Philadelphia Injury Attorney Blog

Imagine that you are driving your vehicle down the roadway and suddenly, without warning, your tire tread separates, causing you to lose control of your vehicle. If your vehicle has a high center of gravity, there is a good likelihood that the vehicle will roll over and the roof may crush onto your body. If you are luckier, you may only just lose control, striking a guardrail or wall. These are common scenarios resulting from a tire detread incident.

As consumers, we have the right to expect that the products we purchase, including tires, are safe for use. If a tire detreads, it may simply be due to a manufacturing or design defect. However, many times manufacturers know of a problem but failed to warn the consumer of a known danger. A significant number of vehicle crashes and rollovers are caused by tire detreads or failures even when the user who purchased the tire believes that the tires were safe based upon a cursory inspection.

Continue reading " When Your Tire Tread Separates, You May Be On the Road to Disastrous Consequences and Life Changing Injuries " »

Recently, the skilled airbag defect lawyers in Philadelphia of Reiff & Bily were successful in resolving a claim against a major automobile manufacturer when a frontal airbag deployed in a low impact accident below the 8 mph EEV “no fire” threshold. Unfortunately, due to the airbag failure defect, the plaintiff lost her vision. Within the last year, many of the major automobile manufacturers have issued warnings and recalls concerning airbag defects and component failures.

Automatic airbag systems are very complex. All it takes is a defective airbag sensor to result in an airbag failing to deploy, deploying too early, deploying too late, deploying over aggressively, or deploying inadvertently when there is not a crash. Typically, airbag sensory defects and injuries are caused by inadequate deployment threshold, electrical issues, poor sensor placement, installation of too few sensors, improper use of tethers to make sure airbags do not reach too far, as well as improper consumer warnings or failure to warn of no danger. Many times the pre-tensioner will not deploy.

Continue reading " The Non-Deployment or Inadvertent Deployment of an Airbag Often Leads To Catastrophic Consequences, Advises Airbag Safety Advocate " »

A gentleman just presented to my office after sustaining a most catastrophic and life altering permanent injury that resulted from wearing water shoes on a water slide at a nationally renowned water park.

As an experienced water slide accident attorney, I have had a chance to investigate several accidents caused by a rider wearing water shoes on a water slide.

Imagine this scenario, you are traveling down a water slide at a high rate of speed and your body has been thrown about and all of a sudden, the rubber non-slip surface of your foot jams abruptly on the side of a water slide causing your bone to come protruding through your skin as you abruptly slow down and come to a halting stop. This is exactly what happened to one of our clients and a collective survey of many national and local water parks revealed that many parks still allow water shoes to be worn on water slides, and in fact sell them despite knowledge of this foreseeable risk.

Continue reading " Wearing Water Shoes on Water Slides May Result in Catastrophic Consequences " »

Two weeks ago, clients of mine were on a once in a lifetime adventure vacation which quickly turned into a tragedy. They were enticed to board a zip line which proudly pronounced in its advertisement that you can “fly through the air without having to flap a single wing”. As the newlyweds boarded the zip line for “an adventure of a lifetime”, there was a catastrophic equipment failure and the zip line braking system failed.

There was no backup braking safety system or adequate padding to prevent a high speed collision into a metal pole at the end of the zip line. The end result was multiple fractures, internal injuries, and cosmetic disfigurement. The victim narrowly escaped death but his medical bills and economic losses due to his inability to work and receive medical treatment continued to pile up. Incidentally, I forgot to mention that the zip line operator required the signing of a waiver of liability prior to boarding the attraction.

As an experienced zip line accident attorney, I continue to see the rise in popularity of zip lines with enticing advertisements to thrill seekers who are unaware of the dangers when the sport goes wrong. There are hundreds of zip line facilities in the United States with many opening at ski resorts.

Continue reading " Zip Lines Can Be Hazardous To Your Health - In Fact, an Amusement Accident Lawyer Advises They May Even Be Deadly " »

Despite the fact that the amusement park or manufacturer of the water slide tells you that it is a chance and freak occurrence, the same water slide accident that’s caused you injuries has very likely occurred numerous times before.

As a knowledgeable PA water park accident attorney, I receive a number of inquiries throughout the year from individuals that are seriously injured in water slide accidents. Many times these injuries involve burst fractures of the spine, broken limbs, or worse yet quadriplegia or paraplegia. It is not coincidental that many of the injuries occurred on the same water slide attraction operated by the same national water park company in different parts around the country.

Close to 2 billion people take amusement park rides annually and, unfortunately due to a patchwork of regulations, do so at their own peril. There has been a noticeable spike in fatalities and catastrophic injuries on fixed site amusement park rides, including water slides, and our experienced water slide accident attorneys, experts, and investigators typically see evidence of other similar instances involving the same rides. Of course amusement park operators claim that riders are imputed to understand that a water slide or amusement park attraction involves some risk but when the risk is concealed and the plaintiff is not made aware of the same after repeated instances of the same injury causing failure, then the operator and manufacturer of the ride may be held liable.

Continue reading " If You Have Been Involved in a Water Slide Accident, Chances Are the Same Accident Has Happened Many Times in the Past " »

As an outdoorsman and sailor, I am very much aware of the dangers of lightening and how suddenly dangerous electrical storms can catastrophically injure and kill the unknowing victims in its pathway.

