As a Pennsylvania personal injury lawyer, it baffles me that even though overwhelming evidence proves that wearing a seat belt greatly increases your chances of surviving a car accident, there are some who are still not wearing them.

Sadly, two people died in Washington county when they were thrown from an SUV Sunday night. The Chevy Blazer they were riding in crossed the highway’s center line, hit a guardrail and landed in a small creek after it rolled several times. Neither the driver nor the passenger were wearing their seat belt. Though it’s impossible to know whether or not the two would have survived if they had been, it is likely that they would still be alive if they were wearing their seat belts.

For those of you who insist on not wearing your seat belts, here are some statistics from the National Safety Council that I hope might change your mind.

• Seat belts saved more than 75,000 lives from 2004 to 2008
• Forty-two percent of passenger vehicle occupants killed in 2007 were not wearing their seat belts
• Lap/shoulder safety belts, when used, reduce the risk of fatal personal injury to front-seat passenger car occupants by 45 percent and the risk of moderate-to-critical personal injury by 50 percent.

It’s estimated that in 2009, 88% of car occupants across the country use their seat belts, up from 83% in 2008. While it’s encouraging that seat belt use appears to be increasing, I would still love to see that small percentage of non-seat belt wearers get in the habit of wearing one every time they get in a car.

If you or a loved one has suffered a personal injury in a car accident, make sure you call a Pennsylvania car accident attorney with extensive experience representing the victims of car accidents, as well as the finest accident reconstruction experts, and relationships with dozens of doctors, specialists, and other health care professionals to assist its clients.

As a Pennsylvania personal injury lawyer, I care about the safety of our children and like to stay informed about defective products that pose a risk of personal injury. It was announced today that Fisher Price is recalling over 10 million products, including tricycles, infant toys, high chairs, toy cars, and ramp ways.

This product recall, the largest of 2010, involves products that have been recalled for a number of reasons, ranging from choking hazards to protruding parts that caused cuts, some of which requiring stitches. Thankfully, these potentially hazardous products have not led to any deaths.

For a full list of Fisher Price products included in the recall, visit the Consumer Reports web site and click on the Babies & Kids Blog.

If your child has been injured by a defective product, you may be entitled to compensation. Contact an experienced Pennsylvania product liability attorney for a free consultation about your rights.

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MADD Marks 30 Years of Anti-Drunk Driving Advocacy

This September, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) marked its 30^th year of existence. This milestone by MADD, founded by a grieving mother whose child was killed by a drunk driver, is both a somber occasion and one worth celebrating. Though thousands of victims are killed by drunk drivers on America’s roads every year, drunk-driving related fatalities have dropped by more than 40% since MADD’s inception. In fact, it is estimated that the group has helped save more than 300,000 lives since 1980.

As part of MADD’s anniversary, hundreds of victims and activists from across the country rallied at the nation’s capitol to unveil a new action plan to reduce even further the number of personal injuries and car accidents caused by drunk drivers. This action plan includes increased funding for research, as well as proposed ignition interlock sanctions, urging more states to pass ignition interlock laws that require convicted drunk drivers to blow into an alcohol detection device before they start their vehicle.

As a Pennsylvania personal injury lawyer, I admire the tireless work of  MADD over the last 30 years in cautioning against the dangers of driving drunk and initiating legislation to keep drunk drivers off the road. A major feat MADD has helped accomplish is the passage of the .08 Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) limit 10 years ago.  This legislation alone  has led to a huge decline in drunken driving.

I fully support tougher laws against drunk driving, as it has clearly been proven that strict enforcement leads to a reduction in personal injuries and deaths from car accidents.  If you or a loved one has sustained a personal injury as a result of a drunken driver’s recklessness, contact an experienced Pennsylvania car accident attorney that has access to the finest accident reconstruction experts, computer simulation experts, and automotive traffic safety experts, as well as relationships with dozens of doctors, specialists, and other health care professionals to assist its clients.

The dangers of All-Terrain Vehicles (ATV’s) have been well-documented, but the thrill of riding one remains too much of a temptation for hundreds of thousands of riders across the country. Unfortunately, a Lancaster man became the latest fatality as a result of an accident involving one of these dangerous vehicles. Recently, a 29-year-old East Lampeter Township man was operating an ATV with his father as a passenger during a family trip. When the two didn’t return, family members became concerned and went searching for them. There are few details about the accident that occurred, and whether the gentlemen were involved in an ATV rollover, but what is known is that the 29-year-old man was killed and his father remains in critical condition.

As a Pennsylvania personal injury lawyer, I urge those who ride ATVs to do so cautiously to minimize the chances of being in an ATV accident. Two studies conducted earlier this year revealed that severe injuries from ATV accidents – including amputations, spinal injuries, and even death – are on the rise, especially among children. In fact, ATV-associated fatalities increased nearly 60% between 2000 and 2005, while non-fatal injuries rose 48%.

