Fire Extinguisher Explosion at NYC Construction Site Kills Worker
On May 13, 2020, a fire extinguisher exploded in a Manhattan building, killing a construction worker and severely injuring another. The explosion happened in a building located on Ninth Avenue in Chelsea.
According to the first responders and medical crews who reached the incident site, the explosion took place on the building’s fourth floor. One of the workers was pronounced dead, and the other was shifted to a nearby hospital for emergency treatment. The incident has highlighted the many dangers surrounding construction work in NYC.
Findings Reveal Shocking Number of Wrongful Deaths in NYC Hospitals
Recent findings have revealed a horrifying truth about the standard of healthcare in New York City hospitals. During the last five years, 468 people died in the city’s 11 public hospitals due to medical malpractice and negligence.
NYC Was Among US Cities With 10-Year-High Fire Death Rates in 2018
New York City witnessed 88 fatalities caused by fires in 2018 alone, according to FDNY Commissioner, Daniel Nigro. The figure is the highest recorded for any year in the last decade, with only 2007 reporting more fire-related deaths of 95.
The number of deaths caused by fires was about 73 in 2017. In 2016, only 48 fire-related deaths happened in NYC, which was the lowest recorded in a hundred years. Nigro termed the surge in the number as a ‘concerning development’ while testifying before the New York City Council’s Committee on Fire and Emergency Management about the $2.1 billion FDNY budget.
NYC Student Awarded $60 Million in Chemistry Experiment Burn Accident
A former Manhattan student was awarded around $60 million in 2019 as compensation for a 2014 incident where the student suffered agonizing burns during a chemistry-class’ nitrate demonstration experiment. The judge upheld the jury’s verdict of $60 million in pain and suffering damages to the victim, the now 21-year-old Alonzo Yanes. The student was 16-year-old and in 10th grade at the time of the horrifying accident at the Beacon High School.
How a Mother Won $1 Million in Medical Malpractice Lawsuit
Lucia Ferreira, 24, won $1 million in a medical malpractice lawsuit against a Brooklyn hospital in 2006 for her first child’s death during delivery in 1997. Ferreira and her husband were excitedly awaiting the birth of their first child – a daughter. She was seven months pregnant when she went into rapid labor at home on July 1, 1997.
Unfortunately, complications arose as the baby ended up in a footling breech position, with her head stuck in the birth canal. The baby asphyxiated as she was receiving no blood or oxygen through the umbilical cord and was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.
Second Child Killed in Brooklyn Car Accident Within 3 Days
A young boy was killed in a road accident in Brooklyn in Feb. 2020; the second traffic accident involving a child’s death in three days. On Feb. 27, 2020, at around 8:30 am, an SUV hit seven-year-old Payson Lott and his mother while they were walking on a crosswalk at the Blake and Pennsylvania Avenues intersection in Brooklyn. The shocking incident occurred only two days after a 10-year-old girl was hit and killed by a school bus in the same area.
Video footage of the event showed how the silver Jeep Cherokee driver turned right at the intersection and slammed into Payson, without stopping. Crossing guards were finally stationed at the intersection only after the two incidents in a row. Many residents of the area believe it is criminally overdue, given its proximity to a school.
Bronx Woman Won $110 Million Medical Malpractice Lawsuit
A Bronx woman was awarded $110 million in 2019 against her medical malpractice lawsuit against the St. Barnabas Hospital. Keimoneia Redish sued the hospital and several of its doctors for mishandling her asthma attack in Dec. 2010, according to the NY Daily News.
The 48-year-old grandmother was left hospitalized and confined to a nursing home for almost a year after the Hospital’s doctors mishandled her asthma attack, triggering a severe brain injury. She ended up with speech and motor defects, leaving her crippled and suffering for life.
Study: One of America’s Most Dangerous Highways is in NYC
Interstate 95 or I-95 is one of the most dangerous highways in the United States, a report based on a new study on auto-accidents in NYC has found. The highway that helps drivers cross the Washington Heights and the Bronx has three significant accident hotspots. The report by Go Safe Labs, a non-profit organization, included all of the three spots in the list of the top ten least safe places for drivers in 2020.
With more than 100 automobile accidents and crashes reported at each of the hotspots in 2019, researchers are not surprised considering that these sites are also included in the list of most traveled routes in the US.
Wrongful Death of Edward Beloyianis and the $10,900,000 Settlement
A Bronx man was left paralyzed following spinal surgery at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital (Columbia University Irving Medical Center) in 2002. Fourteen-year-old Edward Beloyianis visited the hospital for an operation to treat his scoliosis, a medical condition whereby the spine takes the shape of an S-like curve. The surgery left Beloyianis paralyzed for life. He died eight years after the surgery, according to the NY Times. His parents filed a medical malpractice lawsuit and the jury awarded $10,900,000 as compensation for their son’s death.
According to the medical malpractice attorney representing the Beloyianis’ family, the spinal surgery at the Manhattan hospital had left the victim paralyzed from the waist down. Investigations found that the surgical screws were misplaced and were pressing against the spinal cord- the primary reason for the paralysis.
Woman Died in NYC Hospital During C-Section
A Brooklyn woman died while giving birth at the Woodhull Medical Center on July 3, 2020. Shaasia Washington, 26, visited the medical center for a routine stress test. At the same time, she was pregnant and past her due date by a few days.
According to the Insider report, the Latino woman had abnormally high blood pressure while at the hospital. The staff decided to keep her under observation and induce childbirth with the help of Pitocin, a drug used to stimulate uterine contractions. The medical staff reportedly asked Shaasia if she wanted an epidural, to which she hesitatingly agreed.