Police stun guns, legal liability and you
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on November 12th, 2010
Police departments around the nation routinely use TASER and other brands of "stun gun" devices to temporarily disable suspects who are aggressive or combative when authorities try to arrest or question them. For police, the devices are seen as equalizers that allow officers to get the upper hand over dangerous suspects in difficult situations when police arrive to make arrests or investigate a crime. The problem, though, is that these devices can also be dangerous....
Birth injuries and your legal rights
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on October 26th, 2010
The birth of a child is a joyous and wonderful event as a new life comes into the world and into our lives. Sometimes, though, complications and medical errors can arise, with catastrophic consequences for a family. Doctors can make critical mistakes, hospitals and nursing staffs can introduce errors in patient care and other problems can arise during births, leaving a family unsure of their legal options and responsibilities. Last week, a Pennsylvania Superior Court...
Medical misdiagnosis: What you need to know to protect your loved ones
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on October 18th, 2010
When you go to a doctor because something isn't feeling right, you should expect excellent care, diagnosis, treatment and ultimately positive results. But sometimes, the care that you receive is marred by mistakes by medical professionals, from misdiagnosed illnesses to conditions that are simply missed by doctors and hospitals. That's when you need a lawyer to help you fight for damages from medical professionals who have not done their due diligence in protecting your health...
What to do if you are injured in an accident: take notes, get witness corroboration and talk with a competent attorney
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on October 12th, 2010
Life is uncertain, and accidents do happen. But if an accident happens to you and results in a serious injury, then you need to be your own best advocate and get the help and support that you need to collect damages for your medical bills, lost wages and for your pain and suffering. That means taking all the right steps right after a serious injury so that you protect your rights and any future legal...
It’s National Child Passenger Safety Week: Have you Checked Your Child’s Car Seat Lately?
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on September 22nd, 2010
When you drive with children in your vehicle, you are driving with precious cargo. As a reminder about keeping our children safe when traveling in motor vehicles, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has designated this week, Sept. 19 to 25, as 2010 National Child Passenger Safety Week across the U.S. On Saturday, Sept. 25, child safety seat inspection stations will be set up at no charge in local communities to allow parents and...
Justice, the death penalty and convicted murderer Teresa Lewis
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on September 21st, 2010
In 2002, Teresa Lewis conspired with her lover and another man to kill her husband and stepson to collect on a $250,000 life insurance policy. The guilt of the Pittsylvania County, Va., woman has never been in question. What has been in dispute, however, is whether she is mentally competent to face the penalty which was handed down against her after her trial – a death sentence. [caption id="attachment_968" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Photo credit: © iStockphoto.com/Zemdega"][/caption]...
U.S. traffic accident deaths down, but there is still plenty of room for improvement
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on September 9th, 2010
For the first time in almost 60 years, fewer people died in traffic accidents on U.S. roadways last year than in any year since 1950, according to new statistics released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The death toll for 2009 was 33,308 people, which was a 9.7% decline from 2008 when 37,423 people died on U.S. roads, according to the NHTSA figures. The 2009 death toll was the lowest in our nation since...
Your Online Privacy – the whole world is watching
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on June 29th, 2010
Just how much about your life are you divulging on Facebook, Twitter or MySpace or other social media Web sites every day? Well, here's some sobering news: what you say on Facebook or any of the other sites could some day come back to haunt you in a legal proceeding from a divorce case to an accident investigation to a workplace injury settlement. How so? Well, it seems that attorneys across the nation are finding...
Lessons learned from the 9/11 responder settlements
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on June 28th, 2010
The Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on America happened almost nine long years ago and still the suffering goes on. Only now are legal settlements nearing for many of the first responders who were injured when they dove into carnage of the World Trade Center towers that day and in the months to follow, recovering the remains of the almost 3,000 victims of the tragedy. Finally, after a seven-year-long legal fight, a federal judge in New...