The Consumer Products Safety Commission recently urged parents and caregivers to never place Bumbo Baby Seats on tables, countertops, chairs or other raised surfaces. Infants aged 3-10 months old have fallen out of the Bumbo seat and suffered skull fractures and other injuries. (more…)
A six-year-old girl who was brutally attacked by a loose dog underwent surgery for serious facial injuries this past weekend. The dog attacked the girl while she was playing on a children’s playground in Twickenham, a suburb of London.
The dog, believed to be a Staffordshire terrier (commonly described as a pit bull), has a large head, short tan hair and white chest. According to the statistic on a Philadelphia dog bite lawyer website, there is a 38 percent greater chance of being attacked by a pit bull, than all other breeds combined. (more…)
As schools around the country begin to reopen for a new school year, it’s a good time for children and adults alike to think about basic safety. Here are a few examples of the more critical rules that should be discussed.
You should walk to and from school or the bus stop with your child to help familiarize them with the walk route. Be sure to point out the homes and/or businesses of safe grown ups along the way. Make sure they know which bus to ride. While waiting for the bus, take five giant steps back from the curb until the bus has stopped completely. (more…)
A King of Prussia woman who was critically injured in a Megabus crash filed suit against the company this week in federal district court. Lo Wah Chu was a passenger on a bus that crashed into a railroad bridge near Syracuse, New York in September, 2010. The lawsuit alleges that the crash could have been prevented had the bus been equipped with a GPS device.
At the time of the crash, Ms. Chu was a passenger on the upper level of the bus en route from Philadelphia to Toronto. According to reports, the driver, John Tomaszewski, missed a turn during the late evening hours. Tomaszewski allegedly used a personal GPS device in effort to get the bus back on track. Tomaszewski was apparently distracted by the device and failed to clear the bridge after missing 12 warnings signs, some with flashing yellow lights. According to the lawsuit, Ms. Chu suffered catastrophic brain and spinal injuries in the crash, in addition a broken hip and ankle. The crash killed four passengers and severely injured several more.
The lawsuit alleges that the company’s failure to install a GPS device on the bus caused the driver to miss the warning signs leading up to the bridge, and thereby causing the crash. According to reports, the company equips each bus with a GPS system that tracks the location of the bus, however, the driver cannot use the device to obtain directions.
The lawsuit includes causes of action against Megabus, Coach USA, and Tomaszewski. Coach USA, the company that operates Megabus, bans drivers from using GPS devices. Tomaszewski was criminally charged with negligent homicide and has pleaded not guilty. Ms. Chu’s lawsuit is one of several lawsuits filed so far involving the collision, all of which are on hold pending the outcome of the criminal case.
[author] [author_image timthumb='on']http://www.personalinjurylawyerarticles.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/sheridan_378.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Annie Reynolds is a personal injury and medical malpractice attorney at Sheridan & Murray, a Philadelphia-based law firm.[/author_info] [/author]
Do you carry Full Tort or Limited Tort coverage on your Pennsylvania auto insurance?
You are not alone if you don’t know the answer. Most Pennsylvanians would be hard-pressed to answer the question, let alone be able to explain the difference. The answer to this question is, however, tremendously important, and one that all Pennsylvanians must understand.
Insurance companies issuing automobile insurance policies in Pennsylvania are required by law to give consumers the option of selecting Full Tort or Limited Tort coverage. Here is what you need to know:
Full Tort
The Full Tort option provides you and the members of your household with an unlimited right to make a claim for compensation as a result of a car accident that causes injury or damages. With the Full Tort option, a person injured in a car accident can make a claim for economic damages (i.e. lost wages, medical bills, property damage, out-of-pocket expenses) and non-economic damages (i.e. pain and suffering, inconvenience, loss of enjoyment of life) without limitation. Consumers with the Full Tort option maintain all of their legal rights to make a claim for injury and damages irrespective of how severe injury may be.
Limited Tort
The Limited Tort option places significant restrictions on your right to make a claim for accident-related injuries and damages. With the Limited Tort option, a person injured in a car accident can still make a claim for all economic damages (i.e. lost wages), but can only make a claim for non-economic damages (i.e. pain and suffering) if the injuries are serious. A serious injury is defined an injury resulting in death or a serious impairment of bodily function or permanent disfigurement, and is often difficult to establish.
