Maryland Repeals Its Death Penalty: Pennsylvania and Other States Must Follow Maryland’s Lead
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on May 3rd, 2013
Maryland became the 18th state to repeal its death penalty on May 2, after Gov. Martin O'Malley signed a long-awaited bill to rid its criminal code of capital punishment, according to a story in The Baltimore Sun. O'Malley had supported the repeal since 2007 and failed in a previous attempt to overturn the law in 2009. This time, though, state legislators backed the measure and passed it in both the state Senate and House before...
Motorcyclist Death Rate on U.S. Roads Increases Again: Enough Already
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on April 26th, 2013
Riding a motorcycle is fabulous. The freedom, the lure of the open road, the beauty of being one with the weather, with the earth, with the world, are all incredible attractions of this enjoyable sport. For some riding a motorcycle is just a way to get to work or school, while for others it is a great vehicle for saving costly gasoline expenses. For others it is just about riding and being alive. As a...
Man Receives $2.45 Million Settlement After His Arm is Amputated at Work
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on April 19th, 2013
Five years ago, a Reading, Berks County man was working as a temporary employee in a Berks County recycling plant when he attempted to clear a paper jam in a shredding machine by reaching in to remove the jammed paper. But as he reached in with his left hand to remove the clog, a co-worker put the machine into reverse, pulling the victim's glove and arm into the powerful mechanism, which didn't have a safety...
$5 Million Settlement for Family of Construction Worker Crushed to Death in Excavation Collapse
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on April 4th, 2013
A 42-year-old Reading construction worker was doing his job, working in an excavated trench where a house foundation was being built, when it collapsed suddenly and trapped him against a concrete wall, causing fatal injuries in June 2009 in Berks County. Almost four years later, the man's family has reached a $5 million settlement with the West Lawn, Pa.-based construction company that was performing the excavation, according to a recent story in The Legal Intelligencer....
What Women Need to Know About Vaginal Mesh Surgery Complications
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on March 27th, 2013
Every year, thousands of women undergo surgery to correct a medical condition known as pelvic organ prolapse (POP) – when the cervix, uterus, bladder or other reproductive organs slip down into the vagina due to the weakening of pelvic muscles. To treat such patients, surgeons often have turned to surgical mesh products that allow the reconstruction of the pelvic walls. The surgical mesh is designed to keep the organs in place and resolve the painful...
Minivan Mechanical Failure Leads to Vehicle Rollover, Results in $15.7 Million Verdict for Six Injured Victims
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on March 22nd, 2013
A family drive to New York turned tragic in March 2008 for a Philadelphia doctor when the rented minivan she was driving suffered a major mechanical failure in its front suspension and steering, causing the van to go out of control and plunge down a ravine. The crash, which left the doctor with little use of her left arm due to severe injuries, has resulted in a $11.4 million damage verdict for the doctor, and...
11 Teens Dead in Two Horrific Car Crashes in Ohio & Texas: Lessons Learned
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on March 15th, 2013
The news in Ohio was bad enough on March 10, when six teenagers were killed in an overcrowded, speeding, stolen SUV that left a roadway and overturned into a pond. It got worse hours later on that same fateful Sunday, when across the country five other teens were killed in Texas when the SUV they were riding in ran through a stop sign and collided with a gas tanker truck, leading to an inferno that...
Failed Colon Surgery Results in Woman’s Death and a $19.5 Million Medical Malpractice Verdict
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on March 7th, 2013
During a routine colonoscopy in 2008, a non-cancerous polyp was found inside the colon of a Bucks County, Pa., woman. But instead of removing the polyp through a minimally-invasive colonoscopy or an endoscopic procedure, her doctor performed a colon re-section, removing 2.5 feet of her colon and then surgically putting the remainder back together, according to a recent story in The Legal Intelligencer. The problem, though, occurred when the more-invasive surgical re-section failed and leaked...
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...