Every year, thousands of U.S. workers are killed or seriously injured in accidents at construction sites and industrial plants. Many personal injury accidents occur when OSHA safety regulations are ignored. Poor supervision, lack of communication, poor worker training, and use of defective machinery or tools also contribute to the number of personal injury accidents in Pennsylvania and across the nation.

When construction or industrial accidents occur, accident victims and their families are entitled to recover damages for hospital and medical expenses, lost earnings, permanent disability, emotional distress, destruction of property, physical pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life and, should an accident victim die, loss of the love and companionship of their family member. Due to the complexity of construction and industrial accidents, victims and their families generally require the knowledge and assistance of an experienced Philadelphia personal injury attorney with proven expertise in handling construction accident cases.

When Pennsylvania repealed its motorcycle helmet law in 2003, motorcycle deaths rose in the Philadelphia area and across the state. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, fatal head injuries incurred by helmetless motorcycle riders increased 66%; and serious head injuries requiring hospitalization, by 78%. Head injuries account for the majority of all motorcycle accident injuries and fatalities nationwide. Injuries to other parts of the body account for just 28% of motorcycle accident hospitalizations and 25% of motorcycle deaths.

Another factor driving up motorcycle injuries and fatalities is the growing number of motorcycle riders over the age of 40. Spurred by retiring Baby Boomers, motorcycle registrations have increased by more than 100% over the past 10 years. Unfortunately, older bodies don't bounce back as quickly as younger ones. People over 40 who are in a motorcycle accident suffer more serious injuries, require lengthier hospital stays and longer recovery times, and are more likely to die, even from less serious injuries, than their younger counterparts. When an accident results in death due to someone else's negligence, a wrongful death action can be brought by the survivors and beneficiaries.

If you suffer serious personal injuries in a motorcycle accident, consult an experienced Philadelphia personal injury attorney for a free case evaluation.

Just last week, one adult and two children suffered personal injuries when a school bus hit a car and crashed into a building in the Andorra section of Philadelphia. And in May, another Philadelphia bus accident sent 14 people to the hospital with serious personal injuries. In that Port Richmond accident, a bus driver for Del Val Staffing lost control of a bus carrying 22 people while exiting I-95 at Allegheny/Castor Avenue, The bus hit a light pole then flipped over several times before coming to a halt in the middle of East Westmoreland Street. Twenty-one people were injured, 14 seriously enough to require hospital treatment. One bus passenger who suffered a severe blow and cut to his head during the Philadelphia bus accident was listed in critical condition.

Unlike cars and trucks, seatbelt laws do not apply to buses. Despite sometimes tragic personal injury accidents like the ones noted above, very few buses even offer passengers the option to buckle up. Due to their open, boxy construction, buses do little to protect their passengers when accidents occur. The result can be serious personal injury and death. Experienced Philadelphia personal injury attorneys can help accident victims navigate the complexities of bus accident claims and protect their rights.

Another worker was hospitalized at West Penn with serious burns over his head, neck, face and hands and an ankle fracture. Five additional workers are being treated for serious burn injuries at another hospital.

The accident occurred about 9:30 a.m. yesterday when a full shift of workers was at their posts. About 1,500 people work at the plant. The explosion at U.S. Steel's Clairton Coke Works plunged the plant into darkness, sending debris flying through the air. The force of the explosion bent steel beams and crumbled thick block walls. The resulting fire raged into the afternoon. Bob Full, Allegheny County emergency services chief told the Associated Press, "It's a miracle that anybody even walked away from that."

Investigators from U.S. Steel and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) are investigating the cause of the explosion. Early eyewitness testimony points to a possible problem with the oven's gas supply oven. This isn't the first personal injury accident at the Clairton works. A maintenance worker was killed in a September 2009 explosion at the plant.

Manufacturing plants have a duty to protect the health and safety of their employees. When serious personal injury construction accidents or death occur on the job, plant owners may be liable for medical expenses and damages to the victim and his family. An expert Philadelphia personal injury attorney can review your case and advise you of your rights.

