Philadelphia Injury Attorney Blog

As an experienced railroad crossing and train accident attorney, I am well aware that individuals often underestimate the dangers of oncoming trains and the dangers of railroad crossings. Obviously if you are traveling in a car, you don’t stand a great chance of surviving against a heavy train that is traveling at a high rate of speed. The stopping distance of trains is very long as they are very heavy and they will typically drag a car down the tracks for at least a mile. The odds are against surviving and if you are lucky enough to survive, a victim will most likely sustain permanent and life altering catastrophic injury. Nearly 2/3 of all railroad crossing accidents occur during daylight hours, and surprisingly 2/3 of these accidents occur at crossings equipped with automatic warning devices. The railroads will most likely claim that driver inattention is clearly the cause. However, as an experienced railroad crossing accident lawyer, I strongly disagree with the assertions set forth by the railroads. Our human factor and safety experts have been able to prove that many railroad crossings are inadequately designed and are not safe. Although there are approximately 25,000 railroad crossing fatalities in the United States (a number which seems to remain fairly constant with minimal increases) it appears that many of the railroad warning systems are inadequate and have severe limitations when it comes to safety. Additionally, sunlight can obscure a warning’s light low intensity signal and the narrowness of focus is compounded by reflections as well. In order to see if a train is coming, a driver must see a light flash. However, most of the lights do not blackout when the bulb is off. Light from the sun can reflect off the surface back to the driver’s eye which is known as a veiling light or veiling glare because it lowers the contrast as one looking through a veil. Black backgrounds can also make flashing lights harder to see. Surprisingly, in an attempt to increase visibility, many warning lights are mounted in front of a black metal backdrop. The designers thought that they were maximizing brightness of a light when it flashes which may be true at night as it has the opposite effect when there is significant reflection. However, our safety experts, human factor experts, and lighting experts experienced in catastrophic railroad accidents and fatalities will tell us that black surrounds impair detection of the light flashes because they mask contrast.

Continue reading " Railroad Accident Attorneys Warn Of An Increase In Vehicle And Train Fatalities " »

Greasy and slippery floors in areas frequented by customers of restaurants just don’t go together. Simply put, it is an equation for disaster. When there is grease or contamination on a floor surface from oil, soil, water, or a foreign material, the stage is set for a slip and fall accident. As an experienced Pennsylvania slip and fall lawyer who has handled thousands of slip and fall cases for decades, I am well aware that many restaurant operators and building operators fail to use the proper cleaners for breaking up and removing contaminants or take short cuts as part of an overall housekeeping program. In the restaurant environment, animal and vegetable fats used in cooking oils hydrolyze and fall to the floor as a grease contamination. Grease in the presence of water can produce a very slippery floor. Over a time period triglyceride molecules and grease can unite to form a long chain polymer called polymerization and form a hard grease on floors that is resistant to most detergents. Cleaning a restaurant kitchen floor with a mop and pail with hot water and detergent only partially cleans the floor.

Our experienced Pennsylvania slip and fall lawyers have been able to demonstrate through expert testimony that a restaurant hard surface floor is only clean when the polymerized grease film is also removed which means that a generous amount of the proper detergent must be applied to the floor in 160 degree water with a dwell time accompanied by vigorous brushing. The greasy residue must be picked up using a squeegee or wet vacuum or rinsed with hot water. Many times the proper way to clean the floor is by virtue of a pressurized steam cleaner with the proper detergent. Our Philadelphia slip and fall lawyers are well aware that many restaurants or buildings fail to have a proper training program for persons responsible for inspecting maintenance and cleaning which includes the definition of cleaning requirements, cleaning procedures, safe handling of disposable chemicals, and emergency conditions and operations. The proper maintenance involves regular record keeping or reporting related to maintenance issues. All floor surfaces should regularly inspected for wear, damage, debris, and contaminants, and occasional testing of floor surfaces should be utilized to monitor slip resistant levels and to determine effectiveness of floor cleaning protocol. Many lawyers will tell you that slip and fall claims are often difficult to prove and restaurants and other establishments will fight a slip and fall case as aggressively as they can.

