Philadelphia Top Injury Lawyer Blog

A recent shoot out that occurred during the early morning hours on a Philadelphia street has brought the innocence of two Philadelphia police officers into question.

According to reports, Philadelphia Police Spokesperson Lieutenant Ray Evers specified that the event took place in the 17th police district when officers "came upon a fire fight in the 1300 block of South 27th street." The fire fight turned out to originally involve two males who were firing towards a jeep. The occupants of the jeep were firing back.

When officers came upon the scene, the occupants of the jeep began to turn their shots on the officers as well, according to reports. One of the Officers discharged towards the jeep, while the original shooters ran to escape towards the 2700 block of Sear street. At this point, allegedly, more gun shots were exchanged between police officers and the suspects occupying the jeep.

While police are still looking for one male who got away during the fire fight, they are also trying to protect their innocence in the shooting of another man who occupied the red jeep, who was injured in the shoot out. The man was taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania for wounds. Evers has stated that the injuries do not appear to be from the officer's guns, but investigation is pending.

Shootouts like this one can make it complicated to determine just who is liable for or responsible for injuries. If you or a loved one is involved in a complicated case such as this, contact a Philadelphia injury lawyer. A Philadelphia injury lawyer can help you get the compensation you deserve.

Philadelphia police officers continue the search for a man allegedly responsible for injuring and sexually assaulting and harassing three Philadelphia women. The assaults took place last Saturday in a neighborhood near Center City all within a span of 90 minutes.

The assailant is thought to be a homeless white male in his mide 50s. The victims identified him as having unkempt gray facial hair, long blonde-gray hair, and unkempt dark clothing. According to police, the man's description does not meet that of a man suspected in earlier reports of two slayings that took place in the Kensington section last month.

THe first victim is a 25 year old woman who was getting out of a cab on Broad Street and Fairmount Avenue around 4 a.m. when the man attacked, raped, injured her and fled with cash. The second victim, a 26 year old woman, was strcuk in the head by the assailant, assaulted, and then robbed. SImilarly, another victim was grabbed by the man, but got away.

Police are still on the search for the man responsible in the three cases of tragic attacks. Police have warned city residents to be careful and aware of surroundings while in and around the city. If you or a loved one has been victim of an accident, and attack, or has been injured, it is important to seek the assistance of a Philadelphia injury lawyer. When it comes to upsetting cases such as this one, Philadelphia injury lawyers know your rights.

As any Philadelphia accident lawyer will tell you, personal injury trials can get complicated, emotional, and costly. In an ideal world, individuals and companies who owe a "duty of care" to others in society would be more careful and avoid committing careless or negligent acts that cause harm to other people. Unfortunately, we don't live in a perfect world. But there are concrete and statistically proven "life strategies" you can employ that will diminish the likelihood that you will ever need the services of a Philadelphia injury lawyer.

1. Be mindful while driving

Studies suggest that drivers under the influence of alcohol or drugs or drivers who get behind the wheel while text messaging or talking on the phone (even with a handsfree headset) tend to be far more at risk for accidents. This is because driving requires serious concentration. If you do things like fiddle with a radio, rubberneck at an accident or even engage in a handsfree cell phone conversation with your mom, you will less attentive to the road and less able to react effectively to potential dangers, such as debris in lanes or trucks swerving into your lane.

2. Eat a healthy diet

Avoiding processed foods and refined sugars can do wonders not only for your cardiovascular system and your middle but also for your attention span. People who consume too much sugar (found in foods ranging from sodas to juice to beer) suffer fatigue more easily, reduced attention span and a limited ability to process information.

3. Get sunlight

Some studies suggest that regular exposure to sunlight can help the body replete its stores of vitamin D and can also help produce a positive immune system effect, thus leading to reduced likelihood of injuries and accidents.

4. Get enough sleep

Studies and anecdotal reports suggest that fatigued workers and drivers tend to be more accident prone and more oblivious. Moreover, an upsettingly large percentage of Philadelphians do not get enough sleep or do not get enough regular, uninterrupted sleep. Prioritize getting shut eye to protect yourself and others on the road, at your job and elsewhere.

