Latino Workers More Likely to Die in Construction Accidents

Posted on Nov 29, 2013 9:36 AM EST

 

The New York Daily News reported last month that U.S.-born Latino workers or immigrants are more likely to die in construction accidents.

According to the Daily News, a study by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration from 2003 to 2011 found that 74 percent of construction workers who died were either U.S. born Latinos or immigrants. In New York City, the number may be even higher, as 41 percent of all construction workers identify themselves as Latino.

“The data we have demonstrates that Latinos and immigrants are more likely to die in these types of accidents,” Connie Razza from the Center for Popular Democracy told the Daily News.

Razza told the paper that safety violations are more common at smaller job sites run by non-union contractors, which hire more immigrant day laborers, a theory that has been verified by research done by the New York State Trial Lawyers Association.

“Contractors aren’t taking simple steps to protect their workers,” Razza told the Daily News. “They are not providing the training and the safety equipment that are required by law.”
Many labor organizations believe that day laborers, especially immigrant workers, are reluctant to report safety hazards out of fear of losing their jobs.

A Lawyer for New York City Construction Accidents
It is shameful that construction mishaps are disproportionately occurring to a race of workers, with some companies possibly taking advantage of employees’ immigration status. Unfortunately, construction accidents can result in personal injuries like spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, amputations and broken bones. They can also result in wrongful death.

A person’s immigration status has no affect on the potential of a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit. If you or a loved one has suffered an injury because of a construction accident in Rockland County or its surrounding areas, we will advocate on your behalf. Contact our lawyers today at (877) 699-1152 to learn more.

Adams Law Firm, P.C. – Rockland County Injury Attorney

 

[ Did You Know: Workplace accidents in New York City increased 31 percent from 2011 to 2012.]

Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/latinos-immigrants-die-ny-construction-study-article-1.1494618

Employee Kills Nursing Home Resident, Turns Gun on Self

Posted on Nov 27, 2013 12:32 pm
EST

 

According to the New York Post, a staff nurse at a Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania nursing home allegedly shot a resident to death earlier this month and then killed herself.

The Post reported that the 42-year-old licensed practical nurse brought a semi-automatic handgun to her shift on November 4 and fired a shot at a 79-year-old resident, killing him. The nurse then shot herself. The incident took place during a night shift at Abington Manor.

“What caused the person to act in this manner, what reasons, what relationship there was between this resident and the staff employee, we just don’t know, and we may never know,” South Abington Township Police Chief Robert Gerrity told the Scranton Times-Tribune.

The nurse had reportedly worked at the facility since 2011 and there was no indication that she was disgruntled. An investigation into the shooting is ongoing.

Call a Rockland County Nursing Home Lawyer
This is a disturbing story. Whenever a resident is injured or killed at a nursing home, his or her family should seek legal counsel, as a wrongful death or personal injury lawsuit may be necessary. Nursing homes have an obligation to protect residents from the threat of violence—this includes taking measures to hire employees who have been properly screened.

If you have a loved one that has been injured because of nursing home abuse or neglect, contact our firm for a free consultation. We have obtained multi-million settlements and verdicts for our clients.

Adams Law Firm, P.C. – Rockland County Nursing Home Attorneys

Source: http://nypost.com/2013/11/05/murder-suicide-eyed-in-nursing-home-shooting/

 

Some States Beginning to Allow Video Cameras in Nursing Homes

Posted on Nov 25, 2013 8:13am EST

 

The New York Times had a story last week indicating that more people are beginning to use video recording systems to monitor loved ones in nursing homes.

The story focused on 96-year-old Eryetha Mayberry, a dementia patient at a nursing home in Oklahoma City, whose daughter Doris Racher noticed that several things she had been buying her began to go missing from her room.

As the trend continued, Racher placed a motion-activated camera in her mother’s room and caught the person stealing. Not only did the camera catch the thief, it also caught an aide stuffing latex gloves in Mayberry’s mouth and another aide taunting her. In one instance, an aide hoisted Mayberry from her wheelchair and flung her onto a bed.

“My niece started bawling and couldn’t watch anymore,” said Racher, 78, according to the Times. “I was furious.” Mayberry died shortly after the abuse in the videos became known.
On November 1, after public outcry from the Mayberry tapes, Oklahoma became the third state in the country to allow residents in long-term facilities to maintain cameras in their rooms. According to the Times,in the last two years, five other states have considered similar measures.

