Posted on January 31st, 2012
Last week, the families of 2 of the 3 victims of a tragic drunk driving car accident filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the drunk driver in Philadelphia County Court. The families requested a trial by jury and damages of more than $50,000.
The families’ claim states that the driver consumed alcohol at 9 different locations, many in Lehigh Valley, before causing a fatal accident in Bethlehem Township in 2010. The victims were traveling through the intersection at Willow Park Road and Easton Avenue when the drunk driver’s 2006 Dodge Dakota crashed into their vehicle at around 12 a.m. on January 28.
Tests revealed that the Dodge Dakota’s driver had a blood alcohol content of .23 at the time of the accident. He recently received a 7.5- to 18-year jail sentence for vehicular homicide.
The lawsuit names the drunk driver, the driver’s designated driver, the organizers of a bus trip to a hockey game in Reading, and several bars as defendants.
Posted on January 23rd, 2012
Last Wednesday, the state House of Representatives voted 103-89 to pass a bill that could place a cap on punitive damages awarded in medical negligence lawsuits that are filed against nursing homes and similar assisted living, long-term care, and personal care medical facilities.
The measure, HB 1907, is sponsored by Rep. Glen Grell, and proposes limiting punitive damages to 200 percent of compensatory damages. The cap would not apply in cases in which the defendant was grossly negligent.
Now, HB 1907 needs to be voted on by members of the Pennsylvania Senate. If passed, the legislation would be similar to a law that caps punitive damages awarded in medical malpractice cases filed against physicians and surgeons in the state.
Contact the Pennsylvania nursing home abuse lawyers of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. at 610-667-7511, if you or someone you love is being abused at a nursing home facility.
Posted on January 17th, 2012
Today, divers found the bodies of 2 of the missing people aboard the Costa Concorida cruise ship that crashed last Friday night. Currently, officials believe 24 passengers and ship staff are still missing.
The death toll from the accident is now at 11 people. The ship was carrying 4,200 people when it crashed into rocks off of the coast of Italy. Several people were injured in the fatal accident.
The ship’s captain says that documents did not show that there were any rocks in the area. However, the cruise ship’s operators, Costa Cruises and Carnival Cruise Lines, say that the captain was never supposed to be in the area, and that he left the course that officials had approved for the ship.
Posted on January 9th, 2012
A mother in Tennessee recently filed a birth injury lawsuit, claiming that negligence, an incorrect diagnosis, and incorrect treatment by the doctor who delivered her son caused the newborn to develop brain damage.
The child was born at NorthCrest Medical Center on June 13, 2009. After his delivery, the doctor who performed the delivery determined–without receiving consultation from any other doctors or nurses–that the child could not survive. The newborn was left lying in a plastic bin, without any care or medical attention.
Nurses involved in the boy’s delivery say that he cried and moved his arms and legs after being delivered. Although the newborn experienced an irregular heart rate and difficulty breathing upon being delivered, hours after the doctor left him alone, a nurse found him still trying to breath.
The nurse ordered resuscitation therapy for the boy, and the newborn was transferred to Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The child suffered brain damage, other injuries, and spent 3 months receiving treatment at Vanderbilt.
The lawsuit states that the doctor should have called a pediatrician to resuscitate the baby immediately after its delivery, and then sent it to the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit.
Posted on January 6th, 2012
Starting on March 8, 2012, the new state law banning texting while driving will go into effect. Governor Tom Corbett signed the bill in November.
In 2009, more than 5,000 people were killed and 450,000 were injured by distracted drivers. Law enforcement will now be allowed to pull over drivers observed texting or on the suspicion of texting without having to witness an additional violation. Drivers seen texting will be fined $50.
Some critics believe the law is too lenient and should prohibit all drivers under the age of 18 from using their cellphones or hands-free devices. Others claim that it will be difficult to enforce, since talking on the phone is not illegal. The only way for an officer to prove a driver was texting would be to subpoena their phone records.
If you or someone you love has been injured by a distracted driver, contact the Pennsylvania driver error lawyers of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. today at 610-667-7511.
