Philadelphia Injury Lawyer Blog

The sudden nature of the 50-year-old Michael Jackson’s passing on June 25th, 2009 left his family as well as many fans wondering whether his death was the result of natural causes or instead, medical error. Since the formal court case began, the prosecution has worked to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Dr. Conrad Murray, Jackson’s personal physician, was criminally negligent while caring for the star. This week, after questioning a total of 33 witnesses, the prosecution has rested its case.

Dr. Shafer, who works as a professor of anesthesiology at Columbia University, was called as the prosecution’s final witness. An autopsy found Jackson’s cause of death to be an overdose of the anesthetic Propofol. According to Dr. Shafer’s testimony, the only way Jackson could have had such a high amount of Propofol in his body at the time of his death was through an intravenous drip that would have been administered by Dr. Murray.

Despite Dr. Shafer’s expert testimony, Dr. Murray’s defense continues to put up an ardent fight. After launching a preemptive strike upon re-direct examination, his attorneys are expected to continue to make the case that Jackson administered the Propofol himself by self injection. Michael Jackson would have had to inject the large dose of the powerful anesthetic himself while at home in his Los Angeles mansion.

In order to win the case, prosecutors will need to prove that Dr. Murray’s actions involved “a high risk of death or great bodily harm” under California’s involuntary manslaughter statute and that his “actions were committed without due caution.” Dr. Murray’s medical license has been suspended pending the medical malpractice trial’s outcome.

If you are in Philadelphia or New Jersey and suspect that you too have a family member who has suffered wrongful death, The Pearce Law Firm will work diligently on your behalf to get you the compensation you deserve.

As the fall and winter seasons approach and icy roads and potentially dangerous driving conditions are upon us, we are reminded of the need for motor vehicle drivers to use utmost caution when driving Philadelphia area roads. Thousands of car and truck accidents occur throughout Pennsylvania each year.

In 2009, a truck driver caused a serious truck accident when he plowed his rig into an Infiniti on the Schuylkill Expressway. The accident killed a Fort Washington man when the 77,000-pound rig completely crushed his vehicle, causing him chest injuries that were too severe to survive.

Police stated that this accident could have been prevented. Federal prosecutors found that truck driver Valerijs Nikoaevich Belovs of Northeast Philadelphia, who was 57 years of age at the time, lied about breaks he was supposed to take on the road. Authorities also say that Belovs falsified his daily logbooks between December 20, 2008 and January 23, 2009 the day of the accident, to conceal the fact that he was driving more consecutive hours than legally allowed without a required test.

An indictment suggested that this tragic 2009 truck accident could have been prevented if Belovs had been truthful and accurate in his logbooks. Truckers who drive too many consecutive hours and without proper licensing pose a great threat as they are often not as alert or skillful on the road as they should be. The U.S. Department of Transportation inspects all trucker log books to ensure motorists’ safety, but may not be aware when a logbook is falsified.

Belovs pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide and reckless driving and related offenses in this case and was sentenced to three to 23 months in jail by Montgomery County Common Pleas Court. If you or a loved one has suffered injury due to a truck accident, contact a Philadelphia injury lawyer immediately.

With Halloween just a week away, we are about to kick off the holiday and gift giving season. Give your children the gift of safety by staying informed and acting as an educated consumer. Make sure to look out for defective and unsafe toys and steer clear of them while shopping.

As a parent, you cannot trust toy stores to do all the work for you. Did you know that even though many dangerous toys get recalled or banned, many retailers keep those same toys on shelves? These retailers are either taking their chances hoping they won’t get caught, or somehow uninformed about a particular recall.

With so much responsibility lying on their shoulders, many parents may be wondering what could potentially be a defective toy. A toy does not have to have been recalled to be potentially dangerous. Any toy that is a choking hazard may be dangerous. Toys that include balloons and small parts have the potential to cause choking.

A toy can also be dangerous due to its containment of hazardous chemicals or metals such as lead. Both inhalation and ingestion of small amounts of lead have been shown to cause brain damage in children. Now, there is even some research showing that lead may cause cancer.