Continue reading " Dirty And Greasy Floors At Many Restaurants, Including Fast Food Restaurants, Lead To Broken Bones Or Worse " »

Toyota announced another voluntary recall of approximately 308,000 SUVs from the 2007 to 2008 model years over fears of airbags not working in the event of certain accidents, or in the worse case scenario, opening without reason. The new Toyota recall affects 214,000 RAV and 94,000 Highlander/Highlander HV models from 2007 to 2008 model years with the recall involving the curtain shield airbag sensor assembly. Apparently it seems that sensors are failing which means that in the event of a rollover accident, the airbag may not open or in the worse case scenario, the airbag could open without and without an impact. Although Toyota claims that this is an unlikely event, they are issuing the recall and made a point of mentioning that the same is possible.

As an experienced Pennsylvania airbag defect lawyer, I am well aware of the dangers that can occur from an over-aggressive deployment and non-deployment or a faulty deployment. We urge all of the readers of this article to contact your Toyota dealership and take your car in immediately if it is one of the vehicles embodied by the recall notice. Chance favors the prepared man and we salute Toyota’s efforts in notifying consumers when it became aware of the problem.

If you or a loved one has suffered a catastrophic injury or fatality due to an alleged airbag defect, please feel free to contact one of our experienced Philadelphia airbag defect lawyers for a free, no obligation consultation. The Philadelphia airbag defect law firm of Reiff & Bily has recently joined forced with the legendary Beasley Firm and together have been awarded over $2 billion dollars for injured clients. We always offer a free, no obligation consultation. Contact us online at www.beasleyreifflawgroup.com or toll free at 1-800-588-0130.

According to news sources, Ford bowed to pressure from government regulators on Thursday, April 13, 2011 to widen the recall of America’s top selling vehicle - the F-150 pickup - due to the fact that its airbags deploy at the wrong time. The recall now covers nearly 1.2 million F-150's built for 2004 and 2005 model years and some 2006 models. The recall is based upon the fact that a potential electrical short can cause the airbags to inflate without a crash and injure drivers. Sources indicate that Ford had initially resisted the government’s wishes to expand the recall.

As experienced Pennsylvania airbag defect and and auto product liability lawyers, we salute the effort of regulators emphasizing public safety with their more aggressive behavior and quicker response to automobile defect and airbag problems once there is an awareness of the same. Our experienced Pennsylvania auto defect and airbag defect lawyers believe that the regulator’s actions indicate that it will be harder for other automakers to limit the size of future recalls. The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration regulates car safety and has recorded evidence of 269 cases in which airbags deployed inadvertently resulting in 98 injuries.

Reiff & Bily has recently joined forces with the legendary Beasley Firm to form the Beasley Reiff Law Group. If you or a loved one has sustained a catastrophic injury or wrongful death due to an alleged airbag defect, please contact us online at www.beasleyreifflawgroup.com or toll free at 1-800-588-0130 for a free, no obligation consultation.

According to news sources, a 41-year old Conshohocken man was pronounced dead this morning after a guest at the Clarion Hotel in Scranton, PA found him and a 45-year old woman unresponsive in a hot tub in the hotel’s pool area. Investigators believe that the victim drowned but cannot determine whether the death was an accident until an official cause of death is established by the Lackawanna County Coroner’s Office. As of 8:00 a.m. this morning, the male victim was pronounced dead; however, the female victim was still alive.

We send our thoughts and prayers to the victims of this catastrophic hotel hot tub incident and we sincerely hope that the surviving female victim makes a complete and quick recovery.

According to a 2007 report by the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there were approximately 3,443 fatal unintentional drowning incidents in the United States in 2007. Fatal drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury related death. Non-fatal drowning accidents or near drowning can cause brain injuries and brain damage that may result in long term disabilities including memory problems, learning disabilities, and permanent loss of basic functioning when the oxygen supply to the brain is cut off.

