Pennsylvania Injury Lawyer Blog

The Washington D.C. Metro crash that took place in June (the region’s deadliest on record) that killed 9 people and injured 76 others will cost the insurance company American International Group Inc., insurers at Lloyd’s of London and several other companies at least $100 million in claims. The exact dollar amount is not known yet since it hinges on a few factors like expected lifetime earnings of victims and how negligent the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority was.

This high cost will most likely prompt insurers to raise their rates on coverage to other entities that they insure, like the aviation industry. A Manager for a New York based insurer said, “Underwriting criteria will get more strict. And this in turn may prompt the transit agencies to buy new safer equipment.” Washington D.C. officials have ordered an “urgent” review of the Metro rail system in order to ensure that a repeat of the incident does not occur.

Operating several thousand tons of moving train cars requires the utmost concentration and diligence. Yet all too often, operator negligence is found to be the root cause of a train accident. Although much is made of the operator’s responsibility for the safety of passengers and the general public, a large team of professionals are also involved in keeping a train running safely. Investigators are continuing their investigation as to the exact cause of this tragic train accident.

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The website ldnews.com reported that a year after the Conshohocken fire, which left 400 people homeless, there has been little or no progress in court according to a lawyer for the former tenants. The lawsuit contends that a construction worker who was welding on an adjacent construction site accidently set off a blaze that torched 200 upscale units. The lawsuit claims that the developer and other parties were negligent, along with the owners of the building who did not have sufficient fire protection.

A Montgomery County judge has ordered the developer and the tenant’s lawyers to negotiate but the tenants’ lawyer stated that has been “fruitless.”

While the rules regarding the maintenance and safety at construction sites are strict, many sites are not as safe as they could be. The reality is that many construction site accidents can be prevented if the employer implemented smarter and enforceable safety practices. Insuring that all workers are properly trained in the operation of machinery and that the site is properly managed under OSHA and local standards can help increase construction site safety. No matter how stringent the safety standards are regarding construction, it remains one of the most dangerous of all occupations, with all construction laborers being at risk every day while on the job.

Continue reading " Construction Worker Accused of Starting Massive Pennsylvania Apartment Fire " »

An industrial explosion at the ConAgra Foods Plant in Garner, North Carolina that killed two workers and injured many others in June is still an incident that has many industrial workers concerned over the safety of their future. A wral.com report stated that approximately 300 workers were in the plant at the time of the explosion, many of whom were exposed to toxic fumes released from ammonia leaks. Thirty-eight individuals had to be transported to local hospitals for serious injuries resulting from the explosion, and three firefighters suffered from ammonia inhalation.

According to the article, district chief for Wake County EMS stated, "It's not just a matter of fire or any chemical exposure, but certainly with the structure collapse, there's the issue of the safety of going in." In any explosion, structure integrity is always a serious issue, but it is not the only concern that involved workers have to deal with. Exposure to toxic substances in the workplace can have long-lasting effects on a person’s well-being, putting an individual who has come in dangerous contact with an environmental toxin at risk of organ damage, cancer, severe burns, and many other calamities.

Fortunately in this incident, the ammonia toxic fumes were contained enough that the surrounding community was not threatened. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials kept a close watch over the air quality near the plant soon after the explosion to ensure that the toxic chemicals did not endanger people in the surrounding areas.

Continue reading " Industrial Explosion Exposes Workers to Toxic Ammonia Fumes " »

Once again the specialty steel company Allegheny Ludlum has soiled the Allegheny river, this according to the website pittsburghlive.com. An oily looking substance, which is all we know at this point as to what it actually is, has been spotted near the company’s riverside plant by Brackenridge and Harrison. A spokesman for the company did come out to confirm the leak and acknowledge that the origin appears to be the company’s river plant. Although he was very careful as to the words he used to describe the leak on the water saying that, “We did see a sheen.”

This marks the 3rd time that a suspicious looking substance has appeared on the river since July 2008. Crews were already at work placing booms near the downriver inlets where Brackenridge and Tarentum get their drinking water. These booms help absorb the oil on the top of the water so that it does not contaminate the drinking water. Some residents were asking how safe the water was to swim in. They also stated that oil seemed to take a good amount of time to dissipate in the river.

The company spokesman also stated that all parties required by law have been notified.
We all know that due to the growth of industry and a corresponding increase in the use of chemicals, the number of dangerous or toxic substances in our environment has grown immeasurably.

Continue reading " Allegheny River Coated With Oily Lead - Again " »

The website post-gazette.com reported that another big rig accident on route 22 in West Wheatfield claimed the life of an 82 year old man from Apollo, in Armstrong County. The man suffered serious injuries according to the authorities. He was immediately taken to Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center in Johnstown, where he was later pronounced dead of multiple traumatic injuries according to the Cambria Country Deputy Coroner. State police said the 82 year old man crossed over to oncoming traffic and hit the semi truck. The man stood no chance of surviving the impact, and there was a third vehicle involved which ran over a tire that became loose from the truck accident in Pennsylvania. That driver suffered minor injuries.

