Philadelphia Injury Attorney Blog

Recently two individuals luckily escaped with their lives after their RV burst into flames, taking less than 5 minutes to burn down. The accident happened at Mid-Valley RV Park in Texas when John Dillon and Russell Salinas were taking an RV for a test drive. Dillon stated that when he turned the key on the RV, a fire started in the front. "I saw the flames. I'm not going to jump through that thing, so I'm running," said Dillon. "The flames are coming up...so I'm ducking down. And I remember the very front door. It had a big enough window, so I jump out. And I saw the door handle and flew right out." They jumped into their truck which was parked next to the RV in a race to get away. However, the truck was stuck in mud. The fire also destroyed a second RV. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

If you have never seen an RV fire, you probably have no idea how quickly an RV can burn down to its metal frame. Having propane onboard makes this a more likely scenario as it generally indicates that there can be an explosion. Unfortunately, the situation of RV fires is not thought about or discussed very often. However, there are over 20,000 reported RV fires every year. Many of them are caused by transmission or fuel leaks or shorts in the 12 volt electrical system. These fires can escalate very quickly in a confined environment, added to the fact that many of the materials utilized in the construction of the vehicle are extraordinarily flammable and burn rapidly, often resulting in the average RV smoldering to ash on the frame in as little as 10 to 15 minutes.

As an experienced defective trailer lawyer with experience dealing with RV fires, I am extraordinarily concerned by the inadequacy of standards in the recreational vehicle business as many loopholes exist which are not called to attention until it is too late. For more information on this subject I invite you to communicate with Ron Melacon, a consumer advocate and crusader who has spent a long part of his life bringing these issues to the public eye. You can visit his website at www.dangeroustrailers.org.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a defective trailer accident or fire, your case deserves the attention and investigatory efforts of an experienced RV fire and defective trailer lawyer. For a free no obligation consultation, please contact our office at 1-800-421-9595.

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

Posted In: Defective Trailer/Trailer Hitches

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On August 6, 2006 a motorist was killed when a city owned trailer detached from a truck that was required by law to have a safety chain keeping it in place. In fact, the trailer did not have a safety chain attaching it to the truck. Safety chains are designed to keep trailers attached to trucks even when the hitch comes loose. In this case, the trailer carrying a lawn mower detached from a truck and veered into northbound lanes and struck a GMC and the driver was killed. Notably, the trailer was owned by the City of Macon and should have had a safety chain. According to sources, the City of Macon confidentially settled the case out of court for a substantial amount.

Of course our hearts and prayers go out to the family of Carlos Dorn, age 37, who perished in this tragic and preventable accident. We send our condolences to Mr. Dorn’s family.

The Philadelphia defective truck and trailer law firm of Reiff and Bily is committed to motorist and consumer safety. If you or a loved one has been involved in a defective truck or trailer accident, please feel free to contact one of our attorneys for a free no obligation consultation. We will fully investigate your claim and bring the wrongdoers to justice.

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

Posted In: Defective Trailer/Trailer Hitches

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As an experienced defective and unhitched trailer lawyer with a specialty in motorcycle accidents and hit and run accidents, I noticed a “hat trick” of all three has recently occurred which tragically took the life of an innocent man. Michael K. Hull, age 48, was injured when a trailer became unhitched from a vehicle and traveled across two lanes into the path of his motorcycle. The unfortunate victim died of the catastrophic injuries approximately two weeks later. The operators of the vehicle towing the trailer left the scene of the accident and were charged for failure to stop, also known as hit and run. In addition they were charged with voluntary manslaughter. Evidently the trailer was stolen from a business and connected to their vehicle in an improper fashion. After the trailer crossed the median strip and Mr. Hull struck it, he was thrown off the motorcycle and landed in westbound lanes of traffic where he was struck by two other vehicles.

Our hearts, thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Michael K. Hull. They would be well advised to seek the services of an experienced hit and run lawyer with expertise in defective trailers and motorcycle accidents to fully investigate this claim to make sure that they receive proper compensation. The facts of this case represent the worse possible circumstances involving hit and run, defective trailers and motorcycle accidents which unfortunately took the life of a good, caring and innocent man.

