Your Chances of Hitting a Deer in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Drivers’ Chances of Hitting a Deer Increase This Year

For the second year in a row, PA is the #3 state in the U.S. for deer collisions. Pennsylvania drivers’ chances of hitting a deer? 1 in 63. That’s up 6% from last year.

The annual report from State Farm looks at auto insurance claims data and Federal Highway Administration data to calculate drivers’ risk of a car accident involving a deer, elk, or moose in the road. It will come as no surprise to Pennsylvania drivers that PA has topped the list for years.

Additional risk factors

October marks the beginning of deer mating season, which continues through December. During this time, the risk of hitting a deer doubles.

The hours around dawn and dusk are the most dangerous times of day for deer collisions. […]

Dan Munley attends IIHS tractor trailer crash test

Munley trucking team invited to IIHS crash test

On Tuesday, August 29, 2017, Atty. Daniel W. Munley along with paralegal, Jerome Levans, attended a crash test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

Each year, thousands of people are either killed or injured when a passenger vehicle collides with the side of a tractor-trailer.  When a tractor-trailer is hit from the side, the advanced safety features of the passenger vehicle are not triggered because the passenger vehicle’s windshield is the first thing that comes into contact with the trailer. Hundreds of people die in crashes like these every year.

The IIHS crash tested the “Angel Wing” underride guard from Airflow Deflector, Inc. They are designed to prevent passenger vehicles from going underneath the tractor-trailer during a side-impact crash.  Instead, the passenger vehicle’s front bumper will strike the Angel Wing, […]

Pennsylvania’s New DUI Law Goes Into Effect

What is the new DUI law in PA?

A new DUI law goes into effect in Pennsylvania this week, placing different restrictions on first-time DUI drivers.

Under the new law, first-time offenders will have to install an ignition interlock device in their vehicles. Previously, ignition interlocks were only required after two or more offenses; first-time offenders would instead face a license suspension of one year.

What is an ignition interlock device?

An ignition interlock device is essentially a breathalizer that will prevent a car’s engine from starting until the driver blows into a tube to indicate that they are not under the influence. If the device detects alcohol, the vehicle will not start.

Those in favor of the new law say that the ignition interlock will be more effective in preventing drunk driving accidents and deaths, while still allowing offenders to keep their license active. […]

After a Car Accident: How to Obtain a Police Report

One of the first things you must do after a car accident is to obtain a copy of the police report.

If you have never been in a serious car accident or truck accident before, you may not know how to go about this. You’re fielding calls from the insurance companies, making doctors appointments, and maybe even arranging to take time off of work. It can be an overwhelming time. But the police report will have vital information that you will need in order to receive fair compensation for your injuries.

How do I get a police report?

To get a copy of your accident report, contact the police department that reported to your accident and submit a request. The application to obtain a copy of the police report can usually be done in person, via mail or online via the police department website, […]

Truck Accident on I-81 in Wilkes-Barre

Tractor trailer crash on I-81 in Wilkes-Barre – a truck accident lawyer’s perspective

A truck accident near the Highland Park Boulevard exit in Wilkes-Barre, PA this morning shut down Interstate 81 when one tractor trailer rear-ended another at around 4 a.m. One driver was trapped inside his truck and was taken to the hospital to be treated for injuries.

Truck accident lawyer and former chairman of the American Association for Justice Trucking Litigation Group Dan Munley notes the significance of the time of the crash: “Leading indicators show that at the time of the crash, the truck driver would have been at an increased risk for a fatigue-related accident.” A complete investigation will determine whether fatigue played a role in this case.

The human body operates on a 24-hour cycle, during which we are programmed to need rest at certain times of day. […]

Six Munley Partners Named Best Lawyers in America 2018

Munley Law is pleased to announce that all six of our partners have been recognized in the 2018 edition of Best Lawyers in America.

Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Best Lawyers lists are compiled based on an exhaustive peer-review evaluation. For the 2018 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America, 7.4 million votes were analyzed, which resulted in more than 58,000 leading lawyers being included in the new edition. Lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed; therefore inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor. Corporate Counsel magazine has called Best Lawyers “the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice.”

The Results are In

The Munley lawyers included in the 2018 Best Lawyers in America list:

Robert W. […]

Feds abandon driver fatigue test, put “millions of lives at risk”

Feds drop another transportation safety rule, scrap sleep disorder testing

In the latest slash to federal regulations, many of which concern public safety, federal transportation agencies have dropped efforts to improve detection of sleep apnea, a breathing disorder linked to driver fatigue and deadly train and truck accidents.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) have moved to leave testing to individual transport and rail companies.

New York’s  MTA and some private transportation companies made moves in the last year to test their drivers and engineers for sleep apnea, a sleep disorder linked to deadly crashes. Metro North in New York found that more than 11% of their drivers tested had sleep apnea.

What is sleep apnea? Why should drivers and engineers be tested?

Obstructive  sleep apnea is a disorder that causes the throat muscles to relax and close the wind pipe during sleep. […]

Truck accident lawyer Marion Munley makes history

Marion Munley achieves a major milestone in her career as a truck accident lawyer

Marion Munley has been named Chair-Elect of the American Association for Justice Trucking Litigation Group; she will be the first woman in the association’s history to lead the Trucking Litigation Group.

In a field dominated by men, Marion Munley has established a reputation as a titan of trucking litigation. For more than 30 years, Marion has helped individuals and families who have suffered catastrophic injuries and devastating loss in accidents involving commercial trucks and tractor trailers. Over the course of her career, she has won millions of dollars for victims and their families, and helped shape the laws governing trucking industry safety.

Marion is the second Munley Law partner to lead the TLG; her brother Daniel Munley previously served as chairperson of the group. The Trucking Litigation Group provides its members with the tools and resources they need to successfully litigate trucking cases and remain abreast of important developments in trucking laws. […]

Families leading the fight for safer trucks

Who doesn’t want safer trucks? Weighing 80,000 lbs and driven by truckers too often pushed to their physical and mental limits, a tractor trailer barreling down the highway at 70+ mph can cause unimaginable damage in an accident. Still, potentially life-saving measures

Leading the fight for safer trucks are the people who know too well the devastation these vehicles can cause — the parents of children killed in tractor trailer collisions. Their mission has become to improve safety regulations that can save lives and prevent other families from experiencing the unnecessary loss that they have. However, even when the benefits are obvious and the costs minimal, truck safety regulations stall.

Underride Guards

Two mothers have devoted their lives to advocating for better underride guards after their children were killed in underride crashes. Marianne Karth and Lois Durso both lost their daughters in crashes involving tractor trailers. […]

How the PA Supreme Court ruling on IREs affects injured workers

Injured workers in Pennsylvania: If you underwent an IRE (impairment rating evaluation or exam) you may be entitled to additional benefits. Contact Munley Law to learn how the PA Supreme Court decision affects you. 

The recent PA Supreme Court decision in Protz v. Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board (Derry Area School District) may affect Pennsylvania workers who have received disability benefits.

Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling on IRE process may entitle injured workers to additional benefits

Since 1996, employers could require injured workers to undergo impairment rating evaluations or IREs after two full years of receiving total disability benefits.  Under Section 306(a.2) of the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act, IRE physicians used the most recent edition of the American Medical Association’s Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment to calculate an impairment percentage. If a patient was deemed less than 50% impaired, […]