Although at this point it is unclear what may have caused this tragic hot tub accident and there are several unanswered questions, this experienced hot tub and swimming pool accident lawyer is curious as to what security and safety precautions were in effect in the area, why was there access to the hot tub and pool in the early morning hours, were there any closed circuit cameras to indicate a problem to the hotel owners and operators, and were any warnings posted. We trust that investigators are looking into these and other issues in order to determine what precisely caused this near drowning accident. This unfortunate incident should serve as a reminder to parents, grandparents, care givers, and hotel guests to always insure that individuals in a hot tub or swimming pool are supervised. All it takes is a few seconds of inattention for a fatal swimming pool or hot tub accident or drowning to occur.

Continue reading " Local Montgomery County Man Found Dead In Scranton, PA Hotel Hot Tub " »

As an experienced Pennsylvania catastrophic injury and wrongful death attorney for more than 31 years, I have dealt with all too many instances of families and children dealing with the challenges to be met after a catastrophic injury or the loss of a loved one. Every situation is different and there can be a range of emotions or reactions including but not limited to anxiety, depression, over-aggressiveness, changes in sleeping or eating patterns, abusive behavior, loss of self esteem, shyness, isolation, and complete psychiatric breakdowns.

When a family deals with a traumatic loss or incident, they are confronted with some of the toughest domestic and family situations that one can imagine. Unfortunately many times family members compete for financial damages bringing out the worst side of human behavior. As an experienced Pennsylvania catastrophic injury lawyer, I understand the full medical, legal, emotional, and economic implications of a catastrophic loss or wrongful death and recognize the emotional stresses that families will be put through. Most people who are involved in a traumatic or catastrophic event will normally have a period of difficulty adjusting and coping. Generally, the passage of time and healthy coping methods, coupled with proper legal and psychological counseling, will improve a debilitating family breakdown. In many cases however, if there is not a comfortable relationship with the professional advisor such as lawyer, accountant, or psychologist, symptoms can get worse and last for months or even years and sometimes become permanent. Many of the catastrophic injury and wrongful death situations that our lawyers deal with will most likely lead to a posttraumatic stress disorder. This is where our Pennsylvania injury lawyers’ decades of experience come into play in helping the family cope with such a situation.

If you or a loved one has sustained a catastrophic injury or wrongful death due to the fault of another, we always offer a free, no obligation consultation to discuss a successful resolution taking into account the personal and psychological factors that many other lawyers or health professionals seem to brush aside. Our skilled catastrophic injury and wrongful death lawyers recognize the impact that such an event has on the lives of individuals and families. We will do our best to associate with a caring team of healthcare professionals, psychologists, and attorneys to turn your life around from a financial, emotional, and legal standpoint. For a free, no obligation consultation, contact one of our skilled legal team members online at www.beasleyreifflawgroup.com or toll free at 1-800-588-0130.

After a 2008 Toyota Corolla airbag failed to deploy after a vehicle hit a deer at 55 mph, the U.S. National Highway and Transportation Safety Authority was called in to investigate a potential airbag defect issue. Thankfully, no one was hurt in this accident. The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration indicated that the possible recall could affect as many as 170,000 vehicles as the Corolla has been Toyota’s second best selling model after the Camry. Since 2009, Toyota has recalled more than 13.7 million vehicles in the United States to address safety complaints, with the most prominent being the unintended acceleration issue.

At the Philadelphia auto product liability and airbag defect firm of Reiff & Bily, we have had extensive experience investigating airbag defects. Airbags are supposed to meet the needs of the occupant in a variety of crash situations. In the last year, numerous other automobile manufacturers recalled their vehicles due to airbag defects and component failures. Many times smart airbag sensor systems fail and many times defective airbag design or installation can fool a smart airbag into not deploying when it should deploy or to over-aggressively deploy. The Philadelphia airbag defect lawyers of Reiff & Bily salute the efforts of NHTSA in investigating this potential hazardous situation and applaud Toyota’s efforts to further investigate a potentially hazardous problem. Our skilled Pennsylvania auto defect and defective airbag lawyers have acquired years of unmatched experience in fighting against some of the world’s largest automobile manufacturers and manufacturers of defective component parts with some of the highest record breaking results achieved for our clients injured by airbag defects.