Government agencies whose employees handle sensitive documents say debt and poor credit issues place workers at greater risk of temptation. The concern, of course, is that workers will sell sensitive data as a way to end financial woes. While the potential threat to national security may drive the practice in government settings, the concern is not limited to government agencies. The finances of those who hold business positions that involve financial management, bank positions, even retail cashiers are under increased scrutiny. With foreclosures and bankruptcies on the rise, there is concern that employees will be tempted to embezzle funds from employers to make up personal shortfalls.

It's made for a suspicious work environment that has many crying foul. Consumer advocates complain that workers who most need their jobs to get out from under credit problems are finding their jobs threatened because of their poor credit histories. It's a vicious cycle from which some workers see little hope of escape.

However, discrimination based upon poor credit may not be illegal or actionable. State and federal laws generally only prohibit employers from discriminating against persons (employees and potential employees) on the basis of race, age, color, sex/gender, national origin, disability, religion, and pregnancy. In certain states and cities, including New Jersey and Philadelphia, sexual orientation is also included. Generally, unless you have been discriminated against due to one of the above reasons, you may not be able to bring a lawsuit. Pennsylvania and most states are "at will employment" states. Thus, the employer can hire and fire for many reasons, unless that reason is due to one of the protected areas of the law (e.g., race, age, color, sex/gender, national origin, disability, and religion).

If you feel you have been discriminated against on the job and need legal advice to determine if you have protection under the law, a Philadelphia personal injury and employment attorney with expertise in employment discrimination can review your case and explain your rights.

The Philadelphia boat accident occurred along the busy waterfront near Penn's Landing in front of scores of horrified onlookers. Local boaters, bystanders, policemen, firefighters, Coast Guard and a visiting Navy SEAL team rushed to the rescue as the DUCK boat rolled under the barge and sank. All but two of the passengers were rescued. Teams searched for the two until dark yesterday and continued the search this morning. Divers located the DUCK boat in 50 feet of water but visibility was too poor to determine whether the missing passengers were aboard the sunken craft.

One of Philadelphia's most popular tourist attractions, DUCK boats are based on amphibious WWII boats capable of land and sea travel. The boat involved in the accident suffered mechanical trouble and a small fire shortly after entering the water with a full load of sightseers. The 2-man crew had radioed for help and passengers were awaiting rescue when the huge barge bore down them. Passengers said they had less than 45 seconds to secure lifejackets and abandon ship before the barge hit.

Owned by the city of Philadelphia, the barge hauls sludge to a Water Department recycling plant. The powerless, driverless barge was directed by a tugboat owned by K-Sea Transportation Partners of New Jersey. Initial investigations indicate that the tugboat crew was unaware of the DUCK boat in its path.

Philadelphia personal injury accidents like this that involve multiple responsible parties present a complex legal challenge requiring the expert knowledge of an experienced Philadelphia personal injury attorney.

The gun powder and flammable chemicals used to create the stunning pyrotechnic displays we love to watch on the 4th of July make fireworks extremely hazardous to both workers and bystanders. Every year numerous people, often fireworks workers, suffer serious burn injuries during municipal Independence Day fireworks displays. Most fireworks injuries, however, are associated with home fireworks. In 2009, burns and explosions from fireworks sent 9,000 Americans to the emergency room and killed two people, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Fireworks distributors say national standards have resulted in safer fireworks; however, Philadelphia medical professionals and Philadelphia fire marshals every year warn residents about the potential risk of serious personal injury inherent in using consumer fireworks. Most fireworks accidents to children involve firecrackers and bottle rockets; but sparklers, which many Philadelphia parents consider benign, cause one-third of the eye injuries suffered by children under the age of 5, according to Prevent Blindness America. Sparklers burn at 2,000 degrees; hot enough to melt gold.

Fireworks injuries can result in permanent disfiguration, traumatic amputation of digits or hands and debilitating loss of use injuries. When traumatic injuries occur, Philadelphia personal injury attorneys can advise victims of their rights and aggressively pursue the compensation you are entitled to.

