Philadelphia Top Injury Lawyer Blog

A jury awarded a New Jersey man $14.2 million in a motorcycle accident that killed his wife. In April 2007, George Elenbark, 40, and his wife Mary, 44, were cruising on their motorcycle when they collided with a car driven by 21-year-old Steven Evans. Evans, who has been celebrating his 21st birthday, turned directly into the motorcycle's path as he exited the parking lot of Rack's Bar and Grill on Route 30 in Alco, NJ. Evans fled the accident scene but was soon stopped by police. His blood alcohol level registered 0.10.

Both Elenbarks suffered severe personal injuries in the motorcycle accident. George had to undergo six surgeries to repair 13 fractures to his right foot, ankle and leg which were unsuccessful in fully repairing his crushed leg, leaving him partially disabled. Mary's suffered traumatic head injuries in the accident from which she died a week later. Personal injury attorneys for George and his wife's estate sued the drunken driver of the car and the bar and grill that served him alcohol to recover damages.

The New Jersey jury awarded damages for medical bills, damages for George's loss of function, damages for Mary's lost wages as the family's breadwinner and lost household services to her husband and child, and damages for the emotional suffering George was subjected to in witnessing the injury and suffering of his wife.

Because motorcyclists have a reputation for reckless driving and speeding, Philadelphia motorcycle accidents can be challenging to litigate. Experienced Philadelphia personal injury lawyers often call on accident reconstruction experts to demonstrate that the motorcyclist was driving safely and obeying traffic laws. If you are in a motorcycle accident, an expert Philadelphia personal injury attorney can protect your rights and work to obtain the compensation you are entitled to.

A motorcycle accident in Upper Frederick in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania killed a man late last week. The crash at the intersection of Route 73 and Krause Road near Zieglerville occurred around 6 a.m. on Friday, May 7. The fatal personal injury crash is still under investigation. It is not known whether the motorcycle driver lost control of his vehicle in the early dawn or what may have contributed to the accident. At this time, police authorities do not believe that any other vehicles were involved in the motorcycle accident.

This motorcycle accident should serve as a warning to Philadelphia motorcycle, car and truck drivers to drive defensively and be on the alert for motorcycles now that nice weather is here. Most Philadelphia motorcyclists park their bikes for the winter. Come spring, droves of somewhat rusty riders take to Philadelphia streets. To prevent Philadelphia motorcycle accidents [http://www.rosenbaumandassociates.com/lawyer-attorney-1306328.html], motor safety experts caution motorcycle riders to review motorcycle safety and highway regulations and do a bit of practicing in empty parking lots to regain their bearings before heading their bike into busy Philadelphia traffic.

Highway signs near Philadelphia have begun flashing warnings reminding motorists to watch for motorcycle riders on freeways. Car and truck drivers should be especially aware of bikers on the roadways and give motorcycles a little extra room when following motorcyclists in traffic. Their smaller bulk can cause motorcycles to disappear into a driver's blind spot, increasing the chance of a serious personal injury accident.

Motorcycle accident claims are more complicated to litigate than auto or truck accident claims. Because of social perceptions of motorcycle drivers as reckless speeders, personal injury attorneys must address the individual motorcyclist's driving record and driving habits in addition to the facts of the accident. Experienced Philadelphia personal injury lawyers know how to use accident reconstruction experts to prove that a motorcyclist was driving safely and following the rules of the road.

A new law that takes effect on Monday, May 3, 2010, has caused some confusion for Philadelphia drivers. Under the new regulation, Philadelphia drivers will no longer be required to contact police immediately after a minor car accident. Beginning Monday, Philadelphia drivers may exchange personal and vehicle information and leave the accident scene, waiting until they return home to alert police and their insurance company. It's the definition of "minor" accident that has many Philadelphia drivers confused.

Minor accidents are those that involve no personal injuries and no physical damage to surrounding property, including any residential, commercial and government-owned property. In a minor accident, all damage is confined to the motor vehicles involved in the crash and damage to those vehicles is slight enough that they can continue to be driven safely. If anyone affected by the accident suffers even a slight personal injury, the police must be contacted immediately. If the accident causes any property damage -- landscape plants, fences, other autos, signage, etc. -- or any vehicle suffers major damage or cannot be safely driven, the police must be called.

The new law also specifies that all drivers involved in the accident must exchange owner and vehicle information. Experienced Philadelphia personal injury lawyers recommend exchanging the following information:

• Make, model, year, color, license plate state and number and vehicle identification number (VIN) of the car.


• Name, address, phone number and driver's license number of the driver. Always write down the information from the license, but also ask if the information on the license is current and write down any different information the driver gives you verbally.


• Auto insurance company name and policy number.

You may also want to snap a few pictures of the accident site and any damage to the other vehicle as a precaution. Once you return home, Philadelphia drivers are required to call the police to report the accident and should then call their insurance company.

After an unusually cold and snowy winter, Philadelphians are enjoying a spell of warm, sunny spring weather. The near-summer temperatures have brought flowers into bloom. A few early birds have fired up their lawn mowers and dusted off their weed-whackers. Kids are clamoring on the playgrounds and families stroll along Philadelphia's sidewalks. And the bikers are back! As soon as it starts to warm up, Philadelphia motorcyclists tune up their bikes and hit the road, eager to enjoy the open road and feel the wind against their face.

Every spring the risk of Philadelphia motorcycle accidents increases. Cars and trucks that have largely had the roads to themselves must once again learn to share the highways with motorcycle riders. And Philadelphia motorcyclists need to adhere to traffic rules themselves while watching for unwary drivers. Motorcycle accidents have already been reported in several Midwestern states, including a fatal motorcycle crash in Chicago that killed two. Every spring and summer thousands of personal injury motorcycle accidents maim and kill drivers and riders in Philadelphia and across the country.

