Philadelphia Injury Lawyer Blog

Sleep positioning products for infants are marketed to Philadelphia parents as safety aids, but they can actually be killers, warn Philadelphia personal injury attorneys. Federal product safety regulators say more than a dozen infant suffocation deaths have been linked to these products over the past decade. Widely available at Babies R Us, Toys R Us, Target and other retailers, the products are particularly popular with safety-conscious Philadelphia parents who are unaware that the suffocation potential of these products poses a serious products liability issue that can result in the death of their child. Major retailers told the FDA they will stop selling the faulty products.

Most baby sleep aids use foam bolsters to hold infants firmly in position while they sleep. Tragically, as infants squirm around or roll over, they can become trapped with their faces pressed against the foam and suffocate. Purchased by Philadelphia parents to protect infants from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), which some sleep positioning products claim to prevent, the products have never been approved for that use by the FDA.

SIDS is the leading cause of infant death among babies 1 to 2 months of age and the third leading cause of death in children during their first year of life. In the U.S., one baby dies from SIDS every hour. More than 7,000 infant deaths each year are attributed to SIDS, although death rates have declined slightly since 1994 when the American Academy of Pediatrics began recommending that parents put babies to sleep on their backs. Researchers have yet to determine the cause of sudden and unexplained infant death. Infants appear to be healthy before they die. Research suggests that a variety of minute development problems in the infant's nervous or respiratory systems may play a role.

If your baby's death was attributed to SIDS and you used an infant sleep positioning aid, consult an experienced Philadelphia personal injury attorney about your rights.

A New Jersey woman was awarded $7.7 million to settle a medical malpractice lawsuit just before the case went to trial. The woman was 17 when she went to her physician complaining about numbness in her leg. The doctor ordered an MRI, but the results were misread and failed to diagnose the tumor growing on her spine. Two years and numerous doctors' visits later, a second MRI did show the tumor, now wrapped tightly around the woman's spinal column. At 23, the misdiagnosed cancer patient now faces life in a wheelchair. Had the initial MRI been read correctly and the tumor detected in its early stages, the woman would have had a 95% chance of complete recovery and would, most likely, have lived a normal life.

Philadelphia physicians urge their patients to get annual checkups and regular health screenings so that cancer and serious diseases can be detected in their earliest stages when the opportunity for recovery is greatest. Cancer researchers have found that when discovered early, many forms of cancer can be successfully treated, posing little future risk to patients. Successful early removal of many cancerous tumors can effectively eliminate nearly 100% of future cancer risk. But when cancer goes undetected or misdiagnosed, malignant cells can metastasize and spread cancer throughout the body, virtually assuring an early, often painful and debilitating, death.

Failure to diagnose, misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis of cancer or any serious disease in its early, treatable stages is medical malpractice. Medical malpractice suits typically involve numerous medical personnel and entities that contributed to the lack of prompt and effective care. In the New Jersey case, the woman's personal injury attorney named the woman's primary physician, orthopedic doctor, neurologist, spine and orthopedic center and radiologist as parties to the medical malpractice lawsuit.

Medical malpractice suits are complex and lengthy requiring expert investigation and litigation by an experienced Philadelphia medical malpractice attorney.

The tiny button batteries that power many popular children's toys can cause serious personal injuries when swallowed by Philadelphia children and can be fatal. A new report from a Utah hospital tracked an increasing incidence of button battery injuries and fatalities among young children. If swallowed, button batteries pose not only a choking risk to Philadelphia children but trigger a chemical reaction that can burn through internal tissue in only a few hours.

Philadelphia personal injury lawyers say the use of button batteries in children's toys creates a potentially hazardous product liability issue that could lead to defective product claims. Last week, family restaurant and game franchise Chuck E. Cheese recalled more than 1 million children's toys that contained button batteries. While the restaurant had received no reports of injured children, it chose to take proactive action by recalling potentially harmful toys sold at its restaurants.

Ranging in size from 1/8 to o1/2 inch, button batteries have become a staple of daily life. The small, compact batteries power a broad range of common household items, including toys, games, cell phones, watches, hearing aids, lighted shoes, musical greeting cards, remote controls and calculators. In any Philadelphia home, there are ample opportunities for curious children to run across button batteries. Because infants first explore their world with their mouths, the younger the child is, the more apt he is to put a discovered battery in his mouth. Once in the throat, "The window for safely removing batteries is only two hours," Dr. Toby Litovitz, director of the National Capital Poison Center, told the Associated Press in a recent interview. Swallowed button batteries must be removed immediately to prevent children from incurring serious personal injuries.

If you believe your child's health or life has been threatened by a hazardous toy, contact an experienced Philadelphia personal injury attorney for a free case evaluation.

