In this Issue — October 2011
- Steelers Football Schedule Magnets
I hope you enjoy the free magnet we recently mailed to you. We sent out about 5,000 of them as our way of saying “thanks” for all your kind referrals over the years!
We advertise extensively in the phone books, in the Tribune Review and the Internet. But what we have found is most of our injury case referrals come from readers like you. Thanks a bunch! AND PLEASE KEEP THEM COMING! (Go Steelers, Pitt and Penn State football!!) Special thanks this month to Mike Q., Carolyn G., Tim C., Arla P. and Candace B. for your kind personal injury referrals.
- This ? Could Save Your Life – Going In for Surgery?
Ask this simple question of your surgeon to reduce your risk of a medical error by 30%. Ask your surgeon whether he follows a “medical checklist” during surgery to prevent medical mistakes. Incredibly, a comprehensive Dutch study about medical malpractice found that surgeons who follow a medical checklist during surgery reduce medical mistakes by 30%!! The checklist is not rocket science. It includes items like double checking the operating schedule, reviewing needed operating equipment for the surgery and identifying which side of the body the patient will be operated on.
Surgeons are people too – please don’t be afraid to ask them this question. It’s your body and your life.
- Bernie’s Rant
Please let me vent: I was recently sitting at Mass half asleep when the Priest gave his homily-sermon. It was about greedy people and their lawyers out to take advantage of any situation to make a buck. Injured victims, who might be just sitting at a light and rear-ended and hurt, daring to pursue a claim against the insurance companies. Patients who are hurt during surgery, daring to go after the hospital responsible for their injuries. There were probably 200 people at the Mass. Surely, over the next year or two one of them will be called for jury duty. What do you think their mindset is going to be about giving a victim his/her fair compensation for their injuries?
The point of all this is that no one knows what the mindset is of the jurors who sit on juries. We don’t know what information they have been exposed to prior to sitting on the jury. What if one of those 200 people winds up sitting on your jury? That is why jury trials really are a roll of the dice!
- Judge Awards Parents $15 Million For Teen’s Fall In Mineshaft
A Pennsylvania judge awarded $15 million in damages to the parents of a teenager who died after falling into a mineshaft during a service trip to Mexico. On July 20, 2007, a 16-year-old boy from West Chester, PA fell approximately 500 feet to his death in a shaft of an abandoned mine in Pozos, Mexico. The complaint said that Travel for Teens of Wayne, PA, a defendant in this case, had “planned, organized and supervised” the July, 2007 trip, which included a visit to the Cinco Senores Mine in Pozos.
The boy had enrolled in the community service program with Travel for Teens “for the purpose of working with and mentoring underprivileged Mexican children”. Travel for Teens had not viewed or evaluated the site before the visitors approval.
- Parties Settle For $1 Million After Falling Tree Injures Driver
The parties in a premises liability case have agreed to a $1 million settlement stemming from a 2008 accident in which a tree suddenly fell onto a construction worker’s truck, narrowly missing the front cab. The tree caused severe damage and injury to the victim. (as reported in PA Law Weekly)
- Question of the Month
For a chance to win a $50 gas card:
Before he became a Rock-n-Roll star, what did Elvis Presley do for a living?
A) mailman, B) plumber or C) truck driver?
- Strict Liability-Going After The Manufacturer-Question of the Month
Can a product liability theory be used to win a case claiming defective screws were used during a hip surgery?
Yes. If a jury believes that malfunctioning surgical screws caused your injuries and that the screws were defective when they left the manufacturer’s control! Legally, the case would proceed under a strict liability malfunction theory. Please call me if you wish to discuss this idea!
- Tribune Review
We invite you to read our Wrongful Death/Personal Injury column every Monday in the back of the Tribune Sports Section and also my Criminal Law question (under Ask The Expert) every Sunday in the Trib! Hope you enjoy it!
- CONSIDER US
If you or someone you know has been hurt in any of the following situations, please feel free to contact me for a free consultation: Personal Injury cases, Injuries Involving Surgery of any kind, Children’s Injuries, Fractured Bones, Vehicle Accidents, Catastrophic Injuries, Medical Malpractice cases, Wrongful Death cases, Product Liability/Defective Product cases, Homeowners Liability cases, Workers Compensation cases and Criminal Defense.
- Go Steelers!