Syracuse Injury Lawyer Blog

Two tractor trailers crashed on the New York State Thruway just north of the city of Utica, in Schuyler, New York (approximately 60 miles east of Syracuse and 200 miles northwest of New York City). Both truck drivers were injured.

According to Utica New York tractor trailer accident lawyers Bottar Leone, PLLC, an eastbound tractor trailer (2004 International) being operated by a Lockport, New York man experienced mechanical problems. The problems caused the tractor trailer to stall in the road at which point in time it was rear ended by a tractor trailer operated by a Tennessee man. After rear ending the back of the first tractor trailer, the second tractor trailer lost control and crashed into trees lining the highway.

The New York State Thruway tractor trailer collision caused the first big rig to spill debris on the roadway, including a load of pallets. The roadway was closed by the New York State Police until the debris was cleared. Both drivers were transported to St. Elizabeth's Medical Center in Utica. No tickets were issued.

Continue reading "Tractor Trailer Crash Near Utica Closes New York State Thruway" »

The New York State Thruway Authority recently announced that 2009 was the safest year in the history of the interstate highway that runs from Buffalo to Albany, through Rochester, Syracuse, Utica, Herkimer and Schenectady.

According to New York State Thruway accident lawyers Bottar Leone, PLLC, in 2009 there were more than 250,000,000 trips on the Thruway and 8,000,000,000 vehicle miles traveled. Despite heavy use, there were only 26 fatal accidents, resulting in 27 motorist deaths. Statistically, there were only .27 fatalities for every million vehicle miles traveled.

According to officials, the low number of New York State Thruway deaths is due, in part, to the Thruway Authority's commitment to highway maintenance and snow removal, including an effort to prevent injuries from bridge and roadway failures. Also responsible for the decline in fatalities was a strong presence by law enforcement. In 2009, the New York State Troopers reported issuing more than 180,000 tickets to Thruway patrons.

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A Watertown man was arraigned earlier this week after ramming his vehicle into the side of his wife's car in a parking lot. The crash caused extensive damage to her car. Fortunately, the Fort Drum soldier's wife was not injured in the North Country collision. After he was arraigned in the Town of Watertown Court, he was released into the custody of the Fort Drum military police.

Fort Drum, New York is the home of the 10th Mountain Division - Light Infantry. Fort Drum is the largest employer in Northern New York, providing jobs to more than 16,000 soldiers and nearly 4,000 civilians. Most soldiers and their families reside on or around the base, in areas including Watertown, LeRay, Calcium, Governeur, Philadelphia, Carthage, West Carthage, Clayton, Copenhagen and Lowville.

Continue reading "Fort Drum Car Accident Causes Vehicle Damage In Watertown" »

The New York State Department of Transportation announced last week that a portion of Route 81 within downtown Syracuse, New York, would be closed in order to prevent a car accident on Route 81.

According to Central New York building collapse attorneys Bottar Leone, PLLC, an abandoned building located on the 900 block of North State Street is on the brink of structural failure. Because the building backs up to Interstate Route 81 North, if it were to collapse it may send bricks and other debris onto the roadway. Several northbound lanes of Route 81 North have been closed.

Officials at the NYSDOT stated "[w]e recognize that closing I-81 will be an inconvenience for motorists, but in the interest of public safety, we have no choice but to close the highway until this unstable building is demolished. Detours and signage will help people negotiate the alternate routes until we can be assured that I-81 is safe for travel." The unstable building is scheduled to be demolished next week in order to avoid potential injuries arising out of a roof collapse, or compromised wall or foundation.

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Over the past few months, the Syracuse New York product liability lawyers of Bottar Leone, PLLC, have fielded many calls seeking our help to investigate whether a Toyota gas pedal defect was responsible for a car accident.

Initially, Toyota told the public that gas pedals jammed by defective floor mats were causing accidents and recommended that more than 3,800,000 Toyota owners remove their floor mats to prevent injury. Upon further investigation, Toyota announced that accidents were also being caused by sticky gas pedals and recommended that owners have their cars serviced so that the pedals could be modified. Recalls then soared to 8,000,000 vehicles. Even so, many Toyota critics believe that Toyota has not gone far enough to remedy safety problems with much of its product line. Many still suggest that the real problem is rooted in Toyota's electronics.

It is hard to tell whether Toyota's efforts are genuine. According to a recent press release, Toyota may have saved as much as $100,000,000.00 by negotiating with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration officials in an effort to gloss over safety defects in many models and prevent massive Toyota recalls due to unintended acceleration. Apparently, Toyota considered its ability to focus NHTSA attention on floor mats, rather than on the gas pedals, to be a "win" for the Toyota "safety group." Toyota's "win," as reduced to writing, was presented to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform for review.

While Toyota's future is uncertain, your future may include a lawsuit against the auto giant if you were severely injured while driving a Toyota that experienced unintended acceleration. You may also wish to pursue a lawsuit if you were severely injured while a passenger in a Toyota that experienced unintended acceleration.

Continue reading "Syracuse New York Toyota Gas Pedal Accident Lawyers Comment On Unintended Acceleration Lawsuit Liability" »