Philadelphia Injury Attorney Blog

According to newspaper reports, a Philadelphia resident, Joseph Job (Sajan), died in Mexico while paragliding in the ocean along with his friends. Our hearts and prayers go out to the family of Mr. Job and his wife Sajina and three children Tanisha, Natasha, and Trishelle.

Reports indicated that Mr. Job and his family were on a Carnival Cruise vacation in Cozumel, Mexico when the accident happened. On September 14, 2009 I wrote an article entitled ”Is Parasailing Safe” as I witnessed a catastrophic parasailing accident with the same consequences over 30 years ago when I was on vacation with my family in Jamaica. Since that time, I have been contacted by families of others who have suffered catastrophic consequences as a result of parasailing or amusement accidents. This summer there were a number of parasailing accidents resulting in fatalities and catastrophic accidents. Although parasailing is an extraordinarily popular vacation adventure, they often operate in an unregulated environment and many times people with limited knowledge but for how to make a buck are the operators.

As an avid traveler, I have been to Mexico many times and have seen parasailing operations operated by children who appear to be no older than 12 years old and I have seen people that are parasailing land in the middle of crowds and on buildings. The only thing that the operator is interested in are American greenbacks.

Parasailing accidents call for more regulation of parasailing noting that many operators cut corners on safety where innocent customers are left in the dark about whether the ride is safe or not. Parasailing injuries, just as any other amusement, carnival, or water sport injury often involves a combination of many theories of law requiring legal and technical expertise. There is most likely a combination of product liability, and negligence and premises liability law to be explored and prosecution against the wrongdoer.

Continue reading "Parasailing Accident Kills A Philadelphia Native While Vacationing In Mexico" »

Posted by Jeffrey M. Reiff | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Amusement Parks , Negligence , Personal Injury , Wrongful Death

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According to news sources, a two year old boy was struck and killed by a roller coaster as he slipped away from his parents and ran onto the tracks in an amusement park in London. An official affiliated with the amusement park stated “There would have been a barrier surrounding the roller coaster but he must have found a way around it.” I have written on a number of occasions that amusement parks and carnivals are a child’s playground and a favorite for families but an often unknowingly dangerous form of entertainment for families and young people. I personally have experienced and witnessed a few catastrophic amusement park accidents and had a close call with my own family when two people were killed as a result of an amusement malfunction in Ocean City, Maryland once again on a kiddie roller coaster.

Amusement parks and carnivals operate under a serious loophole in the Consumer Product Safety Act of 1981 prohibiting the CPSC from regulating the safety of rides fixed to a specific site. Unfortunately, regulation and inspection of “fixed site” amusement rides are left up to state or local municipalities and as a result every site varies from good to none and there is no official source who keeps an official record of amusement park accidents.

Accident data for most amusement parks is a well guarded secret and we only hear about the catastrophic incidences. The amusement park industry is highly unregulated and there is not a uniform system for reporting injuries, creating a serious danger when amusement parks police their own accidents. Many times, innocent customers and consumers are left in the dark about which amusement park is safe to visit and which rides are safe for their families, creating real dangers for families and their precious children. Unfortunately with the downturn of the economy, many parks have cut corners on safety and no longer staff the load and unload positions of rides and leave maintenance and supervision many times to high school and college students working on a temporary basis who are entrusted to operate these rides with minimal training. Many times amusement park personnel, including operators, are not paying attention to the precious cargo on the ride.

Continue reading "Roller Coaster Killing Illustrates Amusement Park Dangers" »

Posted by Jeffrey M. Reiff | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Amusement Parks , Catastrophic loss , Negligence , Personal Injury , Premises liability , Wrongful Death

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In yet another horrifying Halloween hayride accident, an Ohio woman was transported to Ohio State University Medical Center after she fell off the side of a Halloween hayride and was pinned underneath the wheels. The individual identified by news sources as Tonya Reynolds suffered a broken arm and her legs were crushed by the ride according to officials. (news article)

In a separate situation, a 7 year old New Jersey boy was left in critical condition after falling from a hayride and striking his head. According to the news report, Jacob George was a passenger on a haunted hayride at the Shrine of St. Joseph Church on Long Hill Road in Stirling, NJ on Friday, October 24th, when he fell off the trailer he was riding on and suffered head injuries. He was transported to Morristown Memorial Hospital where he remained in critical condition. Members of the Morris County, New Jersey Sheriff’s Office Accident Reconstruction Team assisted with the investigation and shut down the ride. (news article )

It is with great sadness that I read about these easily preventable and tragic incidents. As a catastrophic injury attorney in Pennsylvania, I have spent a good portion of the last year working on an almost identical hayride case where a six year old boy on a class outing was also run over by a Halloween hayride, as his mother also instinctively threw herself at her son in an attempt to save him. All of these accidents certainly indicate the necessity of improving safety, supervision, maintenance and warning requirements when dealing with amusement rides and Halloween hayrides where the lives of unsuspecting and innocent children are so frequently involved. My deepest and heartfelt sympathies go out to these families.

