Vaginal Mesh Case Yields $11.1 Million Award Verdicts to Seriously Injured South Dakota Woman
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on March 1st, 2013
The case is the first jury verdict in a backlog of several thousand such vaginal mesh injury cases across the United States. A former nurse who endured multiple vaginal mesh implant surgeries which left her with serious pain and ongoing health problems for years has been awarded $11.1 million in damages for her injuries. That was the decision of a New Jersey jury which awarded Linda Gross, 47, of Watertown, S.D., $3.35 million to compensate...
As Snowstorm Nemo Approaches, Keep Winter Sidewalk Safety in Mind
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on February 8th, 2013
As the powerful Storm Nemo, which is being called a blizzard as it approaches New England, heads through Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley this weekend, it's not expected to bring us the same high winds and heavy snows that are forecast for New York City, Boston and further north. But whatever snow, ice, slush and messy stuff it does dump here from the skies, we'll all have to clean it up with shovels, snowblowers, ice...
It’s Time to Re-Evaluate Assault Weapons on the Streets of America
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on January 12th, 2013
The recent mass killings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., and at a movie theater in Aurora, Colo., both rattled the senses of America in 2012. Twenty-six people – 20 first-graders and six teachers and school officials in Newtown, were murdered in the elementary school on Dec. 14 when a troubled 20-year-old man shot his way into the building and systematically blasted students and staff with an assault rifle. In Aurora, 12 people...
Federal Rules for Rearview Vehicle Cameras to Prevent Backup Fatalities Delayed Again
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on January 5th, 2013
In early December 2011, a 53-year-old mother in West Richland, Wash., drove her 9-year-old daughter to a bank with another child so her daughter could deposit her $5 weekly allowance. But as they each got back into the woman's large, boxy 2006 Cadillac Escalade SUV, the woman saw the neighbor boy sitting in the backseat and assumed her daughter was sitting in the seat right behind the driver's seat, according to a story from The...
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...
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...