5. Avoid "catastrophic thinking" and focus on risks that are more statistically likely

Thanks to media hype, many Philadelphians find themselves worried about unlikely events like terrorist attacks, shark attacks, and lightning strikes. Instead, at least statistically speaking, they should focus on avoiding "real" dangers like asthma/emphysema, heart disease and obesity. Don't allow the "shock value" of a scare story to deplete this focus. Pointless worrying does not resolve any issues; and it can actually distract you from effective thinking about problems that really matter.

If you or someone you care about has been hurt in a Philadelphia accident or is in need of a Philadelphia medical malpractice lawyer, don't hesitate to get help. The longer you delay seeking legal advice, the more difficult it may be to get a good result.

Continue reading "Avoiding Philadelphia Accidents and Injuries: 5 Surprising Tips" »

Victim Barbara Cox of Pennsylvania went in for a routine hip transplant with Dr. Jess Lonner in 2003. After her surgery, she was left with a two-inch discrepancy in the length of her legs. This discrepancy did not exist prior to Cox's surgery. Due to the discrepancy, Ms. Cox was forced to have corrective survery in August of 2004 in order to alleviate the many problems stemming from it.

After a Philadelphia trial, Ms. Cox was forced to settle her case for $1 million even though a verdict for $2.5 million was reached. This occurred because Ms. Cox's original attorney had failed to plead all of the relevant theories in her medical malpractice case. According to reports, the defendants brought a post-trial motion "pointing to problems with the underlying complaint." This led Cox's attorney to recommend she accept the defendants' $1 million dollar settlement offer, despite the original higher verdict to prevent further argument.

Cox later filed legal malpractice charges against her original attorney's in conjunction with a new attorney, under the assumption that the orginal attorney's advice to accept less than her verdict was legally negligent. A Philadelphia jury then awarded Ms. Cox $1.8 million in the legal malpractice case. Since medical malpractice cases, can be complicated, it is advised to contact a Pennsylvania medical malpractice lawyer who an experienced expert in medical malpractice cases. The right Pennsylvania malpractice lawyer makes all the difference from the start.

A large verdict was reached in the Kings County Brooklyn Supreme court, just a few hours north of Philadelphia. The plaintiff, who was working as a delivery man riding his bicycle in 2005, was struck by a speeding rental care, and sustained serious personal injuries.

The Kings Supreme Court ruled, in an awe inspiring verdict, that the vehicle's driver and the rental car company of the car he was driving, Dollar Rent a Car, were entirely liable for the accident. The plaintiff was awarded 3 million of past pain and suffering, $125,000 for future medical costs, and $3 million for future pain and suffering, amounting to a total of about 6.125 million in rewards.

After the accident, the plaintiff sustained multiple vertebral fracture, open freactures of his leg, forearm, and a head injury that resulted in brain damage due to a subarachnoid hemorrhage and swelling of the brain. Reports note that the plaintiff lost six months of work and still has residual cognitive impairment and pain.

Philadelphia injury lawyers report that accidents where bicyclists are injured are not very uncommon. All too often, the injured party does not know his or her rights and may not exercise them in order to get the financial compensation he or she is owned and needs for medical care. If you or a loved one has sustained has sustained similar injuries, contact a Philadelphia accident lawyer today.

Last Sunday, two Philadelphia accidents shocked and shook the city - hammering home just how dangerous it can be to conduct regular business in town.

On Sunday afternoon at around 3 PM, seven different vehicles got involved in a chain reaction crash on Roosevelt Boulevard. The traffic backlog led to hour-long delays on the northbound lanes and resulted in the hospitalization of one person. The cause remains under investigation.

In a separate event at around 11:45 Saturday night, November 13th, a truck slammed into multiple concrete barriers and flipped over, killing the driver. Apparently, the 22-year-old had been returning from a Philadelphia Flyers game, when his speeding pickup flew out of control on Morrell Avenue (3700 Block), flipped over, and slammed into the wall of a nearby rehabilitation facility. A passenger survived and got treated at a Torresdale area hospital.