Continue reading "Halloween Hayride Crushes Bones of Innocent Rider" »

Posted by Jeffrey M. Reiff | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Amusement Parks , Catastrophic loss , Hayride/Trailer Accidents , Negligence , Personal Injury , Wrongful Death

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There could be danger lurking in your own home or backyard. Injuries to children can occur anywhere. They can happen in your house, backyard, school, day care facility, or even in a public park. While it is seemingly impossible to keep a child protected all times, it is important for parents and children to become aware of the dangers that lurk in play grounds and toys. The Pennsylvania personal injury and play-ground accident lawyers at the Philadelphia products liability law firm of Reiff and Bily have been researching and handling thousands of personal injury cases since 1979. Our Pennsylvania defective product attorneys have had extensive experience in the area of defective toys (products liability claims) and play-ground or amusement injuries.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that in 2001 approximately 45% of playground-related injuries are severe (fractures, internal injuries, concussions, dislocations, and amputations) and about 75% of nonfatal injuries were related to playground equipment failure, misoperation or malfunction.

Between 1990 and 2000, 147 children ages 14 and younger died from playground-related injuries. 82 of these injuries (56%) died from strangulation and 31 of these injuries (20%) died from falls to the playground surface. Most of these fatalities (70%) occurred on home playgrounds. Public playground climbers resulted in the most common cause of an injury as compared to any other equipment. At home playgrounds, swings were responsible for most injuries.

Continue reading "Toys And Playgrounds Might Not Be As Safe As One Would Presume" »

Posted by Jeffrey M. Reiff | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Amusement Parks , Negligence , Personal Injury , Product Liability , playground accidents

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THE INCREASING NUMBER OF DEATHS AND CATASTROPHIC INJURY

It’s summertime and more and more, emergency officials are responding to jet ski accidents throughout the United States. On July 13, 2008, emergency officials from Louisville and Howard’s Creek, Ohio responded to an accident involving at least one jet ski on the Ohio river.

On June 15, 2008, another teenager was killed on the Colorado River in Colorado when her jet ski collided with another personal water craft on the river. Over the last ten years, usage of jet skis have enjoyed a surge of popularity, adding to a growing danger on our nation's waterways. Today there are over 1 million personal water craft vessels in use in America and on average approximately 5,000 jet ski accidents occur each year resulting in 2,600 injuries in over 72 deaths. The laws relating to the operation of jet skis and the manufacture of jet skis are exceedingly complex and require an intensive knowledge of products liability, state and federal laws governing boating accidents, as well as maritime and international waterway laws.

The personal injury attorneys in Pennsylvania at the law firm of Reiff and Bily help victims recover compensation for injuries suffered in boating and jet ski accidents. At the Reiff and Bily law firm, our experience with the investigation and litigation of recreational boating and jet ski claims can give you an advantage in establishing liability against the responsible party. Common injuries associated with jet ski accidents include but are not limited to head and brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, burn injuries, hyperthermia and of course, drowning. Unfortunately, it is a fact that many inexperienced boaters are allowed to operate jet skis and personal water craft in U.S. waterways. Just think how easy it is for you to go and rent a jet ski by just presenting your credit card. The usage of the jet ski by inexperienced boaters places the lives of themselves as well as countless other people in jeopardy by reckless conduct. Along with this risk comes a host of problems related to intoxicated boaters and drunk driving accidents, collisions with other boats, water intrusion injuries, collisions with docks, piers, shorelines and swimmers and other serious injuries.

Continue reading "JET SKI ACCIDENTS ON THE RISE - WHO IS RESPONSIBLE?" »

Posted by Jeffrey M. Reiff | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Negligence , Personal Injury , Product Liability

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Amusement parks are meant to be a place where families could and should have fun out doors, playing games and riding on roller coasters. Most of the time when we think about amusement parks we think of “KODAK” moments of smiles and laughs with our family. Roller coasters and other rides are typically safe to ride, but that does not mean they are free from disasters. The Pennsylvania catastrophic injury lawyers at the Philadelphia law firm of Reiff and Bily have been researching and handling many amusement park accident injury and death claims since 1979.

Amusement parks are supposed to inspect their rides daily, but accidents can still occur. Sometimes the rides are outdated or in need of repair. Other times it’s a ride that is not inherently safe or becomes unsafe due to worker negligence or improper maintenance. In July of 2008, 4 people were injured in Denmark due to their roller coaster’s car came of the tracks and fell onto the cement ground below the ride. The roller coaster opened only a month prior to the accident. Even the newest of rides might cause a serious injury if improperly designed, installed, or maintained.

Continue reading "Amusement Parks Are Not So Amusing When Rides Cause Injury Or Death" »

Posted by Jeffrey M. Reiff | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Amusement Parks , Malfunctions , Negligence , Personal Injury , Product Liability

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