Clergy abuse report blocked by PA Supreme Court

PA Supreme Court blocks grand jury report’s public release

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court stopped the release of a grand jury report investigating decades of sexual abuse in six Catholic dioceses across the state as a result of challenges filed by unnamed parties.  While the report was issued to six dioceses under investigation, no estimated date has been provided for when the 800 plus-page report will be made public.

The grand jury spent nearly two years investigating allegations of sexual abuse by the clergy in Allentown, Erie, Greensburg, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh and Scranton.  These dioceses have roughly 1.7 million members.

The investigation covered not only claims of child sexual abuse, but also failure to report to law enforcement and obstruction of justice.  In addition to the clergy, clergy community leaders, local public officeholders, and church officers were investigated.  The jurors reviewed over 500,000 pages of diocesan archives.  […]

Parking lot accidents spike during the holiday season

From now until the end of December, holiday shoppers will be out in full force. In the midst of the hustle and bustle, drivers and pedestrians are more distracted than ever, especially in parking lots and garages. The Pennsylvania personal injury lawyers at Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys want to remind everyone to slow down and take care as you run your holiday errands this season.

Parking lot car crashes and pedestrian accidents

Many drivers tend to be less cautious when navigating a parking lot than out on the open road. In a National Safety Council poll, more than half of respondents said they would be likely to talk on the phone, text, program their GPS, use social media, and even check email when driving through a parking lot or parking structure. Add to that the distraction of to-do lists, […]

How to Choose the Right Personal Injury Lawyer

Choosing the right personal injury lawyer

When you find yourself in need of legal advice or representation, it can be hard to know where to begin. You may never have had to seek a lawyer before. You may be unfamiliar with how the legal system works, or whether you even have a case. With so many lawyers to choose from, how do you know who you can trust? How do you know who will get the best results? We have some advice on how to choose the right personal injury lawyer for your unique case.

Not all law firms are created equal. In fact, your choice of personal injury lawyer can make all the difference in the success of your case. When you’ve been injured, or lost a loved one in a tragic accident, you want to know that your case is in the right hands. […]

New York’s MTA Orders Sleep Apnea Screenings After Deadly Crashes

A seldom-diagnosed health condition has been blamed for multiple deadly mass-transit crashes in recent years.

In 2014, a Metro-North train derailed in the Bronx, killing four people. In September of 2016, one person died when a commuter train crashed in Hoboken. The engineers in both of these accidents suffered from sleep apnea. Earlier this month, a Long Island Railroad Train crashed in Brooklyn; the engineer in this accident will test for sleep apnea as well.

This week, New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced they will begin testing all train engineers and bus drivers for sleep apnea in hopes of preventing more tragedies like these.

What is Sleep Apnea, and Why is it Such a Problem?

Sleep apnea, also called obstructive sleep apnea or OSA, is a condition that causes the throat muscles to relax during sleep, […]

Some Valuable Information about Nail Gun Accidents

Nail guns are extremely valuable tools to both the construction industry and regular consumers. Unfortunately, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that nail gun accidents account for approximately 37,000 emergency room visits each year. Of those injured, nearly seventy percent were injured in the course of their employment. The balance of the people were consumers using the nail guns for non-business related tasks.

It’s not difficult to imagine how a nail gun accident might occur. For those who are injured while at work, it is important to file a workers’ compensation claim. You can find answers to many of your questions concerning workers’ compensation procedures here.

What if there was a problem with the nail gun? Whether you were injured in the course of your employment or not, you may have another type of claim. This is known as a products liability action and may be pursued if there is evidence that the nail gun caused the dangerous condition resulting in injuries. […]

One Killed, More Than 100 Hurt in New Jersey Train Crash in Hoboken

A New Jersey train crash  has left at least one person dead and more than 100 injured.

At the peak of rush hour Thursday morning, New Jersey Transit train no. 1614 on the Pascack Valley line derailed and crashed into the station in Hoboken, NJ. The crash caused massive damage and injured scores of people.  Jersey City Medical Center reports that at least three people are in serious condition. Previous reports said that three people died in the crash, but hospital officials later corrected that number.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Railroad Administration will be investigating.

What We Know About the New Jersey Train Crash

Preliminary investigation suggests that the crash was an accident, caused by operator error, but it is still too early to ascertain a definitive cause.

The train was not equipped with positive train control, […]

School Bus Safety for the New School Year

A new school year is starting, and millions of kids in the United States will be taking the bus to and from school each day. We’re sharing a some school bus safety tips to help your child get to school and home again safely. Share these with young children riding the bus for the first time, or older kids who can use a reminder…

School Bus Safety Tips

For kids…

1. When waiting for the bus, stay about six feet (three big steps) away from the curb to stay clear of traffic. Wait for the bus to come to a complete stop before approaching. Look both ways before crossing the street to get on the bus. It’s best to walk your child to the bus stop and stay with them until it arrives.
2. When getting off the bus, be sure to look left, […]

Common Car Seat Mistakes

New laws & common car seat mistakes

Pennsylvania’s new car seat law goes into effect next month. The new law will require  all children to be restrained in a rear-facing car seat until at least two years of age.

