Philadelphia Injury Attorney Blog

As an experienced Pennsylvania defective product and product liability lawyer since 1979 who has handled thousands of cases involving catastrophic injury or wrongful death, I am most certain that if manufacturers focused more on consumer safety rather than maximizing profitability there would be many more people alive or walking around in a non-altered state. Most recently, after the BP Gulf oil disaster, a Presidentially ordered investigation revealed that the oil company as well as other companies working on the project made decisions that sacrificed safety to cut costs.

I have reviewed documents and evidence in many of the defective tire and automotive rollover cases and other vehicle product defect cases that we have investigated, and the evidence is fairly clear cut that the design or automotive manufacturing defects which could have been corrected for a small sum were knowingly allowed to exist posing a serious threat toward consumer safety. We have been able to prove that many automobile manufacturers were at fault by cutting corners in vehicle design and the manufacturing process in order to boost profitability to their shareholders.

Ford Motor Company knew in their initial testing that the Explorer was prone to rollovers. The issue was never addressed properly. Rather they resorted to lower air pressure in the tires as a quick and dirty fix. Additionally, when the Ford Firestone debacle began to surface, Firestone conducted an investigation that asserted tires had been abused or under-inflated. In a recent 15-passenger van rollover and component failure case that we handled, we were able to demonstrate that engineers working on the car warned executives and manufacturing agents that the vehicle was simply unsafe and the fix could be effectuated for less than $20. Instead thousands of people have died at the expense of corporate profitability. What is most interesting is that the government fails to take aggressive enough action to prevent this greedy practice and accidents will continue to occur killing innocent victims.

In the recent BP oil disaster, research has indicated numerous flaws in the installation and maintenance performed on the rig and critical pieces of equipment. Time after time, it appears that BP may have made decisions that increased the risk of a blow out to save the company time or expense. As consumers, we have the right to expect that the products we purchase are safe for use or consumption.

If you or a loved one has been catastrophically injured or killed by a faulty product, the experienced Pennsylvania product liability lawyers of Reiff & Bily would offer a free, no obligation consultation and would be willing to investigate what caused your injuries and what parties are responsible under the law. We are greedy for justice and our Pennsylvania product liability lawyers may be able to recover compensation for your injuries, pain and suffering, medical expenses, and other related costs. We always offer a free, no obligation consultation and a no recovery, zero fee guarantee which means that we will advance all costs necessary to properly investigate your case and you will not owe us a dime unless you win. Our track record of success speaks for itself.

To our dear clients, friends, and family,

On this holiday of Thanksgiving, we want to offer our heartfelt thanks to all of our clients, friends, and families whose lives we have touched and whose lives have touched us. We can only hope that we will continue to strive to keep all of our clients satisfied by the way we practice law. We recognize that the difference between ordinary and extraordinary is just a little bit extra. Our lawyers and staff continuously strive for excellence in everything they do and recognize that the price of greatness is responsibility and understanding. We recognize that sometimes it is difficult to remain sane in an insane world and that everyone needs help from everyone.

Thank you for your courtesies, patience, and confidence, and for recognizing that litigation can be and is often a stressful process. We thank you for allowing us to become part of your family. Most importantly, we thank you for allowing us to serve you.

With the utmost appreciation and thanks,

Happy Thanksgiving

Jeffrey Reiff
Raymond Bily
And Staff

A church van operated by New Life Worship in Federal Heights, Colorado was carrying teens and young adults to Portland, Oregon to help raise money for a bible school mentoring program when it rolled over ejecting 13 of 16 occupants. The 2002 Ford van lost control on black ice and rolled over, killing 1 and injuring 14 others. Ford reached an out-of-court settlement with the family of the young woman that was killed.

