Pennsylvania Injury Attorneys Blog

GM Faulty Ignition Switch Now Responsible For 57 Deaths

Published on: February 26, 2015 | O'Connor Law

The faulty ignition switches in GM vehicles that were recalled last year has so far been the cause of 57 deaths in the U.S. GM, based in Detroit, admitted to knowing about the fault in their ignition switches for years, but only recalled the cars in 2014 to have them replaced.

The issue is that the ignition switch on small cars, including the Chevy Cobalt, can slip out of the on position while driving. This is very dangerous since the car will stall, the power steering will not work and the airbags are then disabled.

Each accepted death claim is being paid a $1 million dollar settlement according to GM’s attorney. Injury claims are being decided on a case to case basis.

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.

Jeep recalls 230,000 Grand Cherokees.

Published on: February 5, 2015 | O'Connor Law

A recent software problem has come to light that has brought Jeep, owned by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, to recall almost a quarter of a million Grand Cherokees. The issue could cause the airbags to deploy in the car when there hasn’t been an accident, a dangerous situation for anyone driving.

The models affected are the 2014 and 2015 Grand Cherokees, most of which were sold in the U.S., but some of which have been shipped worldwide.

The issue is that sensors in the Jeep will deploy the airbags because they have sensed that the Jeep is rolling when it isn’t. The cause of this is typically what they are referring to as “extreme driving maneuvers” that may happen because of winter conditions, or driving off-road.

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.

More Vehicle Recalls in the US; Is Your Car On The List?

Published on: December 18, 2014 | O'Connor Law

Chrysler is adding an additional 617,000 vehicles to its list of cars being recalled for potentially deadly airbags. The Takata brand airbags have been shown to have the potential to explode and throw shards of metal upon being deployed.

The company will begin to notify owners of these cars in early February. The areas concerned are places with high humidity levels that can affect the airbags causing them to malfunction upon deployment.

Many people are not happy with how long Chrysler plans to take to notify the owners of the cars. Although it is the right move for them to recall the cars and replace the airbags with safe models, the fact that they’re waiting almost two months to notify owners has some worried about what might happen in the meantime.

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.

Is Your Car On The New List Of Recalls?

Published on: October 22, 2014 | O'Connor Law

Another 7 million cars are being recalled across the U.S. Parts of the Takata airbags may cause the airbag to explode.

The car brands included in this recall are GM, Ford, Chrysler, Subaru, Mitsubishi, Nissan, BMW, Mazda, Honda and Toyota. Most of the models are from the year 2000-2008.

The list of vehicles can be found at this link. Check to see if your car is one on the list, and share this with your friends and family to help keep them safe.

PennDOT plan to help teen drivers. safety and save over $70,000

Published on: October 20, 2014 | O'Connor Law

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) has teamed up with State Farm Insurance and Sheetz to give a resource to teen drivers and their parents to help keep young drivers safe. The program, titled “The Parents Supervised Driving Program” was created by the Safe Roads Alliance to provide a book and app to the parents of teen drivers to encourage safe driving habits on the road.

According to PennDOT the best way to prevent teen driver accidents is to have as much supervised driving experience as possible before the teens start driving on their own. Practice on proper turning, maintaining a safe speed and driving without distractions can help limit the number of accidents for drivers between the ages of 16 and 19.

This will save the commonwealth over $70,000 because the new program will replace and existing publication by the commonwealth which will now be produced and printed by the new program and it’s sponsors.