Metro North Commuter Train Accident
On Sunday, December 1, 2013 a Metro North commuter train traveling from Poughkeepsie to Grand Central Station in Manhattan derailed in the Bronx. At least 4 persons were killed and are confirmed dead, with dozens of passengers seriously injured, several in critical conditions at local area hospitals. This most recent derailment occurred near the very location of a previous derailment earlier this year; at a turn called “Spuyten Duyvil” (that’s Dutch for “Spitting Devil”). It is apparent that such derailments are not purely accidental, and that negligence on the part of the Metro North, its employees, including the engineer operating the train, as well as the MTA (parent company of MetroNorth), are responsible. However, suing MetroNorth requires knowledge of certain legal procedures (such as a Notice of Claim), which act as a mandatory required condition precedent prior to filing suit. If a Notice has not been correctly filed, a lawsuit can be dismissed, leaving the injured victim without recourse to recover financial damages for pain and suffering, lost wages and medical bills. Furthermore, even where a Notice of Claim has been timely filed, the normal Statute of Limitation of 3 years, commonly applied to negligence claims in New York, is shortened to merely one (1) year.
Thus, the team of attorneys at Omrani & Taub, P.C., who have vast experience successfully suing the MTA and Metro North, should be consulted by anyone wishing to sue the MTA, MetroNorth or any of its employees, due to injuries sustained in train, subway, or bus accidents. The Law Offices of Omrani & Taub are following this developing story closely and gathering detailed information should anyone need to file suit against MetroNorth. You can reach an experienced train derailment attorney at (212) 529-7848, that’s 212-LAWSUIT.
2010 Staten Island Ferry Accident Blamed on “Malfunction”
The National Transportation Safety Board released the findings of their investigation into the crash of a ferry in Staten Island two years ago. The crash didn’t prove fatal, but injured 50 people, three of them seriously.
According to CNN, the NTSB found the accident was caused by the malfunctioning solenoid, a part in the propulsion unit. This malfunction made one of the propellers unresponsive to the commands of the ferry’s pilot.
Unfortunately, the malfunction wasn’t recognized until seconds before the crash, when it was too late to take evasive action, making the crash “unavoidable.”
“The pilothouse crewmembers were unaware of the loss of propulsion control until seconds before the accident,” said the report from the NTSB, removing any blame for the accident from the crew.
This wasn’t the first ferry accident for the boat known as the Andrew Barberi. In 2003 it was involved in another crash. This time it hit a pier in Manhattan, killing 11 people and injuring 70. Continue reading
Subway Worker Burned Severely in Fire Accident
Michael Lee, 45, has worked on the subways of NYC long enough to be referred to as a “veteran,” according to the New York Post. It isn’t clear just how soon, or if, he’ll be returning to work, however, after a tragic accident on the job left him hospitalized with second and third-degree burns over his body.
Lee was working on his day off, getting some overtime, when the accident occurred. He reportedly dropped a 200-pound piece of equipment, known as a coupler, onto the third rail. When the coupler fell, bolts came off the rail, knocking Lee down and engulfing him in flamed.
Rolling around on the ground didn’t help and Lee ended up ripping off his clothing with his bare hands as he burned. Throughout the ordeal, Lee remained conscious. Continue reading
Minor Injuries After Brooklyn Bus Accident
A city bus and a meals-on-wheels van made for a big mess when they collided in Brooklyn early this week. According to the Daily News, the van registered to the Jewish Association Servicing the Aging, ran a red light and hit a passenger car, forcing the bus to swerve and subsequently hit a building.
The accident happened on the corner of Avenue J and Ocean Ave. in Midwood just before 10 a.m. Monday morning. The bus was eastbound on Avenue J when it was forced to swerve to miss the van and collided with an apartment building. The van ended up on its side in the middle of the intersection.
Fortunately, no pedestrians were struck at the intersection and no residents of the apartment building were injured.