Accidents involving trucks account for over 130,000 injuries in the United States. There are 5,000 deaths each year and close to 35% of the injuries are catastrophic. Trucks over 10,000 pounds (semis and tractor-trailer) represent only 3% of all registered vehicles but are responsible for over 25% of vehicle related deaths. The most common causes of truck accidents are unsafe driving, driver fatigue, oversized loads and mechanical negligence.

Continue reading " PA Trucking Accident Kills Senior Citizen " »

Just as consumers were recovering from one recall, another recall has been issued, this time it is for 800,000lbs of ground beef that was processed by BeefPakcers Inc. in Fresno, CA. The report on the latimes.com website stated that the U.S. department of Agriculture believes the meat may be linked to an outbreak of salmonella. The USDA announced that the beef in question was processed between June 5 and June 23 and has “EST. 31913” printed on the case code labels. The beef was sold to stores in California, Arizona, Colorado, and Utah.

Home consumers will have to take extra precautions with the beef they have purchased as some of it was repackaged into smaller consumer sized packages. Consumers will have to ask their retailer to determine if the meat they purchased came from the recalled beef. Beefpackers have asked consumers to call (877) 872-3635 with any questions they may have concerning the recall.

Salmonella can be life-threatening in some rare occasions and is one of the most common food-borne illnesses. Salmonella is notably more dangerous to those who have a weak immune system, infants, and people who are undergoing chemotherapy or have HIV.

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Three members of a Pennsylvania family were in a small single propeller plane which was involved in a crash with a helicopter over the Hudson River in New York City, killing them and six others. Not only was the controller on the phone taking a personal call but his supervisor was not even in the building. Both have been pulled from duty and placed on administrative leave with pay. In their defense, the Federal Aviation Administration stated that presently there was no reason to believe that their actions had anything to do with the accident but the investigation was ongoing.

The FAA added that the controller had transferred the plane monitoring to another airport just before it crashed with the helicopter. According to the FAA, “air traffic controllers, including supervisors are considered on duty throughout their shifts and are expected to be available in case they are needed, even when they are taking breaks.”

A recently retired air traffic controller and former union representative for controllers said, “This had absolutely nothing to do with the accident. The suspended controller handling the plane appeared to perform all his duties related to the doomed flight properly.”

Continue reading " Pennsylvania Family Involved in Hudson Crash - Controller Was on Phone " »

A terrible accident at a wading pool will force a six year old girl to be fed through a port for the rest of her life, according to a report on cbsnews.com. The tragic pool accident occurred as the pool was being drained and the little girl got sucked in by the powerful suction pump. The result of the tragic accident was a two inch tear in the rectum of the child, which was worsened when the force of the suction tore out part of the child’s intestinal tract. The family’s lawyer told reporters that doctors had no option but to remove the rest of her intestine. He added that the girl remained at Children’s Hospital and showed signs of improvement and would be going through surgery.

Unfortunately the lawyer also said that, “She’ll receive her nutrition through a port for the rest of her life.” He claims that the pools drain was uncovered for an unknown reason. In contrast the general manager of the club stated to reporters that he did not believe anything was wrong with the pool. He asked that any questions regarding the pool be addressed to the club’s insurance company.

Continue reading " Pool Accident Will Force 6 Year Old Girl to Be Fed Through Port " »

Lower Merion police have arrested a 75-year-old woman who they believe caused a hit-and-run auto accident in Philadelphia that injured a 13-year-old area boy. According to an article in The Philadelphia Inquirer, the woman, when confronted by authorities, said she thought she had struck a deer. But she had actually hit the teenager who was riding his bike west on Gulph Road near Morris Road. He was apparently not wearing a helmet.

The high-profile case generated a number of tips and culminated in the woman's arrest. She is likely to be charged with causing an accident involving death or personal injury, which is a third-degree felony and failure to render aid, which is a summary offense.

Regarding hit-and-run accidents, Pennsylvania law (Chapter 37, Section 3742) states: "The driver of any vehicle involved in a PA bicycle accident resulting in injury or death of any person shall immediately stop the vehicle at the scene of the accident or as close thereto as possible but shall then forthwith return to and in every event shall remain at the scene of the accident." Even if you don’t have auto insurance or are underinsured, you still must fulfill your responsibility and the obligation to stop if you’ve been involved in an accident. The consequences, as are demonstrated in the above incident, are far too great for all parties involved if anyone in a car accident flees the scene.

Continue reading " Philadelphia Hit-and-Run Auto Accident " »