Incorrect medical diagnoses: devastating effects on victims and families
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on April 8th, 2011
When you go to a doctor for medical treatment, you expect that your illness will be properly diagnosed and treated. That, however, isn't always the case. Medical misdiagnosis is a frequent source of lawsuits on behalf of patients who have suffered, been grievously injured or died after incorrect medical diagnoses that led to the wrong courses of treatment. [caption id="attachment_1217" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Image credit: © iStockphoto.com/DNY59"][/caption] In a recent case in Philadelphia, a 60-year-old man...
Improperly calibrated Breathalyzer machines harm the innocent and let the guilty go free
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on April 7th, 2011
Imagine you are stopped by the police for suspected drunken driving and you submit to a Breathalyzer test. That evidence, whatever it determines, will be used against you in court, so it had better be right. But what if it's not right – what if the police used a Breathalyzer unit that wasn't properly calibrated on a regular schedule as designed? [caption id="attachment_1214" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Image credit: © iStockphoto.com/DNY59"][/caption] Then it throws your alleged blood...
MyPhillyLawyer’s Dean Weitzman to be inducted as a member of the Philadelphia Martin Luther King, Jr. Association for Nonviolence Inc.
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on March 31st, 2011
Dean I. Weitzman, the managing partner of MyPhillyLawyer, will be inducted today as one of nine new board members for The Philadelphia Martin Luther King, Jr. Association for Nonviolence, Inc. Weitzman and the other new members will join the group's board in ceremonies at the offices of Herman J. "Pete" Matthews, president of AFSCME District Council 33 in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Martin Luther King, Jr. Association for Nonviolence works in the community to preserve and...
Spring safety: it’s that time of year again on our roadways
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on March 30th, 2011
With the weather gradually getting nicer and warmer in the Delaware Valley, it's time for us all to remember springtime safety. We all need to be more conscious of all the motorcyclists, bicyclists, runners and walkers who are again showing up in force on area roadways. More and more children will be outside playing with balls and toys that can roll into busy streets that are bustling with traffic. [caption id="attachment_1202" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="A photo...
Highway safety and speed cameras: what you need to know
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on March 29th, 2011
It's a never ending cat and mouse game – drivers speed and police look to catch them in the act. In the last several years, though, police in some locales around the U.S. have gained a crafty new tool – high-tech video "speed cameras" that can take photos of speeding vehicles. Those photos are then used as evidence for tickets that are issued remotely and mailed to the owners of the offending vehicles. A story...
Personal injuries happen everywhere: Be sure to protect your rights
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on March 25th, 2011
Every minute, every day, someone is injured across this country. People are killed or injured seriously in vehicle accidents, they're hurt in falls in workplaces or in public places, and they're hurt in a wide range of incidents that we don't even think about until it happens. In Barnesville, Minn., a 51-year-old man was killed earlier this month when he was trapped underneath a closing garage door inside his business, according to a story in...
Constant workplace safety vigilance can prevent workplace tragedies, such as the student death at Notre Dame
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on March 21st, 2011
Last October, a 20-year-old college student at the University of Notre Dame died when a hydraulic lift he was standing on was blown over by strong winds as he videotaped an outdoor college football practice from high above the field and players. Following an investigation into the incident and death, a recently-issued report from the Indiana Occupational Health and Safety Administration (IOSHA) determined that six safety violations occurred that day that contributed to the tragedy. ...
What you need to know about wills and estates: A MyPhillyLawyer primer
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on March 14th, 2011
Do you have a will written in case something should happen to you? Have you carefully written down details for what should happen to your property and assets in the event you die? If something should happen to you, will your family know that they don't have to add worries about what will happen to your belongings, assets and real estate to the pain they will already feel from your loss? If you've answered "no," ...
Justice upheld: Illinois repeals it’s archaic death penalty
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on March 10th, 2011
The availability of the death penalty as a sentence for heinous crimes in the United States raises searing emotions on both sides, but one thing is for certain: it is irreversible. That's why the repeal this week of the death penalty in Illinois was the right thing to do. Why? Because, as Gov. Pat Quinn of Illinois said so eloquently when he signed the bill, "We cannot have a death penalty in our state that...