Personal Injury

36,000 Cases Of Kraft Cheese Being Recalled

Published on: August 4, 2015 | O'Connor Law

Kraft Singles, often a favorite for making grilled cheese and other sandwiches, are being recalled by the thousands. 3 and 4 pound packages of Kraft’s American and White American slices need to be checked. The packages being recalled have a “best when used by date” from December 29, 2015 to January 4, 2015. If your cheese has a date in this range and the following manufacturer’s code of “S54” or “S55” your cheese may have a problem.

The issue with these packages is that when the plastic is removed it can leave behind a thin layer that is hard to see. This thin strip of plastic can be a choking hazard, and Kraft has already received three reports of choking from this incident.

These packages can be returned to the store for a refund or a new package of cheese.

Unnecessary Surgeries Being Performed For Money

Published on: June 18, 2015 | O'Connor Law

Every day, people are undergoing all types of procedures that are performed by surgeons. All patients who are undergoing these surgeries expect the best and safest treatment possible. Most patients trust their surgeons with their lives when they go under the knife. All patients should think that their doctors are there to improve their health. For some patients, they do not always receive the best and safest treatment from their surgeons. Some surgeons take advantage of their patients and put their patients’ lives at risk for money. A surgeon from Detroit, Michigan is a perfect example of a surgeon who takes advantage of his patients for his own personal greed.

The surgeon from Michigan is being be indicted on multiple chargers for a money fraud scheme. According to an article from www.justice.gov, the surgeon admits causing serious bodily injury to patients in $11 million health care fraud scheme. “Not only did he steal $11 million in insurance proceeds, but he also betrayed his trust to patients by lying to them about the procedures that were medically necessary and that were actually performed.” These bodily injuries that these patients received from their surgeon’s unnecessary surgeries can be life threatening, long term, effect work life, effect home life, etc. According to the article, he admitted to performing unnecessary spinal fusion surgeries for profit. This doctor put his patients’ lives in jeopardy because of his own greed. He was not doing his job by looking for the best interest of his patients. Many hardworking people expect their physician to know what is best for their health.

Doctors should always be honest with their patients and not cause harm to them. No patient should ever have to endure the horrible conditions like the ones caused by this surgeon from Michigan. At O’Connor Law, we want all patients to have 100% support from their doctor. We believe that the actions from doctors like the one from Michigan are absolutely unacceptable. We want all patients from Pennsylvania to have the best and safest health care possible. Every patient deserves to be treated professionally. You should call us for a free case review if you have been involved in injuries such as this. We are here to fight and protect your rights.

1 In Every 7 Cars In The U.S Are Being Recalled

Published on: May 20, 2015 | O'Connor Law

Exploding airbags that can send shrapnel through your body like bullets sounds like something from a James Bond Film, but no this is real life and now about 1 out of every 7 cars in the U.S. are being recalled.

Takata airbags, which you may have heard of due to their previous 18 million car recall, is doubling the size of their recall. Now over 34 million cars are being recalled to have their airbags replaced. Most of the popular cars sold in America are on the list including Toyota, Subaru, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Mazda, Honda, GM, Ford, Daimler, Chrysler and BMW, and majority of the cars were made from 2000-2011. The list of cars in this recall is lengthy and can be found at http://www.safercar.gov/rs/takata/index.html along with details on how to get your airbags replaced if your car is one of the cars being recalled. The full list of vehicles is not yet available from the automakers, but it can be found at that link once it has been released.

The issue with the airbags is a scary one. The inflators in the airbags can malfunction causing pieces of metal shrapnel to shoot out into the driver or passenger of the car. Six people have died worldwide from this malfunction and emergency responders have reported that it looked like they were shot.

Amtrak Derailment Injures Over 200 People, 7 Dead

Published on: May 13, 2015 | O'Connor Law

One of the worst train derailments in recent history has occurred on a heavily used line in the Philadelphia area. The train left Washington DC on Tuesday heading for New York City, with over 200 passengers and 5 crew members on board.

Around 9:30 PM the train derailed at a high rate of speed. Investigators are looking into whether or not the train was moving faster than it should have been to make it safely around the curve where it derailed.

Over 200 people were taken to local hospitals. Around half of them have been released according to the latest information. Some passengers are in critical condition, and sadly 7 people have died so far from the wreck. Most of the injuries were caused by objects and other passengers being thrown around inside the train.

