Munley Law Blog

Marion Munley and Daniel Munley: Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiffs Lawyers

Marion Munley and Dan Munley Named to 2020 Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers List

 Marion and Dan are the only Scranton lawyers to make the 2020 list. 

On April 3, 2020, Lawdragon Magazine named attorneys Marion Munley and Dan Munley to its prestigious list of the 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers. Only twenty-seven Pennsylvania practitioners made the 2020 list, and the two Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys attorneys are the only Scranton area lawyers to be given this distinguished honor.

In determining the 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers, Lawdragon investigated practitioners in all fifty states and the District of Columbia. Only lawyers who have consistently demonstrated the highest quality of legal representation over the course of their careers are eligible to be named, and Lawdragon places particular attention on attorneys’ recent achievements.

In addition to being named one of the 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers, […]

FMCSA Issues Final Rule on Truckers’ Hours of Service

FMCSA announces final revision to trucker hours of service rules

On May 14, 2020, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), a division of the federal Department of Transportation (DOT), announced four regulatory changes. These revisions are meant to provide truck drivers with greater flexibility while preserving the safety of commercial truck operators, manufacturers, and retailers. FMCSA Acting Administrator Jim Mullen stated that the changes were based on thousands of suggestions from drivers and other trucking industry members and comments from the public over the last two years. The agency predicts that these amendments will provide $274 million in annualized cost savings.

What Do the FMSCA Revisions Change?

The FMCSA revisions make the following changes to Hours of Service (HOS) regulations:

Expansion of the “Short-Haul” Exception: The FMCSA imposes tracking, reporting, and other requirements for commercial truck drivers, […]

Failing to signal causes countless accidents

We’ve all experienced this kind of bad driving: a driver turns in front of you or merges into your lane unexpectedly without using their turn signal. It’s not just inconsiderate – getting lazy with the turn signal leads to crashes every day.

Over 750 billion times per year, drivers fail to properly use their turn signals. According to a study by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), drivers fail to signal when switching lanes 48% of the time and fail to signal when turning 25% of the time. Motorists also improperly leave their blinkers on long after changing lanes or use the wrong turn signal an additional 10% of the time

Why Are Turn Signals So Important?

The SAE study demonstrates a need for more research to understand and combat the problem of turn signal neglect. But why is it so important that drivers use turn signals when changing lanes, […]

Nursing Home Wrongful Deaths

Pennsylvania nursing homes at the center of deadly coronavirus outbreaks

When families feel that they can no longer properly care for their loved ones at home, they frequently look to senior care facilities such as assisted living and nursing homes. While these facilities are looked to as a source of care and safety, they are proving to be hot spots for coronavirus outbreaks and deaths.  

There have been 4,218 Covid-19 related deaths in Pennsylvania according to the PA Department of Health. Of these, roughly 64% have been in nursing homes. In Lackawanna County, that number is close to 75%. The numbers in Scranton-area nursing homes are so alarming that they have prompted the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office to launch an investigation into how these facilities have responded to the pandemic. 

Older adults are at higher risk for developing serious complications from Covid-19. […]

Covid and Easing of Truck Safety Regulations

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), the incidents of truck crashes in the state of PA are among the highest in the nation.  The FMCSA, an arm of the US Department of Transportation, is tasked not only with tracking the safety records of commercial motor vehicles, but also with regulating the industry.  They are focused on reducing large truck and bus crashes, injuries and fatalities.  They perform roadside inspections, investigate truck crashes and develop and enforce safety regulations.

In 2013,  the FMCSA Hours of Service regulations to limit truck driver fatigue went into effect in an attempt to reduce the number of truck crashes. The rules specify the maximum number of consecutive hours that commercial truckers can drive,  the frequency and length of their rest breaks and number of hours of required off duty time.  […]