Yamaha Rhino ATV

Four-wheeled ATV’s have been popular for some time now, but multi-rider ATV’s like the Yamaha Rhino ATV are also gaining in popularity. While some might assume the vehicles are safe due to their sturdy-looking exterior, that is not necessarily the case. In fact, people involved in accidents with a multi-rider ATV like the Rhino are more than 10 times as likely to need an amputation as people involved in an ATV accident with a conventional single-rider ATV. The increased risk of injury comes from the vehicle’s high center of gravity, making it prone to rollover.

If you or a loved one have been injured in an ATV accident, contact an experienced Pennsylvania personal injury lawyer with an expert team of legal professionals to handle your case.

During the last weekend of September, a 45-year old East Petersburg man suffered major injuries following a motorcycle accident and remains in critical condition. It is not yet clear whether the motorcyclist  was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.

This accident is only the latest in a string of recent serious motorcycle accidents in and around Lancaster County. On September 17, a 38-year-old Manheim Township man was killed instantly when he lost control of his motorcycle and hit a utility pole. The driver was not wearing a helmet and became the 16^th motorcyclist to die on Lancaster County roads so far this year.

Unfortunately, the 17^th motorcycle accident fatality this year occurred just two days later in Conoy Township when a 46-year-old rider who was not wearing a helmet struck a pick-up and was thrown from his motorcycle.

As a Pennsylvania personal injury lawyer it troubles me to see the increase in motorcycle accidents. Although motorcyclists are 18 to 20 times more likely to be in a serious or fatal crash than someone in an automobile, there are ways to reduce the probability of being seriously hurt in a motorcycle accident.  It’s imperative that all motorcyclists wear a helmet.

While it remains legal to ride a motorcycle without a helmet in Pennsylvania, it is a fact that riders who wear helmets are three times more likely to survive head injuries if involved in a motorcycle accident. Simply put, wearing a helmet can often be the difference between life and death.

Also, while you may be an experienced and safe motorcycle rider, it is impossible to predict how the motorists you share the road with will react. Many accidents are caused by automobile drivers who do not keep a proper lookout on the roadway and on other vehicles.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a motorcycle accident, call an experienced motorcycle accident attorney at our firm to help protect  your rights. Don’t let the insurance industry take advantage of you in your time of need.

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Similac Powder Infant Formula Voluntarily Recalled

American consumers are seeing a disturbing trend recently with several defective products being recalled for the risk of causing personal injury, sickness, or even death. Another product to add to the list of those recalled is Abbott Laboratories’ Similac brand powder infant formula. Although it is only a voluntary recall, parents with babies using this brand of formula should be aware that following an internal quality review, the possibility of the presence of a small common beetle was found in the product.

This discovery was traced to one production area in a single manufacturing facility and doesn’t pose an immediate health risk to babies, but it’s possible that infants who consume formula containing the beetles or their larvae could experience some unpleasant gastrointestinal discomfort that could cause them to not want to eat.

As a Pennsylvania personal injury attorney I care about the health and safety of our residents, especially our defenseless and innocent babies. I applaud Abbott Laboratories’ decision to voluntarily recall their tainted product and the high standard of quality they normally deliver.

To find out if the Similac formula you are currently using has been recalled, visit  http://www.similac.com/recall or call Abbott’s consumer hotline at 800-986-8850.

Even if you are not affected by this recall, it is a good idea to visit the US Food and Drug Administration website to stay informed of any products that are recalled in order to avoid any personal injury they might cause.

About 23,000 “Love Tester” mood rings and necklaces sold over the past five years are now being recalled after testing showed they contain high levels of lead, according to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission. Lead is toxic if ingested by young children and can cause adverse health effects. As a Pennsylvania personal injury lawyer, I am concerned about the safety of consumers, especially children, so I feel it is my duty to help spread the word when potentially dangerous defective products are recalled for safety issues. Product Liability is a legal term used to describe a condition where a manufacturer is held responsible for a defective or dangerous product.

The recall involves a “mood necklace” which is 18 inches in length, as well as an adjustable ring. The products change colors when the user’s “mood” changes. “Love Tester” and “Are You in the Mood” are labeled on the products’ packaging. The products are sold separately at small retail stores nationwide for about $4. If you have purchased these products, immediately take them away from children and return them to the store where purchased to receive a full refund or replacement product.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission’s website is an excellent resource to keep you informed of product recalls due to safety hazards. As a Pennsylvania personal injury lawyer, I encourage all families to visit it periodically to stay informed of product recalls in order to keep all of us, especially our children, safe.

If you or someone you love has been adversely affected by a defective product, you should contact a Pennsylvania Product Liability Attorney right away to fight for your rights and to help you receive the compensation you deserve for your injuries.

