It's widely accepted that falling asleep while driving an automobile is a dangerous combination but just how dangerous and just how many people have admitted to falling asleep behind the wheel is cause for alarm.

According to a New York Times blog post, some people are more likely to fall asleep while driving than others and it is more based on their behaviors rather than any demographic. Those who sleep less than six hours a day or who snore while they sleep are more likely to get drowsy and possibly fall asleep behind the wheel. Men, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are more likely to fall asleep behind the wheel than women. Younger drivers were more likely to fall asleep than older drivers, too. Just 1.7 percent of people over the age of 65 told researchers that they have fallen asleep at the wheel while 5 percent of people between 18 and 44 have dozed off while driving.

The study found data from 2009 and determined that as many as 730 fatalities on American roads were linked to a sleeping driver. Being asleep at the wheel may have caused more than 30,000 traffic accidents that resulted in varying degrees of injuries in that year, alone, the study found. Injuries and death are more likely in car accidents that involve a sleeping driver because they're unlikely to apply their brakes and often veer off the roadway at higher rates of speed than motorists who are awake through their accidents and may try to avoid more serious injuries.

People suffering from sleep apena were singled out as those who are most likely to be tired during the day and prone to drifting off to sleep behind the wheel of their automobiles. Sleep apnea causes disrupted sleep patterns and leads to excessive drowsiness during the daytime. Being awake for a full day without sleep is the equivalent to a Blood Alcohol Content of 0.1 percent, higher than all states' maximum allowed limit to determine drunk driving, the Times report added.

About 4 percent of people contacted for the CDC's study admitted to falling asleep behind the wheel at some point in their lives but not recently. Researchers believe the actual figure of sleeping motorists may be much higher either because people are hesitant to admit these things and because people are not likely to remember if they've fallen asleep while driving. Even just a few seconds asleep could lead to serious injuries or death as a fast-moving automobile could move hundreds of feet in just a short amount of time.

According to an Associated Press report from Shirley, N.Y., the pile-up happened just before 3 p.m. There were multiple vehicles involved in the accident and several of them, including at least one car and one tractor trailer, were on fire at the scene. AP relies on a local news helicopter (Chopper 12) and its footage for portions of its report.

The eastbound lanes of the Long Island Expressway were closed from Exits 65 through 69 through the evening hours as authorities and emergency crews responded to possible injured motorists and to clear the highway of the numerous vehicles involved in the accident.

Vehicles were damaged in varying degrees, as well. Some cars were burned beyond recognition while others suffered only minor damage. Vehicles, though they were traveling east, were arranged in different directions all over the highway, according to the eyewitness reports.

One motorist who was traveling just a few vehicles ahead of the accident said he saw another motorist behind him suddenly slow down, pull to the side of the road, get out of his car, and he knelt down and began praying. It was at that time that the witness motorist said he saw a wall of fire and smoke headed their way.

Several motorists came to the rescue of one tractor trailer driver who was involved in the wreck. As his truck began to smoke, several others pulled him from his vehicle and out of the way. Just as they removed him from the wreck, the truck burst into flames. Police arriving on scene urged those motorists to run from the truck because they feared it could explode.

More details on this accident on the Long Island Expressway will be updated Thursday as investigators begin their investigations into the cause and the exact extent of the injuries and damage.

According to a press release from the national law firm of Parker Waichman LLP, that firm is working alongside attorney Kenneth Mollins and the Manhattan law firm of Douglas & London in filing a formal Notice of Claim against LIPA and its contractor, National Grid, at the power company’s home office in Nassau County, N.Y.

The serving a Notice of Claim is required by law because LIPA is a public utility. The notice tells LIPA and National Grid that the firms plan to pursue claims the companies were negligent in their preparations and reactions to Superstorm Sandy. The Notice of Claim gives the power company and National Grid the opportunity to offer settlements to affected businesses and individuals and avoid costly litigation.

Last week, Mollins filed a class-action lawsuit against LIPA and National Grid. The lawsuit sought to cover any business that was or continues to be affected by the storm, namely regarding the impact of the loss of electricity. The claims allege that LIPA did little to protect Long Island's electrical grid prior to the crippling storm and that has compounded problems these businesses and individuals face in the weeks following the storm.