The actress admitted to police investigators that she had drunk several glasses of wine that evening. Police charged Locane-Bovenizer with vehicular homicide and second- and third-degree assault by auto. If convicted, the mother of two could spend 5 to 10 years in state prison.

The tragic car accident that occurred in New Jersey this week earned national headlines due to the celebrity of the driver involved. But Philadelphia personal injury attorneys point out that it is a scenario played out on the streets of Philadelphia every day. Every 45 minutes someone in America dies at the hands of an alcohol-impaired driver. Last year, drunk drivers killed nearly 12,000 people in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A third of all U.S. traffic deaths are caused by drunk drivers. In Pennsylvania, drunk drivers killed nearly 600 people in 2008, accounting for 39% of all traffic-related fatalities.

As we move into the holiday weekend, Philadelphia personal injury attorneys remind Philadelphia revelers to stay safe and designate a driver. If you suffer serious personal injuries in a car accident, consult an experienced Philadelphia personal injury attorney for a free case evaluation.

Henry's family and coaches were unaware of Henry's brain condition. Brain injuries are common in football players who suffer multiple concussions, but Henry had never been diagnosed with a concussion during his playing career. Neurosurgeon Julian Bailes, co-director of the WVU Brain Injury Research Institute, a former team physician for the Pittsburg Steelers, and lead researcher in the WVU study, said researches believe chronic traumatic encephalopathy results from multiple head impacts whether or not concussion occurs. Direct impact with another football player or the ground is not necessary to cause brain injury. The quick spurts and sudden stops typical of the game can also cause brain damage. "The brain floats freely in your skull. If you're moving very quickly and suddenly stop, the brain bounces," California medical examiner and WVU researcher Bennet Omaki explained on Philly.com.

The implications of Henry's death and brain injury research findings are a cause of concern to Philadelphia parents whose children play on high school and college football teams. The toll football takes on the brain has long been suspected. Retired NFL football players suffer a higher than average incidence of Alzheimer's disease and memory problems. However, Henry's tragic death at such a young age emphasizes the potential risk of serious brain injury.

Traumatic brain injury can have life-altering consequences. A Philadelphia personal injury attorney can provide the legal advice you need and work aggressively to protect your rights and obtain fair compensation for your injury.

When Philadelphia firefighters arrived on the scene they were able to rescue the boys, but the injuries sustained by Nicholas' small body were too great and he died early yesterday morning. His brothers remain in stable condition at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children; his mother and grandfather, also in stable condition, at Temple University Hospital.

The fire which left the home gutted and uninhabitable is under investigation. Neighbors said it appeared that the blaze might have started in a second story bedroom, and one man speculated that a room air conditioner may have overheated in Philadelphia's record-setting heat.

Loss from fire is traumatic. This Philadelphia family lost a son and their home. The four surviving family members face a long, painful, expensive recovery. Burn injuries are the most painful of traumatic personal injuries, requiring a slow, painful rehabilitation that often involves multiple surgeries and skin grafts. Recovery can take months, even years. Even after recovery, nerve damage can cause lifelong pain, loss of function and disfiguring scarring that cannot be repaired.

Expert legal advice from a Philadelphia personal injury attorney experienced with burn injury claims is critical in recovering damages for medical and hospital bills, ongoing health care, future surgeries, pain and suffering, counseling, loss of income and other issues burn victims and their families will have to deal with for years to come.

The jury agreed, awarding Scroggin $2.75 million in compensatory damages and $27 million in punitive damages. On appeal, the punitive damage award was struck down by a federal judge who ordered a partial retrial solely to address punitive damages. In a victory for Philadelphia cancer victims, the Supreme Court upheld the decision to limit the partial retrial to punitive damages, rejecting the drug company's argument that the retrial should review all aspects of the cause, including the court's finding that hormone replacement drugs contributed to Scroggin's cancer.

