March, 2017 - Braunfotel and Frendel

Arrest of alleged drug smugglers yields $4.1 million in cash

Police authorities in New York City announced the arrest of three men in an alleged drug smuggling operation and described the elaborate steps the men allegedly took to conceal the drugs. The police also seized $4.1 million in cash and 6 pounds of heroin. The three suspects were charged with several federal drug offenses.Investigators spent several hours watching the three suspects moving pieces of furniture into and out of a storage facility in the Bronx. Authorities said that the men are believed to have smuggled drugs across state lines by hiding the contraband in hidden compartments inside pieces of furniture. The police alleged that the three men were smuggling the drugs from Texas to New York City and Lawrence, MA. Police also suspect that the three defendants were intending to [...]

Arrest of alleged drug smugglers yields $4.1 million in cashjames2017-03-30T00:00:00+00:00

Workplace safety and increased construction work demand

According to a report from the Associated General Contractors of America, employment in construction is higher than it has been since 2008, and almost three out of every four construction firms state that they plan to increase their workforce in 2017. Construction workers in New York and the rest of the country should be aware that as demand for construction work increases, so do the risks that the job presents.The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 937 construction workers were killed in 2015. The statistic represents the highest fatality figure of any industry sector. In fact, fatalities related to construction made up 21.4 percent of all worker fatalities in 2015.Because of the increasingly high demand for construction workers, firms are finding it difficult to locate experienced personnel. This is why [...]

Workplace safety and increased construction work demandjames2017-03-28T00:00:00+00:00

Birthday celebration ends in deadly alleged drunk driving crash

Birthdays are usually a time of celebration, but occasionally celebration turns into tragedy. These tragedies are often caused by excessive consumption of alcohol, as sadly demonstrated by a recent collision that killed a Brooklyn woman who was celebrating her 21st birthday. The accident is alleged to have been caused by drunk driving.After attending a show in New York City and having dinner with her parents, the young woman was traveling with friends across the Williamsburg Bridge at about 3:15 a.m. The driver lost control of the vehicle and hit a divider. The impact tore the car in half and caused the birthday celebrant, who was riding in the rear seat, to be ejected. The impact killed her. Ironically, both of the men in the front seat were NYPDtraffic agents. The [...]

Birthday celebration ends in deadly alleged drunk driving crashjames2017-03-24T00:00:00+00:00

OHSA’s safety campaign aims to protect workers

Workers in New York and throughout the country may see safer workplaces since the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has launched the "Safe and Sound Campaign." It is aimed at getting employers to look at their safety and health programs and how they can reduce workplace injuries and deaths. Workplace accidents can be costly as each week workers' compensation costs companies about $1 billion.All safety programs need to have three elements in order to be effective. Management must show commitment to the program by committing time and resources to it. Management can also engage employees by involving them in finding solutions. Finally, both management and employees should work together in a preventive sense. They should try to identify problems and hazards before an accident happens.Companies can contact OSHA for assistance [...]

OHSA’s safety campaign aims to protect workersjames2017-03-20T00:00:00+00:00

Understanding New York’s implied consent law

Many New York motorists who are stopped under suspicion of driving while intoxicated wonder if they can refuse a police officer's request to submit to a breath or blood test. The simple answer is yesIn New York (and almost all of the remaining 50 states), the right to drive a car is a privilege that is subject to several conditions and limitations. One of the most important such restrictions is the so-called implied consent" to submit to a test that measures the amount of alcohol in a person's blood stream (BAC level). By obtaining a drivers' license and operating a motor vehicle within the stateA person may refuse to take a breath test or have a blood sample drawn, but in either case, the implied consent law requires that the [...]

Understanding New York’s implied consent lawjames2017-03-17T00:00:00+00:00

How communities handle skateboarding

New York residents may see skateboarding as a recreational activity or as a way to get around town. However, there is an extreme element to it that can result in liability issues for property owners. Each year, there are more than 25,000 trips to the emergency room related to skateboard injuries, and nearly 60 percent of those who are injured are under the age of 15. This is according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.Typically, the same laws that apply to bicyclists or other pedestrians apply to those who use a skateboard. In Los Angeles, those who use a skateboard are required to obey stop signs, follow speed limits and avoid other vehicles. Local ordinances may ban skateboarding in bike lanes or on sidewalks. It is actually illegal for [...]

How communities handle skateboardingjames2017-03-13T00:00:00+00:00

Improvements made to respiratory protection devices

New York employees may be interested to learn that approximately 5 million U.S. workers are required to wear respirators to protect themselves against respiratory problems in the workplace. Respirators can be crucial in low-oxygen environments or areas where there are dangerous mists, gases and vapors in the air.Respiratory protection manufacturers have made many improvements so that workers can move and complete their work more effortlessly. For example, manufacturers have made improvements to the back plate design for larger devices, which increases the stability of the apparatus and reduces snag hazards. Devices are also becoming more sophisticated as technology continues to improve.Even though improvements have been made to respiratory protection devices, they can still be misused. In fact, one of the most common ways to do so is to mix and [...]

Improvements made to respiratory protection devicesjames2017-03-09T00:00:00+00:00

How do breathalyzers work?

Virtually every state in the union, including New York, defines intoxication as the percentage of alcohol in the blood stream, commonly called the blood alcohol content (BAC). In New York, a BAC in excess of 0.08% means that the person is intoxicated and may be guilty of drunk driving. If a police officer suspects that a driver may be intoxicated, the driver may be asked to submit to a breathalyzer test. The breathalyzer measures the person's BAC by sampling the person's breath. How does such a test reveal the level of alcohol in the person's blood stream.When a person drinks, alcohol molecules pass through the stomach and enter the blood stream. Some of the alcohol molecules in the blood stream enter the alveoli in the lungs and are passed out [...]

How do breathalyzers work?james2017-03-08T00:00:00+00:00

What constitutes first-degree identity theft under New York law?

Identity theft schemes might make for good stories on the nightly news, but it is important to remember that not all of those accused of identity theft are actually guilty of the crime. Individuals in New York need to understand what constitutes identity.Under New York law, an individual commits first-degree identify theft when he or she knowingly and with the intention to defraud assumes the identity of an individual, acting as the other individual or by utilizing the other individual's personal identifying information.And, to commit first-degree identity theft, the individual needs to either obtain property, funds, services or use the credit of the other individual in an amount that goes above $2,000; or cause the other person to suffer a financial loss of over $2,000; or commit or tries to [...]

What constitutes first-degree identity theft under New York law?james2017-03-03T00:00:00+00:00

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