Rockland County Railroad Accident Sends Man to Hospital

Posted on Dec 18, 2013 9:55pm EST

 

causing both vehicles to burst into flames.
The driver of the truck, a 55-year-old man, was ejected from the vehicle following the accident. He suffered serious injuries in the crash including multiple fractures, according to NBC News.

Clarkstown Police said that the train was heading north and struck the truck, as it was crossing the tracks at a crossing that did not contain gates. The cause of the accident is still under investigation. The crash occurred at the Pineview Road Crossing at around 11:40 a.m.

Aside from death, railroad accidents can result in serious personal injuries, as the weight of a locomotive can cause violent collisions. In some cases, railroad accidents are the result of negligence on behalf of companies or municipalities, as there are defective warning signals or equipment causing crashes.

Sometimes railroad accidents are the result of human error on the part of the conductor, engineer or other crewmembers.

If you have a loved one that has been injured in a railroad accident, contact our firm for a free consultation. We can investigate whether or not your accident was the result of human error and/or negligence.

We have obtained multi-million settlements and verdicts for our clients.
Source: http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Train-Hits-Car-Oil-West-Nyack–234765511.html

The Betrayal of Elderly Financial Abuse

Posted on Dec 18, 2013 7:12pm EST

 

In New York, Anthony D. Marshall was convicted of stealing from his elderly mother, philanthropist Brooke Astor. Marshall told police how he conspired with his mother’s lawyer to change her will in his favor and took millions without her knowing while she wasted away in her home. Marshall and Astor’s lawyer were sentenced to one to three years in prison for these terrible crimes against Marshall’s mother.

Protecting the Elderly and Vulnerable
Financially abusing the elderly is “the ultimate betrayal,” according to Colleen Toy White, a superior court judge in California who sees around 40 cases of elder abuse a month. “It’s shocking to see how vulnerable the elder person is,” White told reporters covering the case.

Elderly financial abuse or fraud committed by neighbors, friends, employees and relatives is heartbreaking. Financial abuse can be devastating, and experts say it is likely to increase due to the poor economy and a growing elderly population. These crimes are largely out of the public’s eye, due to elderly citizens not recognizing when abuse is happening or are too embarrassed to talk to someone about it.

If you or a loved one are elderly and have suffered financial abuse, contact our Bronx County nursing home attorney toll free at (877) 699-1152 for a free and confidential consultation, or visit our website to fill out our online form. Our offices serve Bronx County, Rockland County and the entire Hudson Valley. Our attorneys provide traditional office hours, with after-hours by appointment. We will also take on-site meetings.

Nurse Charged For Failing to Give Patient Medication, Falsifying Records

Posted on Dec 16, 2013 6:55pm EST

 

According to WHEC-TV, a nurse in Genesee County has been charged for not administering vital medication to a resident at the nursing home where she worked.

WHEC reported that Lisa Labadee, 34, an LPN, allegedly attempted to falsify medical records when she was caught failing to give the resident medication. Labadee was in charge of giving medication to residents at Beikirch Care Center in Brockport.

Labadee reportedly filled out and initialed medical records indicating that she had given the resident medication. She also allegedly failed to test the blood sugar levels of four patients. The alleged incidents occurred in August. Officials for the nursing home said that Labadee no longer works there.
The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the state’s Office of the Attorney General investigated Labadee; she was charged with 18 different counts, including willfully violating health laws, endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person and falsifying business records.

Find a New York Nursing Home Attorney
Not giving a resident medication is a form of nursing home abuse or neglect. This form of abuse or neglect is unacceptable, as it hurts disadvantaged people by preventing them from getting treatment that could prove vital to their health.

If you or a loved one has been injured or killed as a result of prescription misfills or lack thereof in a nursing home, contact our firm today at 877-699-1152 for a free and confidential consultation. We have obtained multi-million dollar settlements for victims and family members of negligence.

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

Source: http://www.whec.com/article/stories/s3234302.shtml

Video Shows Horrific Fire-Related Death of Man in Chicago Nursing Home

Posted on Dec 16, 2013 6:15pm EST

 

The New York Daily News had a horrific story last week about a wheelchair-bound Chicago man who caught fire and died at a nursing home in 2011. The man rolled around hysterically while employees attempted to spray him with a fire extinguisher and wheeled him outside.

According to the Daily News, Michael Lewis was smoking on a patio outside of the Lake Shore HealthCare and Rehabilitation Centre when a lighter in his pocket set his shirt on fire. Lewis attempted to roll himself inside to seek help as the flames ignited.

