Pennsylvania’s Underage Drinking Fines Soar in Attempt to Curb Teen Drinking
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on December 29th, 2012
Starting Dec. 24, the fines for underage drinking in Pennsylvania rose from $300 for a first offense to $500, and for subsequent offenses the fine soared to a cool $1,000, all in a new attempt to reduce underage drinking in the Commonwealth. The law, which was passed by the state Legislature and signed by the governor earlier this year, was introduced by state Rep. Jake Corman, who represents State College, the home of Penn State's...
Four Die in Alcohol-Related, Head-On Crash in Ohio – A Stark Reminder to Drive Safely This Holiday Season
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on December 23rd, 2012
The holidays are here and sadly, alcohol-related vehicle accidents, fueled by holiday parties where drivers drink too much and then get behind the wheel, are already taking their deadly toll on America's roadways. Four people were killed Dec. 23 in Cincinnati, Ohio, "when a minivan carrying a family leaving a Christmas party went the wrong way on a southwestern Ohio highway and hit another minivan whose driver and family were going to see grandparents for...
Family Receives $109 Million Verdict in Backyard Electrocution Death of Mother
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on December 13th, 2012
When the power went out in her house in June 2009, Carrie Goretzka, an Allegheny County, Pa., mother of two children looked outside and saw flames in some pine trees in her backyard. Frightened by the power-related tree fire, she went out to her car to get her cellphone so she could call the electric company for help, but before utility workers could arrive to fix the outage, a power line fell from the pole...
Severe Birth Injury Leads to $12.6 Million Verdict for Family in Philadelphia Case
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on December 1st, 2012
The family of a boy who suffered severe brain damage during childbirth in Philadelphia in 2009 was awarded a $12.6 million verdict after a jury ruled that the negligence of their midwife contributed to the baby's injuries. The child, Braydon Hoffer, the son of Roseann and Donald Hoffer, suffered from a lack of oxygen to the brain and other organs when a part of the umbilical cord was delivered before the boy's birth was underway...
Superstorm Sandy is Gone, But the Insurance Claim Woes Remain for Many Victims
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on November 29th, 2012
When Superstorm Sandy slammed into the East Coast in late October, it decimated the New Jersey shore, lower Manhattan and Staten Island in New York and severely damaged property and homes in a wide swath of states. The clean-up continues, often slowly, as winter quickly approaches, complicating the recovery process for thousands of families and property owners. But making recovery even harder is the rejection of many insurance claims by insurers which are shirking their...
What to Do If You Are Injured In A Vehicle Crash Caused By Another Driver
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on November 12th, 2012
Car crashes happen every day when drivers least expect them. But knowing what to do if you, your passengers and your vehicle are struck by a distracted, drunk, inattentive or dangerous driver piloting another vehicle is critical. Just last week, five people were injured, including three seriously, when a speeding car ran through a stop sign in Des Moines, Wash., and plowed into another car, according to a story by KOMO News. "All five occupants...
Texas Woman Sues Maker of Surgical Vaginal Mesh Device Due to Serious Injuries
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on November 9th, 2012
The maker of an implantable vaginal mesh device is being sued by a Texarkana, Texas, woman after the surgery with the device led to her suffering serious injuries. In a case filed in the Eastern District of Texas, Sally H. York is suing Ethicon Inc., the maker of the Gynecare Prosima Pelvic Floor Repair System, which is an implantable vaginal mesh, according to a story in The Southeast Texas Record. York's lawsuit alleges that the...
Hurricane Sandy Aftermath: How to Get help, How to Help Others, How to Heal Our Communities
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on November 2nd, 2012
Hurricane Sandy smashed through the Caribbean and into the East Coast of the United States Oct. 28 through 30, killing several hundred people in its path and causing widespread destruction of homes, businesses and public facilities that is expected to total more than $50 billion. Our neighbors in New Jersey and New York were particularly hard hit, especially along the coastline, as were residents in states stretching from North Carolina north to Maine. Our hearts...
Surgical Items Left inside Patients 4,000 times Each Year: What You Need to Know When Having Surgery
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on October 28th, 2012
Each year, some 4,000 surgical patients in the United States are seriously injured when items used during their procedures, from sponges to medical instruments, are accidentally left inside their bodies when their medical teams sew them back up. The problem of retained surgical items has been an issue for years and has led surgeons and medical facilities to look for new methods to prevent such items being left behind inside patients in the first place,...