Why is rear-facing safer?

A rear-facing car seat supports the head and neck, and is designed to distribute the force of a crash across the shell of the car seat in the event of a car accident. Babies’ necks and spinal cords aren’t yet strong enough to withstand the force of a crash or sudden stop. Children under two are five times less likely to die or suffer serious injury in a car accident when restrained in a rear-facing seat.

Switching to a front-facing seat too soon is one of the most common car seat mistakes parents make. […]

5 Swimming Survival Skills to Teach Your Child

Prevent swimming accidents with these 5 tips!

Swimming season is well underway!

Swimming can be good exercise and a great way to beat the heat, but it can also be dangerous, particularly for young children. Approximately 800 children drown each year. Safe Kids Worldwide has more information on how to stay safe in the water!

We’re sharing 5 essential swimming survival skills you can teach your child to make them more confident swimmers and to help keep them safe in the water. These tips are simple, but they could save a life.

1. Step or jump into water that is over your head and return to the surface. Help your child practice rising/kicking to the surface of the water, but ONLY when you are there to supervise.

2. Tread water for one minute. Treading water for a longer amount of time will help your child become a stronger swimmer and be less afraid in deep water. […]

Doctors on Probation for Gross Misconduct Still Practicing

Would you want to know if your doctor was on disciplinary probation?

When it comes to a physician’s disciplinary history, patients are kept very much in the dark. Physicians all over the country who have been disciplined for sexual misconduct, drug abuse, and devastating medical mistakes are still practicing, some while on probation, and they are not required to disclose their probationary status to their current patients.

Meanwhile, medical errors 3rd leading cause of death in the U.S.

Recently, Senator Jerry Hill of California authored a bill that would require doctors to inform patients of their probationary status. The legislation didn’t pass.

Is your doctor on probation?

Under current laws, doctors are required to disclose their disciplinary history to the hospital or practice where they work, and to their medical malpractice insurer, but are under no obligation to share this information with patients.  […]

Distraction Blamed for Amtrak 188 Wreck

Last year, eight people were killed and more than 200 were injured in the derailment of Amtrak 188 near Philadelphia.

For nearly a year, investigators couldn’t determine what led to the tragic accident. The train’s engineer, Brendan Bostian, was known for his attention to safety. He was cleared of any suspicion that he may have been using a cell phone or that he may have been intoxicated at the time. Yet somehow, the train was traveling at more than twice the posted speed limit when it entered a sharp curve and derailed.

This week, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released the conclusion that radio reports of a nearby train that was struck by rocks distracted Bostian, who was likely concerned about the condition of the other train’s engineer or the possibility that there were people on the tracks. The distraction caused him to momentarily lose his bearings, […]

Medical Errors the 3rd Leading Cause of Death

A recent study from Johns Hopkins found that medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the United States, claiming more lives than any other medical condition except cancer and heart disease.

Unfortunately, this problem is kept out of the public eye because the CDC’s mortality statistics, which rely on death certificate data, don’t capture things like communication breakdowns or errors in judgment that can lead to a patient’s death. As a result, medical mistakes are under-reported. This new study, based on eight years of hospitalization records,  calls for a better way to track medical errors in order to better protect patients.

As personal injury lawyers, we know that there are seemingly endless numbers of things that can go wrong during a patient’s care. Missed or mistaken diagnosis, unnecessary procedures, poor communication, electronic medical record inconsistencies, prescription mishaps, […]

Amtrak Crash Near Philadelphia Kills 2, Injures 30+

Two rail employees dead, over 35 passengers injured in tragic Amtrak crash

AMTRAK CRASH – Safety practices are coming into question after an Amtrak train struck a backhoe, killing two rail workers who were on the wrong track at the wrong time.

Almost one year after Amtrak train 188 derailed near Philadelphia in the deadliest train wreck in Amtrak’s history, another fatal Amtrak crash occurred just outside Philadelphia on Sunday morning. The crash killed the backhoe operator and supervisor,  and wounded more than 35 passengers.

The train was headed from New York to Savannah. GA, when it encountered the equipment on the track. The engineer applied the brake but in not nearly enough time to avoid a collision, as the locomotive was traveling at 106 miles per hour (in a 100 MPH zone).

The train’s inward-facing and outward-facing surveillance video has been obtained and will be under investigation, […]

New Rules Give Patients Better Access to Medical Records

A recent article in the New York Times explains new guidelines issued this month that aim to give patients easier access to their own medical information.  In our view, this is an extremely important development, because having access to medical information allows people to take control of their own healthcare, and to find and fix potentially dangerous errors in their records.  After a car accident that results in injuries, or an illness requiring hospitalization, it is important that people be informed about their care.

