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Archive for June, 2012

Jun

N.J. Senate passes tougher driver-cellphone bill

June 29, 2012

TRENTON – In its final voting session before Saturday’s budget deadline, the Senate on Thursday approved dozens of bills previously passed by the Assembly, including one to stiffen penalties for drivers who have injured or killed others because they were using their cellphones.

Under the bill, which the Senate and Assembly passed unanimously, prosecutors could charge distracted drivers with assault or vehicular manslaughter – a crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Currently, those caught texting or talking on a cellphone without a hands-free device – even those involved in a fatal crash – face a maximum of 18 months’ incarceration.

The bill was named for the victims of four accidents believed to have been caused by distracted drivers. One of them, Toni Bolis of Washington Township, Gloucester County, was killed in a head-on collision last June, days before she was due to give birth to a son, to be named Ryan.

Jun

Pennsylvania Courts Award Family $6.4 Million For Medical Malpractice Lawsuit

June 28, 2012

A Pennsylvania jury recently awarded the family of a man, who died after his heart condition was misdiagnosed at a local hospital, one of the largest sums of money ever given as damages for Pennsylvania medical malpractice. According to The Wall Street Journal, the damages given to the family was $6.4 million.

In the spring of 2009, the 38-year-old victim was playing basketball outside when he suddenly collapsed and went unconscious. He was taken to a local hospital where he complained of chest pains and other heart attack symptoms. With no other testing, doctors diagnosed his condition as pneumonia and sent him home with Motrin and an antibiotic.

In late summer of the same year, the man collapsed again after another heart attack while playing basketball. He remained at the hospital in a coma until he died in the fall of 2009.

The family then filed the wrongful death lawsuit for their loved one and was awarded $5.5 million for “the loss of guidance, tutelage and moral upbringing.” The other $900,000 was given to cover the man’s medical expenses and court costs. Attorneys for the family commented on the case by saying the family “…would gladly give the money back for more time with their dad.”

The Personal Injury Lawyers with Lundy Law hope that the recent decision will help the family find peace, comfort, and closure for the death of their loved one.

Jun

States weigh tougher penalties for texting while driving

June 27, 2012

USA Today (6/26) reported, “Growing concern over the continued use of cellphones by drivers has some states reviewing laws against the practice and exploring stiffer fines and harsher penalties.” Recent research “by the Highway Loss Data Institute, an affiliate of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, found that current texting bans are not reducing the risk or amount of crashes.” However, “some question whether tougher punishment is the answer.” According to “Gary Biller, president of the National Motorists Association, a drivers’ rights group…steeper fines won’t change drivers’ behavior.”

Jun

Engine fire risk spurs GM to recall Cruze

June 26, 2012

The Detroit News (6/23, Shepardson, Burden) reported GM “is recalling all 475,000 Chevrolet Cruze compacts, from the first off the line in 2009 through May 31, after reports of engine fires. It’s a setback for the Detroit automaker looking to boost sales of fuel-efficient compact cars.” GM “will modify the engine shield, which will help prevent liquids from being trapped in the engine compartment, where a fire could start and spread.”

The Detroit Free Press (6/23, Bomey) explained the fires “can break out when fluids drip onto a hot plastic shield below the engine. The recall is not by any means the largest ever, but it represents a potential setback for the company that demonstrated with the strong-selling vehicle that it and Detroit could compete effectively in the high-m.p.g. compact car market.”

The New York Times (6/23, Vlasic, Subscription Publication) added, “The safety recall was one of two announced by G.M. on the Cruze.” The purpose of the second, separate recall “is to inspect for faulty welds on fuel-tank brackets. G.M. said it believed that 249 cars of the 61,000 in the recall could have weld problems.”

Feds open safety probe of Ford Explorers, Chrysler 200s. USA Today (6/23) reported, “Federal safety investigators are looking into complaints that the power steering can fail on 83,000 Ford Explorer SUVs from the 2011 model year.” The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration “says it has received 15 complaints in which drivers reported that it forced them to use more effort to steer the SUVs.” The Chrysler probe “involves complaints about engine stalling in Chrysler 200 midsize sedans from the 2011 model year that have 3.6-liter V-6 engines.”

Jun

Most rental car companies balk at recall legislation

June 25, 2012

The Philadelphia Inquirer (6/24, Gelles) ranked Hertz as the only car rental company to take up Sen. Barbara Boxer’s call for the industry “not to rent or sell any vehicles under safety recall until the defect has been remedied.” Rosemary Shahan, president of California’s Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety, pegs Enterprise and Avis Budget Group among the rental car companies seeking to water down legislation sponsored by Sens. Boxer and Charles Schumer. The report continues, “One change would allow them the wiggle room to make repairs ‘as soon as practicable’ rather than before further rentals. Another would allow them to decide that notice to a customer at a car-rental counter would be adequate to justify renting an unrepaired car.”

