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Pennsylvania to require rear-facing seats for children under 2

Jun 15, 2016

On June 13, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf signed into a law a bill requiring children under the age of 2 to ride in backwards-facing child seats when traveling in a vehicle. Previous law required only children under the age of 1 who weighed less than 20 pounds to ride in a rear-facing car seat.The new law would go into effect late summer, with violators facing fines. There is, however a one-year grace period during which...

Workers may suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome

Jun 7, 2016

There are many types of injuries that can occur while a person is working. We can likely list dozens of different ways that a person doing manual labor can get injured, but what about people who do clerical work or work behind a computer all day? Anyone who has spent years behind a keyboard has likely experienced or knows someone who has experienced the symptoms of carpal tunnel. Carpal tunnel is a syndrome that happens...

Rockey Allen tests positive for HIV, authorities announce 1,000 people have yet to be tested

Jun 6, 2016

Rocky Allen, the Denver-area “serial infector” who made national headlines in February after his indictment, has now tested positive for HIV. In addition to hepatitis B and hepatitis C, some 3000 patients who were potentially exposed to Allen’s tainted needles may now have something new to worry about. The 28-year-old former Army medic who was court-martialed for stealing Fentanyl while serving in Afghanistan is now facing charges of tampering with a consumer product and deceitfully...

A closer look at construction worker injuries, accidents, P.2

Jun 3, 2016

In today’s post we continue taking a look at the different types of construction worker accidents and the injuries related to them. It’s important to understand what types of accidents may happen on the construction worksite and the legal options thereafter, especially if you are a worker who has recently been injured or the family of a worker who has been injured or killed while on the job. Here are a few other types of...

Ethicon Recalls Physiomesh Implant

Jun 3, 2016

In May 2016, Ethicon voluntarily recalled their surgical mesh product, Physiomesh over serious health complications and the high recurrence rate of hernias requiring revision surgery. Ethicon, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, sent a letter to surgeons and operating room supervisors when the results of several unpublished European studies showed a higher than average rate of serious complications as compared to other surgical mesh products. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had previously expressed...

A closer look at construction worker injuries, accidents, P.1

Jun 2, 2016

The construction industry keeps our cities in workable condition. They help build our infrastructure, the homes around us and the businesses we frequent. While the industry has a lot of good opportunities in terms of jobs, these careers come with obvious risks. The hands-on jobs can lead to injuries that can be crippling or even fatal. The statistics definitely support the common knowledge that the industry comes with significant risk of injury. For every 100...

Brain metabolism a predictor of capacity to recover

May 27, 2016

Historically, it has been difficult for even doctors to predict to what degree patients who had suffered severe head trauma would be able to recover consciousness. Now, however, researchers have determined that the rate at which an injured person's brain consumes glucose (metabolism) can predict if that person will regain consciousness within the years. The study's findings could help inform the prognosis of brain injury patients in the context of personal injury law suits, making...

OSHA to make workplace injury records public

May 20, 2016

Beginning July 2017, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) of the United States Department of Labor will require employers to provide information about injuries and illnesses that their workers have suffered on the job. Employers will have to provide this information in electronic form, and OSHA will then post it to a public database so that anyone can look up the safety records of a particular employer. Historically, employers have been required to log information...

Dallas Hartman recognized as one of the top 100 Lawyers in Pennsylvania

May 19, 2016

We are proud to announce that Attorney Dallas W. Hartman has been bestowed the distinguished honor of the exclusive Top 100 Super Lawyers Pennsylvania, Top 50 Super Lawyers Pittsburgh and the top 5% of attorneys in Pennsylvania. Attorney Kathleen Robertson, lead workers' compensation attorney, was also recognized as one of the top 2.5% of attorneys in Pennsylvania who are either under the age of 40 or have been practicing less than 10 years. Each year,...

HB853: Daniel’s Law hits PA House floor on Tuesday, May 24, 2016

May 19, 2016

Daniel’s Law, written by PA House Representative Jaret Gibbons, is up for a vote on Tuesday, May 24, 2016. If passed, House Bill 853 will amend Title 75 (Vehicles) and Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses), and enforce enhanced penalties for those convicted of causing injury for death due to distracted driving. Currently, the law only applies to texting while driving and serves no all-cell-phone-use ban, which complicates enforcement, according to Pennsylvania police. The family of...