Recently the Philadelphia airbag defect lawyers of Reiff & Bily have joined forces with the legendary Beasley Firm to form the Beasley Reiff Law Group. For a free, no obligation consultation, please contact us online at www.beasleyreifflawgroup.com or toll free at 1-800-588-0130.

Recently a product liability legal claim was settled for a confidential amount by the manufacturer of a pet door that provided an escape for a 2-year old boy who crawled through the door and drowned in a swimming pool. The parents of the 2-year old alleged that the pet door was defective and unreasonably dangerous and that it lacked warnings about unintended use by children. Plaintiffs also uncovered evidence that the company knew of prior fatal accidents with children involving the pet door.

As experienced Pennsylvania swimming pool accident and product liability lawyers, we are well aware that a little known cause of childhood injuries and deaths are pet doors. Since 1966, there have been over one hundred documented cases of children endangered after exiting a home via a pet door. Nearly 3/4 of these unfortunately resulted in a catastrophic injury or wrongful death. Most parents are simply unaware that a child or infant can easily escape through a small pet door opening. Just a few years ago in a local Delaware case, another 3-year old girl was found in several feet of rain water collected in the cover of a covered pool after she crawled out of her home.

Drowning and swimming pool deaths involving children is on the rise, and it is just that time of year when parents must take safety precautions around a swimming pool environment. Ownership and operation of a swimming pool carries with it a strong responsibility to protect others on your premises particularly young children. Our experienced swimming pool and hot tub accident attorneys have represented victims and the families of victims who sustained catastrophic injuries and wrongful death as a result of swimming pool and hot tub accidents. Drowning is the second leading cause of accidental injury or death among children ages 1 to14 and the leading cause of accidental injury-related death among children ages 1 to 4. The most common place for a 1 to 4-year old child to drown is in a home swimming pool and in nearly 9 out 10 drowning deaths, a parent or caregiver claimed to be watching the child.

Continue reading " Pet Doors Near Swimming Pool Can Be Extremely Hazardous To Young Children " »

According to news sources, a doctor who worked at a Conshohocken, PA weight control center was arrested on multiple counts of aggravated indecent assault after several female patients complained to police that the doctor inappropriately touched them. One victim told police that the doctor told her "you are getting extra special treatment for losing all the weight" and then used a massager on her genitals according to court documents filed. Another victim claims to have had her breasts grabbed by the doctor. Another victim who claims she was sexually assaulted by the doctor, screamed and protested when the doctor purportedly stated "if you need a man, I'm a man" according to further court documents.

Over the years, the Pennsylvania sexual abuse attorneys of Reiff & Bily have prosecuted many sexual abuse cases whether it is by physicians, teachers, or clergy. It appears that sexual abuse offenses continue to increase in frequency and often go unpunished. Sexual abuse is one of the most atrocious betrayals to be proffered upon a victim by a treating physician. The skilled sexual abuse lawyers of Reiff & Bily recognize that such insidious and devastating behavior can leave a victim with lifelong psychiatric and psychological ramifications. The skilled and experienced sexual abuse victim lawyers of Reiff & Bily understand that sexual abuse can lead to a total and complete downward spiral and significant posttraumatic stress disorders. Sexual abuse victims have the legal right to sue the predators that harm them, as well as the institutions that made it possible, did not stop it, or tried to hide it. The sexual abuse attorneys of the Beasley Reiff Law Group understand that such exploitation must not go unpunished.