A Philadelphia accident lawyer advises victims in crashes about what to do to collect compensation for property damage, medical and surgical bills, wages lost at work, pain and suffering, and so forth. A Philadelphia injury lawyer would closely examine both the cause of the accident and the actions taken by the various parties afterwards. Often, accidents that you read about in local newspapers are far more complicated than the simple narratives may suggest.

For instance, in the seven car collision, perhaps multiple factors conspired to cause the crash. Perhaps poor road signage, a defective brake on one car, heavy traffic, inclement weather and another driving talking on a cell phone could have all "collaborated" to set the stage for the accident. To get a true objective understanding of how the crash happened, who "caused it," what else contributed to the disaster, and how all these causal factors led to harm to various people, you really need to thoroughly analyze what happened, talk to experts, pore over witness statements and police reports, and lean on established case law to figure out how best to proceed.

A Philadelphia medical malpractice lawyer will use the same kind of thinking when he or she assesses a claim of doctor negligence, a diagnostic mistake, or a pharmacist error. Essentially, you need to be able to tie some kind of error, omission, or negligent act (or failure to act) to a Philadelphia victim's harm and/or damages. This may sound like a simple task. But you might be surprised by the diversity of resources available to defendants. Even a small "logic gap" in your argument can scuttle your case. So it's imperative to lay careful groundwork for any kind of claim.

Continue reading "Two Philadelphia Accidents Graphically Illustrate the Perils of City Driving" »

Attorneys of a local Pennsylvanian were recently able to convince a jury that he is innocent in the death of a Philadelphia police officer. The man, William J. Barnes, 74 of Pennsylvania was convicted of shooting Philadelphia police officer Walter Barclay during a burglary in 1966. Barnes served 16 years in jail following the shooting and was released on parole before a more recent 2007 arrest.

The recent arrest was made based on charges that officer Barclay (decades later) had died as a direct result of an infection sustained as a result of the 1966 shooting. After officer Barlay died, Barnes, who was working at a local Roxborough supermarket at the time of the recent arrest, was then charged and arrested by city prosecutors for murder.

Although Mr. Barnes attorneys were able to convince a jury that he is innocent in the murder of Philadelphia police officer Walter Barclay, nearly three years after his arrest, Mr. Barnes still remains in jail based on technical parole violations, including holding a cellphone and keys in his pocket. Now, attornies are trying to persuade Pennsylvania's parole board that he should be released from prison now that the murder charges have been dropped.

Personal injury cases can be extremely complicated, as demonstrated by the case of William J. Barnes vs. the city of Philadelphia. Philadelphia injury lawyers note that it is not unusual for it to take long for a verdict to be reached in such cases. It is often not uncommon that injuries sustained by a victim can come back to haunt a defendant years later. No matter what party you are, it is important to consult a Philadelphia personal injury lawyer every step of the way, to understand what charges can may be pressed in the present as well as in the future, and to defend your rights accordingly.

Last Wednesday, 34-year old Lateisha Johnson's black Infiniti broke through a guardrail on the Schuylkill Expressway and smashed into a tree, killing her and injuring her 15-year old daughter. A police investigation suggests that Johnson died on impact. The 15-year old was thrown out of an open window. She managed to climb up an embankment and find help on the highway.

Michael Murphy, the local police captain who found the girl, said that "she was almost in a catatonic state...she was not just lucid." It took around 12 hours, according to reports, for the girl to tell police what happened, after which time they found the Infiniti stuck in some tree branches 40 feet above the ground. Authorities retrieved the car, using tow trucks stationed on the road and below it. A preliminary investigation suggests that Johnson simply swerved too hard and had been driving too quickly. The 34-year old actually had just been released from jail, after serving a 5-year sentence for her involvement in a fatal Philadelphia car accident in 2004. She is survived by her 15-year old daughter as well as by two sons, ages 9 and 13.