Risk of entanglement and respiratory concerns are two other reasons parents should avoid a toy. Entanglement can be caused by toys containing mosquito nets or ropes and respiratory dangers may be caused by items like furry children’s blankets and certain stuffed animals. While these toys may be okay for some, children with asthma might be at risk.

Always remember to shop appropriately for your child’s age, look out for the hazards discussed above, and keep an eye out for news reports about the latest recalls. If your child has been injured by a defective toy, contact a Philadelphia injury lawyer right away.

Police are still investigating a deadly motorcycle crash that occurred near Philadelphia this week. The tragic accident killed one man, but no other injuries have been reported. The victim has been identified as 25 year old Daniel Manela of the 9000 block or Cargill Lane in Philadelphia.

Manela was pronounced dead at the scene on October 16th at approximately 5 p.m. after he lost control and was thrown from his motorcycle. A police investigation found that he was traveling on Route 1 towards Philadelphia when he attempted to change lanes before losing control of his 2009 Harley Davidson. Police also reported that they did not believe Manela to be wearing a helmet at the time of the accident and that drugs and alcohol are not suspected to be a factor in the crash.

The Bensalem police department responded to the accident on southbound Route 1 at the Pennsylvania Turnpike exchange. The police department has asked any witnesses with more information to call the Bensalem Accident Investigation Division, Cpl. Oliverio at 215-633-3719.

The accident is one of the most tragic in the Philadelphia area since August. In the August motorcycle accident, a woman who was riding on her motorcycle with a child near York Pennsylvania was killed when a car hit motorcycle. Seemingly miraculously, the child was not injured in the crash.

Motorcycles are generally the smallest vehicles on the road, and drivers in cars, trucks, buses, and SUVs oten fail to realize that a motorcycle in the lane next to them. In addition, motorcycle crashes often cause serious if not fatal injuries due to the fact that riders are surrounded by little protection. Riders are always urged to use caution and wear protective gear while riding. If you or a loved one has been involved in an accident, call a Philadelphia injury lawyer as soon as possible to protect your rights.

A Phildelphia area potential harassment case that began more than six years ago is a little closer to a resolution today. The Supreme Court is now hearing the case of Burlington County man Albert Florence, who was strip-searched fterbeing arrested at a traffic search in 2005.

After being stopped at a motor vehicle stop by police in Burlington County New Jersey, Florence was taken into custody, and asked to repeatedly strip competely naked in front of officers in order to be examined for contraband. Florence was asked to do so twice in county jail in Mount Holly and then again more intrusively in Essex County jail.

Mr. Florence was arrested during the stop and detained due to an unrelated contempt-of-court warrant which was later discovered to be already satisfied. As a married father of four who works as a finance manager at an auto dealership, Florence reported feeling humiliated after the repeated strip-search and felt that his rights were violated. The feeling of humiliation that Florence describes is similar to that which a victim mght describe in a sexual harassment case.

Although the high court decided correcions officers could conduct body cavity inspections of inmates who had contact with visitors in a 1979 ruling, Florence may have been searched on shaky grounds. Some federal courts have ruled that strip searches should only take place with "reasonable suspicion" or after inmates have been charged with a serious crime.

The Albert W. Florence v. Board of Chosen Freeholders of the County of Burlington Supreme Court case is reportedly expected to bring uniformity throughout the country when it comes to regulations pertaining to the strip-search of inmates in order to prevent contraband, weapons, and protect workers and other inmates from injuries.

Since some county courts, including the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia, have ruled that jails may strip search inmates under any circumstances, it is uncertain whether or note Florence will win the case.

There is a great deal of construction going on around the country, especially on the east coast and near Philadelphia as workers are striving to rebuild after the recent heavy flooding. This fact, as well as the fact that several construction workers rebuilding after the floods are volunteers, may be responsible for the recent spike in construction accidents in the news.

