Published on:

By

At St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center in Syracuse, New York, infants born with select brain injuries, which can be due to a labor and delivery complication or obstetrical malpractice, are now receiving cold therapy treatments.

Research suggests that cold therapy, which consists of placing a newborn baby on an icy cold blanket for 72 hours after birth, may reduce brain damage caused by a lack of oxygen or blood flow at birth, known as hypoxia, ischemia, or asphyxia. A lock of oxygen or blood flow can lead to brain damage, including cerebral palsy, mental retardation and other developmental problems.

Practically speaking, cold therapy slows metabolic activity in the brain which may prevent the second stage of injury due to oxygen deprivation – second stage injuries occur as blood and oxygen flow returns to portions of the baby’s brain deprived during delivery. Swelling is common during this time period, which the cold therapy is intended to reduce.

At St. Joe’s, the therapy was recently applied to two babies born following placental abruption, which is a life-threatening condition (for the mother and baby) where the placenta separates from the uterus. Crouse Hospital, which operates Syracuse, New York’s largest neonatal intensive care unit, has plans to introduce cold therapy during the Spring of 2009.
Continue reading →

Published on:

By

At 3:00 p.m. today four Ogdensburg Railway freight cars carrying salt derailed approximately one mile off of Buck Road, on the New York and Ogdensburg Railway line. The train cars were carrying more than 800,000 pounds of salt from the CSX Interchange to the Port of Ogdensburg.

According to investigators, the accident was caused by “sun-kinks,” which are warped or buckled sections of track caused by cold-to-warm temperature changes associated with the change of seasons. Fortunately, there were no injuries and no salt was spilled. There was minor damage to the tracks and rail cars.
Continue reading →

Published on:

By

Nearly ten years ago, a run man was struck by a freight train and lost his right arm and both of his legs. Recently, the young man, who once thought he would die from his injuries but now runs triathlons, returned To Lourdes Hospital as an inspirational speaker.
Continue reading →

Published on:

By

Earlier today, a tractor trailer traveling north on Interstate Route 81 (I-81), in Syracuse, New York, struck a twelve year old boy who was attempting to cross the highway. The accident occurred near Interstate Route 81 (I-81) exit number 28, for Taft Road, which is an exit north of Syracuse’s Hancock Airport.

According to witnesses, the boy entered the shoulder of Interstate Route 81 (I-81) and proceeded to run in front of the tractor trailer. The boy was transported to University Hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries. A portion of Interstate Route 81 (I-81) was closed after the accident.

Statistically, every sixteen minutes a person is injured or killed in an accident involving a tractor trailer, big rig, or 18-wheeler. Surprisingly, most tractor trailer accidents occur during the week (88%), during the daytime (75%), in good weather (71%), on dry roads (71%).
Continue reading →

Published on:

By

On April 12, 2009, at or about 4:00 p.m., four Syracuse residents were injured in a rollover crash while traveling westbound on the New York State Thruway, near North Chittenango.
Witnesses observed the driver of the car attempt to move into the right hand lane, move out of the right lane to avoid a car, overcorrect his steering to the left, and lose control of the vehicle.

The backseat passengers were ejected from the car, causing one to sustain internal internal bleeding and a collapsed lung. All four of the car’s passengers were transported to University Hospital in Syracuse, New York for treatment. The driver was charged with driving while intoxicated.
Continue reading →

Published on:

By

On March 30, 2009, the Honorable David R. Demarest dismissed a negligence and wrongful death action filed against St. Lawrence County by the family of a New York State trooper killed in a 2007 shootout.

Justice Demarest ruled Monday that St. Lawrence County Probation Department was not negligent in the manner in which it handled a warrant for fugitive Travis Trim. Trooper David C. Brinkerhoff was shot and killed by friendly fire on April 25, 2007, during a gunfight that occurred during the execution of the warrant to arrest Trim. Trim was also killed.

Trooper Brinkerhoff’s family alleged that St. Lawrence County was negligent, careless and reckless in allowing Trim to remain free despite multiple probation violations. Our investigation revealed that a warrant for Trim was issued by a Canton Village Court on December 29, 2006. The warrant was faxed to the St. Lawrence County Probation Department on January 2, 2007; however, the Probation Department shredded the fax and waited for the official copy, which never arrived. Trim remained free.

