New York Legal Blog

A former police sergeant assigned to the New York City Human Resources Administration will soon start serving a five-year prison sentence for a committing a sexual assault during the course of his duties. However, the city is trying to deflect responsibility despite its zero-tolerance approach to sexual assault. At a time when the #MeToo movement is calling attention to the issue of improper sexual conduct by individuals who abuse their positions of power and authority, some say the city's attempt to dodge responsibility is outrageous.

In 2017, a Manhattan artist was arrested by the sergeant, who was assigned to the NYC HRA office on 14th Street, for alleged trespassing. The arrest had occurred after the artist became upset when she was notified that a paycheck owed to her was not ready. The sergeant admitted to locking the artist in a room for two hours and returning to find that she had urinated herself. It was at this point that she became a victim of a brutal sexual assault. The sergeant pleaded guilty to the crime.

Drivers in New York who use hand-held cellphones while behind the wheel can be ticketed and fined, but research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety suggests that entering navigation settings or adjusting audio controls on the latest cars can be just as dangerous. The organization came to this conclusion after tasking researchers from the University of Utah to find out how distracting modern automobile navigation and entertainment systems are. This was done by asking volunteers to drive vehicles made by Ford, Dodge, Honda, General Motors and Kia.

After observing the 64 participants answer phone calls, send text messages, enter addresses and adjust entertainment settings, the researchers noticed that all of the vehicle technology was difficult to use. They then asked the students to perform the same tasks after connecting the vehicle entertainment and navigation systems to cellphones using the Apple Carplay and Android Auto applications. While these apps reduced the amount of time it took to complete most tasks, the researchers say that relying on them could still leave drivers dangerously distracted in many situations.

A serious accident with a large commercial truck could drastically alter the life of someone in New York because the size of commercial vehicles inflicts serious damage on passenger vehicles and their occupants. The victims of fatal accidents involving large trucks and passenger vehicles are almost always occupants of the passenger vehicles. For those who survive, some endure disabling spinal injuries, broken or shattered bones or traumatic brain injuries. In the aftermath of a wreck, victims could experience post-traumatic stress disorder.

In addition to spinal injuries that could leave a person with permanent paralysis, injuries like broken bones might require multiple surgeries. Cuts and lacerations caused by broken glass and debris might disfigure people's faces or cause infections. When head trauma occurs, both physical and psychological changes could result. The symptoms of traumatic brain injuries might take days or weeks to emerge fully. Even if head injuries appear minimal, internal bruising and brain inflammation could still produce mental difficulties.

There are currently more than 3 million truckers around the country, and they serve an essential role in the economy. However, the trucking industry has some problems. New York truck drivers work an average of 70 hours in their eight-day workweek, so fatigue is a constant hazard. Because of the industry's lack of safety, turnover rates are high and trucker shortages are not uncommon.

However, an Oklahoma-based startup may provide a better means to reduce trucker fatigue as well as lower turnover rates and insurance rates. BlyncSync was founded three years ago and continues to build a business plan with the nationally recognized nonprofit i2E. It will be launching its first pilot program, in which five trucking companies will be participating.