling. The plaintiff was working on the ladder when another worker moved a piece of sheetrock which cause other piles of sheetrock to fall over onto their side. The last such piece fell and struck the ladder causing it to topple over. The plaintiff sustained a serious injury including a fracture of his ankle which required open reduction internal fixation. Defendant moved for summary judgment [...]

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