Justice Demarest ruled that the Probation Department’s handling of the warrant for Trim several months before the shooting “was not a factor which indirectly produced the tragic result.”
Continue reading →

Published on:

By

Adirondack Medical Center, located in Saranac Lake, New York, reopened recently following a partial collapse of the hospital’s chimney, which many believed was an explosion originating in the boiler room. Following the chimney collapse, the hospital was without heat or hot water. Patients were transferred to area hospitals until repairs were complete. Fortunately, no one was injured as a result of the structural failure.
Continue reading →

Published on:

By

In 1996, Cafe Plus Coffee Shop opened on 216 West Manlius Street in East Syracuse, New York. According to the Cafe Plus website, the store is run “by and for head-injured people.” In addition to coffee and bagels, Cafe Plus is a venue for much more than a caffeinated beverage, including activities such as cards, checkers, live music, movies, computers, creative writing, yoga, and motivation speakers.

Cafe Plus’ website is also an excellent resource for traumatic brain injury patients, as it includes links to many well-known authorities, including The Traumatic Brain Injury Survival Guide, the Brain Injury Resource Center, Upstate Medical Center Library, Brain Injury Information Network and the National Brain Injury Foundation.
Continue reading →

Published on:

By

On Wednesday, September 26, 2007, a local jury unanimously awarded the victims of a violent motorcycle collision $3,418,405.60 in damages. The injured plaintiffs were represented by Anthony S. Bottar and Michael A. Bottar.

On June 4, 2004, the plaintiffs, Stephen D. Salisbury, Jr. and Christine K. Dannible, were on a motorcycle driven by Mr. Salisbury. While stopped at a red traffic light, an automobile operated by defendant, Jonelle Christian and owned by defendant, Central National Bank (leased to defendant, Anthony Christian) rear-ended the motorcycle. The violent collision threw the plaintiffs from the motorcycle, causing Mr. Salisbury to suffer a compound tibia fracture requiring surgical correction, and causing Ms. Dannible to suffer a “mild” traumatic brain injury.

At trial, the defendants did not dispute that the collision caused Mr. Salisbury’s broken tibia, but contended that there was no radiological or diagnostic evidence that Ms. Dannible suffered a brain injury.

Mr. Salisbury called his treating orthopedic surgeon. Ms. Dannible called her treating neurosurgeon, psychologist and concussion management program director, internist, nurse practitioner and physical therapist who unanimously opined that she suffered a mild traumatic brain injury in the collision, and is and will continue to suffer from the effects of post-concussive syndrome. Defendants called a neurologist and neuropsychologist who, on cross-examination, conceded that Ms. Dannible suffered a mild brain injury in the collision.

The case went to the jury after eight days of trial. After deliberating for three hours, the jury awarded Mr. Salisbury $12,061.24 for past medical expenses and $150,000.00 for past pain and suffering. The jury awarded Ms. Dannible $34,098.36 for past medical expenses, $122,246.00 for past loss of earnings, and $300,000.00 for past pain and suffering, as well as $1,000.000.00 for future medical and rehabilitation expenses (including medication), $800,000.00 for future loss of earnings, and $1,000,000.00 for future pain and suffering. Plaintiffs are entitled to statutory interest, increasing the total verdict to more thabn $4,000,000.00.
Continue reading →

Contact Information
Syracuse Office
120 Madison St #1300
Syracuse, NY 13202
Toll Free: (833) 268-8277
Main: (315) 422-3466
Fax: (315) 422-4621
Satellite Office: Albany*
90 State St
Albany, NY 12207
Toll Free: (833) 268-8277
ATTORNEY ADVERTISING
* By appointment only

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Please do not include any confidential or sensitive information in a contact form, text message, or voicemail. The contact form sends information by non-encrypted email, which is not secure. Submitting a contact form, sending a text message, making a phone call, or leaving a voicemail does not create an attorney-client relationship.

Copyright © 2014 – 2025, Bottar Law, PLLC
JUSTIA Law Firm Blog Design