Personal Injury Law

July 26, 2021

New NYC Bill Would Increase Penalties for E-Bike Hit-and-Runs

by Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan, PLLC

A new bill proposed by a New York State Senato would increase the penalties for e-bike hit-and-runs.

New York State Senator Liz Krueger, who represents the Upper East Side of Manhattan, has introduced a bill that would “make it a felony for electric-vehicle riders to crash into someone and leave the scene,” according to a report by Steetsblog. The bill joins another proposal by State Senator Brad Hoylman of the Upper West Side which would increase penalties for hit-and-run incidents that involve e-scooters; one chief difference between the two is that Krueger’s bill includes pedal-assist Citibikes.

July 19, 2021

NYC Construction Safety Report Details Job Site Fatalities

by Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan, PLLC

New York City’s Department of Buildings released its review of the 12 construction-related fatalities in 2019.

The New York City Department of Buildings recently released its Construction Safety Report for 2019-2020. The document notes that although construction incidents that involved injuries and fatalities decreased by 24% in 2019—”the first drop in nearly a decade”—there were nonetheless twelve deaths in construction-related incidents that year. “Even one death caused by unsafe work practices on a construction site is unacceptable,” the report states, “and the Department is committed to further driving down this number.” The Department carefully reviews every construction-related incident in New York City in order to hold responsible parties accountable and prevent future fatalities and injuries. Below are brief descriptions of the 12 tragic incidents in 2019, as described by the Department of Buildings.

July 13, 2021

NYC Construction Deaths Yield No-Tolerance Sweeps

by Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan, PLLC

New York City’s Department of Buildings has executed “zero-tolerance sweeps” of the city’s construction sites.

New York City building inspectors are implementing “zero-tolerance sweeps” in the city’s job sites, according to a recent report by Construction Dive. The sweeps are in response to “three worker deaths in recent weeks, two of which were the result of falls,” according to the report, and have resulted in 322 sites shut down due to hazardous conditions. Continue reading

July 12, 2021

Boy Scouts Abuse Victims Offer Mixed Reactions to Settlement

by Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan, PLLC

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The Boy Scouts of America recently filed a new proposed settlement agreement with tens of thousands of child sex abuse survivors.

The Boy Scouts of America’s proposed settlement agreement has received mix reactions from survivors of child sex abuse in the organization, according to a new report by the Associated Press. Under the proposal, the Boy Scouts would contribute $850 million into a compensation fund for former scouts, with possible additional funds contributed by local scout councils. Continue reading

July 7, 2021

Women Are Afraid of Walking in Cities Because of Sexual Assault, Study Shows

by Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan, PLLC

The Leading Cities study found that 70% of women avoid walking in cities out of fear of sexual assault.

A new study examining the gendered nature of urban design, published by Leading Cities, found that the risk of sexual assault disproportionately prevents women from walking around their cities. Continue reading

June 29, 2021

Studies Reveal Sobering Traffic Violence Stats

by Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan, PLLC

New research shows that deadly traffic violence disproportionately affects Black and Indigenous motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians.

New data released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Governors Highway Safety Association revealed that Black and Indigenous road users are disproportionately affected by traffic violence. According to a recent analysis by StreetsBlog, GHSA research found that from 2015 to 2019, “per-capita traffic death rates for American Indian and Alaskan natives were more than two and a half times those of the population overall — and nearly three times those of White people across all modes.” The research also found that Black road users (a term that encompasses motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians) experience “the second highest rate” of per-capita traffic deaths, or roughly 18% more than the rest of the population. Continue reading

June 28, 2021

Ex-Boy Scouts Sue Staten Island Council, NY Archdiocese for Sex Abuse

by Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan, PLLC

A group of 28 former Boy Scouts have filed a lawsuit alleging numerous forms of child sex abuse.

A lawsuit recently filed in Staten Island, New York by 28 former Boy Scouts alleges that the Boy Scouts’ Staten Island Council and the Archdiocese of New York recruited boys to join the organization, where they were sexually abused. According to a report by the Staten Island Advance, the lawsuit alleges the abuse against the young Boy Scouts “spanned more than half a century,” with one plaintiff alleging they were molested in 1949 and another alleging misconduct in 1995. Continue reading

June 22, 2021

Boy Scouts Propose New Settlement with Child Sex Abuse Victims

by Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan, PLLC

The Boy Scouts of America may be nearing a settlement agreement with child sex abuse victims who have filed claims against the organization.

Last week the Boy Scouts of America announced in a proposal filed with its bankruptcy court in Delaware that it hopes to reach a settlement agreement in the near future with attorneys representing child sex abuse victims who have filed claims against the group. According to the New York Post, the Boy Scouts proposed placing assets worth $250 million in a trust for child sex abuse survivors. Boy Scouts local councils would contribute another $500 million or more, with both the national organization and the local councils placing their insurance rights in the trust as well.

June 21, 2021

Reports Describe Hit-and-Runs in New York City

by Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan, PLLC

A cyclist was recently killed in New York City in an accident near the Bronx River Parkway.

Recent news reports describe two hit-and-runs in New York City in the last few months, one of which killed a cyclist in the Bronx. According to StreetsBlog, the cyclist was on Southern Boulevard in Bronx Park when he was hit by the driver of a Mercedez Benz apparently attempting to overtake him “at an apparent high rate of speed” near the Bronx River Parkway on-ramp around 11:20pm last Friday. StreetsBlog reports that the driver struck the cyclist from behind, “sending him flying backwards, first into the windshield of the Benz, and then onto the pavement.” Continue reading

June 16, 2021

Car Crash Legislation Stalls in New York Assembly

by Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan, PLLC

New York’s State Assembly declined to vote on several pieces of street safety legislation before ending their session.

The New York Sate Assembly failed to pass street safety legislation before ending its legislative session last week. As StreetsBlog reports, even though the State Senate passed a bill empowering New York City to determine its own speed limits, the Assembly declined to hold a vote on the bill. State lawmakers could still call a special session to vote on the legislation.

The bill that passed the State Senate, “Sammy’s Law,” did so by a 54-59 vote. The legislation is named for Sammy Cohen Eckstein, a 12-year-old “killed by a reckless driver in Brooklyn in 2013,” according to StreetsBlog. Senator Brad Hoylman sponsored the bill, which would reassign power to set New York City’s speed limits from the state government to the city government. If the bill is passed, New York City would join municipalities like Portland and Cambridge in gaining control over their own speed limits. In a statement about the bill, he said: “Sammy’s Law is a monumental piece of legislation that will make our streets safer for decades to come. As New York City is in the midst of a crisis of vehicular violence, it makes absolutely no sense that Albany has control over the City’s speed limits.”