As an experienced 15-passenger van accident lawyer who has handled claims involving similar incidents, I am well aware of the dangers of these vehicles and note that 15-passenger vans are highly susceptible to crashes and rollovers when they are loaded to capacity. Originally these vans were designed for carrying cargo. In September and October of 2010, another 10 people were killed in the wake of multiple 15-passenger van rollovers in New York and Georgia that also involved church groups. While NHTSA has offered a steady stream of warnings about the instability of these vans, they require special knowledge and driving skills which often is not possessed and leads to catastrophic consequences.

In the 1990s, there were over 400 reported fatalities involving single vehicle 15-passenger vans. There are currently in excess of 500,000 15-passenger vans currently in use in the United States with most of them being used by church groups or schools. In fact, the United States government has banned the use of 15-passenger vans for transporting school age children. Yet, I see many schools and camps still continuing to use them. It has been recommended by many that the operators of these vans have special education and also possess a commercial driver’s license. The manufacturers of these 15-passengers vans have continuously put profits over consumer safety and I am of the belief that these vehicles are unsafe at any speed with any number of people in them.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a 15-passenger van accident or any vehicle rollover accident, please contact one of the experienced 15-passenger van and SUV rollover lawyers of Reiff & Bily who work on a contingency fee basis. We will not get paid one dime unless there is a successful recovery. We have handled thousands of motor vehicle accidents recovering hundreds of millions of dollars from powerful opponents for physical injuries and emotional damages sustained by our clients. We always offer a free, no obligation consultation and a zero fee guarantee if we do not win your case. You may contact us online at www.reiffandbily.com or toll free at 1-800-421-9595.

Eric Polston, the operator of a 1998 Ford Windstar van, swerved to avoid a dog, causing the van to roll over. Although Polston was wearing a seat belt, he was ejected from the vehicle during the rollover and was paralyzed. As a result of the accident, he was rendered a tetraplegic with partial use of his hands and arms. A product liability action was filed focusing on the design of the seat belt buckle, particularly the release button housed within the buckle restraint system.

The design utilized by Ford featured a protruding button. The top of the button is located above the top of the buckle housing permitting easier access to the button. The protrusion of the button renders the design of the buckle defective and unreasonably dangerous because it presents an unnecessary hazard for inadvertent release. Ford’s release button for their seatbelt buckles was designed primarily to address aesthetics. A protruding button design increases the risk for accidental or inadvertent release of the seatbelt. Since the design was manufactured by TRW, it was supplied not only on a number of Ford vehicles but also other manufacturers as well. By the late 1990s, the entire industry, including Ford, started moving away from the protruding buckle to a safer design with a flush button. (Top release can still be dangerous and inadvertently release.) When the jury's verdict came in, one of the things Eric was most thrilled about was the jury's vindication about his seatbelt use.

The Pennsylvania vehicle defect lawyers of Reiff & Bily have represented victims who have sustained catastrophic injuries and wrongful death as a result of defectively designed automobile restraint systems including but not limited to airbag defects, seatbelt defects, door latch deficiencies, non-use of laminated glass and defective seat backs.

Recently I had the opportunity to meet with a client who was driving his vehicle when he crashed front on squarely to the rear of another vehicle. When the impact occurred, the airbags did not deploy and as a result he sustained a broken neck. The vehicle was a late model GMC Denali equipped with airbags. In such an accident, the airbag is normally designed as a safety device with the intention to protect the occupant who is correctly restrained with a seat belt.

As an experienced Pennsylvania airbag defect lawyer, I receive many calls each month from potential clients wondering why their airbags did not deploy. Airbags are designed to deploy in a frontal crash above a threshold level of a certain speed and when the airbag does not deploy properly there is most likely a defect in the airbag system. An airbag is not supposed to deploy in a minor frontal crash impact to the undercarriage of the vehicle or an impact with a small animal or when driving on a rough road. For that matter, it should never deploy if a vehicle is not involved in an accident.

In the case at hand, it appears that the frontal airbag may not have deployed due to a faulty sensor which was not properly calibrated. In fact, we are now aware of several other similar instances of non-deployment and other issues with a frontal airbag involving GMC vehicles. On certain utility vehicles and trucks, the airbag sensory diagnostic module contains an anomaly resulting in airbag non-deployment which increases the risk of injury or death to its occupants.

