Philadelphia Injury Attorney Blog

Recently, a jury awarded $1.18 million dollars to a victim who was visiting a condominium and fell down a poorly lit staircase. The condominium had an exterior stairwell with a mid-level landing and as the victim was descending the staircase, she missed or slipped on the first step down from the landing and fell five more steps to the ground.

She suffered a fracture to her left tibial plateau, requiring open reduction surgery and, eventually, a total knee replacement.

Continue reading "If You Fall Down a Poorly Lit Staircase and Suffer Injuries, the Owner or Landlord Could Be Held Liable" »

Many times a month, I find myself traveling for business and in strange hotel rooms. I am constantly amazed at how designers of hotel rooms and the corporations that manage hotels neglect health and safety concerns when they have an obligation to provide a safe bathroom environment to guests. The health and safety of guests should be the primary concern when designing any bathroom, particularly those at hotels where the well-being of guests is paramount and the surroundings are unfamiliar and unknown to many visiting guests.

While fine hotels often spend money on fine toiletries, many times they fail to provide bathroom safety factors such as grab rails, non-slip tiles, or select bathtubs with slippery versus non-slippery surfaces. Many times hotels do not properly monitor or control temperature fluctuations in showers which can fluctuate in the fraction of a second and cause severe scalding burns.

The Philadelphia premise liability and hotel accident lawyers of Reiff and Bily understand that legislative standards are only minimal standards and that hotels have an obligation to safely protect their guests which should be priority number one.

The premise liability and slip and fall accident law firm of Reiff and Bily is a nationally recognized personal injury law firm that has represented many clients who have sustained serious injuries as a result of slip and falls that occur in hotels. Our Philadelphia premise liability lawyers have helped many clients recover the maximum monetary compensation possible for their slip and fall cases with multiple slip and fall cases resulting in settlements and verdicts in the six and seven figure range. We understand premise liability and slip and fall laws and have been successfully tackling our opponents for over three decades. Call today for a free consultation toll free at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com to receive a free case evaluation from one of our Pennsylvania slip and fall lawyers.

We recently evaluated a Railroad gap case where a client was catastrophically injured when they feel through the gap between the train’s doors on the railroad car and the train station platform. The design of the front stairs of the train resulted in a significant gap between the bottom stair of the train and the landing at the train station.

It is generally a well-accepted principle in railroad gap cases that the horizontal gap between the open train door and the platform should be a reasonable distance so that one may exit and enter the train in a safe fashion without falling through the gap. railroad accident train gap accidents are more common than you think and many times the gap exceeds the railroad’s own internal standards. Many railroad platforms have problem gaps. In fact recent studies indicate that more then 30 percent of train stations have dangerous gaps.

Railroad gap slip and fall accidents are some of the most common claims made against railroads. According to recent reports the number of people reporting that they were involved in a slip and fall accident due to the gap between the train and the train station platform is skyrocketing. In fact, there are several websites devoted to railroad safety and the railroad gap problem.

For over 30 years, the Philadelphia train accident lawyers of Reiff and Bily have represented victims who have been injured by the negligence of Amtrak, SEPTA, and other railroads. The Philadelphia railroad accident attorneys of Reiff and Bily have the necessary skill and experience to fight for your rights to make sure that you are not left with lost wages and medical bills that continue to accumulate, as well as recover damages for the loss of life’s enjoyment and pleasures. We always offer a free, no obligation consultation toll free at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.

As an experienced Pennsylvania premise liability lawyer for over three decades, I have investigated and litigated thousands of slip and fall cases that occurred as a result of small changes in elevation, most notably a single step. How many times have you unknowingly tripped or fell on a single step which only represents a small elevation change. Single step elevation changes are common in many new buildings, restaurants, hotels, and museums. In fact, when I was designing my own home, the architect and designer suggested a step down in my center foyer to a family room, and I cannot begin to tell you how many times I have slipped or guests have slipped on the same.

I have witnessed hundreds of slip and fall on single step designs and have come to the conclusion with many experts that the benefits of the same simply do not outweigh the risk. In fact, I have been able to prove that without careful attention given to lighting, floor finishes, railings, floor coverings and ways to assure that pedestrians are fully aware of changes in elevations, a slip and fall accident is more likely than not to occur.

Many of the premises liability slip and fall cases that our Philadelphia slip and fall law firm has handled have involved a substantial impairment to a victim’s life in terms of one’s potential ability to earn, pay medical bills, as well as affecting lifetime physical impairments that impact them in their daily duties and activities. Many people give little thought to surfaces or slight elevations until they slip, trip, or fall. A premise liability or slip and fall case can often be the most difficult case to litigate due to the fact that insurance companies and property owners defend them ruthlessly, almost always blaming the victim.

If you have been involved in a slip and fall accident, the experienced Philadelphia premise liability and slip and fall accident lawyers of Reiff and Bily work with teams of engineers, architects, and property design experts all of who understand state, local, and federal safety codes. Our experienced team of Philadelphia slip and fall premises liability attorneys have made some of our most significant recoveries on behalf of slip and fall victims. We always offer a free, no obligation consultation. Contact us toll free at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.