Hicksville Injury Law Blog

Falling asleep at the wheel? These tips can help

On behalf of Rosado, Apat & Dudley, LLP posted in Personal Injury on Monday, April 22, 2019.

Have you ever nodded off behind the wheel? If you have, you know how frightening it can be. In most cases, it just lasts for a second. But, as your eyes snap back open and you realize you almost fell asleep, adrenaline surges through your body. You know how close you were to a car accident.

The best way to avoid this, of course, is not to drive when you're tired. Unfortunately, it's something we all have to do from time to time. How can you keep from falling asleep? Here are a few tips:

Turn on the AC or open the windows. This is especially effective when it makes you uncomfortable. It keeps you awake.
Chew gum. Eating snacks may help, but then you risk distraction by eating while you drive. Chewing gum gives you a minor physical task that keeps you awake without the distraction.
Talk to a passenger. If you have someone in the car with you, just make small talk. Have them ask you questions to keep you engaged.
Focus on your health. Eat well. Drink enough water. Make sure your body has what it needs so that you're not extra sluggish and worn out.
Sing along with the radio or a playlist on your phone. While listening to music can make you tired, casually singing along keeps your brain working and keeps you awake.

How can workers avoid slip-and-fall accidents?

On behalf of Rosado, Apat & Dudley, LLP posted in Workers' Compensation on Wednesday, April 10, 2019.

We often make light of slip-and-fall accidents, but the reality is that they can lead to very serious injuries on the job. They're also more common than many people realize. Risks that workers face include changes in flooring surfaces, unexpected hazards and a general sense that they need to hurry and rush to get a job done on time. All of those things can lead to an accident that puts a worker in the hospital.

To stay safe, here are a few things workers should do:

Never leave cables and cords lying across a walkway or cover them up if they have to be there.
Clean up anything that spills right away.
Sweep up and mop at the end of the day and whenever debris creates a hazardous condition.
Never leave clutter on the stairs or in the walkways.
If a rug or a mat does not lay down flat on its own, the workers should secure the corners.
Always close drawers for desks, file cabinets, storage containers and more.
Make sure that the walkways and working areas are well-lit at all times.

Family hit by car during police chase

On behalf of Rosado, Apat & Dudley, LLP posted in Personal Injury on Wednesday, March 27, 2019.

Police in New York attempted to initiate a traffic stop with a gray Mercedes-Benz, but the driver decided to run from the officers. Police started to follow but then decided it was too dangerous and stopped pursuing.

The gray car did not slow down, though. Breaking the speed limit and running through at least one red light, the car careened down the street until it slammed into a family of five in their Mazda.

Head injuries: What is edema?

On behalf of Rosado, Apat & Dudley, LLP posted in Personal Injury on Wednesday, March 13, 2019.

You suffer a head injury in a car accident or a fall. You wind up in the hospital, and the doctors know it's serious. They diagnose you with edema. What exactly does this mean?

Essentially, it is swelling of your brain tissue. The biggest issue with edema, other than the initial injury that caused it, is that the skull is too rigid to accommodate it. As a result, the tissue presses dangerously against the inside of your skull, which can lead to further injury or even death in the worst cases. The pressure buildup is too much for the fragile organ to withstand.

Recent trends in modern real estate

On behalf of Rosado, Apat & Dudley, LLP posted in Real Estate Law on Thursday, February 28, 2019.

For those interested in real estate, the value can shift dramatically for a variety of reasons, so it's important to understand exactly what makes a property valuable. One of those potential reasons is the impact of modern real estate trends. When a certain type of property becomes a hot commodity, the price tends to skyrocket.

As a buyer, you want to make sure you don't overpay for something that winds up being a fad. As an investor, you want to get in at the beginning, while the value is still low.

Do insurance companies spy on workers?

On behalf of Rosado, Apat & Dudley, LLP posted in Workers' Compensation on Thursday, February 14, 2019.

You get hurt at work and file a workers' compensation claim. You take all of the proper steps to show proof that you got involved in an accident and suffered an injury: You report the incident, you go to a doctor and you get copies of your medical files. Everything checks out. You did get hurt on the job and you deserve compensation while you heal.

But does anyone keep watching? Say you're out of work for the next three months. Does anyone check up on you, perhaps without telling you, to see if you really got injured?

Personal injury cases: What kinds of damages can you pursue?

On behalf of Rosado, Apat & Dudley, LLP posted in Personal Injury on Friday, February 1, 2019.

Sometimes, an accident is just an accident. It's nobody's fault, and you just got hurt. Other times, the accident happens due to the fault of another party. Perhaps a negligent driver failed to follow the rules of the road and hit you while you were a pedestrian. Maybe a food manufacturer didn't keep its premises clean, and the food you bought was dangerously contaminated. A lot of things can go wrong that cause you to get hurt, and when another party is to blame, you might be able to pursue financial damages in court.

Here are the kinds of damages that personal injury plaintiffs might be able to pursue:

Police are seeking a motorist who hurt a Hewlett 7-Eleven worker

On behalf of Rosado, Apat & Dudley, LLP posted in Workers' Compensation on Friday, January 18, 2019.

The Nassau County Police Department issued another request on Jan. 3 for anyone who knows who is responsible for a March 7-Eleven incident that severely injured a store worker to step forward.

That day they released surveillance video footage from cameras that were pointed in the direction of the Hewlett store location's parking lot. They say that they're hoping that the description they provided of the female suspect and images of her car will help jog some Long Island residents' minds about who she might be.

3 things you should know about child bicycle versus car accidents

On behalf of Rosado, Apat & Dudley, LLP posted in Personal Injury on Monday, December 31, 2018.

When an adult is riding a bicycle, he or she is expected to obey all traffic laws and ride responsibly to avoid getting struck by a car. When a child is riding a bicycle, the rules are a little bit different, which is why -- in some cases -- a child might be able to prevail in a personal injury claim, even if he or she was technically at fault for a collision involving an automobile.

Here are a few things parents should know if their child was struck by a car while riding a bike:

Can I sue if I get bitten by a horse?

On behalf of Rosado, Apat & Dudley, LLP posted in Personal Injury on Thursday, December 20, 2018.

No one ever expects to get bitten by a horse. They usually assume that horses are more likely to kick an unsuspecting victim. In fact, bites, kicks and tramplings can happen when someone is near a horse -- and these incidents are likely to result in devastating consequences for the victim. The question is, when a horse attacks an unsuspecting victim, is the owner of the animal responsible?

Under the law, injuries caused by horses are usually treated in the same way as injuries caused by other varieties of domestic animals. In other words, they fall under standard negligence laws.