A Philadelphia accident lawyer might investigate a crash like this to help determine whether factors other than Johnson's driving might have led to the fatal impact. For instance, a probing search might have revealed poor highway signage or a lack of signage. Or an inspection of the Infiniti itself might have revealed that the brakes had not been functioning properly and/or that the tire pressure had been abnormally low. A Philadelphia injury lawyer will not (and should not) seek to hold someone or some party liable in every accident. Sometimes bad luck and unfortunate circumstances conspire, and no amount of legal action in the world can reverse the damage or help to bring closure to injured victims.

That said, as a good Philadelphia medical malpractice lawyer or personal injury lawyer can attest, many potential claimants often neglect or refuse to take action in situations that might otherwise yield results. For instance, in the case of Lateisha Johnson's car crash, the most obvious explanation is that the driver simply lost control of her car, crashed through the guardrails, and hit the tree. But, as we discussed above, a detailed investigation could reveal that maybe something had been wrong with her vehicle. Or maybe another car or truck pushed her off the road or forced her to speed up and swerve quickly.

Exploring your potential legal options is not a "ploy" to get others to pay for your mistakes or bad luck. It constitutes a legitimate quest to make sure that no stone is left unturned. To ensure that you get proper benefits, including money for property damage, time off of work, medical bills, and suffering, you may need the help of an attorney.

Continue reading "Fatal Philadelphia Accident Leaves Surviving Daughter and Community Stunned" »

Two Hungarian young adults were killed in a tragic accident on the Philadelphia waterfront recently. Now, city wide debate has been sparked about just who is responsible. The tragedy ensued when a tugboat, owned and operated by K-Sea Transportation partners was pushed into a nearby duck boat that was carrying several passengers. The two youths both drowned after allegedly being jarred off the duck boat by the crash.

According to the U.S. district court, K-Sea Transportation Partners has now filed a complain with the government to limit the company's liability to just over $1.65 million. Various law suits have been followed against K-Sea, owner of the boat "The Caribbean Sea," and the even against the city of Philadelphia who own "The Resource, the large barge that the tug boat was pushed into. Ride the Ducks, the company that owns the duck boat that was crashed into has also been sued by the victims attorney, according to reports.

In cases like these, where liability is in question, it is important to call a Philadelphia injury lawyer or a Philadelphia accident lawyer right away to sort out facts, and receive expert advice on what the victim or victims are entitled to. According to their attorney, families of the two victims in the tragic duck boat accident have the right to have a jury decide on the facts and who is responsible.

A recent report by the Las Vegas Sun highlights a variety of cases of medical malpractice that have taken place over the past five years. From unfortunate and preventable errors during surgery that have resulted in serious injuries to life threatening infections contracted during hospital stays, the reports continue to pile up from state to state. Thousands of cases of medical malpractice are reported in the state of Pennsylvania each year.

The recent high numbers of injured patients and medical malpractice suits have lead communities and even medical professionals to question what is going wrong. Experts have speculated that with insurance reimbursements declining and sometimes severe understaffing issues, physicians are often forced to hop from patient to patient quickly, often not even getting to speak to them. These stressful conditions in medical practices could be leading to high percentages of harmful misdiagnosis, preventable injuries during surgery, and even birth injuries.

Patients can end up paying for medical malpractice, sometimes with their life. It is essential to make sure as a patient that your rights are thoroughly understood and to exercise your right to a trial should you find yourself the victim of malpractice. Do so by contacting a Pennsylvania medical malpractice lawyer, or in the case of birth injury, a Philadelphia birth injury lawyer immediately.

An accident on a Pottstown school rooftop has left one roofing worker dead while leaving another worker injured. The two men sustained their injuries while working at the Hill School at Chestnut and Sheridan streets at approximately 11 a.m. on the morning of November 1st. The two workers, whose names have not yet been released, were employed by Richard L. Sensenig Roofing and Industrial Metals of Ephrata according to reports.