“Families are witnessing injuries and neglect of loved ones, and the only way to detect what’s happening is to use hidden cameras,” Wes Bledsoe, the founder of A Perfect Cause, a group based in Oklahoma told the Times.

I Need a New York Nursing Home Attorney
We applaud states who are allowing families to record nursing home residents. In a criminal or civil case involving nursing home abuse or neglect, video could be used as evidence. Nursing home residents, as well as their family members, should be able to expect a safe environment, free of abuse or neglect, including criminal behavior like assault or theft.

If you or a loved one has been injured as a result of nursing home abuse or neglect, contact our firm today at 877-699-1152 for a free and confidential consultation.

Adams Law Firm, P.C. – Bronx County Nursing Home Attorneys

Source: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/18/watchful-eye-in-nursing-homes/?_r=0

Man Decapitated, Two Killed In Bronx Auto Accident

Posted on Nov 22, 2013 6:05pm EST
 

The New York Daily News reported last week that an auto accident on the Hutchinson River Parkway in the Bronx on November 9 resulted in two fatalities and the decapitation of a man.
According to the Daily News, cab driver Ata Noorzi, 51, and his fare Patrick Sheehan, 54, were killed when an SUV went airborne on the highway and into traffic, ripping the roof off the livery cab, a Lincoln Town Car.

Noorzi, an Afghani immigrant, leaves behind two sons and two daughters, while Sheehan, a banker for Wells Fargo, leaves behind three boys. “It’s always the good ones who go first,” said. Obid Noorzi, Noorzi’s brother, to the Daily News. “He never did anything wrong. Never in trouble, not a parking ticket.”

Sheehan was reportedly making a business trip to the airport from his home in Larchmont, N.Y. The Daily News reported that as Noorzi drove southbound on the highway, a black SUV heading northbound went airborne over an overpass, striking the top of the Town Car. The crash occurred around 7:10 a.m.

“The 45-year-old driver skidded across three lanes, slammed into the median and sailed directly into Noorzi’s cab — tearing its roof off and killing both men inside,” the Daily News reported. “The black SUV then slammed into a white SUV, bounced into the overpass and finally came to a stop on its roof.”

Sheehan was reportedly decapitated. The driver of the black SUV survived the crash and was taken to Jacobi Medical Center along with a passenger in the vehicle for treatment for serious injuries. The driver of the white SUV involved in the subsequent crash, as well as a passenger, were transported to the same hospital with minor injuries.

“I went to the taxi, but it was too late,” a witness to the crash told the Daily News. “The driver and the passenger were dead. … There was an arm in the road. It was horrible. It was really terrible to see.”
The Daily News reported that police were attempting to get a court order for a blood sample from the driver of the black SUV following the accident to determine if he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Locate a Rockland County Injury Lawyer
The pictures of the aftermath of this crash are horrific. If a driver is found at fault for this crash, he or she could be held liable for wrongful death, as well as the personal injuries suffered by the living victims.

If you have suffered an injury or lost a loved one because of a negligent driver in Rockland County or its surrounding areas, we will advocate on your behalf. Contact our lawyers today at (877) 699-1152 to learn more.

Adams Law Firm, P.C. – Rockland County Injury Attorney

Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/bronx/dead-crash-bronx-highway-officials-article-1.1511568

NY Health Department Requires Flu Shot or Masks for Nursing Home Workers

Posted on Nov 20, 2013 8:00am EST

The Syracuse Post-Standard had an interesting story last month about health care workers at nursing homes this flu season, saying all employees are now vaccinated or required to wear masks.

The newspaper reported that the state Health Department wanted to force all workers to get vaccines, however, labor unions opposed the idea. Instead, the state has ordered nurses and other healthcare workers who refuse to be vaccinated to wear masks over their noses and mouths.

“The strategy is working,” the Post-Standard reported. “Several Central New York hospitals that tried out the mask requirement during last year’s flu season saw dramatic increases in the number of workers getting the shot.”

“In a trial run of the mask rule during last year’s flu season, St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center in Syracuse saw its employee vaccination rate soar to 89 percent, up from 59.5 percent the year before,” the Post-Standard reported.

