Pennsylvania Injury Attorneys Blog

In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, a Latino art exhibit titled “From the Heart of Latino Art” is being held at Googleworks Center for the Arts in Reading, PA.

Over 70 works of art created by Hispanic artists from Berks County will be on display now through the end of September.

In an article on WFMZ.com, photographer Lizette Mendez explained that a medical missionary trip to Honduras served as the inspiration for her photography. “Trying to allow the person who sees my photos to see what I saw at that moment. To be able to capture it in a way where they can walk away from that photo and say wow that was pretty deep,” says Mendez.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists came out with new guidelines, recommending that hospitals use special inflating boots on women’s legs during c-sections to prevent the risk of a blood clot.

According to Parenting.com, almost one-third of the babies born in the U.S. are delivered by cesarean section.

The clots, known as deep vein thrombosis (DVT), can travel through the bloodstream and lodge in the lungs, becoming a dangerous pulmonary embolism. According to the article, women are especially susceptible to clots during the few weeks before and after birth because the blood changes to protect against excessive bleeding during childbirth.

The driver of the World Wide Travel bus that crashed on Interstate 95 in New York in March, killing 15 passengers, was indicted on manslaughter charges in Bronx State Supreme Court on Thursday.

At the time of the accident, the bus was returning to Manhattan’s Chinatown from an overnight trip to a Connecticut casino. Along with those who were killed, dozens were injured.

According to the article, prosecutors allege that the driver not only lacked a valid driver’s license, but that he also was sleep deprived. An investigation into the accident has revealed that the driver had been driving during what should have been his off hours, causing a lack of adequate sleep. In the article, Gary Weil, a prosecutor in the Bronx district attorney’s office is quoted as saying, “This defendant owed it to his passengers to do better. What makes this a reckless act is he knew what his condition was and chose to ignore it.”

The approach of the Labor Day holiday marks the end of summer and for many parents, their favorite time of year: back to school. So we thought a refresher course in back to school safety was in order, compliments of the website SafeKids.org.

Reminders for Drivers

• Slow down and be especially alert in the residential neighborhoods and school zones.

As Hurricane Irene barrels up the east coast this weekend, we urge our clients and neighbors to stay safe and be prepared. Our local paper, The Republican Herald, reports that Gov. Tom Corbett has declared a state of emergency in PA, in anticipation of the wind, rain, and flooding that Irene is likely to leave in her path. The hurricane is expected to affect the eastern half of the state.

Pennsylvania could see as much as 7 inches of rain in the Philadelphia area that could cause the Schuylkill River and other bodies of water to flood, according to CNN.com. As a result, the National Weather Service in State College has issued a flash flood watch for Schuylkill, Lebanon, York, and Lancaster Counties from Saturday evening through Sunday morning.

We’ve listed a few websites below where you can find the most up-to-date information on the storm, as well as helpful tips to keep you safe as Irene passes through our area. From everyone here at O’Connor Law, stay safe this weekend!

A man and woman on a motorcycle were killed in Birdsboro, PA when another man drove a van into the path of the motorcycle.

According to The Mercury of Pottstown, the accident occurred in Union Township. The man driving the motorcycle and his female passenger were killed. Both were wearing helmets.

The motorcyle was traveling east on Route 724 when the van pulled out from a pharmacy parking lot. The driver of the van was not injured.

In an effort to reduce the number of tractor-trailer crashes in the Keystone state, the Pocono Record recently reported that the Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association, state police, and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) have combined their efforts and are working together.

In fact, the Pennsylvania state police recently earned the highest possible rating from the FMCSA for providing timely and accurate crash inspection data, according to the state police. More than 93,000 random truck inspections were conducted across PA, a 14 percent increase from 2009.

Specially trained officers are used from Pennsylvania’s Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program, state police, the state Public Utility Commission and other local and regional police departments. They inspect required commercial driver credentials and vehicle components, including tires and brakes.

The Delaware Count Daily Times reported that around 4:45 PM on Friday Interstate 95 was close in both directions because of a hazardous leak from a tractor-trailer.

The newspaper reported that a state trooper noticed the leak and pulled over the tanker in Tinicum Township. The truck was reported to be carrying acetic anhydride, a chemical that can be noxious and corrosive.

A decontamination unit had to assess the damage before travel could resume. Both lanes of I-95 reopened around 10 PM.

The truck driver involved in a crash that killed a man in 2009 on I-81 in Carlisle is being sued, along with 4 trucking companies, by the man’s widow.

At the time of the accident, the truck driver lost control of his rig and crossed the median, then became airborne and crashed into the man’s car. According to an article on Cumberlink.com, it was soon after the crash that state police obtained a warrant to search the truck for evidence of mechanical failure, trip logs, shipping papers, as well as evidence of illegal stimulants, to try and determine the details of the accident.

The lawsuit asserts that each defendant owed a duty of care to others on public streets and highways to obey state and federal regulations with regard to safe, prudent, and lawful operation of a commercial motor vehicle, as stated by the law firm representing the man’s widow.

An early morning accident on Friday forced dozens of families from their homes after a tractor-trailer spilled hazardous liquid in Indiana County.

Hazmat crews were called to the scene because corrosive liquid leaked from the truck after it overturned along Route 119 in North Mahoning Township.

WTAE.com reported that some families were able to return to their homes, but other families would only be allowed to return once the scene was clear.