As the two men began to perform routine maintenance on the building, the roof on top of the school's power plant collapsed. Both workers fell through, leaving them trapped inside a confined space for hours. Eventually, company cranes were able to lift them out under the supervision of the Pottstown Fire Department. While unfortunately, one worker was deceased upon excavation, another worker was taken to a Reading area hospital according to reports with serious injuries.

It is an unfortunate reality that accidents like this happen every day as all occupations come with their own unique occupational hazards. If you have experienced the loss of a loved one through a similar accident, it is essential that you contact a Philadephia accident laywer to ensure that you are covered when it comes to receiving all that you are entitled to. If you have sustained an injury while working, ensure your rights are protected by contacting a Philadelphia injury lawyer.

A 22-year old Philadelphian died Tuesday in Allentown in a Philadelphia car crash. Paul Jarrett was killed from blunt force injuries after a van collided with his friend's car at around 6.40 p.m. on Basin Street. According to police reports, Jesse Williams Jr., a 43-year old from Allentown, drove his van into a car driven by Kemol Bowman, severely hurting Bowman and killing Jarrett nearly instantly. Sadly and ironically, a police sergeant from Allentown arrived at the wreck moments after it happened, but efforts to revive Jarrett were unsuccessful. He was pronounced dead at a nearby Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest. The DA's Office for Lehigh County, together with local police and the coroner's office, are currently investigating the accident.

40,000+ fatal motor vehicle accidents occur every year in the United States, according to independently analyses. A Philadelphia injury lawyer can help a victim or a victim's family collect compensation for medical bills, property damage, lost wages, loss of companionship, long-term rehabilitation costs, and other costs. Liable parties could include a negligent or careless driver, a manufacturer of a defective auto part, or an insurance company that represents a liable defendant.

Obviously, not every victim of a serious injury accident will need the services of a Philadelphia accident lawyer. But if you believe that someone you care about got hurt or killed due to another party's negligence, carelessness, or "error of omission" (e.g. a driver didn't take a safety precaution that he should have taken), an attorney can help you collect appropriate compensation.

After any auto accident, the decisions you make and the actions you take immediately following the crash can have profound consequences for the ultimate settlement arrangement. That's why it's so important to collect good evidence from the scene. For instance:

• Take pictures of the accident and any injuries or damage that you've suffered
• Collect names and contact information of everyone involved or who witnessed the accident
• Collect a police report
• Collect license numbers, VIN numbers, insurance information, etc.

Are you looking for a Philadelphia medical malpractice lawyer to advise you about what to do in the wake of a botched surgery or a faulty diagnosis? Do you want a resourceful, competent lawyer to listen closely to your claim and advise you about how best to proceed?

Continue reading "Tragic Philadelphia Car Accident Leads to Death of 22-Year Old" »

An Erie County man and his wife were awarded $3.5 million last week in a tragic case of medical malpractice. The sum was awarded Martin Bliley in order to compensate for the debilitating brain damage he suffered after doctors at Hamot Medical Center failed to diagnose and treat a brain infection. Teresa Bliley, the wife of victim, explained that the award will be used to see that her husband receives the care and treatment he now needs for his permanently debilitated condition.

Mr. Bliley, then 47, visited the Hamot emergency room on Dec. 31 2007 complaining of difficulty with speech and finding words. Examinations found that Mr. Bliley did have a slightly elevated temperature, while lab tests revealed that he also showed signs of bacterial infection. Regardless of these findings, doctors began treating Mr. Bliley for cancer. In the absence of treatment, the infection spread causing permanent damage to large portions of Martin Bliley's brain, impairing his ability to speak and to comprehend spoken words, written words, music, math and entertainment according to reports.

Prior to Mr. Bliley's injuries, he worked as a professional classical pianist. Life for Mr. Bliley and his family has been changed forever. The final verdict in this case was just announced, more than two years after Mr. Bliley's injuries were sustained. Pennsylvania medical malpractice lawyers report that it is not uncommon for such verdicts to take years to reach. If you or a loved one involved has been involved in a similar case, contact a Pennsylvania medical malpractice lawyer to pursue your case right away.