Grief and anger exploded in a Montgomery County courtroom yesterday at the sentencing of a man charged with vehicular homicide in a fatal car accident that occurred in the Philadelphia area last July. In an emotionally-charged courtroom packed with members of both the victim's and defendant's families, 24-year-old Stephen Strassburg, formerly of Sellersville, was sentenced to 3 to 6 years in state prison. Emotions ran high as family members of the victim, 50-year-old Wayne Cooper, addressed his killer. Following the sentencing, overwrought members of the victim's family confronted the defendant's family, screaming and yelling. Police had to break the families apart and subdue the victim's brother with tear gas.

Cooper was killed instantly and his Philadelphia passenger severely injured in a head-on collision when Strassburg's speeding car swerved across the double yellow lines and directly into his path. Strassburg, who suffered traumatic brain injury and other personal injuries in the crash, said he fell asleep at the wheel after working a double-shift at a local moving company. The young man fled the accident scene and was clocked at over 100 mph during the ensuing police chase. The accident occurred just after midnight on July 30, 2009, on County Line Road, east of Richardson Road in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Strassburg was charged with reckless driving and driving under the influence in addition to vehicular homicide. When the accident occurred, he was under probation for another reckless driving charge in 2008.

Both families suffered tremendous losses in this tragic crash. Strassburg was struggling to support a wife and young child. Cooper leaves behind a 9-year-old son who is now being raised by his older son. Criminal court proceedings address the legal issues of a personal injury accident, but they do not address the medical bills, rehabilitation costs, grief counseling, lost wages or lost emotional support that a victim's family suffers when an auto accident takes a family member's life. That is the job of a Philadelphia personal injury attorney.

When a child or teen suffers severe personal injury or dies in a Philadelphia car accident, the impact on school communities can be devastating. The death of a classmate is often a child's first experience with death. Children tend to think they are immortal, but when a classmate dies in a tragic Philadelphia auto accident, their self-protective illusions are shattered and they may have trouble processing their emotions.

Southwest of Philadelphia, the community of Avon Grove, Pennsylvania is struggling to help high school students come to terms with a weekend car crash that killed a current and a former student when the teen driver tried to pass cars on a curve. Two additional Avon Grove High School students who were passengers in the car were seriously injured and remain hospitalized. In the other car, two 14-year-old girls, also Avon Grove High School students, and their parents also suffered personal injuries.

Avon Grove High School Principal Tom Alexander was proactive in his efforts to help classmates deal with the tragedy. He talked to the victims' families to learn the facts and current medical status of the injured children. He informed high school staff so they would have facts to counter any rumors when students returned to class on Monday. That morning he addressed students to explain what had happened. Counselors were available and areas were set aside where students could go to grieve. Materials were available for those who wished to make memorial posters and they will be displayed on a memorial wall at the school.

When tragedy strikes school communities, communicating accurate information and allowing children to express their grief helps students cope with their loss. When a child dies, Philadelphia personal injury lawyers help grieving families by removing the burden of managing legal claims so families have time to heal.

Need help NOW? The Pearce Law Firm now offers live help when you visit our website. If you need immediate help with a Philadelphia personal injury accident just click the yes button in the pop-up box that appears when you log onto the Pearce Law Firm website or click on Chat Live! on the menu bar. You will be instantly connected to an operator via live chat. No appointments, no waiting; you can get us your information immediately so that we can begin the process of reviewing your case and answering your questions.

Our new Chat Live! feature is just one more way the Pearce Law Firm demonstrates our commitment to the individual needs of our Philadelphia personal injury clients. You won't find any "cookie-cutter" law being practiced at the Pearce Law Firm. We recognize the unique circumstances of each client who walks through our door and treat each case with respect and prompt attention. We strive to develop a supportive personal relationship with each of our clients built on accessibility, trust and responsiveness to each client's individual needs. Our Philadelphia injury clients can be assured that we will work diligently toward a settlement while aggressively preparing for trial.

Our principal, respected Philadelphia attorney Edith Pearce, has consistently been named one of Philadelphia's "Super Lawyers" by Philadelphia Magazine, an honor that recognizes the top 5% of Pennsylvania lawyers. With considerable legal experience as both a trial lawyer and attorney for an insurance company, Edith has a significant competitive advantage when negotiating settlements that enables her to maximize recovery for her clients. If you are the victim of a Philadelphia personal injury accident or employment dispute, visit the Pearce Law Firm website and try our Chat Live! feature today.