As experienced Pennsylvania defective vehicle product liability lawyers, we have investigated several cases where a fuel tank was installed in an improper location by a manufacturer, making it prone to rupture, leak, and explode in a rear-end collision or in the case of a rollover when it hits another object.

Recently NHTSA has asked General Motors and the Ford Motor Company, as well as Toyota, to reveal data from comparable vehicles including but not limited to the 1993-2004 Chevrolet Blazer, 1993-2004 Ford Explorer, and 1993-2004 Toyota Forerunners. Their request seeks all records of defects, warranties, claims, complaints, lawsuits, and field reports related to fuel storage systems and reports of fire.

The number of defective gas tank fatal fires from 1993 to 2004 in Jeep Grand Cherokee is about 4 times higher than other SUVs according to the Center for Auto Safety. After 2005, Chrysler moved the gas tank inside the frame offering more protection. Obviously, the risk of a gas tank explosion and its consequences are quite significant. Most of the driving public is not fully aware of the potential for serious injury and wrongful death that improperly located gas tanks pose. Being that the automobile manufacturers know that the gas tanks are improperly located and chose to place profits over safety rather than recalling these vehicles for a vehicle defect and quick fix. Many of the automobile manufacturers enter into confidential settlements in favor of victims who sustain serious burns and death.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a defective vehicle accident involving a gas tank explosion suffering permanent scarring, disfigurement, or death, please contact one of the Pennsylvania vehicle defect lawyers at Reiff & Bily immediately for a free, no obligation consultation. It is important to hold manufacturers responsible for their actions.

In Pennsylvania there is long standing case law that a defendant is liable to the victim for all direct and proximate consequences of their negligence. Once a defendant has been found to be negligent, that person or entity is liable for all harms caused by the negligent act even though the consequences were unforeseen or even though the harm is increased by an unknown physical condition which could not have been discovered or anticipated prior to the wrongdoing.

Another way it can be phrased is the person who causes an accident or event to occur must accept the plaintiff or victim as he finds him. Therefore, when the person or entity causes harm to a victim that person is responsible for all resulting injury to the plaintiff even if the plaintiff or victim had a pre-existing condition that made him or her more susceptible or more easily damaged by the defendant’s wrongful conduct. The fact that some other factor, including a pre-existing condition may have been a contributing cause of the injury does not relieve a defendant of liability. If a plaintiff had a pre-existing condition that was aggravated by the defendant’s negligence, that defendant is responsible to the victim for any aggravation of cause.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a Pennsylvania car accident or sustained an injury as a result of a slip and fall accident and aggravated a pre-existing injury, please feel free to contact one of our experienced Pennsylvania personal injury and Pennsylvania car accident lawyers for a free, no obligation consultation at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.

As a practicing Pennsylvania product liability lawyer since 1979, I have handled many product liability lawsuits involving defective ladders where someone has fallen or sustained a catastrophic injury or death. Recently I attempted to purchase what I considered to be a nice looking and somewhat fancy mahogany three step pantry ladder from a catalog. My wife insisted that this was the one she wanted for her walk-in closet and was told by the manufacturer that it had just been discontinued, and they stopped selling it due to a track record of serious injuries.

I pressed the sales agent and he told me that many people had sustained serious injuries and the company was being sued as a result. While I supported the owner of the catalog for failing to sell the product once he knew it was dangerous, my thoughts then jumped to the people who were not so lucky and had fallen and sustained serious injuries. As an experienced Pennsylvania products liability lawyer, I know that ladder injuries are quite frequent and when they happen the results are often devastating. Many ladders have been recalled and to sell a ladder with defects is the ultimate neglect of corporate responsibility.