Surveillance video obtained by the media shows other patients trying to put out the flames on Lewis. Eventually, a staff member with an extinguisher rolled Lewis outside and put the fire out. Several minutes later, a staff member came out with an oxygen tank, as EMS crews arrived to the scene and tried to resuscitate Lewis.

Lewis’ family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Lake Shore HealthCare and Rehabilitation Centre, saying that the only safety precaution the facility took was placing a surveillance camera outside of the designated smoking area.

“He burned to death,” Lisa Couch, Lewis’ sister told CBS News. “He sustained burns from mid-thigh up to the eyebrows.”

Aside from not having proper staffing available to man smoking areas, as we reported in Monday’s blog, many nursing homes in the U.S. operate with limited sprinkler systems, not designed to handle larger fires.

If you or a loved one has been injured or killed because of nursing home abuse or neglect, contact our firm toll free at 877-699-1152 for a free consultation. Rockland County nursing home attorney Jeffrey M. Adams and his legal team believe that the management and staff at nursing homes, group homes and assisted living facilities owe residents safe, secure and protective facilities.

Onondaga County Nursing Home Moves Off Federal Watch List

Posted on Dec 11, 2013 5:55 pm PST

 

According to the Syracuse Post-Standard, a nursing home in Onondaga County has been taken off the federal government’s worst performing nursing home list.

The Van Duyn Home and Hospital was removed from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ list of “special focus facilities” on November 7. It had been on the list since 2011. The center is owned by the county.

“Van Duyn Home has achieved and sustained progress in survey results,” Jacqueline Pappalardi, director of the Division of Nursing Homes for the New York State Department of Health said, according to the Post-Standard.

There are 148 facilities on the list with histories of quality problems. Facilities are placed on the list if they have been repeatedly cited for deficiencies over the span of three years. As a result of moving off the list, Van Duyn will be turned over to Rockland County-based Upstate Services Group, a private company that runs dozens of nursing homes across the state.

Locate a New York Nursing Home Attorney
While it is nice that this nursing home was taken off the special focus list, many nursing homes in New York are still on the list and face allegations of nursing home abuse or neglect. This form of abuse or neglect is unacceptable, as it hurts some of the neediest people in our society, our seniors.
Nursing home abuse or neglect can result in personal injuries like bedsores, broken bones, and result in malnutrition and dehydration. It can also result in death.

If you or a loved one has been injured or killed as a result of nursing home abuse or neglect, contact our firm today at 888-699-1152 for a free and confidential consultation. We have obtained multi-million dollar settlements for victims and family members of negligence.

Source: http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2013/11/van_duyn_nursing_home_improves_patient_care_taken_off_federal_worst_list.html

Categories: Nursing Home Abuse

We Will Represent Metro-North Derailment Victims and their Family Members

Posted on Dec 9, 2013 8:41pm EST

 

On December 1, a terrible tragedy occurred in the Bronx when a commuter train jumped its track and derailed at a curve, killing four and injuring an estimated 70 people.

According to CNN, speed is believed to be a factor in the crash, which involved the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) Metro-North Railroad line. CNN reported that preliminary data suggests the train was traveling at 82 mph when it entered a curve, which has a speed limit of 30 mph.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the engineer of the train, William Rockefeller, cut the throttle on the train and slammed on the brakes as the accident occurred, but those moves came “very late in the game,” according to CNN.

Rockefeller reportedly told investigators he applied the brakes, but the train did not slow down. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which is investigating the accident, said that a cause remained unclear and could be a result of human error and/or faulty equipment.

Blood samples have been requested by the NTSB and the Bronx District Attorney’s Office to determine if he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The NTSB also said that it plans to review the train’s data recorders to help determine a cause of the crash.

Locate a New York Personal Injury Attorney
Unfortunately, aside from death, train accidents can result in personal injuries like spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, amputations and broken bones. They can also result in wrongful death. Many witnesses said that passengers were ejected from the train as it crashed.

We will represent clients who were injured in the Metro-North Railroad derailment, helping them obtain the compensation they need to deal with the lasting effects of an injury or the death of a loved one.

If you or a loved one has suffered an injury in New York City 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: According to CNN, the Hudson Line carried 15.9 million people last year.]

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/02/us/new-york-train-derails/

NYC City Workers Injured In Cherry Picker Crash

Posted on Dec 6, 2013 6:00pm PST

 

According to the New York Post, two city workers were injured in Midtown on November 5 while they were stringing up holiday lights in a cherry picker.

The Post reported that the accident left one person “clinging to life and another in serious condition.”
The workers were reportedly hanging decorations and lowering themselves into a bucket near the corner of Columbus Avenue and West 67th Street around 1:30 a.m., when a UPS tractor trailer smashed into them, knocking them to the ground.