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A Child Safety Seat is Only Safe When Used Properly

As I reported earlier, Saturday September 25^th is National Seat Check Saturday, when you can get your child safety seat inspected for free to make sure that it has been installed properly. Having a properly-installed child safety seat will reduce the risk of personal injury during in the event of a car accident. If you missed it, not to worry. You can call 1-866-Seat-Check to find the inspection site closest to you, or you can visit the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration’s website.

As a Pennsylvania personal injury lawyer, I strongly recommend that you take advantage of this opportunity to have your child’s safety seat inspected by a certified technician. However, if you were unable to make it to an inspection site on National Seat Check Saturday, here are some tips to keep your toddler safe and secure in his or her seat.

• First, tighten the seat and the harness to no more than one inch of movement.
• Second, place the seat in the upright position. If the seat was used in a rear-facing position, make sure it is now in the upright position.
• Third, car seats don’t last forever. Look for an expiration date on the car seat label and make sure you replace it after the posted date.
• Fourth, use the tether. The tether is a strap that attaches to an anchor mounted in the vehicle at a location behind the carseat. It is designed to limit forward movement of the top of a carseat in a frontal or side impact car accident, reducing the chance of personal injury.
• And finally, use the latch in the correct positions. Always check the vehicle’s owner manual to determine where the lower anchors are positioned and check for maximum weight limit allowances.

Securing your child properly in an age and size appropriate child safety seat in the back seat of your car is the most effective thing you can do to protect them in a car accident. Nearly 9,000 lives have been saved since 1975, thanks to the proper use of child safety seats.

As a Pennsylvania personal injury lawyer I implore you to exercise Child Passenger Safety during National Child Passenger Safety Week and all year long. Let’s keep our most precious cargo safe.

Many cars and people are struck alongside roadways because other drivers fail to see them in time. In the event your car breaks down on the freeway, it is important to follow some safety guidelines to avoid personal injury or even death from a car accident.

Once you notice something has gone wrong with your car, you need to get it out of traffic as quickly and safely as you can. Using your turn signal, make your way to the lane closest to the right hand shoulder of the road, then ease onto the shoulder, pulling it as far away from the road as possible.

Turn on your hazard lights so that oncoming drivers will be able to see your car, even if it’s dark out. If you have flares, use them.

Next, get yourself and your passengers out of the car safely, exiting on the side that is furthest away from traffic. Once you are out of the vehicle, try to get as far away from it as you can. You could sustain substantial personal injury or worse if you were to be caught between your car and an oncoming car.

Once you are safely away from the road, call for help, whether it’s AAA, a repair shop, a tow truck, a family member, or even the local police. It would be very helpful to have those phone numbers stores in your cell phone or written on a sheet of paper kept in the glove box.

If the problem is a flat tire and you are going to attempt to change it on the side of the road, make sure there is plenty of room between the car and the road. If the damaged tire is on the side closest to traffic, see if you can turn the car around so that it is facing the shoulder as opposed to the road.

To summarize, in order to prevent an unnecessary car accident while your car is disabled on the side of the road, do whatever you can to make oncoming drivers aware that it’s there, and stay as far away from the road as possible while you are waiting to help.

If you have been injured in a car accident, contact a personal injury lawyer right away. An experienced car accident injury lawyer can protect your rights and make sure you get the compensation you deserve.

Over the weekend, what appears to be an electrical problem sparked a fire that ravaged a Lancaster family’s home, killing a father of six and leaving the mother in critical condition after suffering personal injuries related to smoke inhalation. Thankfully all five children who lived at the family’s home were able to escape, but their lives will clearly never be the same.

As a Pennsylvania personal injury lawyer I care about the safety of our families and want to do whatever I can to help reduce the risk of personal injury and death from accidental fires. While it’s impossible to completely eliminate the risk of accidents altogether, there are steps you can take to reduce the likelihood of them happening to you.

According to a recent United States Consumer Product Safety Commission study, defective electrical wiring systems cause approximately 40,000 residential fires each year. In addition, electrical cords and plugs are the culprit in about 7,000 fires each year. The National Electrical Safety Foundation offers the following tips to safeguard your home against electrical fire and reduce your risk of personal injury from such fires.

• Make sure that your outlets and extension cords are not overloaded
• Examine electrical cords to ensure they are not frayed, damaged, or placed under rugs or carpets
• Verify that the proper wattage bulbs are being used in light fixtures and lamps
• Consider installing ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCI) in bathrooms, utility rooms, and kitchens. This device helps protect people from electrocution.
• Take steps to protect your electrical appliances from power surges, such as purchasing surge protection devices.
• Consider updating your entire electrical system if your home is over 40 years old. Many older homes contain aluminum wiring, which is much more susceptible to starting fires than the copper wire required by modern building codes.

Taking these precautions can greatly reduce the risk of personal injury from electrical fires. If you or someone you love has been the victim of a fire due to defective products, contact an experienced Pennsylvania personal injury attorney right away. You may be entitled to compensation for your injuries.