Jun

Philadelphia SEPTA Bus Accident Injures 16 People

June 21, 2012

Accidents involving large commercial vehicles are dangerous and often cause serious injuries because of the force created by their size and weight. Bus accidents are even deadlier because the vehicles are often not equipped with seat belts.

For example, a rear-end collision Wednesday in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania involving a dump truck and a SEPTA bus resulted in 16 people being injured. According to The Inquirer, the Pennsylvania Truck Accident happened at approximately 10:40 a.m. at the corner of Germantown and Windrim Avenues.

Reports indicate that the bus was traveling along Windrim on Route 23 and had slowed down at the corner of Germantown to pick up and drop off passengers when the fully-loaded dump truck that was following it failed to stop and plowed into the back of the bus.

A total of 14 passengers, along with the bus operator and dump truck driver, were all taken to local hospitals to receive treatment for neck and back injuries as a result of the crash.

Investigators say they are continuing to examine what contributing factors, such as drowsiness or distracted driving, may have played a role in causing the accident.

The Philadelphia Personal Injury Lawyers at Lundy Law say that truck and bus drivers operate under a completely different set of regulations than passenger vehicle drivers. That is why it is so important to talk with an experienced attorney if you have been involved in a Philadelphia Truck Accident.

Jun

Investigation into Toyota Camry fires expands

June 20, 2012

The CBS Evening News (6/18, story 7, 0:25, Pelley) reported, “Some later model Toyota Camrys were added today to a government investigation of fires inside car doors. It now includes 1.4 million Toyota cars and SUVs model years 2007 through 2009. A malfunction with the power windows may have caused 161 fires, and nine people were injured.”

Jun

Jeep investigation is "growing."

June 19, 2012

ABC World News (6/17, story 9, 2:05, Muir) reported, “troubling news, safety questions this evening, about some of the most popular SUVs on American roads,” the Jeep Grand Cherokee. “The investigation is now growing into whether some Jeeps run a greater risk of catching on fire if the gas tank is hit.” ABC (Schriffen) added that the government is investigating Grand Cherokee models made between 1993 and 2004, Cherokees made between 1993 to 2001, and Liberty models made between 2002 to 2007. “Clarence Ditlow, Center for Auto Safety” said, “We have 3.5 million Jeep Grand Cherokees, Cherokees and Liberties, driving around with defective fuel systems that, if hit in the rear, can result in a fuel leak and a catastrophic fire.” Schriffen reported that government statistics claim that up to 15 people have been fatally burned to death because of the manufacturing flaw.

Jun

CDC study promotes motorcycle helmet laws

June 18, 2012

The AP (6/17, Stobbe) reported, “About five times as many no-helmet biker deaths occur in states with less restrictive laws, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study found.” In a review of 14,283 motorcycle deaths between 2008 and 2010, CDC found “only about 12 percent of those deaths occurred in the 20 states that required everyone on motorbikes to wear helmets.” CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden said in a statement, “In 2010, more than $3 billion in economic costs were saved due to helmet use in the United States. Another $1.4 billion could have been saved if all motorcyclists had worn helmets.”

Agency warns about motorcycle helmets. The Martinsburg (WV) Journal (6/16) reported NHTSA “is urging motorcyclists not to wear the 5X5 brand, SA-08 model motorcycle helmet because it fails to meet federal head protection requirements. Officials said as many as 14,000 of the helmets were imported and sold by Tank Sports Inc. of California, which declared bankruptcy without completing a government-requested recall.” The agency “said that under federal testing, the helmets failed to meet penetration protection requirements.”

Jun

Push to ban drivers' cellphone use described as gaining momentum

June 15, 2012

Richard Brooks writes in a blog post for the Riverside (CA) Press Enterprise (6/13) on the push to ban cellphone use by drivers. Brooks says “the days of chatting on even hands-free cell phones while behind the wheel may end soon, and — regardless of the merits of the idea — perhaps the only surprise is that the effort has taken this long.” Over a decade ago, “the Press-Enterprise reported that the first researcher to study the connection between cell phones and car crashes already believed that cellphone use quadrupled a driver’s chances of having a wreck,” while also finding that hands-free phones are only slightly safer. Brooks also notes that National Transportation Safety Board chairman Deborah Hersman last year called “for a 50-state total ban on the use of cell phones and other portable electronic devices,” while Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has called distracted driving a national epidemic.

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