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 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.
COURIER L 12 IFE, MARCH 1–7, 2019 B
NEW PIERS
revelers there, Assemblyman Steven
Cymbrowitz (D–Sheepshead Bay) announced
on Feb. 19 .
The exact list of city piers the
party cruises can run from, however,
is undecided, according to reps
for the mayor, the Economic Development
Corporation, and the Department
of Parks and Recreation.
But one location is the economicagency
operated marina at Brooklyn
Army Terminal, according to a
spokeswoman for Mill Basin state
Sen. Roxanne Persaud, whose constituents
last year protested a mayoral
proposal to dock the boats in their
neighborhood .
“Party boats, according to City
Hall, will be relocated from Sheepshead
Bay to the Brooklyn Army Terminal,”
said Matthew D’Onofrio.
Mayoral spokeswoman Meyer confi
rmed that the Sunset Park terminal,
where other booze boats already operate
BOAT BAN
vessels DeBlasio banished last year,
because it only hosts events for no
more than 150 passengers, and only
offers booze with larger catering
packages, unlike other vessels that
pour it more liberally, he said.
“The city has to react because of
the problems that go with it, so I’m
not faulting anybody, but there are
ways of going about that without
having collateral damage,” said Fred
Ardolino, whose New York Cruises
company offers tours and events on
his vessel, The Atlantis. “The last
time they did this they separated
The Atlantis from the rest, because
they knew that we didn’t do booze
cruises.”
The veteran skipper said there
is another smaller boat that runs
similar tours from the Emmons Avenue
pier, but described the rest of
the cruise operators that dock there
as booze boats. This newspaper contacted
many of those companies, reps
for which did not respond or declined
to comment.
And Ardolino hopes the city will
again spare his ship, claiming he already
booked several events for this
summer.
“I have three weddings, and I
have half a dozen schools and nursing
homes. I hardly think that it’s
fair, people who booked it more than
a year ago,” the Gerritsen Beach resident
said.
Whether or not Ardolino and similar
operations are exempt from the
ban is up to offi cials with the city’s
Department of Parks and Recreation,
which owns and operates the Sheepshead
Bay marina, and Economic
Development Cooperation, which
oversees other docking locations in
the fi ve boroughs, according to a rep
for Cymbrowitz.
“Parks and EDC are responsible
for the regulations, and any questions
can only be answered by them,”
said Adrienne Knoll.
A Parks Department spokeswoman
confi rmed that only fi shing
boats can operate at the Emmons
Avenue pier under the ban, suggesting
charter-boat owners contact the
economic agency to fi nd other ports
through its so-called Dock NYC program.
“Event charters will not be permitted
to operate out of Sheepshead
Bay piers, with the exception of fi shing
vessels. Boaters can reach out to
Dock NYC for information on alternative
operating sites,” said Maeri
Ferguson.
Still, the booze-boat prohibition
came as good news to a local civic
leader, who said making exemptions
for certain charters would be unfair.
“How could we say, ‘We’re asking
for all boats to leave except boat
A and B,’ ” said Community Board 15
Chairwoman Theresa Scavo. “How
can you pick and choose? If it’s good
for one it’s got to be good for everyone.”
But Ardolino — who said his family
has operated boats from the Emmons
Avenue pier since 1947, fi rst as
fi shers then as cruise captains starting
in 1990 — remains optimistic
that offi cials will revise the ban, so
locals who responsibly set sail won’t
lose a beloved form of recreation.
“I think that the city will reassess
what they’ve done,” he said. “It not
only hurts me but it hurts the community.
The seniors and the kids are
not going to go on any other boat, this
boat does a community service.”
A spokeswoman for Deutsch did
not respond when asked if the councilman
thinks the boat ban is too
broad, or if there can be exceptions
to it.
Continued from cover
, is among the viable locations for the
vessels banished from Sheepshead Bay.
“We will work with boat owners if
they want to move and Brooklyn Army
Terminal is one of the options,” she
said.
Offi cials ruled out using three of
the four other economic-agency-operated
piers in Brooklyn, claiming two
— the Bayview Marina at 2825 Flatbush
Ave., and the Mill Basin Wharf
at 2731 Flatbush Ave. — do not have
the required infrastructure for party
boats, according to Meyer.
And the third, the South Brooklyn
Marine Terminal in Sunset Park, is
only for commercial and industrial
use, according to Economic Development
Corporation spokeswoman
Stephanie Báez.
The fi fth agency-owned dock, at a
landing area within the Atlantic Basin
off the coast of Red Hook, features
similar infrastructure and amenities
as Brooklyn Army Terminal, but
Báez could not confi rm by press time
whether it would also welcome the
party boats.
Continued from cover