Deep Freezing Temperatures Lead To Injuries

Published on: February 13, 2015 | O'Connor Law

With the temperatures dropping and some places having wind chills well below freezing, you need to be careful. A blizzard is going to hit much of the northeast of the U.S. including PA. We may not see too much snow from the storm, but there are other dangers you need to be careful of.

Such low temperatures mean that water can freeze almost instantly. Black ice will be on roadways and sidewalks and even if you are careful it is easy to be injured from slipping in your car or on foot. Remember if you are driving and hit a patch of ice, do not hit your brakes, you want to maintain you current speed so you keep going straight.

If you see ice on sidewalks or in parking lots, do your best to avoid it. Remember the slower you are going the better off you will be.

Icy Road Conditions Across PA

Published on: January 20, 2015 | O'Connor Law

The freezing rain and overall icy conditions on Sunday created a dangerous situation for drivers in PA, especially in the Philadelphia region. Interstates 95, 76, 476 and the Roosevelt Boulevard all saw accidents on Sunday. At least three people tragically died from these accidents.

Around 60 cars were involved in a pileup on the Schuylkill Expressway not far from the Gulph Mills exit. One person was killed in this wreck and at least 30 others were injured. The road was closed in both directions for part of the day Sunday as crews worked to clean up the damage.

On 476 in Delaware County, two people were killed in another multivehicle crash near Marple Road. This accident began when a tractor trailer lost control and slid on the ice. The area of 476 was closed for the remainder of the morning Sunday.

PennDOT’s Winter Driving Awareness Week

Published on: January 12, 2015 | O'Connor Law

PennDOT is kicking of their Winter Driving Awareness Week by reminding drivers that extra preparation and care needs to be taken while driving during the next few months.

Winter Driving Awareness Week is January 11^th through January 17^th. The state’s Department of Transportation wants everyone to make sure they are prepared for snowy and icy roads through the rest of the winter.

Being prepared means making sure your tires have enough traction to grip slippery roads, having items you may need such as an ice scraper, or rock salt in your car, and giving yourself enough time to get where you need to go if you need to slow down due to road conditions.

PennDOT Urges Family To Talk To Older Drivers

Published on: December 3, 2014 | O'Connor Law

The first week of December has been deemed “Older Driver Safety Awareness Week.” With over 20% of PA drivers being over the age of 65, and around 15% of all accidents involving an older driver, PennDOT is stressing the need for families and friends of elderly drivers to speak openly about driving safety.

Most drivers who have been driving for years are afraid to lose their mobility as they get older. Not all older drivers need to give up their license however. PennDOT offers driver improvement courses to help sharpen driving skills. A list of these courses are available at www.JustDrivePA.com. Many insurance companies will even give a discount to older drivers who complete one of these approved courses.

If someone does need to consider giving up their driver’s license, there are resources available to them and their family at www.PACommutes.com. Just because someone can’t drive, doesn’t mean they need to give up their mobility.

Watch Out for Fall and Early Winter Driving Hazards

Published on: November 10, 2014 | O'Connor Law

Since daylight savings time is now over and the clocks have rolled back we are pretty deep into the fall season. As winter approaches and we get less sunlight each day, there are some driving hazards that come up this time of year that we didn’t have to deal with during the summer.

Sun glare now coincides with many people’s morning and evening commutes. For many this is during rush hour traffic, the amount of people on the roads and the dangers of being blinded by the sun while driving can make for a pretty bad situation.

Keep your sunglasses handy where you don’t have to reach or look around for them while driving and remove items from your sun visor so you can put it down when needed. Also remember that dirty windshields can reflect sunlight and cause a glare that can be hard to see though, so keep your windshield clean.

Allstate Pays $22 Million to Car Accident Victim in Bad Faith Lawsuit

Published on: October 16, 2014 | O'Connor Law

The car accident, which took place in 2009, ended with Allstate having to pay $22 million dollars instead of the $250,000 the claim originally asked for.

The victim of the accident won the verdict at the Philadelphia court of Common Pleas in 2013, but was delayed until 2014 by Allstate until the verdict was upheld.

The victim was a passenger in a car that rear-ended another vehicle in 2009. As the victim and the driver were pushing the car off the road, the victim was hit by another car and crushed his limb. He eventually lost his right leg below the knee because of it.