A day of racing on August 5th at Pocono Raceway ended tragically when multiple lightning strikes killed one man and injured nine others. Pocono Raceway officials commented that they warned the estimated 85,000 race fans to take cover several times as the weather noticeably took a turn for the worse. A severe thunderstorm warning was allegedly issued for the area at approximately 4:12 p.m. and NASCAR called the race almost three quarters of an hour later at 4:45 p.m.
Unlike baseball or football stadiums, most race tracks do not have concourses where fans can go during severe weather to be safe. The loud noise from race cars also makes it very difficult to make announcements.

Most electrocution injuries and lightning strikes happen instantaneously and without warning. As an experienced electrocution attorney in Pennsylvania, I raise the issue for question whether or not the operators and owners of the racetrack acted properly in view of such advanced notice of the storm. Business operators and property owners have an obligation to protect the visiting public from dangerous situations and hazards which include, but are not limited to, protection against electrical injury in the event of a lightning strike if they had reasonable prior notice of the situation. The owner or operator of a business has a non-delegable duty to maintain its premises in a reasonable safe condition so as to prevent injuries to business invitees and members of the public. If the owner of the business has reason to know or should have known of a potentially dangerous condition, then under the law they are obliged to take precautionary actions to prevent injury or death to others.

Continue reading " If You Can See It, Flee It; If You Can Hear It, Clear It: Electrocution Attorney Weighs In On Lightning Strike Fatalities At Sporting Events " »

Statistics indicate that an estimated 18 million people a year will use commercial zip lines, but many are not aware that there is currently little or no state and Federal regulations regarding zip lines.

Many times while on a cruise or another “adventure in paradise”, consumers are enticed to ride zip lines over canyons, zoos, rain forest canopies, water, fire, and gorges – the ultimate thrill seeking adventure. Typically a zip line requires the rider to hang from a harness as they travel from a higher elevation point to a lower point using gravity as the power source. It is not uncommon to reach speeds of 50 to 60 mph. There are currently hundreds of zip line rides available in the United States as they have dramatically increased in popularity. I was recently on a cruise ship with my family in the Caribbean and the ship’s activity guide video in our room promoted zip lines at almost every island in which we stopped.

As an experienced zip line accident lawyer, unfortunately I deal with many cases involving catastrophic injury and fatalities resulting from zip line accidents.

We were recently contacted by an individual who was catastrophically injured on a zip line that was newly installed in a major ski resort. The client was required to sign a waiver before strapping on the harness, and the waiver allegedly released the company from any and all liability in the case of severe injury and even death.

Continue reading " With Little or No State and Federal Regulation Regarding Zip Lines, Consumers May Not Always Understand the Risks of Injuries or Death " »

Holding the amusement park industry accountable for the safety of their attractions is no easy task, but a very worthy goal. Trial Magazine has published an article, “Mayhem In The Park,” in its August 2012 edition written by Pennsylvania trial lawyer Jeffrey M. Reiff of the law firm Reiff & Bily and his son, Justin A. Reiff, a law student and litigation paralegal with the firm.

Major theme parks, water parks, and carnivals offer a wide range of thrill rides for the entertainment of young children, teenagers, and adults of all ages. However, there is so much that the public doesn’t know about the potential dangers of rides as nostalgic and seemingly simple as Ferris wheels and roller coasters.

The Spotlight on Inefficient Safety Regulation
The article emphasizes the lack of consistency on a federal and statewide basis for amusement ride safety. For instance, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) report that out of the 50 states, Alabama, Kansas, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Utah do not regulate amusement parks and Florida excuses several major theme parks from state regulation.

Continue reading " Trial Magazine Publishes Jeffrey and Justin Reiff's Article "Mayhem In The Park" in August 2012 Edition " »

The locks on the majority of hotel rooms are easily compromised using the simplest of means and I myself have been a victim.

A 24-year-old software programmer recently demonstrated that one of the world’s most widespread magnetic card locks was easily hacked and the same lock is used by many hotel chains, as well as on luxury cruise ships. In just 200 milliseconds, a security expert was able to demonstrate a security compromise which he blamed on outdated technology. Most of the security systems in place in the hotel business or on cruise ships involve technology that has remained essentially unchanged for years due to the fact that many hotel operators are not concerned with the costs of improving safety technology and their actions indicate that they are more concerned with profitability than consumer safety.

At a hotel security conference last week, a self-described hacker/music aficionado demonstrated a homemade gadget that can conceivably unlock millions of hotel rooms worldwide and the gadget allegedly costs $50 dollars. The hotel industry states that the widely used current key cards are time tested and although they have their quirks, the fundamental technology is solid.

As an experienced inadequate security and hotel attack lawyer, I advise all of my readers to always use a secondary security system when in the hotel room including, but not limited to, a dead bolt, chain, or latch. Make sure that your door always closes completely when you are entering or exiting the room. If someone comes to your room that you do not know, contact the front desk. It goes without saying that you should never write your room number on your keycard or leave it lying around. Sometimes hotel employees will not hesitate to pick up a spare keycard lying on the dresser during room makeup and obviously this presents a compromise to your security and safety. Many of my clients and I myself have learned that just because you are in a highly rated, or even for that matter an average hotel, you may not be as safe as you think.

If you are a victim of a hotel attack or breach of security, contact one of our experienced hotel security and premises liability lawyers for a free, no obligation consultation toll free at (800) 421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.