Philadelphia Injury Attorney Blog

On the last day of a Bahama honeymoon, a tragic parasailing accident took the life of a newly wed wife of Victor Rodriguez, age 22. The 22-year old bride Crystal Rodriguez died after her parasailing harness apparently snapped while she was being towed sending her plunging more than 200 feet into the sea. Both Crystal and her husband were being towed by a speed boat with a parachute billowing behind them when the accident occurred on the final day of their 10 day honeymoon. Her broken hearted husband was wheeled onto a jet on a gurney with oxygen after spending the last five weeks with extensive internal injuries in a hospital in Orlando, Florida.

Our hearts and prayers go out to the victims and their families and as an amusement accident and parasailing accident attorney, accidents like this are always the most hard hitting.

Parasailing has been defined as a sport or recreational activity where one soars while harnessed to a parasail. The words “while harnessed" are the key words. Fortunately more than one can imagine, many people are wrongfully killed or tragically injured due to faulty equipment of the owner or operator or the parasail operation’s negligence. There is very little regulation or oversight of many of the companies that operate parasailing operations and they tend to operate for profit instead of safety.

Most victims who survive parasailing accidents have their lives forever changed due to injuries such as traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, quadriplegia, paraplegia, or even wrongful death due to a defective product or negligence on behalf of the company providing the parasailing service.

Continue reading "Parasailing Accident During Bahama Honeymoon Results In Death Of Wife And Serious Injuries To a Broken Hearted Husband " »

In the summertime I ride my bike almost 20 miles every morning as a way to get my juices flowing and pump up the endorphins before going to the office. This past weekend, I witnessed a terrible bicycle accident on the boardwalk in Ventnor City, NJ when a cyclist appearing to be in a zombie like trance listening to an iPod with music blaring violently collided with another walking person. In fact, what I found even more surprising was that in a highly congested area with bicyclists, walkers, and joggers, the striking bicyclist was weaving in and out of traffic at a high rate of speed indifferent to others as music played through his iPod. Obviously, the bicyclist was acting irresponsibly and posed a danger to himself as well as many other people.

Recently British authorities have noted that there has been a significant rise in the number of bicycle riders being seriously injured or killed while wearing iPods during cycling. I admit that I love music just as much as anyone and have been guilty of wearing an iPod during cycling. However one need not apply anything but common sense to recognize that if you are in traffic on a congested street area, it is just down right not safe. It is impossible to hear warning bells or horns as well as concentrate in a congested area.

As an experienced bicyclist for decades and as an experienced Pennsylvania bicycle accident attorney who unfortunately investigates the worst bicycle accidents involving catastrophic injury or death, I advise all bicyclists to focus their attention on the roadway and avoid distraction in an urban environment or on resort boardwalks that are crowded with people. When you investigate bicycle accident legal cases, just as I have for the past three decades, it is easy to recognize that many otherwise innocent people are catastrophically injured or killed due to the fact that they were distracted and unable to hear a hazardous situation.

Continue reading "Ipods and Cycling A Potentially Deadly Combination Advises Experienced Philadelphia Bicycle Accident Lawyer and Cyclist" »

We all know that exercise is good for us but sometimes too much of a good thing can lead to catastrophic injuries. In Iowa, 13 college football players remain hospitalized after suffering from rhabdomyolysis after a team workout. Rhabdomyolysis occurs when there is a rapid breakdown of muscle and it causes the muscle fibers or myoglobin to be released into the blood stream. The quick release of those fibers can cause a blockage in the blood flow leading to the kidneys and cause acute tubular necrosis or permanent kidney damage.

The Iowa football team were not the only athletes to become seriously injured during a team practice. In August 2010, nineteen McMinnville High School football players developed elevated blood levels of creatine kinase (CK), which is an enzyme released from muscles that are damaged. High levels of CK circulating in the blood stream can also lead to kidney damage and the need for dialysis. In addition to the 19 students that had the elevated CK levels, 2 players developed compartment syndrome in their tricep muscles and had to undergo surgery to release the fluid pressure in their arms.

In addition to rhabdomyolysis, kidney damage, elevated creatine levels and compartment syndrome, student athletes have also suffered from severe dehydration with electrolyte, or potassium, imbalances that led to heart arrythmias, seizures, and even sudden cardiac death during a vigorous team practice.

Continue reading "When You Get Too Much Of A Good Thing – The Over-Worked Athlete" »