As the article notes, patients have long had the right to view their own medical records, but they frequently face obstacles that prevent them from exercising that right.

“Jump Through Hoops”

One of the most frequent complaints received by the Department of Health and Human Services is the difficulty patients experience in obtaining copies of their medical records. […]

Poorly maintained fields increase concussion risk

When it comes to concussions, does it matter what type of field the athletes are playing on?

Head injuries and life-threatening conditions such as CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) in athletes, especially football players, have been getting lots of (long overdue) attention in recent years. In an effort to help protect players,  we’ve seen sports leagues, coaches, trainers, medical professionals, and equipment manufacturers work to make the games safer — a better helmet design, teaching safer tackling techniques, greater enforcement of game rules, and earlier detection of head injury to avoid repeated blows. Little attention has been paid to the actual playing surface, even though 1 in 5 concussions involve a head-to-surface collision.

A recent study by the Concussion Legacy Foundation urges athletic organizations and groundskeepers to treat the field with the same care as they would any other piece of valuable equipment or safety technology, […]

How to stay safe on the scariest night of the year

Halloween can be one of the deadliest nights of the year.  Car accidents are among the biggest risks and children are the most vulnerable victims. Lots of adults going to and from Halloween parties and lots of kids on the streets and sidewalks after dark create an environment ripe for pedestrian accidents.

On an average day of the year, alcohol is a factor in about 1/3 of fatal car crashes. On Halloween, that percentage goes up to 1/2.

On Halloween, pedestrians account for one out of every four people killed in car accidents – double the average for the rest of the year.

In addition to car accidents, Halloween festivities can lead to a handful of other potential dangers that can ruin the fun of the holiday.

For parents and kids:

To help your child stay safe while trick-or-treating this year, […]

Use Your Head: Kids and Sports Concussions

School is in session, fall is on its way, and football season is upon us. Tonight is the first game of the NFL’s 96th season. It’s an exciting time of year.

If you have a child enrolled in youth sports programs, this is also a good time to educate yourself on the very real possibility of a sports-related head injury. We’ve been hearing of increasing evidence linking football to long-term brain damage, and there’s even a new movie coming out starring Will Smith as the doctor who first made that alarming connection.  But, the truth is that concussions can occur in all youth sports. We’re here to dispel some myths and share some practical knowledge on the subject so you can help keep your athlete safe.

What Are the Truths?

First, let’s address some common misconceptions. […]

Fatal ATV Accidents in PA: Tips to Avoid a Deadly Wreck

It’s becoming a problem:

A  number of recent ATV accidents in our area resulted in serious injury or death.  Three of those occurred within the last month.

All-terrain vehicles, also called four-wheelers or quads,  are popular among both kids and adults, but accidents involving these vehicles can cause severe injuries or loss of life. Children are able to drive an ATV long before they’re eligible for a learner’s permit to drive a car. There are laws governing ATV use in Pennsylvania, but because many people ride ATVs on private property or in the woods in rural areas, it’s very easy to break those laws. Usually, that’s how people get hurt.

To avoid a potentially devastating ATV accident, everyone who rides an ATV should have a basic understanding of PA’s ATV laws and these safety tips:

1. Alcohol was said to be a factor in one of the most recent fatal ATV wrecks in Northeast PA. […]

Swimming Pool Accidents a Leading Cause of Death Among Children

Swimming pool accidents and drownings can occur at any time of the year, but during the summer, people are especially likely to be swimming in a pool whether it is at home, at a friend’s house, or a private or public swimming pool. Even seemingly safe swimming areas can present hazards, and children are most at risk. Fortunately, a little knowledge of the hidden dangers can help prevent swimming accidents from happening.

When children are swimming in an in-ground pool, above-ground pool, public pool, lake, pond, creek,  or any other body of water, large or small, close and constant supervision is of the utmost importance, even when a lifeguard is on duty. This is especially true for parents of very young children. For children ages 1-4, an adult should be within arm’s reach at all times, and not be distracted by any other activity.

Helping Older Kids With Swimming Dangers

For older children, […]

Amtrak Investigation Continues, Lawsuits Begin

Deadly Amtrak crash still under investigation, attorneys concerned over 1997 damages cap of $200M

Four passengers and one of the conductors on board the derailed Amtrak train 188 have filed lawsuits against Amtrak as the investigation continues. Amtrak service between Philadelphia and New York resumed this morning with Michael Nutter, mayor of Philadelphia, there to see passengers off.

Speculation as to the official cause of the crash is still going on

Was an object hurled at the train moments before the crash? Does it matter? While the object may not have done damage to the train itself, some say it could have alarmed, distracted, or even wounded the conductor, who says he has no memory of the crash or the final moments leading up to it.  A“black box” data recorder will give a more accurate reading of the train’s speed, […]