New York Law Blog

Last month in the Chinatown section of New York City, a van that had been left in reverse backed over a sidewalk and struck a group of children in which two of the children were killed and left 11 others injured. The driver of the van did not realize the car was not in park until after the accident had already occurred. Jeffrey Lichtman had this to say about the incident:

This is an unfortunate tragedy which took the lives of two pre-school students from their families.  The driver of the van had double-parked and entered a store in Chinatown, leaving the van running and in reverse gear, thinking it was in park.  The van subsequently hopped the curb killing two pre-school students and injuring 11 others.  Unfortunately, the family members will have limited recourse in the court system due to New York’s antiquated Wrongful Death law.  It is time for Albany to act.  The law must be changed.

Trolman, Glaser & Lichtman: Don’t settle for less!

The rigger responsible for the death of seven people after a crane collapse last year in New York City is being brought up on manslaughter charges by Manhattan prosecutors. Also included in the construction accident charges is Rapetti Rigging Services, the overall contractor on the site. Jeffrey Lichtman, senior partner at Trolman, Glaser and Lichtman had this to say about the impending ruling:

I have seen a growing number of accidents involving crane collapses throughout the city.  In this particular case, William Rapetti, has been charged with criminally negligent homicide, reckless endangerment and second-degree assault.  This case exposes the missteps by city agencies as well as the Buildings Department’s lack of attention to public safety.  A series of these fatal collapses has led to the resignation of the city’s building commissioner and the arrests of its chief crane inspector.  Unfortunately, these accidents are a result of the workload brought on by the city’s last real estate boom.  My hope is that the scrutiny following this case sets stricter adherence to public safety and develops strong guidelines for crane operators, in turn, preventing accidents like this from occurring.

Trolman, Glaser & Lichtman - Don’t settle for less!

Last week a Department of Environmental Protection worker was killed in a workplace accident in Brooklyn after a conveyor belt he was moving with some coworkers collapsed on him. Another man was injured in the incident as he was trying to help the victim.  Trolman, Glaser and Lichtman senior partner Jeffrey Lichtman had this to say about the accident:

I have seen countless accidents where safety regulations are violated taking the life of an innocent worker.  What is most troubling to me is that these accidents could be prevented.  In this particular incident, Mr. Montello was killed when a conveyor belt collapsed on him at the Brooklyn Sewage Treatment Plant where he works.  This case is still under investigation and we will follow it in order to determine what happened.  My hope is that the sewage plant didn’t ignore safety violations which in turn took this 45 year old father’s life.

Trolman, Glaser & Lichtman: Don’t Settle For Less