The Consumer Product Safety Act requires that ladder manufacturers, importers, distributors, and retailers report to the CPSC within 24 hours of obtaining information that supports a conclusion that a ladder does not comply with safety rules or contains a serious defect which can create a substantial risk of injury to the public or presents an unreasonable risk of serious injury.

If you or a loved one has been injured due to a defective ladder, one that was not recalled properly, it is important that you contact an experienced Pennsylvania product liability lawyer who has handled defective ladder cases. For a free, no obligation consultation contact us online at www.reiffandbily.com or toll free at 1-800-421-9595.

When many people visit hotels or resorts, they assume that they are safe if not safer than being at home. However, many times just the opposite proves to be true. As an inadequate security and premises liability lawyer who has handled many cases of physical attacks in hotels and other premise liability matters, I am quite familiar with sexual assaults and physical assaults that have occurred in hotel or resort settings. Sometimes rapes or attacks are caused by hotel employees or outsiders due to inadequate security. It takes expertise of an inadequate security lawyer and premise liability lawyer to fully investigate the case and hold the responsible parties accountable for fair compensation and to hold the attackers criminally responsible for their actions. In this crippled economy, inadequate security and criminal assault cases are becoming more and more frequent.

If you or a loved one has suffered an injury, while a guest at a resort, hotel, or while on a cruise ship, please contact one of the inadequate security and premise liability lawyers at Reiff & Bily for a free, no obligation consultation at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.

A seemingly innocent looking hayride at a church festival took the life of a 12-year-old boy who fell from the ride and sustained a blunt trauma to his head. According to news sources, the 12-year-old boy and some other children were jumping on and off the hayride and got “tangled in the wheels of the trailer." The child lived with catastrophic injuries for approximately an hour prior to his death.

In a separate accident, “The Village of Terror" hayride in Chippewa Falls turned into a frightening evening for people on a hayride that went haywire rolling backwards down a hill and crashing into a carnival ride.

As an experienced amusement park injury and hayride accident lawyer, I am aware of at least 50 catastrophic injuries and at least 8 lost lives in just September and October of this year due to negligent hayride and defective trailer operations. Our hearts and prayers go out to the families of those injured and killed.

Continue reading " Another Church Halloween Season Hayride Results In the Death of a 12-Year-Old and Almost One Week Later In a Separate Hayride Accident Another Is Seriously Injured! " »

The other night I was leaving my office at approximately 8:30 p.m. and fell hard on my back on wet leaves a half block from my office building. The wet leaves were on top of a piece of steel covering a construction site abutting the pavement in front of a restaurant creating a condition similar to ice. I fell flat on my back and struck the back of my head on the ground and was not sure what happened as the slip and fall occurred in an instant. I consider myself very lucky because as an experienced Philadelphia slip and fall lawyer since 1979, I have successfully represented many slip and fall victims who were not as fortunate and suffered life altering catastrophic injuries in a similar instance.

As a Pennsylvania slip and fall accident and premises liability lawyer who has handled thousands of slip and fall cases with a successful track record, I am well aware that slip and fall accidents happen for many reasons due to puddles, uneven walking surfaces, poor lighting, obstructions on walking surfaces, and artificial conditions. Very commonly the combination of fallen leaves and water creates a dangerous situation and the owner of the premise may be held liable and an experienced slip and fall lawyer is able to prove that the premise owner’s negligence or recklessness lead to the slip and fall accident. In my situation, the premise owner had trees and pots outside whose leaves had fallen on a temporarily placed steel cover which was further lubricated with water. As a skilled premise liability lawyer, it would be fairly easy for me to prove that the owner knew or should have known that a dangerous condition existed on his or her premise. If the hazardous condition consisted for a length of time and the owner by exercising reasonable and ordinary due care should have discovered the condition then the owner would be presumed to have constructive knowledge and be held liable for resulting injuries. As an experienced Philadelphia premise liability and slip and fall attorney, I recommend that all homeowners and premise owners maintain their properties and perform a survey of potential dangerous conditions inside and outside of their home because if not and someone is injured, there is a good chance an experienced personal injury or slip and fall lawyer is going to be coming after you to recover compensatory damages on behalf of an injured plaintiff.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a Pennsylvania slip and fall accident, please feel free to contact one of our experienced slip and fall or premises liability lawyers for a free, no obligation consultation as we are “greedy for justice". As always, we are pleased to offer a no recovery, zero fee guarantee which means that if we don’t win your case, you don’t owe us a dime. Put 30 plus years of experience with slip and fall accidents on your side by contacting a Reiff & Bily slip and fall or premises liability lawyer at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.