Twelve people, from the multiple vehicles, were transported to Kings County Hospital, Maimonides Hospital and Lutheran Medical Center with minor injuries according to police at the scene. Continue reading
Two pedestrians killed by two different New York City buses
New York City is among one of the dangerous places for pedestrians. Needless to say, many drivers on New York streets are in a rush to get where they are going. Operators of mass transit vehicles are no different. Either from a lack of attentiveness, or because of the tediousness of driving the same pattern for long stretches of time, they can end up mindlessly ignoring pedestrians who are crossing the streets in crosswalks. When this happens it is most likely that the pedestrian will suffer serious personal injuries, some of which are fatal.
Two New Yorkers were struck down by New York City buses this week within a 24-hour period. The first victim was a 22-year-old who was killed by a Q44 bus while crossing a very dangerous intersection in Flushing. This accident happened shortly after eight in the morning. Continue reading
Four die in New York subway accidents within 24 hours
Thousands of people use the subway in New York on a daily basis. For most, their travel ends with them safely walking up the stairs from the bowels of the city to their final destination. Most people enter and exit the subway without even thinking twice about their safety after traveling through one of the nation’s largest transit systems has become second nature.
For some, however their lives are changed when they walk below the streets. Within a single 24-hour span of time, four people lost their lives in a mass transit accident this past weekend. The four deaths all occurred on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012. Continue reading
What to do if you are on the scene of a bus accident in New York
You are a passenger on an MTA/NYCTA bus. The bus gets into a mass transit accident. You are thrown onto the floor of the bus. Luckily you are not that badly injured, but your friend who was sitting in the seat next to you struck his head on the pole then fell to the floor. He is unconscious. He is injured. The bus driver puts the bus out of service, walks over to your friend on the floor then begins to dispatch for help.
You know your friend is hurt. You know he has rights. You know he needs help. What do you do? You know that the bus driver was at fault for the accident because you saw him go through a red light. Is there anything you can do to help?
What happens at the scene on the accident…
Within the next few minutes, a multitude of uniformed officials arrive at the scene and step onboard of the bus, including paramedics, EMS/FDNY, police officers, MTA/NYCTA supervisors, as well as other officials who appear to be investigating the accident. You see officials interviewing the passengers as they let the ones who are not hurt off of the bus. You see the police officers at the scene question the bus driver. You feel reassured. Everything appears to be under control. But is it? … The answer is not what you would expect.
Here’s how we can help…
At the law offices of Omrani & Taub, P.C., we have handled numerous claims against various bus companies, including the MTA, NYCTA, MABSTOA, Metropolitan Bus Company, Bee Line Bus, Liberty Lines Express, Greyhound, Peter Pan Bus, Trans Express Bus and many more. Our experience has revealed that in accidents involving city buses, the response teams dispatched to the scene are carefully assembled by the bus companies and consist of individuals particularly trained in the field of loss control. In other words, these officials are specifically trained to limit and control the amount of liability that the bus company might face from the accident; therefore, contrary to what you might expect, the responders are not interested in preserving or documenting evidence that would help establish the victims’ claims. Rather, the only evidence they look to preserve is evidence that would limit a victim’s ability to recover for the full extent of damages.
If you are ever at the scene of a bus accident take the time to do the following:
– Obtain the names and telephone numbers of as many of the passengers as you can
– Take video or photographs of everyone at the scene, including the bus driver, the passengers, members of the response team, etc.
– Take video or photographs of the bus and other vehicles involved in the accident showing the damage sustained by each vehicle together with relevant evidence such as skid marks, scattered debris.
– Offer this information to the injured victims.
Anyone injured in a bus accident should contact a lawyer experienced in bus accident litigation. The personal injury attorneys at Omrani & Taub, P.C., have successfully handled numerous claims against various bus companies and are acutely familiar with the intricacies of bus accident litigation. Interested clients should contact the office at 212-714-1515 or 212-529-7848 (that’s 212-LAW-SUIT).