How to Beach More Safely This Summer Season and Avoid Unnecessary Injury by Brushing Up on Basic Beach Safety
With Free Access to Five Public Beaches, Top Personal Injury Attorney Mitchel Ashley Reminds New Yorkers to Recreate Safely This Summer Season
NEW YORK, New York – (June XX, 2023): Summertime is beach time. In fact, New York residents enjoy access to five public beaches – one in every borough but Manhattan – via the subway or Staten Island Ferry. These beautiful locales are not without their potential dangers, as top Personal Injury Attorney Mitchel Ashley of New York City’s The Ashley Law Firm can attest. This season, the respected legal expert reminds swimmers and sunbathers to exercise practical cautionary measures in order to safeguard their experience.
“The last thing anyone wants or expects is to suffer a personal injury during a lighthearted day at the beach,” shares Ashley. “My goal is to make sure you don’t need my services by discussing some of the ways you can keep yourself safe.”
Both locals and out-of-towners find fun, sun, and relaxation at New York’s bevy of free public beaches. During the state’s notoriously sweltering summer months, Rockaway Beach in Queens, Coney Island Beach, Brighton Beach, and Manhattan Beach in Brooklyn, and Midland Beach in Staten Island provide a vital escape from cramped city quarters. Before undertaking an outing, here are five crucial rules to remember:
Know how to swim. Take a class or accompany an experienced friend. The ocean is full of surprises – not all of them good – so only strong swimmers should embark into the water past knee level.
Only swim in designated areas. Watch for colored flags (erected by lifeguards) that inform visitors of current water conditions. A green flag means that conditions are good. A yellow flag requires caution, due to aspects like high tide, a strong undertow, and other variables. A red flag denotes dangerous conditions. A double red flag indicates extreme danger. A purple flag indicates the presence of potentially dangerous sea creatures, such as a high population of jellyfish, stingrays, or even sharks.
Never dive off of the pier or jetty. Visibility is too limited in these areas and there are too many potentially dangerous structures beneath the surface.
Do not bring alcohol or glass containers of any kind. These items are illegal on New York beaches.
Use sunscreen. Protection from sun damage is just as important as watching out for other harmful elements.
“All five beaches are City-owned, which means that should you need to bring a case for injuries you sustained, the City rules apply,” adds Ashley. “We have to file a Notice of Claim within 90 days of the incident, which means you need to be in touch with me quickly so a proper investigation can occur and we can file the necessary documentation to protect your rights.”
Visit Theashleylawfirm.com to read real-world reviews about the team’s outstanding approach or browse recent verdicts and settlements that helped change clients’ lives for the better. Call 212-513-1300 now for a free consultation, and pay nothing until a verdict or settlement is granted. Follow @theashleylawfirm for industry updates, including a live segment with Ashley every Monday at 6pm EST covering a variety of legal topics.
About The Ashley Law Firm:
The Ashley Law Firm was established in 2009 by accomplished personal injury attorney Mitchel Ashley on values of dedication, integrity, and personal attention. Managing multiple cases each year in a variety of personal injury areas, including auto/transport accidents, medical malpractice, dog bites, police brutality, and more, Ashley’s team fights tirelessly for the compensation and peace of mind that clients deserve. With one goal in mind – the be the best personal injury law firm in New York – Ashley has obtained millions of dollars in verdicts, bringing claims to a quick and satisfactory resolution with a compassionate, professional approach. He and his five-star team are prepared to take cases to the jury, if necessary, in order to win maximum compensation. Call 212-513-1300 now for a free consultation. Visit to learn more
About Mitchel Ashley:
Mitchel Ashley established The Ashley Law Firm in 2009, seeking justice for personal injury clients with over a decade of in-depth experience behind him. Named on the Thompson West list of “Super Lawyers” every year since, he has brought hundreds of cases to a quick, satisfactory resolution, obtaining verdicts in the millions of dollars. In every aspect of his profession, Ashley exemplifies dedication, honor, and dignity – in fact, he was chosen to carry the 2002 Olympic torch through the streets of New York City as a representative of such values.
Ashley was born and raised in New York. He grew up watching his grandfather, father, uncle, and cousin work as attorneys, which influenced both his sister and him to follow in their footsteps. In 1983, he attended the University of Rochester, earning a B.A. in Political Science. Personable and trustworthy, he was elected to serve as the Vice President of his Alpha Delta Phi fraternity. Six years later, he graduated from Hofstra Law School, serving in leadership once again as President of the Student Bar Association during his third year.
In the summer of 1992, Ashley took on an associate role for the small but prestigious firm Glaser, Shandell & Blitz, changing his direction from a business focus to the world of personal injury law. During that time, he helped on The Pelham Bay Landfill case involving 14 families who lived near a city garbage dump and whose children developed Leukemia as a result of toxic waste-contaminated groundwater. Ashley saw firsthand the difference that personal injury lawyers can make in the lives of their clients, leading him toward his current area of practice.
At Glaser, Shandell & Blitz, Ashley moved quickly from Associate to Partner, and then Managing Partner at the firm that now bore his name: Shandell, Blitz, Blitz & Ashley. Although he enjoyed this role, he felt limited in his ability to manage every detail of each case. He founded The Ashley Law Firm in order to serve as a solo practitioner, really getting to know clients and their unique grievances.
Today, Ashley enjoys the constant activity of keeping up with legal regulations while taking on a wide variety of cases, “meeting good people in bad situations” and fighting for justice on their behalf. He represents a wide variety of personal injury clients who are hurt in a car; as a pedestrian; on a bicycle; falling on a sidewalk or in a building; on the subway or a bus; or as the result of medical negligence. In fact, a former Ashley Law Firm client received one of the highest verdicts ever in NYC for a medical negligence case concerning bed sores.
Ashley is currently a member of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association (NYSTLA), having served on their board for several years, including as Chairman of the Partnership for Justice Committee. He has also completed four triathlons with Team in Training, helping to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. In his spare moments, Ashley enjoys running, cycling, gardening, cooking, and trips to the beach with his beloved wife, Maria. Visit Theashleylawfirm.com to read real-world reviews about his team’s outstanding approach or browse recent verdicts and settlements that changed clients’ lives for the better. Call 212-513-1300 now for a free consultation.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
