Pennsylvania Injury Attorneys Blog

According to an article on CNN Money, 89,000 Mini Coopers have been recalled by BMW due to a fire risk. A computer circuit board that controls the turbocharger cooling system can fail, causing the water pump to smolder, or in more serious cases, can cause a fire in the engine department.

This same problem affected BMW cars and Rolls-Royces, prompting an earlier recall of those vehicles.

There have been 81 cases of water pump failure in Mini Coopers globally, including 4 engine compartment fires. Worldwide, 235,535 Mini Coopers have been recalled.

Although distracted driving has becomie a nationwide problem, Pennsylvania officials are eliciting the help of high school students in a campaign to keep driver focus on the road.

The PennDOT Radio Safety Public Service Announcement (PSA) Contest gives high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors the opportunity to create a 30-second radio PSA aimed at discouraging distracted driving. The winner will have his or her announcement professionally produced and sent to the student’s local media market.

According to PennDOT, there were 14,294 auto accidents involving drivers who were distracted or were using a hand-held cellphone in 2010. Nearly 37 percent of those accidents involved a driver who was between the ages of 16 and 25.

We were shocked and saddened to read an article in the Reading Eagle (ReadingEagle.com) that reported a 19-year-old Reading man was killed in a crash Wednesday evening involving his car and a tractor trailer. The accident is still under investigation, but preliminary reports say that the truck ran over the vehicle near Route 73 in Berks County. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of this young man.

In another part of Berks County, a tractor trailer was reported to have struck the median barrier on I-78 in Greenwich Township. The crash scattered chunks of concrete on both sides of the highway, blocking one lane in each direction. Traffic was slowed as PennDot crews worked to clear the scene. No report yet as to how many vehicles were involved or if there were any injuries.

We know that unfortunately these accidents do happen. So we did some research in order to provide our clients with some safety measures that they can use when they find themselves sharing the road and highway with big trucks.

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives recently passed a bill allowing easier reclamation of mines and creating more jobs in anthracite coal mining.

House Bill 1813, authorized by Rep. Mike Tobash, R-125, now goes to the senate for consideration.

State law requires mine operators to obtain bonding insurance to ensure sufficient funds are available to reclaim a mining site if the operator defaults. The bill, if passed, will make bonding more readily available and operators will be able to reinvest their own money into growing their business.

Restrictions on cell phone use while driving is a growing trend across the country and one that we at the O’Connor Law Firm have put into practice. So we were encouraged by a recent article in our local paper, the Republican Herald, that reported that Pottsville City Council approved an ordinace restricting cell phone use during city business.

According to the article, the ordinance states that the driver of any vehicle from the city or any vehicle being used for city business is “prohibited from using a mobile communication device, cell phone or computer of any type while the vehicle is in motion.” It states that drivers must park if they need to use such a device.

The ordinance was suggested by city Police Chief Joseph Murton, as the result of a monthly safety committee meeting. It does not, however, apply to police or fire fighters who are responding to emergency situations.

When we send our children to school, we trust that the adults who watch over them in our absence are looking out for their safety. But last week some Florida parents found out that was not the case when a school bus driver ran into the back of a tractor trailer.

The driver was dismissed from his duties on Friday when school officials reviewed a video of the accident that showed the driver was at fault.

According to an article on Bradenton.Patch.com, the video shows that just before the accident the driver was seen handing a piece of paper back to a student behind him. After passing the note, students on the bus screamed at him to watch out – warning him that he is about to crash.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is reviewing the safety of a popular back-pain relieving procedure after severe side effects were reported.

According to a Dec. 28 article in Bloomberg Business Week, a surge in steroid injections into the epidural space near the spinal cord used to alleviate back and neck pain in the U.S. is bringing with it an increase in severe complications, including paralysis and death.

The FDA is reviewing the procedure in consultation with an advisory group.

A Muhlenberg Township woman was killed on Friday afternoon when her vehicle was struck from behind by a tractor-trailer.

The accident occurred Friday afternoon in the southbound lanes of Broadcasting Road in Berks County.

According to an article in the Reading Eagle, Spring Township police said an investigation is continuing into the cause of the four-vehicle crash, with the assistance of the county district attorney’s crash reconstruction unit.

According to an article on Parenting.com, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration has issued a warning to all parents and caregivers about the potential for dosing errors when giving liquid acetaminophen to infants.

An additional concentration of liquid acetaminophen of 160 mg/5 mL is now available for infants. It had been sold with dosing cups for children ages 2 to 11. But consumers may be more familiar with the 80 mg/0.8 mL or 80 mg/mL concentrations of liquid acetaminophen, which could result in dosing errors, since older concentrations may still be on store shelves or in a family’s medicine cabinet.

The new concentration is less concentrated than earlier forms, which could lead to an infant receiving insufficient medication or making the drug ineffective. Giving too much acetaminophen can possible lead to death, and overdoses of infant acetaminophen, which can lead to death from liver failure, are the reason behind this change.

While studies show about one in three Americans make at least one New Year’s resolution, only about half of those people are still on target six months later.

Health.com, a healthy living website, suggests picking at least one of these health-worthy resolutions and sticking to it.

1. Lose Weight. This is one of the top resolutions but health.com suggests the key to success is not to expect overnight success. The website suggests keeping a food journal, putting a support system in place to keep you motivated, and to expecting a bump or two in the road.