News

TIPS FOR SAFE WINTER DRIVING We love upstate New York!  Except for having to drive in snow, sleet, and ice during the cold, harsh months of winter.  Personal injury accidents, unfortunately, go hand-in-hand with snow-covered roads.  But you can avoid accidents and injuries by preparing yourself and your car.  Here are some helpful tips from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA): Slow down!  It takes longer to control or stop your vehicle on a [...]

Attorney General Letitia James is cautioning New Yorkers to guard their homes and properties from deed theft – when a thief takes the title to a home without the knowledge or consent of the homeowner. Also known as “property fraud” or “house stealing”, deed fraud most commonly happens in one of two ways:  a thief forges the homeowner’s signature on a deed and files it in a county clerk’s office; or the homeowner is tricked into signing the deed [...]

In a recent court decision, the New York Appellate Division (3rd Department) reminded homeowners that they still have an obligation to keep their property in safe condition while they’re on vacation. Vance v. Burkhart (Pritzker, J., 7/3/24) The homeowners went on vacation to Florida, and arranged for their neighbors to stay at the house and take care of the property owners’ two dogs.  A huge storm dropped over 2-feet of snow on the area.  The neighbor had to clear a spot [...]

New York law allows the survivors of a loved one killed as a result of negligence to file what’s commonly known as a “wrongful death” lawsuit. A wrongful death lawsuit filed this week in Florida alleges facts and negligence likely never seen before in any courthouse.  The family of 85-year old Gloria Serge sued the Spanish Lakes Fairways retirement community in Fort Pierce, Florida, where the woman drowned after being dragged into a lake by a 10-foot alligator.  The [...]

HURT IN AN ACCIDENT?  USE YOUR CELL PHONE TO TAKE PHOTOS AT THE SCENE!  A personal injury auto accident or slip-and-fall incident can be confusing and traumatic.  But if you are not at fault for the accident, your claim or lawsuit for money damages and compensation for your injuries needs to be supported by evidence.  And in many cases, the strongest and most effective evidence of all are photographs and video. Unlike police reports and witness statements, photos and videos [...]