Stack your auto insurance to protect yourself: a real life story
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on April 15th, 2011
Stacking costs little and means better protection in the event of an accident Let me tell you a little story about auto insurance, smart pre-planning and what happens if you are injured in a vehicle crash by an uninsured or underinsured motorist. Recently, a MyPhillyLawyer client was riding his bicycle in Montgomery County and turning left in an intersection when he was struck by a pick-up truck at 35 mph. The crash left him with...
Driver alert: How “joint and several liability” insurance changes brewing in the PA legislature could hurt your legal rights
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on April 13th, 2011
Call your local elected officials and strongly voice your opposition to these changes Today in Pennsylvania, you and your family are well protected if you are involved in a multi-vehicle accident, even if one of the other parties is inadequately insured. Under current law, the full amount of damages can be sought and awarded from any of the defendants, even if one of them had a smaller part in the crash. This is known as...
Incorrect medical diagnoses: devastating effects on victims and families
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on April 8th, 2011
When you go to a doctor for medical treatment, you expect that your illness will be properly diagnosed and treated. That, however, isn't always the case. Medical misdiagnosis is a frequent source of lawsuits on behalf of patients who have suffered, been grievously injured or died after incorrect medical diagnoses that led to the wrong courses of treatment. [caption id="attachment_1217" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Image credit: © iStockphoto.com/DNY59"][/caption] In a recent case in Philadelphia, a 60-year-old man...
Improperly calibrated Breathalyzer machines harm the innocent and let the guilty go free
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on April 7th, 2011
Imagine you are stopped by the police for suspected drunken driving and you submit to a Breathalyzer test. That evidence, whatever it determines, will be used against you in court, so it had better be right. But what if it's not right – what if the police used a Breathalyzer unit that wasn't properly calibrated on a regular schedule as designed? [caption id="attachment_1214" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Image credit: © iStockphoto.com/DNY59"][/caption] Then it throws your alleged blood...
Spring safety: it’s that time of year again on our roadways
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on March 30th, 2011
With the weather gradually getting nicer and warmer in the Delaware Valley, it's time for us all to remember springtime safety. We all need to be more conscious of all the motorcyclists, bicyclists, runners and walkers who are again showing up in force on area roadways. More and more children will be outside playing with balls and toys that can roll into busy streets that are bustling with traffic. [caption id="attachment_1202" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="A photo...
Highway safety and speed cameras: what you need to know
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on March 29th, 2011
It's a never ending cat and mouse game – drivers speed and police look to catch them in the act. In the last several years, though, police in some locales around the U.S. have gained a crafty new tool – high-tech video "speed cameras" that can take photos of speeding vehicles. Those photos are then used as evidence for tickets that are issued remotely and mailed to the owners of the offending vehicles. A story...
Personal injuries happen everywhere: Be sure to protect your rights
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on March 25th, 2011
Every minute, every day, someone is injured across this country. People are killed or injured seriously in vehicle accidents, they're hurt in falls in workplaces or in public places, and they're hurt in a wide range of incidents that we don't even think about until it happens. In Barnesville, Minn., a 51-year-old man was killed earlier this month when he was trapped underneath a closing garage door inside his business, according to a story in...
What you need to know about wills and estates: A MyPhillyLawyer primer
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on March 14th, 2011
Do you have a will written in case something should happen to you? Have you carefully written down details for what should happen to your property and assets in the event you die? If something should happen to you, will your family know that they don't have to add worries about what will happen to your belongings, assets and real estate to the pain they will already feel from your loss? If you've answered "no," ...
Hospital errors in the U.S.: you have a right to know the facts
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on March 5th, 2011
If you or a loved one has to be admitted into a hospital for emergency or scheduled surgery or treatment in the U.S., you probably think that it's a routinely safe place to go. Reality, however, may be very different from those expectations. Across the nation, medical mistakes routinely occur inside hospitals and the systems in place to report those errors vary greatly from state to state. [caption id="attachment_1156" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Photo of surgery in...