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

Posted In: Defective Trailer/Trailer Hitches , Hit-and-Run , motorcycle accidents

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As an experienced defective trailer hitch lawyer, I am somewhat concerned due to the increase in trailer detachments resulting from defective hitches due to cracks, corrosion and rust which significantly weaken the connection. The trailer industry is an already highly unregulated industry and there are a multitude of catastrophic injuries and deaths due to trailer disconnections or malfunctions. With particularity we have seen a number of consumer complaints alleging factory installed trailer hitch failures on the following GM vehicles: Chevrolet Avalanche 2500, 2002 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, 2002 Chevrolet Suburban 2500, 2002 GMC Sierra 2500, 2002 GMC Sierra 2500 HD and 2002 GMC Yukon XL2500.

A number of reports have indicated a failure at welding spots around the pin box area, as well as a complete weld failure to the pin box leading to a full separation of the trailer from the towed vehicle. In some instances, the trailer safety chain and emergency brakes were not activated as both safety features were still attached to two openings of the pin box that broke off with the trailer. If you are towing a trailer or have a vehicle with a trailer hitch, it is important to inspect the trailer hitch frequently for broken welds, cracks or rust. Although many automobile manufacturers will not openly admit it, many of the newer models from 2005 onward contain a beefy hitch with an extra piece of metal due to earlier product failures.

The experienced defective trailer hitch lawyers at the Pennsylvania catastrophic injury law firm of Reiff and Bily have had extensive experience representing victims who have been killed or catastrophically injured as a result of defective trailer hitches. Unfortunately many states, including the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, have very little regulation addressing the safety of trailers and hitches.

If you or a loved one has suffered an injury or death due to a trailer accident, it is important that an experienced attorney explore the incident to determine who is responsible. Reiff and Bily has an experienced team of investigators and experts that will determine the cause of the accident and who is liable. The defective trailer accident lawyers at Reiff and Bily are committed to product and consumer safety. For a free no obligation consultation, please contact us at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.

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

Posted In: Defective Trailer/Trailer Hitches

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For many months, I have been blogging about the dangers of defective trailer hitches and the lack of safety posed to otherwise innocent and unsuspecting victims by many trailers being pulled by vehicles. According to NHTSA statistics, every week in the United States there are 418 injuries, 8 deaths and 775 incidents of property damage caused by vehicles towing trailers. One of the unsung heroes of the defective trailer crisis in an individual known as Ron Melancon who maintains a website at his own expense known as dangeroustrailers.org. Ron maintains a daily vigil on trailer accidents occurring throughout the United States and the world and has tirelessly worked on behalf of those injured by these vehicles to lobby the government and industry to mandate safer standards, guidelines and quality control.

Recently an incident occurred in Oregon where a trailer being pulled by an RV came loose while transiting thorough a tunnel causing another vehicle traveling in the opposite direction to crash head on into the trailer. It is important to recognize that the utility trailer industry has continued to stop any attempts to improve trailer safety. It is continuously important to recognize that trailers under the weight of 3,000 lbs. are unregulated in most states in this country. State codes in most of our states are silent as to any design or construction specification for those vehicles or for towing chains and hitches. The utility trailer industry maintains a strong lobby to stop any attempts to improve this class of vehicle in all 50 states by not requiring a federal standard on trailer hitches since 1972.

The defective trailer hitch attorneys at Reiff and Bily join Ron Melancon and other committed consumer safety advocates to bring a new national standard to implement, improve, reduce and eliminate deaths and catastrophic injuries due to defective trailer hitches and defective trailer manufacturer. If you or a loved one has been involved in an accident resulting from a defective trailer or caused by a trailer being towed by another vehicle, please contact the defective trailer and defective trailer hitch attorneys at Reiff and Bily at 1-800-421-9595 or contact us online for a free no obligation consultation at www.reiffandbily.com.

The experienced lawyers at Reiff and Bily have been handling thousands of catastrophic injury cases and fatalities since 1979 and are committed to promoting safety on our roads and highways.

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

Posted In: Auto Accident , Catastrophic loss , Defective Trailer/Trailer Hitches , Personal Injury , Wrongful Death

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