Call a Rockland County Nursing Home Lawyer
We applaud the efforts of the Health Department for implementing this regulation. The flu is a respiratory disease that is highly contagious—an outbreak in a facility that houses elderly or venerable residents could end in tragedy.

If you have a loved one that has been injured because of nursing home abuse or neglect, contact our firm for a free consultation. Our offices are located in Bardonia, Bronx and New York City, and we serve residents of Bronx County, Rockland County and the entire Hudson Valley. We have obtained multi-million settlements and verdicts for our clients.

[ Did You Know: According to the CDC, the number of annual flu-related deaths in the United States ranged from 3,000 to 49,000 between 1977 and 2007.]

Adams Law Firm, P.C. – Rockland County Nursing Home Attorneys

Source: http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2013/10/new_ultimatum_for_cny_health_care_workers_this_flu_season_get_a_shot_or_wear_a_m.html

Resident Found Dead, With Wire Around Neck In Bronx County Nursing Home

Posted on Nov 18, 2013 6:05pm EST

 

According to CBS News, a 72-year-old man was found lying unconscious and unresponsive in his bed in a Bronx nursing home on November 1.

The man, who was assaulted and killed, was a resident at the Bainbridge Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, at 3518 Bainbridge Avenue in the Norwood section of the Bronx. Investigators found the man with a wire hanger around his neck. The resident was pronounced dead at the scene of the incident. The New York City Medical Examiner’s office will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of the death.

Police have not released any further information, as the man’s death remains under investigation. The nursing home refused to speak to CBS. “If I have a loved one in a nursing home, I would want them to be safe, so that’s pretty shocking,” a Bronx citizen told CBS.

I Need a Bronx County Nursing Home Attorney
This case is truly appalling. Hopefully, more information about the alleged assault and murder will be released as the investigation concludes. The citizen that CBS interviewed who said that she would expect a loved one to be safe in a nursing home is right—residents and family members should have an expectation that they will be free from assaults and violent acts.

Last week, we reported about a Queens nursing home death, where a resident allegedly attacked a roommate with a metal leg from a wheelchair, killing him. These cases are completely outlandish, showing that some nursing homes provide residents with unstable living conditions.

Nursing home staff members and operators should be expected to monitor residents for psychological problems that may lead to manic or psychotic episodes. Residents that cannot meet standards psychologically should not be placed with the general population, as it is a health and safety hazard.
If you or a loved one has been injured as a result of nursing home abuse or neglect, contact our firm today at 877-699-1152 for a free and confidential consultation.

Adams Law Firm, P.C. – Bronx County Nursing Home Attorneys

Source: http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/11/02/man-found-dead-in-bronx-nursing-home-after-reported-assault/

Pedestrians Injured in NYC Construction Accident

Posted on Nov 15, 2013 6:05pm EST

 

The New York Daily News reported that three people were injured near Seventh Avenue and West 40thStreet in New York City on November 1 when a piece of plywood construction forming a wall near Times Square crashed.

The newspaper reported that two women and a man had to be dragged from the wreckage of the construction accident, and were transported to Bellevue Hospital for treatment. The accident occurred around 10 a.m.

“Someone yelled, ‘There is someone under the wall!’” 53-year-old Greg Muse, a salesman from Boston, told the Daily News. “There were probably 25 people lifting the wall. It was pretty heavy.”
An official with the city’s Buildings Department told the Daily News that the accident was caused by high winds that blew down a construction wall that had not been properly secured to the building at 561 Seventh Ave.

Einstein Construction Group, a Texas-based contractor working on the ground floor, was hit with violations and a stop-work order was placed on the site, an official told the Daily News. A representative with Einstein denied that it was the company’s fault, saying it was responsible for doing work inside the location, not outside.

It is bad enough when construction accidents injure workers onsite; it is simply unacceptable when a company’s negligence results in pedestrian injuries. Construction accidents can result in personal injurieslike spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, amputations and broken bones. They can also result in wrongful death.

If you or a loved one has suffered an injury because of a construction accident in Rockland County or its surrounding areas, we will advocate on your behalf. Contact our lawyers today at (877) 699-1152 to learn more.