December 15, 2014

Property owners’ responsibility to secure attractive nuisances Pennsylvania parents whose children suffered injuries on someone else’s property may believe that the owner should have known that children would be curious about an unsecured swimming pool or a piece of machinery in their yards or on their commercial premises. Premises liability laws sometimes regard certain dangerous structures or other items on…

December 12, 2014

Premises liability lawsuits against government employees Government employees who are acting within the scope of their employment generally enjoy something known as “sovereign immunity.” This means that they are immune to lawsuits for their actions on behalf of the government. However, Pennsylvania law allows for some important exceptions to this general rule regarding premises liability. One exception to this sovereign…

December 8, 2014

Playground injury statistics for Pennsylvania residents Research has shown that emergency departments treat 200,000 children aged 14 and under each year who were hurt on a playground. Of those injuries, 45 percent of them involve severe fractures, concussions or internal injuries. The vast majority of injuries that did not result in death occur on playgrounds located at schools or daycare…

October 15, 2014

The dangers of some non-prescription drugs With the flu season approaching, many Pennsylvania residents might appreciate a report from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in connection with driving and over-the-counter medications. While many types of non-prescription cold and flu medications seem safe, those that contain antihistamines can cause drowsiness and possible confusion lasting a few hours. Even motion sickness…

September 11, 2014

Stone falls from historic church, kills woman Pennsylvania readers may be interested in the following account of a woman who was killed in Chicago; the 34-year-old succumbed to her injuries after stone from a historic church fell and struck her on the head. According to witnesses, the woman was crossing the street at the time. The incident occurred a little…

September 8, 2014

Liability for injuries at a college party With the beginning of the college football season in Pennsylvania and around the country, many students will be attending parties in dormitories, fraternities and off campus. Unfortunately, every year comes several stories of students being injured through falls, alcohol consumption or other causes. A question arises as to who may be liable for…

July 10, 2014

Dangers of falling furniture It has been reported that a child dies due to a furniture accident in the U.S. on the average of every two weeks. In a Pennsylvania town, two toddlers were killed on July 4 after a dresser fell on them while they were climbing on its shelves. They accidentally pulled the dresser on them, and an…

March 19, 2014

Run-down properties a dangerous problem in Philadelphia Philadelphia’s Department of Licenses and Inspections has a long list of buildings that are dangerous and need to be demolished. That list currently contains close to 600 properties and L&I lacks the funding to take care of them all. As a result, buildings around Philadelphia neighborhoods are literally crumbling before residents’ eyes. In…

January 31, 2014

When a property owner is not liable for your injury Pittsburgh has had its share of snow and ice this year, as raging winter storms have swept across the nation, even hitting the southern half of the country. This is the time of year when property owners, especially business owners, need to ensure that they keep their properties safe for…

December 4, 2013

Squirrel Hill smelling a little squirrelly lately Septic tank backups are not something you can usually ignore for very long. They usually get worse until you have to have your tank pumped out or at least have a plumber snake out your lines. But when they are clogged just enough so they are only noticeable at times when the water…