Mollins turned to the services of Parker Waichman LLP, a leading national law firm in aiding those who’ve been adversely affected by natural disasters. Douglas & London also joined this effort. Together, they represent a high-powered team of attorneys able to represent affected businesses in the Long Island and greater New York area.

It’s been more than two weeks since the area was affected by Sandy and for some, power has still not been restored. These and other businesses believe LIPA was negligent in its poor planning prior to the Sandy’s landfall and just as careless in the days and weeks following it. This has allowed damages to multiply as each day out-of-business for some puts them one day closer to having to shut their businesses forever. 

According to the release from Parker Waichman, “Having already filed a Class Action lawsuit on behalf of individual homeowners affected by the loss of power caused by LIPA’s failure to prepare for Sandy, these firms have now moved aggressively to proceed on behalf of Long Island’s business owners who suffered substantial economic losses while under LIPA’s care.”

Anywhere between 650,000 and 1 million Long Island residents may qualify to join the class-action lawsuit originally filed by Mollins. Damage estimates just for these businesses is likely to reach into the tens of millions of dollars. As many as one-quarter of all businesses close for good following a natural disaster simply because they're unable to recover after suffering catastrophic damages. 

LIPA and National Grid's negligence could compound those figures drastically if business owners are not able to hold the power authority accountable for their inaction.

According to a WNYC.org report, eight of the ten people on LIPA's board of directors has political affiliations with state leaders in Albany, N.Y., and have no experience in managing or even the basic functions of a power company. Just one board member, the report indicates, has any experience in energy. 

LIPA is currently facing increasing public scrutiny and impending legal trouble as businesses and individuals begin to learn that the power company was negligent in its preparations and response to Superstorm Sandy. Tens of thousands of its customers lost electricity during the storm and those outages persisted as the company failed to enact a plan in dealing with the widespread catastrophe.

Thousands of business owners in the Long Island area, served by LIPA, believe the company's negligence in its resopnse to Sandy, has continued to cost them tremendous losses, losses that are multiplying by the day and threaten to put them out of business entirely. Three high-powered law firms serving the Long Island and New York area, including the national law firm of Parker Waichman LLP, have combined to serve those businesses and individuals affected by LIPA's alleged negligence.

Of the 10 board members currently seated with LIPA, the one with a background in energy companies told WNYC that getting people to serve on the volunteer organization is difficult and compared the preparations and response to Superstorm Sandy a "Herculean task" but the source indicates that LIPA's board has only met once since the storm hit on Oct. 29. 

The watchdog group, Environmental Advocates for New York, told WNYC that the way LIPA is organized and managed does not meet the needs of the public, particularly regarding its growing demand for electricity. 

Even though he is technically responsible for the make-up of the board at LIPA currently, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that he is organizing a special committee to investigate how organizations like LIPA can be improved to prevent careless responses to natural disasters and other widespread power outages in the future.

According to the Complaint, the Plaintiff is a man from Nassau County, New York who slipped and fell in Sears in May 2009. The lawsuit alleges that the Plaintiff suffered this accident and subsequent adverse effects as a result of the dangerous and defective conditions on the premises. The suit claims that the Plaintiff’s injury caused pain, shock and mental anguish. Furthermore, the suit alleges that these effects are permanent and that the Plaintiff has and will continue to incur medical expenses from conditions related to the incident.

Allegedly, the damage suffered at Sears has left the Plaintiff unable to perform his normal everyday activities. The suit is also seeking compensation for loss of consortium on behalf of the Plaintiff’s spouse. The lawsuit alleges that the Defendants were aware of the unsafe conditions, yet invited the public to enter the premises nonetheless.

Parker Waichman LLP is a leading mass tort, environmental and personal injury law firm that represents plaintiffs in slip and fall lawsuits in New York and nationwide. The firm has offices in New York, Long Island, New Jersey, Washington, D.C. and Florida. For more than two decades, Parker Waichman LLP has assisted thousands of clients in receiving fair compensation due to the negligence of others. For more information on Parker Waichman LLP, please visit: http://www.yourlawyer.com or call 1-800-LAW-INFO (1-800-529-4636).

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Parker Waichman LLP
Gary Falkowitz, Managing Attorney            
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(800) 529-4636

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