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Created: 11 July 2016

Not long ago, the New York Times reported on a memorial service that took place inside of St. Patrick's Cathedral. Instead of honoring one life, this service honored the lives of 16 construction workers who died in the past year within New York City. Sixteen deaths are far too many, and events like this one both allow for the people who were lost to be honored and mourned and also serve the important role of drawing attention to the dangers of construction work. The construction profession is an especially dangerous one, and the building boom in New York City has meant that there are more workers at risk and higher death rates than in recent years. An expansion in development should not mean an expansion in fatalities, and hopefully public events that bring scrutiny to the problem will force employers to act to provide better protections to workers. If a construction employee is killed on-the-job, a New York workers' compensation law firm can provide help to families in getting death benefits that at least help to cushion some of the financial devastation that can result from the loss of a breadwinner.

High Death Rates in NYC From Construction Incidents

According to the New York Times, the memorial service which took place for the fallen construction workers at St. Patrick's Cathedral is an annual tradition. Each year in the month of April, on or around Workers' Memorial Day, hundreds of workers within the construction industry come to St. Patrick's Cathedral and are led up the steps by a procession of bagpipers to the memorial service. The tradition first began in 2000 at St. Francis of Assisi, where it remained until 2008 when a crane collapse took seven lives including the lives of six construction workers. The mass moved to St. Patrick's and has been held there each year. The move to St. Patrick's in 2008 coincided with economic downturn which slowed development, and accidents that caused fatalities became less frequent in the years immediately following the move of the memorial mass. Stricter safety standards had also played a role in lowering the death rate. Unfortunately, in recent years, the real estate boom has led to more construction workers being honored after losing their lives over the course of the prior working year. There were 88 million square feet of construction underway last year in New York City, which is more than double the amount of work which was done in either 2013 or 2014. This has come at a cost. At this most recent mass where 16 workers were honored, the total number of deaths was the highest it had been since the previous construction boom. In 2007, 12 workers had been killed over the course of the year. In 2008, there were 19 deaths. The death rate then dropped until 2015 when 17 construction workers were killed. During these times when so much development is going on, the memorial serves as an important reminder about the human cost of progress. Employers must do everything they can to ensure their efforts to expand development in NY do not cost more lives, and family members of workers who are killed need to ensure they are taking advantage of the laws that provide at least some financial protection. Rosenberg, Minc, Falkoff & Wolff is here and ready to help if tragedy strikes. Contact our office today to learn more about how we can help.

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Created: 09 July 2016

POLICE MAY BE LIABLE FOR DEADLY CAR ACCIDENT QUEENS, NEW YORK  (July 9, 2016) 

A 78-year-old woman was killed in a tragic accident as police were chasing a robbery suspect through a residential neighborhood in Cambia Heights on Thursday, according to ABC News. Authorities have been able to identify the woman that died in the crash as Roxina Clayton. The fatal collision happened by 225th Street near Linden Boulevard as the robbery suspect drove his black BMW SUV at high rates of speed in order to evade police. Authorities were trying to pull him over when the crash occurred. Police are saying that the robbery suspect ran a red light at an intersection and collided with Mrs. Clayton's green sedan.  Roxina Clayton was a beloved mother and grandmother who instilled in her family the importance of love and forgiveness. The 51-year-old suspect driving the SUV was arrested following the accident and is being charged with manslaughter.  But it remains unclear if anything at all will happen to the police officers that chose to engage in this pursuit through a residential neighborhood. Will they be held responsible for their actions? According to  the NYPD Patrol Guide, Police must take into consideration a number of factors before determining if a police chase is warranted including: a. Nature of offense b. Time of day c. Weather condition d. Location and population density e. Capability of Department vehicle f. Familiarity with area. The NYPD Patrol Guide specifically states that a vehicle pursuit be terminated "whenever the risks to uniformed members of the service and the public outweigh the danger to the community if [the] suspect is not immediately apprehended."

HELPING THOSE IN NEED BY RAISING AWARENESS

At the RMFW Law Firm we believe in giving back to the community and helping those who are in need. If you or someone that you know has been affected by this accident, we will gladly help raise awareness of any gofundme campaign set up to support the victim or their family. We can link to it in this post which is then spread across our social media platforms. You can send your request to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Our staff at the RMFW Law Firm were absolutely heartbroken to learn about the tragic death of Roxina Clayton. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family as they cope with such an incredible loss. Roxina Clayton leaves behind a legacy of love, compassion and faith that touched so many people during her life. We encourage the police officers investigating this crash to not just look at the suspect who is responsible but their own policies which may have contributed to Mrs. Clayton's death. High speed pursuits in residential neighborhoods are a recipe for disaster. If there is anything at all that we can do for the family as they seek answers about what happened, our phones are always on 212-344-1000.