Insurance companies often “steer” consumers to policies providing for the Limited Tort coverage under the guise that it is cheaper than the Full Tort alternative. The reality though is that the cost savings are often nominal, and certainly not enough to justify a consumer waiving the right to make a claim if he or she is injured due to the fault of another driver.
Make no mistake, insurance industry pushes the Limited Tort option because it is benefits insurance companies and hurts consumers. Consumers with Limited Tort would be wise to make the switch to Full Tort coverage. Full Tort ensures the preservation of your rights and the rights of your family, and is what I recommend to my family, friends, and clients.
About the Author:
Sean Quinn is a personal injury and medical malpractice lawyer at Sheridan & Murray. To find out more information please contact:
Sheridan & Murray
1600 Market Street, Suite 2500
Philadelphia, PA 19103
www.sheridanandmurray.com
Airplane crashes are tragic and to protect the injured or wrongful death victims’ rights of passengers are aviation laws, because a crash is normally due to pilot error, air traffic controllers or mechanical failure. A typical Long Beach car accident attorney is not always your best choice. After all, airplanes are one of the fastest and easiest ways to travel for work or for enjoyment, but when there is an airplane crash it can be tragic. Many of the passengers lose their lives and ones that survive are severely injured.
When the airplane accident happens because of mechanical failure, both the owner and the manufacturer of the plane or part can be held responsible and they can also be held responsible for pilot error. The reason the owner of the aircraft can often be held liable for pilot error is when the pilot has had other incidences that did or could have caused injuries or if the pilot did not have proper training. Either of these can lead to bad decisions when flying and that puts the passenger’s life at risk.
It doesn’t matter if the airport the plane flew out of was in Long Beach or in San Bernardino the injured victim or the family of a passenger that suffered a wrongful death will find it necessary to have the representation of an aviation crash attorney that has experience. Aviation law can be complex, because these laws are put in place to hold the negligent parties responsible and there is often more than one negligent party in an airplane crash.
Airplane crashes are tragic and to protect the injured or wrongful death victims’ rights of passengers are aviation laws, which are specific in their requirements of the type of maintenance that should be done on the aircraft and the training a pilot should have and are federal laws. The more complex the aviation legal claim is the more the family or injured aircraft crash victim will need the experience of the aviation accident attorney.
When the plane crash occurs in Long Beach or San Bernardino, the local aviation accident attorney is able to provide the best representation, since they know the airport, they know the aviation laws and the will be able to investigate the accident claim properly, unlike an attorney that is not local or that does not practice aviation law.
Locate a serious injury lawyer now for brain injury, burn injury and wrongful death:
6700 East Pacific Coast Highway
Suite 275, Long Beach, CA 90803
(562) 342-9092
Bus: PCH & Studebaker SW
Though dying seldom seems “right” to the loved ones who are left behind, in instances of a wrongful death, it can feel even worse. Beyond the grief and sadness, past the shock and disbelief, the survivors are typically positioned to face an even far more complex scenario than they may possibly have faced if their family member passed away of regular factors. Unanticipated funeral costs, loss of livelihood and also the left over doctor’s expenses are just a few of the challenges which the remaining relatives are covered with, in a moment that is undoubtedly significant with the pain and anguish that accompanies having a family member pass away.
A death will be regarded as being wrongful when the departed passed from non-natural factors that were not self inflicted. Vehicle collisions, poisoning and slip and fall situations will be just a couple of the causes of death which could often be the particular culprit of a wrongful death. Whatever the chronilogical age of the particular victim, the death is determined to be the result of the behavior or inactions of another party and they’re consequently responsible. For any survivors, the particular cause of death pales in comparison with the mind-boggling despondency of losing his or her loved one, but in the courts, the cause of death might in fact entitle the survivors to a financial arrangement, that will attempt to correct some of the injury carried out through the untimely fatality.
Even though getting a solid wrongful death lawyer might be the last thing that a widow or parent is considering just after burying their loved one, it really is an crucial move to consider. Even though it’s true that simply no sum of money will ever have the ability to supplant the life of your loved one, it may help eliminate the fiscal burdens which their death may have brought on. Having a lawyer file suit on your behalf can help ensure that these expenses are dealt with.