According to the latest statistics from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Administration figures, the motorcycle driver was speeding in nearly a third of motorcycle accidents that result in personal injuries or fatalities. Nearly 20% of motorcyclists who were not wearing a helmet suffered serious head injuries. And one-quarter of motorcycle accidents nationally involved an unlicensed driver. Despite these serious issues, many motorcycle accidents occur when car or truck drivers fail to see motorcyclists or fail to give motorcycle riders the space and roadway courtesy they afford other vehicles.

If you are involved in a Philadelphia motorcycle accident that results in personal injury, consult a Philadelphia personal injury attorney with experience in handling motorcycle accident claims.

Investigation into a September motorcycle accident that caused serious personal injury to a motorcycle driver and his passenger has led to a felony charge. Last week police charged the Trenton, New Jersey woman who caused the horrific personal injury accident with a felony count of operating a vehicle without a valid license. The woman was driving a friend's Toyota when she ran a stop sign last September and plowed into a motorcycle driven by a Levittown, Pennsylvania man. The crash crushed the left legs of both the 52-year-old driver and his wife, a passenger on the motorcycle. The woman who caused the personal injury accident just northeast of Philadelphia was also charged with failing to stop at a stop sign and careless driving.

Serious personal injuries often occur when cars collide with motorcycles in Philadelphia accidents. As in the case of the Pennsylvania couple, motorcycle drivers and their passengers may suffer horrific, life-changing personal injuries when collisions occur. Serious personal Injuries can require weeks of hospitalization and rehabilitation resulting in exorbitant medical bills, loss of income when injuries keep victims from working, extreme family hardship and severe physical and mental trauma.

Because many people believe the Easy Rider myth that motorcycle drivers are aggressive and reckless, proving fault and recovering damages when serious Philadelphia personal injury motorcycle accidents occur is more complicated and difficult than with auto accident claims. Philadelphia personal injury lawyers must work to find witness to the motorcycle accident and obtain reliable interviews. To counter arguments that the motorcycle driver was speeding or driving recklessly, Philadelphia personal injury attorneys may have to interview the motorcycle operator's friends and co-workers to establish his character and safe driving record. Accident reconstruction experts may need to be consulted. When Philadelphia motorcycle accidents result in serious personal injuries, Philadelphia personal injury attorneys work to see that the victim recovers the money necessary to cover his medical bills and rebuild his life.

In the wake of a tragic New Year's Eve car accident that killed two in Philadelphia comes a report from the Institute for Transportation Engineers that an estimated 120 people die every day on U.S. highways in "vehicle-related crashes." Car accidents, truck accidents and motorcycle accidents are the leading cause of death among Americans aged 1 to 34 according to statistics from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Interestingly, people who seriously fear being victimized by robbery, rape or assault crimes fail to associate similar danger with driving.

In an interview with Scripps Howard News Service, Russ Rader of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety had this explanation for the phenomenon:

"People don't generally think of driving as a risky task. They think that crashes happen to other people, not themselves. There is a researcher who calls it the illusory zone of immunity. When we do things day after day that are routine, we don't think of them as being particularly dangerous. But of course, the statistics show that getting behind the wheel of a car is probably the riskiest thing any of us do on any given day."

Over the past decade, more than 41,000 people have died in car accidents nationally and thousands more sustain serious personal injuries, many in the Philadelphia area. The AAA Foundation (American Automobile Association) calls car accident and truck accident deaths a "public health crisis" on its website. Highway safety experts lament that it is a crisis that seems to be flying under most people's radar. Safety experts point out and Philadelphia personal injury lawyers agree that daily car accidents kill far more than the occasional train wreck or airline disaster but rarely garner major headlines.

In the blink of an eye a motorcycle accident can change your life. If Mark Hamill had not been in a serious motorcycle accident after starring as Luke Skywalker in the successful Star Wars movies, actor Harrison Ford might never have become a Hollywood leading man. Director Steven Spielberg once confided that until his accident it was Hamill, not Ford, who was slated to star in the hugely popular Indiana Jones movies.

Even when helmets and protective clothing are worn, injuries to the driver and any rider can be extensive in a motorcycle accident. Unlike car collisions, there is nothing to protect your body in a motorcycle accident. Serious head trauma, broken bones, cuts, bruising and seriously abraded skin are common motorcycle accident injuries. Often cars and trucks fail to allow adequate stopping or maneuvering distance around motorcycles, crowding drivers out of lanes into the path of another vehicle or off roads into dangerous debris and gravel. Sometimes inattentive drivers simply fail to see a person on a motorcycle, but there are some drivers who appear to target motorcycles, creating dangerous situations that lead to serious accidents.

Motorcycle accident claims can be more complicated to resolve than automobile accident claims. Personal injury lawyers must be persistent in representing their clients. Because motorcycle drivers are perceived as aggressive and reckless, defense attorneys will try to prove that the cyclist was speeding or driving recklessly. Questions will be raised about the use of protective clothing and helmets and whether the driver is properly licensed. In Pennsylvania, protective headgear is not required if the motorcycle driver is 21 years old or older and has either been licensed to operate a motorcycle for at least two full years or has completed a PennDOT or Motorcycle Safety Foundation motorcycle safety course.

Rosenbaum & Associates, Philadelphia's personal injury specialists, have been very successful in recovering money for motorcyclists injured in accidents.