$4 Million Settlement for DHL worker Struck By Forklift at Airport

A 31 year old delivery person from Suffolk County, New York was struck in the back by a forklift at a local airport severely injuring his neck and back.  The experienced attorneys at Buttafuoco & Associates were able to obtain a video surveillance tape showing the actual accident.  Armed with the video, we were able to get a court order determining that the accident was 100% the fault of the forklift operator.  The delivery person was unable to return to work due to back and neck injuries which required surgery.  The case was settled at a mediation.

RECALL ALERT: Gree Dehumidifiers Recalled Due To Fire Hazard (165 reported incidents)

Dehumidifiers made by Gree Electric Appliances of China have been recalled due to serious fire and burn hazards. The recalled models are sold under the brand names Danby, De’Longhi, Fedders, Fellini, Frigidaire, Gree, Kenmore, Norpole, Premiere, Seabreeze, SoleusAir and SuperClima.

The dehumidifiers can overheat, smoke, and catch fire. There have been 165 reported incidents, including 46 fires, causing $2.15 million in property damage.

Think Twice Before Posting ANYTHING On Social Media Sites

Millions of Americans are using facebook, twitter, instragram, LinkedIn, Pinterest and all the other social networking sites and that use is now affecting the outcomes of lawsuits all over the country.  If you have asked some of the following questions READ ON:  Can a court use pictures and posts on my account as evidence on my case?  Can a lawyer find something I posted online?  How do I keep my information private?  Should I use facebook during my case?  Can someone find a post that I previously deleted?  Could my posts hurt the value of my case?

In one recent case, a woman in Georgia was awarded only about ten percent of the damages she was seeking because the defense used her social networking posts against her.  The woman was the victim in an auto accident and suffered a concussion and other severe injuries, and was left with a scar on her forehead.  She sued for damages, including pain and suffering due to the decrease in her quality of life.  Her case was solid and it looked like she would receive a large award.  Unfortunately, a social media post about her having "an epic weekend" and another that said "I'm starting to love my scar" were used to convince the jury that her quality of life wasn't as bad as it was being made out to be.  Another post with a picture of the woman using her injured hand raised doubts over her claims of being unable to work.

Don't let this happen to you.  If you are involved in a lawsuit, the best thing to do is to suspend your social network accounts.  Even if you're not posting anything currently, there may be things from your past that can be construed as negative by a skilled attorney.  If you've checked all your past posts and decide to leave your account active, set your privacy settings to the most restrictive and be very careful about what you post.  Even your information that is not publicly-viewable can be used in court.  So can things your friends post.

Social networking can be a great thing, but be careful what you post when involved in a court case.

Every half hour, a falling TV injures a child

Normally when people talk about TV being harmful to children they aren't talking about physical harm.  That has now changed.  According to a recent study published in the journal Pediatrics, a child is injured by a falling TV once every half hour, on average.  That adds up to over 17,000 injuries per year that were severe enough to require a hospital visit.  While most of the injuries were not serious, some were lethal.

There seem to be few causes contributing to this problem.  There are more TV's sold now than ever before.  They are often placed on furniture, such as dressers, that are not meant to hold them.  Most important, flat screen TV's are lighter and carry most of their weight in the front, making them especially prone to tipping over.

To be safe, parents should make sure to secure or tether the TV to make sure it's stable.  It is also recommended that they do not place remote controls or toys atop the TV since this can encourage a child to climb it.