New York Premises Accidents and Explosions

Hazardous property conditions can lead to severe injury and deaths. This type of accident falls under premises liability law, which often allows victims to recover compensation. At Rubenstein & Rynecki, our attorneys bring more than 40 years of legal experience to every case we handle.

Various companies and government agencies may be liable for unsafe premises that cause a slip and fall, explosion, fire, criminal assault or incident where owners or responsible parties fail to protect individuals from property hazards.

Lawsuits Against the Port Authority

The Port Authority is a government authority shared by New York and New Jersey under the approval of the U.S. Congress. This government authority controls the main transportation hubs in both states, including the Holland Tunnel, Lincoln Tunnel, George Washington Bridge, John F. Kennedy Airport, Newark Airport and other principal airports. Injury victims who suffer injury because of hazardous conditions on any of these properties can sue the Port Authority and have a one-year statute of limitations to do so. After 9/11, the Port Authority was subject to lawsuits brought by 950 relatives claiming insufficient evacuation procedures and safety hazards.

Amusement Park Accidents

Amusement Parks such as Coney Island or Six Flags are subject to lawsuits when severe injury or death results from unsafe rides. In 2007, a man broke several vertebrae while at Coney Island riding the Cyclone rollercoaster when it malfunctioned and dropped 85 feet too suddenly. He died several days afterward from surgery complications. His family sued New York City for failing to conduct regular inspections, along with the private company contracted for inspections and repairs.

Explosions

A recent explosion at Nyack College located in Rockland County left people trapped and propelled one woman out of a second story window. She suffered back and neck injuries. Authorities assumed a gas leak was the cause of the explosion.

Building Elevator and Escalator Accidents

A number of elevator accidents have injured and sent people to their death. One accident occurred in a midtown Manhattan office building because of a repairman's error in disabling a switch. The New York Times reported that New York City has 60,000 elevators and there were 53 accidents in 2010, including three fatalities.