7
QUEENS WEEKLY, MARCH 3, 2019
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When you buy a product, the
expectation is that it should
perform in the way it was intended
to but that is not always
the case. When damage or injury
is caused as the result of
the use of a defective product,
the law in New York recognizes
that those who manufacture
and/or distribute the defective
product, as well as those who
sell it, may be held responsible
for damages for the injuries
which result.
Consider the case of the
young teenager who while using
a hair dryer in her home,
sustained severe third degree
burns to her hands when the
product burst into flames.
Her parents had the foresight
to consult our office shortly
thereafter. Upon consulting
an expert who inspected the
hair dryer, he advised that the
product’s wiring and/or loose
electrical connections allowed
it to overheat and catch on fire.
We sued the manufacturer, as
well as the neighborhood store
where the hair dryer had been
purchased, claiming that this
product was defective as it was
improperly or poorly designed,
that there was a mistake in
its manufacture or assembly,
and/or the manufacturer or
distributor placed the product
into the marketplace without
adequate warnings. Based
upon our expert’s opinion, we
were successful in achieving a
favorable outcome for our client.
If you find yourself in a similar
situation, the first thing
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to do is secure and safeguard
the defective product. In situations
where the injury occurs
outside your home, for
example, in the workplace, it
is particularly important to
be vigilant and contact an attorney
promptly. A separate
court proceeding may need to
be commenced, as soon as possible,
to compel preservation
of the product and to direct the
person, or entity, in possession
or control of the product,
to grant access so it can be inspected
and tested before it is
destroyed, altered or disposed
of.
If you believe that you or a
loved one have been injured by
any defective product, whether
a piece of heavy machinery or
a seemingly harmless household
item, you should consult
an attorney. A timely phone
call could be very important to
protect your rights.
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DOT must do more to
fi x parking woes: Holden
Parking is permitted along Juniper Boulevard South, near Juniper Valley Park during the day,
but there’s a no-standing regulation in effect at night. Photo via Google Maps
BY MARK HALLUM
City Councilman
Robert Holden’s office
is claiming it has made
headway in an effort to
bring parking options to
Middle Village motorists
who have been impacted
by the prolonged Penelope
Avenue sewer project.
The city Department
of Transportation (DOT)
opened up 71st Avenue
along Juniper Valley Park
to overnight parking. Although
it is not exactly
what Holden has been
pushing for, which is to
open Juniper Boulevard
South for overnight parking,
a spokesman for the
councilman said his office
will continue the push
make more parking near
the park available to constituents
during the project,
which has cost about
$22 million and stalled for
months while lead remediations
were made.
“Any additional parking
that can be provided
to residents in this area
is desperately needed, but
I still don’t think the DOT
has done enough,” Holden
said. “Temporary relief
for the overnight parking
restriction during the duration
of this project was
not too much to ask for,
and I’m frustrated that
the DOT is only doing the
bare minimum.”
The DOT has placed
bags over signs forbidding
parking along 71st
Avenue between Juniper
Boulevard South and
62nd Drive, which only
spans about 150 feet, and
parking restrictions have
only been lifted on the
park side of the street.
“Due to major construction
for a nearby
sewer project, some overnight
parking regulations
have been temporarily
suspended on 71st Ave.
during the project’s duration
following requests
from the local Council
Member, Community
Board and local stakeholders”
a DOT spokesman
said. “DOT and DDC
will continue to monitor
conditions.”
The agency said it
worked with Holden’s
office to implement the
change and is “open to
discussing other potential
locations with him
and other stakeholders.”
An interruption of the
Penelope Avenue sewer
project concerning lead
in the soil caused other
problems for Middle Villagers
living in the work
area, as residents reported
damage to stoops, foundations
and sidewalks
in the area. Holden and
City Comptroller Scott
Stringer visited the area
in August 2018 and vowed
to get the project moving
again while also mitigating
the damage that
residents suffered.
But the Department
of Design and Construction
(DDC) restarted the
project in October.
The discovery of lead
at the construction site
led Holden to draft legislation
restricting lead
contaminated soil from
being stored uncovered
near schools. Many local
residents attributed the
amount of lead in the soil
to the fact many parts of
the neighborhood which
was formerly a swamp,
are comprised of landfill.
Reach reporter Mark
Hallum by e-mail at mhallum@
schnepsmedia.com
or by phone at (718) 260–
4564.
/schnepsmedia.com
