In 2020, preventable fatalities from bicycle accidents increased by 16%, according to the National Safety Council (NSC). The NSC also noted that over the last decade, there was a total increase of 44% in preventable bicycle-related deaths.
These figures highlight the ongoing safety crisis for cyclists on American roadways.
Continue Reading On the Rise: Bicycle-Related Deaths and Injuries
The city of Woodbridge, NJ is conducting an investigation after more than 100 former students and staff at the local Colonia High School were found to have developed brain tumors over a three-decade period.
Continue Reading Potential Brain Cancer Link Investigated at New Jersey’s Colonia High School
An analysis by the National Safety Council revealed that in 2017, for the first time in history, Americans are more likely to die from an accidental opioid overdose than a car crash.
In the midst of an opioid epidemic, the odds of dying from an accidental opioid overdose (1 in 96) officially surpassed the
On April 5th, the New Jersey Senate Judiciary Committee pushed forward Senate Bill S-1766, legislation which would expand the state’s wrongful death statute to allow for recovery of damages from “mental anguish, emotional pain and suffering, loss of society and loss of companionship.” Currently, the survivors who lost a loved one cannot be compensated for such emotional loss.
Continue Reading Wrongful Death Legislative Expansion Proposed in New Jersey Senate
On June 11, 2015, the Supreme Court of New Jersey reversed the Appellate Division’s decision in the Estate of Myroslava Kotsovska v. Saul Liebman case and held that the trial court was correct in awarding wrongful death benefits to the estate. In this case, Ms. Kotsovska was hired by Saul Liebman’s daughter to provide in home care for her father, who was 89 years old. She agreed to cook meals, do laundry and do light housekeeping in exchange for being paid $100 per day, cash. There was nothing in writing to formalize the agreement between the parties.
On December 8, 2008, Liebman and Kotsovska were running errands and stopped for lunch at a local diner. Liebman was driving. He dropped Kotsovska off on the sidewalk in front of the diner while he pulled into a parking space in front of where she was standing. Liebman accidentally pushed the accelerator, causing the car to pin Kotsovska against a wall. Unfortunately, she died from her injuries.
Ms. Kotsovska’s estate filed a wrongful death suit against Mr. Liebman, but did not file a workers’ compensation claim. Liebman argued that the case should be transferred to the Division of Workers’ Compensation for a determination of Kotsovska’s status as an employee versus an independent contractor. Mr. Liebman’s homeowner’s carrier stipulated that the accident arose from Kotsovska’s employment.
On March 27, 2015 a team of Stark & Stark attorneys obtained a $2 million verdict from an Indian River County, Florida jury in a wrongful death suit against Philip Morris USA Inc. and R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. The verdict was a victory for widower Robert Gore, whose wife , Gloria, was a smoker
A recent article in Insurance Journal lists the top 10 causes of workplace injuries based on 2012 Liberty Mutual claims data for injuries lasting six or more days.
The ranking is based on total workers’ compensation costs but it is interesting to note the leading causes of injuries in this study. If I were to
Ten years ago, Candace Anderson, a 21 year old young woman, was convicted of criminal negligent homicide as a result of a one car motor vehicle crash. Ms. Anderson lost control of her 2004 GM Saturn Ion. Her fiancé, a front seat passenger, was killed in the crash when his passenger side air bag failed
Personal injury attorneys are advocates for people who have been injured in an accident, whether it is a slip and fall, trip and fall, work related, car, motorcycle or recreational accident. Our job is to represent the rights of the injured party, not the insurance company. So, why do personal injury attorneys have such a
With the summer grilling season in full swing, you should take a minute and inspect your grill and grill cleaning brush, if you use one, before firing it up for your next barbeque. A small but serious (and painful) culprit has landed people across the country in emergency rooms and even emergency surgery over the past few years: tiny, metal grill brush bristles. The needle-like bristles come dislodged from brushes used to clean grills. Sometimes the bristles stick to the grill. The next time food is placed on the grill the bristles end up embedded in the meat or vegetables, which is then ingested by the unsuspecting barbecue guest.
Continue Reading Wire Grill Brush Bristles: A Tiny Menace