Even though nothing could mend the hurt that is a result of wrongful death, it’s excellent to know that, when you absolutely need it, you will find attorneys at hand that are prepared to fight for the monies that your family may possibly be owed. You or your child have been robbed of a family member, there’s absolutely no reason that you must also be deprived the cash that’s due to you. Speak to a personal injury attorney immediately, for a free consultation, regarding any sort of judgement which may possibly be owed to your household.
As workers’ compensation laws become additional complex, the amount of misconceptions grows. Here are 11 on the most common misconceptions linked to workers’ compensation and also a short explanation of one’s rights.
Myth 1: A pre-existing harm can not be covered by a workers comp claim. If you aggravate a pre-existing injuries or affliction through a work-related activity and you happen to be unable to perform, your entire harm is regarded as work-related.
Myth 2: You receive your regular price of spend if you are injured.If you are from operate you do not receive your common salary. You obtain 70% of your average weekly wage up to the statutory cap.
Myth 3: It is possible to only file a declare if you are injured on your company’s position web site.Injuries away in the occupation website (and in many cases at your house) is often covered by workers’ compensation. This really is particularly the case in the event you accomplish employment-related tasks off-site, like dealing with calls during your commute, participating within a company-sponsored retreat or functioning on the construction web-site that has a basic contractor also as many sub-contractors.
Myth 4: Your employer won’t present a doctor to treat your work-related injury or sickness. You employer has the best to pick the health practitioner who gives care for the work-related injury or illness.
Myth 5: You can’t file a claim for cancers or hearing loss. Cancers, lung illness, asbestosis, asthma and hearing loss could be associated with exposures you encountered through your job.
Myth 6: You can’t get earnings or health-related benefits for the job-related damage if your employer does not have workers’ compensation insurance. In New Jersey, all employers will need to legally have workers’ compensation insurance. Nonetheless, in case your employer does not, it is possible to even now receive revenue and health-related gains underneath the Uninsured Employers’ Fund.
Myth 7: Your employer can not terminate your employment as a result of the injury you sustained. For those still able to perform necessary task features if you return from your injuries and your placement is terminated, your employer can face disability discrimination prices. Even so, your employer may not be required to create a position or role to accommodate your decreased capabilities; they do not have to displace someone else so that you may return to work.
Regardless of your occupation, there are most likely some types of hazards for which you are exposed. Even a school teacher could possibly get injured trying to break up a fight between two students. But for many industrial workers, there are occupational hazards the present imminent danger. (more…)
Construction workers provide invaluable services to the public. Bud did you know that some states have exemptions on workers compensation insurance? While you might never need to utilize it, this lack of worker’s comp protection would mean that, if you ever experience a construction site injury which keeps you from having the capacity to perform the job, you would not be covered. Medical insurance might possibly handle the majority of your medical expenses, but with no capacity to work you may not possess any method to pay for your own everyday living expenses. If you work in construction and don’t have worker’s compensation coverage, be sure you understand where to start if you happen to ever get hurt on the job.
Lots of construction site injuries are relatively minor like a sprained ankle, or a cut that requires a few stiches; injuries that will heal quickly and not hinder your ability to work. They might likewise incorporate more serious and lasting injuries to your spine, shoulder muscles, joints and neck.
For those who suffer severe injuries, this could hinder your ability work; it can even make simple day-to-day tasks like getting up out of a chair difficult. If you can’t do simply things, that working may be nearly impossible. And if you can’t work, how do you handle your financial obligations, like paying paying bills, or supporting loved ones? If you should go through this sort of trauma, the very first thing you ought to do is find medical assistance. The second thing that you ought to accomplish is speak to a lawyer or attorney that is skilled in this type of case.
A good construction site injury attorney will have working experience dealing with this type of event. They’re going to have a proven history of helping their clients to win significant financial pay outs which counterbalance the loss in wages that their own accident may cause. An effective lawyer will be happy to help you and help you develop a payment agreement that will allow you to preserve as much of your hard earned money as you can, so that you can continue to afford your current living expenses as long as you’re fighting your court case.
Getting a effective construction site injury attorney is among the most important issues that you can do for yourself and your family in case of an accident. Ensuring that your family will still be financially solid, even in the event that you can no longer work is the greatest peace of mind that you can have. It is critical to acquire a construction accident injury lawyer who has real expertise working with construction injury cases. They’re going to have the resources and expertise you want to get the maximum compensation achievable.