Pennsylvania Injury Lawyer Blog

The Pennsylvania personal injury law firm of Anapol Schwartz Weiss Cohan Feldman & Smalley is proud to announce that Dennis Gleason has been given the Anapol Advocate Award for his tremendous efforts in helping those affected by injuries embrace productive ways of living. Burn survivor Dennis Gleason received his award from managing partner of Anapol Schwartz, Joel Feldman, at the Crozer-Chester Medical Center’s Nathan Speare Regional Burn Treatment Center.

To honor Gleason and further recognize those who have devoted much energy and time in helping victims affected by severe injuries, the Anapol Schwartz Foundation will be donating $5,000 to the Medical Center’s burn unit. Gleason is the first Anapol Advocate Award winner and has significantly promoted burn prevention and helped better the lives of burn survivors and members of their families. A Philadelphia electrical burn accident resulted in Gleason suffering electrical burns when working as a lineman at PECO, an electric and natural gas utility company located in Philadelphia. Gleason serves as a mentor at the Burn Foundation’s Survivors Advisory Council.

In several instances, burn injury accidents frequently lead to serious burn injuries. This is why burn prevention is so crucial; as are the efforts of courageous and charitable people like Mr. Gleason.

Anapol Schwartz is a personal injury law firm in Pennsylvania with extensive experience in helping burn injury victims receive compensation for expenses associated with their injuries as well as other damages. We understand the many challenges a burn injury victim must overcome on a physical, emotional and financial level; all while coping with potentially significant pain and suffering as well as learning to deal with scarring, disfigurement, and overall rehabilitation. To learn more about the unmatched success record of Anapol Schwartz in assisting injury victims, please visit http://www.anapolschwartz.com/ or call 866-735-2792 for a free consultation with an experienced Philadelphia burn injury lawyer.

The Associated Press reported recently that an oil rig explosion off the coast of Louisiana has left eleven workers missing and seven with critical injuries. Two of the injured were admitted to the burn unit at the University of South Alabama Medical Center, where they are being treated for severe burn injuries.

Most of the 126 workers aboard the rig were able to escape safely. The rig continued to burn for several days after the workers were evacuated. Most of the evacuated workers were carried to land in a lifeboat while authorities searched the waters surrounding the burning rig for life rafts carrying the remaining workers.

At the time of the accident, the rig was drilling, but was not yet producing oil. The cause of the explosion is still unknown, though the U.S. Coast Guard and environmental authorities continue to investigate.

According to the federal Minerals Management Service, since 2001 there have been 69 deaths, 1,349 injuries, and 858 fires and explosions on Gulf Coast offshore oil rigs. Burn injuries threaten the lives of many workers on a daily basis, which is why employers whose work carries a high risk of such injuries are held to heightened standards to ensure they maintain a safe workplace. If an employee suffers burn injuries due to an employer's negligence, the employee may be able to recover compensation in order to pay medical expenses, lost wages, and other costs associated with the accident.

If you or a loved one has suffered a burn injury while at work, an experienced Central Pennsylvania burn injury lawyer can protect your rights as an accident victim while helping you seek the compensation you need. The skilled burn injury attorneys at Anapol Schwartz will listen carefully to the details of your case and help hold negligent parties accountable for their actions. Call the personal injury attorneys at Anapol Schwartz today at (866) 735-2792 for a free consultation.

A refinery fire in Great Falls, Montana recently resulted in a worker sustaining first-and second-degree burns. In an article by uk.reuters.com, the fire is described as having broken out late one night in Montana Refining Co's Great Falls location. The facility in which the blaze took place is a 10,000 barrel per day refinery, and the fire occurred inside a unit that was being repaired at the time of the incident. According to the article, the fire ignited when propane began leaking past one of the check valves. The cause of the ignition is still being investigated by the Great Falls fire marshal.

The more potentially dangerous a work environment is, the greater the precautions that should be put into place in order to ensure employee safety. In the above mentioned incident, it has yet to be determined whether or not negligent action on the part of the employer or a third party (i.e. contractor, sub-contractor, etc.) took place and contributed towards the workplace injury accident. In the event that the employer or a third party did act negligently, the injured employee may be able to seek compensation for his injury. These damages can be used to help cover the costs associated with the accident, such as medical bills, physical therapy fees, and even wages lost as a result of time off of work.

Continue reading "Great Falls Refinery Fire Leaves Worker With 1st and 2nd Degree Burns" »

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" »

Pennsylvania-based Blair LLC., along with U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, is recalling about 162,000 women's chenille robes after reports that several women died and many others suffered burn injuries as a result of the robes catching fire. According to this Associated Press news report, at least six women are believed to have died due to the Pennsylvania flammable products. In five out of six cases, the victims were women who were cooking at the time. CPSC officials are asking that consumers stop using these robes immediately.

The robes, made in Pakistan, have the following item numbers: 3093111, 3093112, 3093113, 3093114, 3093115, and 3093116. The robes were apparently sold in Blair catalogs, on the company's Web site as well as in Blair stores in Warren and Grove City, Pennsylvania from January 2003 through March 2009. Consumers may return these defective robes to Blair and receive a refund or a $50 gift card.

Burn injuries in Philadelphia can be serious and often life-threatening. In order to prevent these tragic events and to hold those accountable for the injuries responsible, it is important to understand what causes burn injuries. Burns can be caused by many different products, including defective clothing. Burn injuries are also costly.

Continue reading "Defective Robes Cause Fatal Burn Injuries" »