Two men were hurt in a construction accident this week in Webster Township, Michigan. The two Michigan men were injured while working on a shed in Washtenaw County, just ten miles north of Ann Arbor. AnnArbor.com reported that the accident occurred around noon on Saturday. Police told reporters that one of the construction workers was pouring concrete when a shed fell and pinned him underneath. A coworker was also hurt in the collapse, but the specifics of either of the men’s sustained injuries were not reported.

Lee Root, a firefighter of the Dexter Area Fire Department said that neither of the worker’s injuries was life-threatening fortunately. Both men were taken to the University of Michigan Medical Center for treatment after the accident.

Just a few weeks earlier, another construction worker sustained severe injuries while working with cement. The man, who was working on a private contracting job in Durham, Connecticut, suffered a severe injury when his leg got stuck in the auger of a dry cement mixing truck. An area hospital response team who specializes in extrication rescues had to help to get the man’s leg out of the machine.

The lawyers at The Pearce Law Firm have several years experience handling construction accident cases. If you are a construction worker who has become injured on the job, contacting the experts at The Pearce Law Firm will ensure that your rights are protected.

A Philadelphia car accident involving a minor unlicensed driver sadly occurred this past week. The accident sent a 9-year-old boy the hospital in critical condition after he took his parents car without them knowing and crashed the vehicle into a tree.

The boy, who police have identified as having mental disabilities, got behind the wheel of his parent’s Chevy Malibu on Sunday morning. The parents were reportedly unaware that the child took the car out for a joyride.

The boy actually headed north on busy Roosevelt Boulevard and eventually lost control of the car and hit a tree around 9:30 in morning. The car flipped several times before coming to a stop. James Gallman, a witness who also took photos of the aftermath of the crash, stated that “It’s the windshield, the tires off, like the whole front car is basically ripped apart.” Gallman also noted that the other surrounding witnesses of the accident simply thought “Oh my God, It’s a 9-year-old kid that got hurt.’ Many were hoping and saying prayers for the boy in hopes that he would survive his injuries.

The name of the child driving the vehicle has not been released, and at this time police are still investigating how the child was able to get behind the wheel of the car or how far he drove before the tragic crash.

The boy’s actions sadly put himself,and several other Philadelphia drivers and pedestrians in great danger. Accidents involving uninsured motorists in which minors are behind the wheel can be extremely complicated for those involved or victims who become injured as a result. Victims may not be able to obtain compensation directly from the driver, but may still be able to recover from his or her parents or their auto insurance company. Only an expert Philadelphia injury lawyer will be able to advise on each individual accident case.

The Pennsylvania legislature has just passed a series of new laws designed to prevent car accidents and injury. Lawmakers are finally cracking down on many things known to cause unsafe driving among teenagers.

James Clair, founder of the Ultimate Defensive Driving School told reporters “When you hear about an accident with young people on the road, it’s never just one young person; it’s always a group of kids in the car.” That’s why Pennsylvania’s new teen safe driving law will ban carpooling among teens. The new law will go into effect once signed by Governor Tom Corbett and states that teenagers will only be able to have one passenger during the first six months that they are licensed drivers.

This law is not only to prevent several injuries from occurring when a teen gets into an accident, but also to prevent the accidents themselves by preventing the teen driver from becoming too distracted by several people in a vehicle.

Some think the new law, which does not include bans on things like texting and using cell phones while driving, is a good first step to keeping Pennsylvania’s roads free of accidents. Similar laws that were recently passed in the neighboring state of New Jersey, have been well received and may have already saved many lives. Researchers are still compiling information on the possible positive effects.

The new Pennsylvania teen driving laws aren’t being quite as well received by all teenagers and young people, however. One teen told reporters “I think if you focus on the road, you can have more than one passenger,” noting that she finds the proposed law “unfair” and “stupid.”

While all legislation is usually met with mixed reviews, many Pennsylvanians think the new law will be a good thing for both teenagers and drivers of all ages on the roads. Thousands of car accidents, often deadly, occur throughout the Philadelphia area and Pennsylvania each day. Hopefully, new legislations will help to protect Pennsylvania drivers.