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Created: 02 July 2016

CRUISE SHIP MAY BE LIABLE FOR DROWNING ACCIDENT BAYONNE, NEW JERSEY (July 1, 2016) 

An 8-year-old boy is in critical condition after nearly drowning in a tragic swimming pool accident as he was on a cruise ship, according to NY Daily News. (map) Authorities have been able to identify the boy on the cruise ship as Prince Adepoju. Prince was on the Royal Caribbean Anthem of the Sea Cruise Ship when the accident took place. Upon finding the boy crew workers started performing CPR and directed the ship to return to the New York Harbor. The boy was later transported to the Staten Island University Hospital where he remains in stable condition. It remains unclear how the swimming pool accident happened. Authorities will continue to investigate in order to determine liability. This is not the first drowning accident on a Royal Caribbean. In December 2015 there was a fatal drowning accident of an 8-year-old boy as the ship was making its way to central America.

HELPING THOSE IN NEED BY RAISING AWARENESS

At the RMFW Law Firm we believe in giving back to the community and helping those who are in need. If you or someone that you know has been affected by this accident, we will gladly help raise awareness of any gofundme campaign set up to support the victim or their family. We can link to it in this post which is then spread across our social media platforms. You can send your request to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Our staff at the RMFW Law Firm were absolutely heartbroken to learn about the tragic accident injuring Prince Adepoju. Unfortunately, drownings or near drownings on cruise ships are not that uncommon. No parent should ever have to go through something so terrible. If there is anything at all that we could do for the family as they piece together what happened, we will do everything in our power to help. Our phones are always on 212-344-1000. 

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Created: 22 June 2016

FATAL ACCIDENT REMAINS UNDER INVESTIGATION MONGAUP VALLEY, NEW YORK (June 22, 2016) – A 45-year-old man was killed in a tragic apartment fire after becoming trapped on the second story of his building at 1240 Route 17B, according to Patch.com. (map) Authorities have been able to identify the man that was killed as Richard Burke. Police are still investigating the deadly fire, but they think it may have been the result of a cooking accident on the first floor of the building. The Police and Fire Departments rushed to the scene of the apartment fire, but they were not able to pull Richard Burke out in time. He was later pronounced dead at the Catskill Regional Medical Center. Another man was extracted from the apartment with injuries from smoke inhalation and minor burns.

HELPING THOSE IN NEED BY RAISING AWARENESS

At the RMFW Law Firm we believe in giving back to the community and helping those who are in need. If you or someone that you know has been affected by this accident, we will gladly help raise awareness of any gofundme campaign set up to support the victim or their family. We can link to it in this post which is then spread across our social media platforms. You can send your request to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Our staff at Rosenberg, Minc, Falkoff & Wolff were deeply saddened to learn about the deadly apartment fire in Monguap Valley. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the departed as they try to piece together what happened. We encourage the police and fire departments to conduct a comprehensive investigation into this fire and to examine whether all of the proper safety codes were followed. 

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Created: 20 June 2016

MANUFACTURER OF TRACTOR MAY BE LIABLE FOR MALFUNCTION HARTLAND, NEW YORK (June 19, 2016) 

A 68-year-old man was tragically killed in a farming accident after the tractor that he was using experienced some sort of mechanical failure by Seaman Road, according to ABC 7 News. (map) Authorities have been able to identify the man killed in the Niagara County accident as Larry Cooper. Police found Mr. Cooper trapped underneath the tractor and he was later pronounced dead at the scene in Middleport. The tractor appeared to be attached to some sort of Haybine or hay mower. It is still unknown why the tractor malfunctioned.

HELPING THOSE IN NEED BY RAISING AWARENESS

At the RMFW Law Firm we believe in giving back to the community and helping those who are in need. If you or someone that you know has been affected by this accident, we will gladly help raise awareness of any gofundme campaign set up to support the victim or their family. We can link to it in this post which is then spread across our social media platforms. You can send your request to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Our staff at the RMFW Law Firm were deeply saddened to learn about the tragic death of Larry Cooper. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family as they must cope with such an incredible loss. We encourage the police to investigate this accident thoroughly for the sake of the victim's family. When someone is killed by a malfunctioning vehicle, they may be able to file a product liability lawsuit against the manufacturer of the defective vehicle. If there is anything at all that we can do for the family as they piece together what happened, we would be glad to help 212-344-1000.