The men reportedly suffered head trauma and were taken to New York Presbyterian Hospital.
The UPS driver remained at the scene of the accident. An investigation into the crash is ongoing and charges are pending.

Locate a New York Personal Injury Attorney
Unfortunately, pedestrian accidents and car accidents can result in personal injuries like spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, amputations and broken bones. They can also result in wrongful death. If these workers live through this tragic accident, they may end up having to go to expensive physical and occupational therapies in order to regain strength and movement.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), in 2012 there were 75 fatal work injuries in New York City. If you or a loved one has suffered an injury 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

[ Did You Know: According to the BLS, over the last four years, NYC has had an average of 70 work fatalities per year.]

Source: http://nypost.com/2013/11/05/cherry-picker-crash-injures-2-city-workers/

Ohio Community Remembers Tragic Nursing Home Fire From 50 Years Ago

Posted on Dec 4, 2013 8:04 pm EST

 

While people were remembering the 50th anniversary of the death of President John F. Kennedy last month, the Associated Press had an interesting story about a nursing home fire in Ohio that occurred on the same day that was overshadowed by the assassination.

JFK’s death overshadowed horrific nursing-home fire in Ohio, a story done by the AP, discussed a tragic fire in the hours after the assassination of Kennedy at the Golden Age Nursing Home in Fitchville, Ohio that killed 63 people in one of the worst healthcare fires in U.S. history.

“Many victims had been restrained to their beds or trapped behind wheelchairs that were too wide for the exits,” the AP reported. “Investigators later blamed faulty wiring and found that the nursing home didn’t have an evacuation plan.”

According to the AP, the fire began at 5 a.m., in the attic of the one-story facility, burning through phone lines before anyone could report what was happening. “By the time firefighters arrived 10 minutes later, the building was burning from one end to the other,” the AP reported.

Wheelchairs reportedly blocked exits and victims trampled each other trying to get to the building’s exits. Investigators determined that a large loss of life was due to the lack of a fire evacuation plan at the facility.

After the fire, Ohio legislators established regulations that required sprinklers, fire exits and extinguishers while also giving the state more authority over nursing homes, according to the AP. Additionally, Congress set safety codes nationally that went into effect during the 1970s about construction and fire safety.

Locate a Rockland County Nursing Home Lawyer
This fire serves as a tragic reminder of the importance of fire safety plans and adequate sprinkler systems in nursing homes. Aside from death, fires can cause severe burns and serious personal injuries to a resident’s lungs.

If you have a loved one that has been injured because of nursing home abuse or negligence, contact our firmfor 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://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2013/11/25/jfks-death-overshadowed-nursing-home-fire.html

Ambulette Driver Charged in Nursing Home Resident's Death

Posted on Dec 2, 2013 7:49pm EST

 

According to WABC-TV, a former ambulette driver was charged earlier this month for allegedly causing the death of an 86-year-old woman.

According to General Eric Schneiderman, the victim, a resident of the Gold Coast Care Center of the Bronx, died one month after she was seriously injured when she was ejected from her wheelchair during medical transport. The driver of the ambulette, Juan Garcia, allegedly refused to take the elderly woman to the hospital. He also allegedly failed to attach her seatbelt.

“This ambulette driver was entrusted with the well-being of his wheelchair-bound patient. Had he taken the most basic safety precautions, this vulnerable nursing home resident would not have died in this horrific way,” Attorney General Schneiderman said in a statement. “My office will hold medical providers accountable for criminal negligence.”

According to WABC, in August 2010 Garcia was taking the resident back to Gold Crest Care Center from a dialysis appointment. He allegedly admitted to investigators that he failed to buckle the resident’s seatbelt. At the intersection of Eastchester Road and Pelham Parkway, Garcia reportedly stopped the ambulette sharply and the elderly passenger was ejected from her wheelchair.

Garcia reportedly ignored the request of a nurse’s aide who was also being transported during the incident to take the victim to the hospital, instead driving back to the nursing home facility. When the woman finally received treatment, she was diagnosed with a fractured hip and underwent surgery. She died about a month after she sustained the injuries.

Garcia has been charged with negligent homicide and faces up to four years in prison.
Find Me a New York Nursing Home Attorney

This case is inexcusable. Allegations of nursing home abuse or neglect on the part of Garcia should be taken very seriously. Aside from criminal charges, Garcia, as well as the healthcare providers, may be held civilly liable for the victim’s death via a wrongful death lawsuit.

If you or a loved one has been injured or killed 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://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local/new_york&id=9328078