School’s Almost Out: Summer Driving Safety and Your Teen
By Dean I. Weitzman, Esq. on May 4th, 2018
As summer approaches and high school students get ready for the end of classes, here's a frightening and sobering statistic – motor vehicle crashes are the number one cause of death for U.S. teens each year. In 2016, some 2,082 teens aged 15 to 18 years old died in crashes on U.S. roads, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). In 2015, about 2,333 teens between the ages of 16 to 19 were...
$3.2M Verdict to Victim of a Bicycle Crash at a Charity Event
By Dean I. Weitzman, Esq. on April 27th, 2018
A New Jersey man has been awarded a $3.2 million jury award as compensation for severe spinal injuries he suffered in a bicycle crash while participating in a charity bicycle ride in Philadelphia in 2015. The victim, Anthony Degliomini, was riding his bike on May 17, 2015 as part of a 20-mile-long Phillies Charities Bike Ride when his bicycle wheels went into a sinkhole along the route in the 200 block of Pattison Avenue, causing...
$16.5M Verdict to Man Seriously Hurt in Crash with Texting Trucker
By Dean I. Weitzman, Esq. on April 20th, 2018
An Indiana man who was seriously injured in 2015 when his car was rear-ended at a traffic light by a tractor-trailer whose driver was messaging on a cellphone has been awarded a $16.5 million verdict by an Indiana jury. The man, John Binkowski, was hurt March 7, 2015, when the tractor-trailer smashed into the rear of his car as he waited at a red light on Indiana Highway 49 at County Road 500 North, pushing...
What You Need to Know About Uninsured Motorist Insurance Coverage
By Dean I. Weitzman, Esq. on April 13th, 2018
Buying auto insurance is one of the most important things you can do to protect yourself and your family in the event of a collision, but it's something that many people don't spend enough time researching beyond just shopping for low rates. The problem is that low rates don't always mean ensuring you have enough coverage to protect yourself in the event of a crash in which you sustain serious injuries caused by another driver....
What You Need to Know About Full Tort vs. Limited Tort Car Insurance
By Dean I. Weitzman, Esq. on March 23rd, 2018
When drivers buy car insurance in Pennsylvania, they have the option of choosing from two kinds of coverage – limited tort, which covers a driver's medical treatment and related expenses, but not pain and suffering – or full tort, which maintains their rights to sue for pain and suffering in all cases. The decision about which coverage to purchase is one of the most important a driver can make. On its face, limited tort coverage...
How You Can Choose the Right Lawyer for Your Family
By Dean I. Weitzman, Esq. on March 16th, 2018
Every Sunday morning, callers to our MyPhillyLawyer Court Radio broadcast dial in to talk about their legal situations. And inevitably, some of our callers, who are often avid fans of the show, explain that they were recently involved in a car crash, hired a lawyer and now are not happy with their choice of representation. They ask to make an appointment with our firm to discuss their situation. Then I ask them why they didn't...
$20M Settlement to Families of 2 Men Killed by Chicago Cop’s DUI Crash
By Dean I. Weitzman, Esq. on March 9th, 2018
The families of two men who died in 2009 when their vehicle was struck by an SUV being driven by a drunken off-duty Chicago police officer will each receive a $10 million settlement in the case. The fiery crash occurred in April 2009, when the officer's SUV smashed into the back of a disabled car on the side of the Dan Ryan Expressway in Chicago, killing Andrew Cazares, 23, the driver of the car, and...
What You Need to Know About Statutes of Limitations and Car Crashes
By Dean I. Weitzman, Esq. on March 2nd, 2018
Sometimes when people are involved a car crash, they don't think much about it, perhaps not realizing they are even injured in the adrenaline rush of the moment. Other times, injured parties are talked out of reporting their injuries from a vehicle crash by the driver of the vehicle, who doesn't want to report the incident to their insurance company due to concerns about being hit with higher premiums. That's what happened to a recent...
What to Know About Pa.’s ‘Steer Clear’ Law and How It Can Save Lives
By Dean I. Weitzman, Esq. on February 21st, 2018
In Pennsylvania, there's a law on the books – the "steer clear" law – which says drivers must move over or slow down as they approach an emergency scene, a roadside vehicle stop by police or a disabled vehicle being aided by a tow truck or other emergency vehicle. The problem is that few drivers know about the steer clear law and that law enforcement officers rarely ticket violators because they aren't there to see...