On behalf of Caroselli Beachler McTiernan & Conboy, L.L.C. posted in Workers' Compensation on Monday, May 14, 2012
Applications for workers' compensation claims must be completed thoroughly and with great clarity so there is less of a chance for an accusation of fraud. Some guards at a prison were recently charged with committing millions of dollars of fraud in applying for such workers' compensation benefits.
The prison guards apparently falsely claimed to have received injuries when turning keys in doors at the prison resulting in carpal tunnel syndrome. The exact extent of the perpetrated fraud appears to be enormous as the alleged scheme netted the guards approximately $10 million.
On behalf of Caroselli Beachler McTiernan & Conboy, L.L.C. posted in Burn Injuries on Monday, May 7, 2012
There is good news for Pittsburgh patients suffering from severe burn injuries. There has been a substantial decrease in the amount of time that such individuals have been required to stay in the hospital in recent years.
Fewer people are suffering such burns due to a decline in the number of smokers and an increase in the use of smoke detectors. Also, tremendous medical advancements as to how burn injuries are treated have come up during the past 25 years.
On behalf of Caroselli Beachler McTiernan & Conboy, L.L.C. posted in Personal Injury on Monday, April 30, 2012
Though use of lead is now highly regulated, certain Pennsylvania areas are still dealing with lead contaminated soil. In fact, extremely high and hazardous levels have been located in at least 21 neighborhoods across the United States. The source of such lead often comes from factories that used lead in their manufacturing process, and often such factories have long been closed.
One huge concern regarding any toxic tort litigation is that often the cause of such contamination happened so many decades ago that manufacturers will raise statute of limitation arguments or even deny that the source of the substance can be traced back to them. Property owners of the factories where lead was used will claim ignorance that the property they own is the source of the lead.
On behalf of Caroselli Beachler McTiernan & Conboy, L.L.C. posted in Drunk Driving Accidents on Monday, April 23, 2012
The circumstances of every drunk-driving accident are unique and require individual investigation. Recently a Pittsburgh woman charged with a DUI crashed into two cars before coming to a stop. Though the driver remained seated in her car a passenger inside attempted to flee the scene of the accident.
The driver was uninjured in the accident, but she was taken to the hospital for a blood test to determine her blood alcohol level. It was because of the results of these tests that she was charged with driving while under the influence of alcohol.
On behalf of Caroselli Beachler McTiernan & Conboy, L.L.C. posted in Car Accidents on Monday, April 16, 2012
A man involved in a Pittsburgh area hit-and-run accident now faces charges in a pedestrian's death. Such car-pedestrian accidents are unfortunately common and just add insult to injury for victims involved in such a crashes. Not only do family members have to endure the loss, they also are placed in a position of not knowing why the accident occurred and have to expend great resources in attempting to locate the individual responsible for the accident.
The victim was 46-years old. A witness heard a large thud outside of his door and his wife told him a man was lying on the road surrounded by debris from the accident. Two other automobiles approached the scene in the next few minutes where the victim was located. Police traced the debris to a plumbing company and found a damaged van that had just been driven by the driver involved in the accident.
On behalf of Caroselli Beachler McTiernan & Conboy, L.L.C. posted in Workers' Compensation on Monday, April 9, 2012
Too many workers' injuries occur simply because their employer does not have adequate safety measures in place. A Pittsburgh candy factory has now been fined $84,150 by OSHA after a worker suffered serious head injuries while setting up a machine. It seems that the machinery did not have the proper locking mechanisms that would have prevented the machine from starting up while a set up was going on, and in this instance an accidental start up did occur.
It appears that the worker suffered an 8-inch cut to his head and nerve damage to the neck and face due to this accident. OSHA found the candy factory to be in violation of various workplace safety regulations.
On behalf of Caroselli Beachler McTiernan & Conboy, L.L.C. posted in Products Liability on Monday, April 2, 2012
The United States has decided not to hear R.J. Reynolds Tobacco's appear of a number of multi-million dollar verdicts brought against them. The products liability actions that were brought against them concerned four smokers that died of respiratory illnesses. All four individuals began smoking before cigarette manufacturers were required to label their products.
One advocate from SmokeFree Pennsylvania applauded the verdict as a way to force such manufacturers to pay higher costs for marketing such a hazardous product. He hopes that this litigation will drive up the costs of the cigarettes and possibly force the company to promote smoke-free alternative products.
On behalf of Caroselli Beachler McTiernan & Conboy, L.L.C. posted in Burn Injuries on Monday, March 26, 2012
Pennsylvania drivers probably do not give a lot of thought to being burned by seat warmers in their car. Yet a driver who also happened to be a paraplegic claims to have suffered third degree burn injuries as the result of using such a seat warmer.
The problem came about in part because this individual had less sensation in the area being burned to be aware of what was occurring until it was too late. The individual also alleges that there have been many circumstances where paraplegics have been burned by the heaters in a similar manner.
On behalf of Caroselli Beachler McTiernan & Conboy, L.L.C. posted in Drunk Driving Accidents on Monday, March 19, 2012
Those driving under the influence of alcohol put all of us in danger. Recently a pursuit of an allegedly drunken driver that began in West Virginia and ended in Pennsylvania resulted in the death of a deputy sheriff.
It has been alleged that the driver being pursued showed signs of impairment after the fatal accident occurred. The suspect also admitted to drinking alcohol and taking a controlled substance shortly before the crash occurred.
On behalf of Caroselli Beachler McTiernan & Conboy, L.L.C. posted in Car Accidents on Monday, March 12, 2012
The Allegheny County police have charged a woman for a number of crimes that they believe contributed to a fatal car accident. It has been alleged that the woman was driving under the influence and was in possession of drugs that were connected with the crash. She was also charged with attempting to flee the scene of the accident.
According to reports, police had been trying to stop the driver prior to this accident and the woman had swerved into oncoming traffic a number of times as the pursuit continued. At one point the woman was driving the wrong way up a roadway and then collided with another vehicle. As the result of the accident, a 25-year old woman was killed.