Thousands of Philadelphia children participate in youth sports. Little League, traveling soccer teams, Pop Warner football, cheerleading, baseball leagues, basketball intramurals, gymnastics competitions -- our kids are playing all kinds of sports outside of school and Philadelphia parents are all for it. Parents see youth sports as a great way to promote health and fitness, teach teamwork, foster competition and build self-esteem. Philadelphia youth sports do all that, but they also increase your child's risk of sustaining serious personal injury, warn Philadelphia personal injury lawyers.

A 5 billion dollar industry, youth sports are virtually unregulated. Coached mostly by interested parents with little to no training, more than 40 million U.S. children participate on one or more non-school sports teams. Personal injury rates for young players have skyrocketed with 78% of youth sports' injuries requiring treatment at a hospital or urgent-care center. Patient loads at sports-medicine clinics that treat young players have tripled. More than 25% of children who play youth sports sustain a severe personal injury that permanently affects their ability to play any sport.

Physicians say the pressure to succeed at youth sports is causing children to push their still-developing bodies beyond their abilities. Year-round play, sports specialization and traveling teams risk overtaxing the physical abilities and endurance of young players, placing them at considerable risk of sustaining permanent personal injury. Doctors single out concussions as the most dangerous personal injury young players risk. Concussions can permanently impair the physical and mental development of young players. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has cited heat illness during games or practices as a leading cause of death and disability among teen athletes.

Philadelphia parents don't send their children onto the playing field expecting them to suffer a serious injury or permanent disability, but the risk is real. If your child suffers a serious personal injury while playing sports, contact a Philadelphia personal injury attorney for a free case evaluation.

Philadelphia personal injury lawyers with an expertise in litigating car accident lawsuits were not surprised to see Philadelphia rank near the bottom of the latest Allstate Insurance Best Drivers Report. Philadelphia came in at 187 in Allstate's annual ranking of car collision frequency in America's 200 largest cities. Fort Collins, Colorado was judged the safest city for drivers; Washington D.C., the deadliest. According to Allstate statistics, Philadelphia drivers are 53.5% more likely to be involved in a serious personal injury car accident than drivers in other cities. At 187, Philadelphia was ranked more accident prone than New York City (159), Houston (161), Chicago (167) and Los Angeles (183). On average, a Philadelphia driver is involved in a serious personal injury car accident every 6.5 years.

According to a new study released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), deaths and personal injuries caused by car accidents cost the nation nearly $99 billion in medical costs and lost productivity annually, or about $500 per licensed driver. Costs are based on statistics for 2005 when 3.7 million people died or suffered serious personal injuries in U.S. car accidents. Report statistics found that motor vehicle occupants accounted for 71% of traffic accident deaths and injuries; motorcyclists, 12%; pedestrians, 10%; and bicyclists, 6%.

Over the Labor Day weekend, 473 people died in serious personal injury vehicle accidents nationwide. In Pennsylvania, state police records for the weekend show that 9 people died in car accidents and 285 were injured, a significant decrease from last year when 16 people were killed on Pennsylvania highways and 412 were injured. Of course, those figures only reflect injuries and deaths on state highways. Statewide Labor Day car accident statistics are expected to be higher once data is collected from municipal and county agencies.

If you suffer serious personal injuries or a family member dies in a Philadelphia car accident, contact a Philadelphia personal injury attorney with an expertise in car accident litigation.

Yesterday, the man accused of killing a young woman in a tragic Philadelphia car accident that occurred in July waived his right to a preliminary hearing and was ordered to stand trial for the death of 24-year-old Celina Langan. Manuel Albandoz is accused of vehicular homicide, involuntary manslaughter, driving without a license and leaving the scene of an accident.

When Philadelphia auto accidents occur, Philadelphia personal injury attorneys point out that two legal actions are possible: a criminal lawsuit and a personal injury lawsuit.

Criminal lawsuits are brought by the governing body that exercises legal authority over the accident location, generally a city, county, state or federal prosecutor. Criminal lawsuits focus on the law. Their purpose is to prove whether or not the accused person broke the law and assign punishment if he is found guilty.

Personal injury lawsuits are brought by the victim of a Philadelphia car accident or his family or estate. The purpose of personal injury lawsuits is two-fold: (1) to recover medical expenses incurred because of the accident and (2) to compensate the victim and his family for physical and emotional pain, suffering and loss caused by the accident.

In Pennsylvania, a car accident victim is entitled to recover damages for hospital and medical expenses, past and future lost earnings, past and future permanent physical disability, emotional distress, grief and emotional suffering caused by the victim's death, loss of love and companionship, damage or destruction of property, physical pain and suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life. Because of the esoteric nature of many of the damages to which an accident victim may be entitled, representation by an astute Philadelphia personal injury attorney is necessary to ensure that victims receive the full amount of compensation to which they are entitled.