The sexual abuse attorneys of Reiff & Bily have recently joined forces with the legendary Beasley Firm to create the Beasley Reiff Law Group. The experienced sexual abuse lawyers of the Beasley Reiff team work with a caring group of clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, and medical experts who will perform a confidential case evaluation dedicated to helping victims of sexual abuse. Our skilled sexual abuse legal team also employs certified nurses and physicians. Our sexual abuse lawyers have a long history representing some of the most high profile medical sexual abuse claims in Pennsylvania and the United States. For a free, no obligation and confidential consultation, please contact us online at www.reiffandbily.com, www.beasleyfirm.com or www.beasleyreifflawgroup or toll free at 1-800-588-0130.

On Saturday, April 2, 2011 a three-year-old Dolton boy died after falling from the Python Pit roller coaster at Go Bananas.

The young boy, who was riding the roller coaster with his twin brother, was somehow freed from the safety bar and stood up while the ride was still moving. The movement of the roller coaster caused the boy to fall backwards, hit his head, and then fall 10 feet to his death. He suffered a traumatic brain injury and was pronounced dead at the scene. It is believed that his mother and father witnessed the horrific tragedy and ran to help, but could not.

As an experienced Philadelphia amusement park accident lawyer, I am all too familiar with the fact that seemingly safe rides are often unknowingly dangerous forms of entertainment for riders. Amusement park owners at places such as Six Flags Great Adventure, Dorney Park, Morey’s Pier, Hershey Park, and Gillian's Wonderland Pier always advertise the newest roller coaster or thrill ride to increase popularity and revenue and many times the new thrill rides are not safe and cause many deaths as well as catastrophic injuries such as traumatic brain injuries, paralysis, quadriplegia, paraplegia, broken bones, broken legs, broken noses, whiplash, or brain hemorrhage. Many times, amusement park owners will fight these claims. It is important to consult with an experienced amusement park accident and wrongful death lawyer. The experienced Pennsylvania amusement park accident firm of Reiff & Bily as of January 1, 2011 has joined forces with the Beasley Firm and together have over $2 billion awarded on behalf of injured victims just like you or a loved one. For a free, no obligation consultation, contact us online at www.reiffandbily.com or toll free at 1-800-421-9595.

A Florida jury awarded the family of Kiarra Smith $19.2 million. Kiarra was prematurely born at 24 weeks gestation and weighed approximately 680 grams. Even though she was a premature baby, she was doing very well after delivery. Due to her young age, she did not have the suck and swallow reflex yet so she could not drink from a bottle. Kiarra had to receive her nutrition, Total Parental Nutrition (TPN), through an intravenous (IV) line until she was able to take formula from a bottle or breastfeed.

According to the Complaint, when Kiarra was about 15 days old, the pediatrician or neonatologist mistakenly wrote Kiarra’s weight in kilograms, instead of grams. That mistake in her weight caused Kiarra to receive 100 times the amount of vitamins and nutrients she was supposed to receive. As a result of the overdose, Kiarra developed brain damage due to metabolic acidosis and cardiac arrest. She is currently blind, wheelchair bound, and has Cerebral Palsy (CP).

Cerebral Palsy occurs when there is damage to a developing baby’s brain. In addition to causing problems with crawling or walking, it can also cause problems with breathing, speech, bowel and bladder function, eating, swallowing, learning, vision, and hearing. The brain injury or insult can occur either during prenatal period, labor, delivery, after birth, or within the first few years of life. Some of the early signs of CP can be a delay in crawling or walking, a lack of coordination, not reaching milestones, tight or stiff muscles, walking on toes, or a floppy, decreased muscle tone. Cerebral Palsy is usually diagnosed by the time the child is three years of age.

Recently the Pennsylvania medical malpractice lawyers of Reiff & Bily have joined forces with the Philadelphia, New Jersey, and Delaware personal injury lawyers of the Beasley Firm to form the Beasley Reiff Law Group. Our experienced medical and legal teams have had over $2 billion awarded for injured people like you or your baby. We have secured hundreds of settlements, verdicts, and awards in excess of $1 million dollars. For a free, no obligation consultation, contact us online at www.reiffandbily.com or toll free at 800-421-9595.