Pennsylvania case reminds Americans that holiday season presents prime slip-and-fall conditions
With autumn drawing to a close, the holiday season has begun in earnest. And so have the often extended, winter-like conditions that get people in the mood for shopping and for visiting friends and relatives. However, the holiday season can be a perilous one for people who walk on the often icy or snowy surfaces […]
In region where many structures have crumbled, Jersey City building spurs evacuation
As crews worked to stabilize the ground in a vacant lot next to a four-story building in Jersey City, New Jersey, that was deemed in danger of collapsing, the city Building Department declared the structure unsafe and ordered it, as well as seven other buildings, temporarily evacuated. The agency’s decision bespoke an abundance of caution […]
Stateside arrival of Ebola raises concerns, questions of workers’ rights
Facing Ebola’s limited spread among a handful of people in United States, questions are being raised about how, in spite of precautions, the deadly virus could have been transmitted to healthcare workers who were entrusted with the care of the patient in Dallas, Texas who died of the disease. The sudden stateside appearance of Ebola […]
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 […]