After taking hormone replacement drugs for 15 years, Scroggin eventually lost both breasts to mastectomy after the discovery of cancerous lumps. More than 6 million women in Philadelphia and across the U.S. have been prescribed hormone replacement drugs to relieve menopause symptoms that can include night sweats, hot flashes and mood swings. Prescribed for decades, hormone replacement therapy was standard medical treatment for menopausal symptoms until 2002 when researchers discovered a 26% higher incidence of cancer among women taking the drugs. Scroggin's successful product liability suit sets the stage for more than 8,000 personal injury lawsuits related to menopause drugs that have been filed against drug maker Wyeth to date.

Philadelphia women who develop cancer after taking hormone replacement drugs are urged to consult a knowledgeable Philadelphia product liability attorney about their rights.

In one of those odd twists of fate, the 24-year Pennsylvania State Police veteran was an accident reconstructionist and drug-recognition expert. Quigg routinely supervised State Police sobriety checkpoints. The officer had been on desk duty since running his car into a guardrail last December. At the time of that accident, Quigg was found to have a blood-alcohol level of 0.30, well over Pennsylvania's legal limit of 0.08. Quigg's attorney in that DUI case, Timothy Woodward, Sr. has previously reported to the court that Quigg completed alcohol rehabilitation following his DUI arrest.

Police investigators are not yet certain whether Quigg drove onto the freeway in the wrong direction inadvertently or intentionally. Investigators have stated that neither driver showed obvious signs of impairment. Toxicology tests have been ordered and the motor vehicle accident is still under investigation.

When people are seriously injured or die in car accidents, experienced Philadelphia personal injury lawyers conduct their own, independent investigations to verify the circumstances surrounding the accident and protect the rights of the injured victims and their families.

Talking on a cell phone is the equivalent of driving drunk. Texting is like shutting your eyes while driving drunk! When drivers talk or text on their cell phones, their attention is not focused on traffic and the road ahead. Distracted driving causes the reflexes of young drivers to slow to those of 70-year-olds. According to the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety, people who talk or text on their cell phones while driving are at least four times more likely to be involved in a serious persional injury accident. Texters, however, are 23 times more likely to crash, a recent Virginia Tech study revealed. Philadelphia banned cell phone driving and texting in December 2008 and added a hefty $75 fine in May 2009, but many Philadelphia residents, particularly those under 30, continue to ignore the dangers of driving and texting.

Pennsylvania middle schoolers are hoping to put a halt to that hazardous practice. Their TEXTerminator earned them a finalist spot in the national Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation competition, a government-sponsored contest that seeks to unite community service with scientific problem solving. The winning team will receive $25,000 to help turn their invention into reality. Over the contest's 14-year span, five winning teams have earned patents for their ideas. Here's hoping these innovative Bucks County students are next!

Last Friday, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced the voluntary recall of 12 million defective product Shrek glasses when painted designs were found to contain the toxic substance cadmium which has the potential to cause injuries to children. This week, the burger giant started offering $3 refunds. Philadelphia consumers can return the defective glasses to any McDonald's.

A known carcinogen, cadmium has been implicated in several recalls of metal jewelry since the first of the year. In January, laboratory tests ordered by the Associated Press revealed the potential personal injury risk of cadmium-tainted products made in China. Christmas-themed and best friends charm bracelets marketed to young children were found to contain up to 90% cadmium. More recently, Miley Cyrus jewelry marketed to teens and young women was recalled when it was found to contain cadmium.

Used in the production of batteries, metal coatings and plastics, cadmium can also be used in paint to produce the colors red and yellow. Long-term exposure to cadmium is known to cause cancer, bone softening, severe kidney problems and may hinder brain development in young children. The McDonald's recall is the first cadmium incident involving American-made products. The glasses were made by Arc International at its New Jersey plant. Previous cadmium recalls have involved Chinese-manufactured consumer products. The CPSC is currently developing consumer product standards to limit the use of toxic metals in U.S. consumer products.