Petrillo & Goldberg Law

Drowsiness can have tragic consequences behind the wheel

By Petrillo & Goldberg / December 2, 2014 / Comments Off on Drowsiness can have tragic consequences behind the wheel

When Maria Fernandes, 32, of Newark, New Jersey, died on August 25, she was overcome by fumes from an overturned gas can mixed with carbon monoxide from her running car while she was napping inside it. Her sad demise came as she was trying to make ends meet by working at four jobs, driving from…

Harness driver’s negligence lawsuit against racetrack proceeds in Philadelphia court

By Petrillo & Goldberg / November 27, 2014 / Comments Off on Harness driver’s negligence lawsuit against racetrack proceeds in Philadelphia court

When athletes compete in sports, injuries unfortunately but inevitably happen. Among sports, horse racing, with its combination of fleet equines and the humans who guide them around a racing oval at a high velocity, can be particularly risky. As a result of a recent decision made by a Pennsylvania common pleas judge, one jockey in…

Philadelphia man sues Starbucks, cup manufacturer over scalding coffee incident

By Petrillo & Goldberg / November 17, 2014 / Comments Off on Philadelphia man sues Starbucks, cup manufacturer over scalding coffee incident

In a case that is reminiscent of a landmark personal injury lawsuit from the 1990s, a Philadelphia man is suing Starbucks for severe burns that he allegedly suffered as a result of spillage from a defective coffee cup that a Starbucks employee gave to him. Solo Cup, the manufacturer of the coffee cup that was…

Giving weight to risk factors, NJ high court denies workers’ compensation case

By Petrillo & Goldberg / November 10, 2014 / Comments Off on Giving weight to risk factors, NJ high court denies workers’ compensation case

On July 30, the New Jersey Supreme Court overturned a lower court decision awarding workers’ compensation benefits to the widower of an AT&T employee who died one hour after completing her work.  The facts behind the case are unusual, and the high court’s decision, which accounted for a number of newly argued risk factors that…

Pennsylvania high court’s ruling sets high bar for slip-and-fall cases

By Petrillo & Goldberg / October 31, 2014 / Comments Off on Pennsylvania high court’s ruling sets high bar for slip-and-fall cases

Recently, the Pennsylvania Superior Court denied the appeal of a man who claimed that a judge in the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas had given improper jury instructions.  As a result of the Superior Court ruling, the verdict rendered against the man in his personal injury lawsuit has been upheld. The verdict has also offered…

Philadelphia case points out how duty of care to airline passengers begins before a flight

By Petrillo & Goldberg / October 24, 2014 / Comments Off on Philadelphia case points out how duty of care to airline passengers begins before a flight

We know that travel by air, especially going to and from an airport, can be a hassle and a headache for millions of Americans. But for one Florida woman, a trip back to the Sunshine State via Philadelphia International Airport allegedly turned out be a particularly nasty headache: severe head trauma. Her injury has become…

Allegedly defective aquarium heater blamed for Philly fire

By Petrillo & Goldberg / October 21, 2014 / Comments Off on Allegedly defective aquarium heater blamed for Philly fire

They may not be as ubiquitous as fish in the sea, but home aquariums are a very popular means of maintaining piscine pets in households across the United States. But for one Philadelphia apartment dweller, the watery environment he kept in his unit allegedly became the source, through its heater, of an inferno that consumed…

Philadelphia man’s lawsuit demonstrates how property neglect can lead to negligence charges

By Petrillo & Goldberg / October 17, 2014 / Comments Off on Philadelphia man’s lawsuit demonstrates how property neglect can lead to negligence charges

Depending on the circumstances and factors involved, a personal injury lawsuit can sometimes involve more than one practice area of law. One lawsuit that was filed at the Philadelphia Court of Common Court of Pleas, in particular, seemingly brings together overlapping issues — but in essence, it is still a classic a slip-and-fall accident case.…

New Jersey woman’s bumpy ride over Betsy Ross Bridge lands Keystone State agencies in court

By Petrillo & Goldberg / October 14, 2014 / Comments Off on New Jersey woman’s bumpy ride over Betsy Ross Bridge lands Keystone State agencies in court

Governments and their agencies can be negligent in their duty of care toward their citizens if the public works projects they have created deteriorate and contribute to someone’s personal injury. One New Jersey woman has alleged that several government entities contributed to injuries she sustained while driving over a less-than-flawless Betsy Ross Bridge. The woman,…

NJ woman’s lawsuit against HSN and pressure cooker manufacturer charges gross negligence

By Petrillo & Goldberg / September 27, 2014 / Comments Off on NJ woman’s lawsuit against HSN and pressure cooker manufacturer charges gross negligence

A Berlin, New Jersey woman has filed a personal injury lawsuit against Home Shopping Network (HSN) and against the manufacturer of a pressure cooker she bought on HSN.  The plaintiff, Kelly McGowan, claims the cooker exploded on March 13, 2013, inflicting severe burns on her. Included among the nine counts in the complaint is the…