Why Medical Malpractice “Reforms” Hurt Patients and Benefit Insurance Companies
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on June 21st, 2013
Supporters of medical malpractice reform have for years pointed to huge court verdicts to plaintiffs and rising insurance rates for doctors as two prime reasons for why such reforms are needed. The problem with those claims, though, is that they are just not true. Yet these lies and innuendo continue because those are the messages being communicated by insurance companies and their lackeys. A new report in the journal, CHEST, the official publication of the...
A Limousine, A Wedding Party, 5 Deaths, A Tragedy on A Bridge
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on May 10th, 2013
It was to be a fun, celebratory, fabulous night celebrating a recent wedding with friends by taking a limousine ride to a gala evening at a local hotel outside San Francisco. Instead, the new bride and four of her best friends died on the night of May 4 when a flash fire broke out inside the moving limousine, causing them to be overcome by dense smoke and flames. The horrific fire spared four other women...
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...
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...
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...
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...