On Sunday, October 17, 2010 news sources claimed that three tourists were attacked and robbed in their room in two separate attacks at the Grotto Bay Beach Hotel in Hamilton, Bermuda. According to the news source, a man brandishing a bladed article and blunt object demanded money from an elderly couple staying at the hotel. The man gained entry into the hotel at 5:10 a.m. and escaped with a quantity of cash. The two American victims, a 60-year old man and 61-year old woman, were injured and taken to a Bermuda hospital for treatment. Another man gained entry to a hotel room at the Wharf Hotel in Bermuda at 4:00 a.m. demanding money from the occupant.

As a Pennsylvania inadequate security and premises liability lawyer, I recognize that the safety and privacy of hotel, motel, resort, and cruise ship guests must be the top priority for owners and operators of these establishments. However, many times this is simply not the case. The lack of security in hotels often leads to tragic consequences. Many times hotels have poorly lit corridors, tunnels, nooks, crannies and other areas where crimes are easily committed. Hotel owners must be oriented towards the security of their guests and must insure that security equipment is installed, maintained, and regularly used, and that their employees and security guards have their employment and criminal backgrounds properly checked. Technology is an important part of meeting today’s security requirements and surprisingly most hotels do not take proper security and staffing procedures and there seems to be an increase of criminal activity in hotels.

Since 1979 the experienced inadequate security lawyers of Reiff & Bily have aggressively represented clients who have been injured on another’s premises including hotels, motels, inns, apartment homes, and shopping malls. Our careful investigation has many times been able to reveal that a breach of security was easily preventable and therefore, the owner of the hotel or property was civilly liable to the injured party for monetary damages. If you have experienced a negligent security or assault case or premise liability case or are a victim of physical assault or robbery, please contact one of our experienced premise liability and inadequate security lawyers for a free, no obligation consultation at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.

It saddens me to report that a fall hayride amusement lead to disastrous consequences when 27 people were injured, two seriously, after a car struck the trailer carrying the church group. The accident happened on Friday evening, October 15th, when the car violently struck the slowly pulled hayride which was to be on the roadway a short distance before turning off into a field. The impact caused victims to be tossed off the ride into the roadway.

As an experienced hayride accident lawyer, I am well aware that there are no safety standards for all hayride trailers. No training is required and no safety course is required before you can tow a trailer or be in the “hayride business" – you don’t even need reflective tape or lights on the back of the trailer. It seems as if almost anything goes.

As an experienced amusement accident and hayride accident lawyer, I am all too familiar with these types of incidents. Most hayrides involve the use of a trailer attached to a tractor or truck pull. NTSHA has admitted that no standards exist for trailer hitches. There is very little regulation addressed with regard to hayrides and trailers that are under 3,000 lbs. and even homemade trailers are allowed for hayrides. Many of these trailers are exempt from rules and regulations and these seemingly innocent and supposedly amusement hayrides often result in catastrophic incidents. Many times you find that hayride operators are simply not paying attention or cutting corners. Liability for a hayride accident requires specialized investigation and is generally broken down in three types of law – negligence or tort law, product liability law or premise liability law.

If you have been involved in a hayride or defective trailer accident and would like to discuss your claim, please contact the experienced Pennsylvania hayride accident lawyers at Reiff & Bily immediately so that we can properly protect your legal rights.