Philadelphia Car Accident Lawyer Blog

Philadelphia car accident and uninsured/underinsured motorist accident lawyers at the Philadelphia law firm of Reiff & Bily have consistently watched as the tight economy fuels a surge in the amount of uninsured and underinsured drivers. Statistics now reveal that odds are increasing nationally that a driver involved in a catastrophic car accident is uninsured. David Corum, Vice President of the Insurance Research Council, (IRC) states that company and state officials are expecting an increase of uninsured and underinsured motorists in the next year. Mr. Corum stated “As unemployment rates go up, you have to expect more drivers to take that risk”. Nationally, the 2007 estimated percentage of uninsured motorist drivers was 13.8% and is projected to reach 16.1% this year. The number of uninsured drivers in Pennsylvania is expected to climb even higher.

Unfortunately, as the economy tightens, people look to save and want to believe that they are never going to be in an accident. In the list of priorities, they would rather keep the house and lose the car and since many of these people are already “under water” with debt to equity ratio of their homes, it really doesn’t matter in their minds if they get in an accident because they are already buried in debt and what difference will it make?

Statistics show that there are an ever growing number of drivers who are unable to show financial responsibility and more concerning do not even have the money to pay to have their driver’s license reinstated after suspension or revocation. Many insurance agents I speak to regarding the situation have noted that many of their clients are calling in to see what they can do to save money and most of the time, in this attorney’s opinion, are erroneously taking cheaper coverage, asking for limited tort instead of full tort, as well as dropping collision and comprehensive, uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage and if it is an older vehicle, they are just taking the risk. We have even noted that many insurance agents are advocating and selling deficient insurance products that do not fully protect their clients and are recouping higher commissions. Unfortunately, this is not discovered by the injured client until it is too late.

Continue reading " Pennsylvania Uninsured Motorist Crisis Continues To Worsen - Don’t Always Listen to Your Insurance Agent " »

Over the next few weeks, many colleges, high schools and universities will have numerous students traveling on the roadways for spring break holidays. Roads will be more congested and there will also be more usage of 15-passenger van and SUV, the vehicle of choice for many.

Unfortunately, another single vehicle van rollover accident occurred last week. A Toyota Sienna passenger vehicle enroute to California for vacation with a driver and four of his college friends attempted to change lanes and in the process there was a car in his blind spot. The operator of the vehicle swerved back to the right lane and overcorrected back to the left and went rolling through the median in a typical single vehicle van rollover situation. The impact from the collision caused severe injuries to the passengers in the van.

What many students and drivers fail to recognize is that many of the SUVs and 15-passenger vans on the road today are unsafe in an accident avoidance and over-correction situation. When operating these vans, you must pay close attention to dangerous handling characteristics and make sure that before changing lanes you have a clear passageway and make adjustments before they escalate into catastrophic problems.

Most rollover accidents seem to be catastrophic. Rollover victims are more than twice as likely to die or suffer catastrophic injuries than typical motor vehicle collision victims involved in flat crashes.

Philadelphia based SUV rollover and 15-passenger van rollover lawyers at Reiff & Bily represent clients throughout Pennsylvania and the United States and are committed to holding the manufacturers of these vehicles responsible for physical injuries and associated financial costs that could have easily been prevented.

If you have been injured in an SUV or 15-passenger van rollover, please call us for a free no obligation evaluation of your case at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.

As an experienced rollover attorney, I have noted on my blog in the past that all utility terrain vehicles are extraordinarily dangerous and improper usage often results in catastrophic and disabling injuries including amputations and death.

Recently a report entitled “Citizen Report On UTV Vehicle Hazards ”(report) was submitted by victims of UTV rollovers including the parents of children who were injured or killed in automobile accidents, as well as adult victims to The Trauma Foundation and The Center For Auto Safety.

In our opinion, the Yamaha Rhino is one of the most unsafe of the UTVs and reports have been sent to The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Consumer Products Safety Commission and to key members of Congress, as well as The Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle Association which represents UTV manufacturers. Many lawsuits have been filed against Yamaha, the manufacturer of the Rhino, claiming that it is rollover prone with numerous safety defects. Yamaha was aware of problems and risk of injury and offered to install half doors free of charge for all 2004 to 2007 Rhinos. Yamaha never issued a recall of the vehicle and as a result, it is estimated that there are many Rhinos being operated with a design inadequate to prevent many injuries that Yamaha knows occurs when these vehicles rollover. Yamaha rollover accidents often lead to catastrophic injuries. These injuries are life altering and can leave the victim unable to work, making costly medical bills even more of a financial burden.

If you have been injured in a Yamaha Rhino rollover, SUV rollover or 15-passenger van rollover, you are legally entitled to hold the manufacturer responsible for your physical injuries and associated costs. Reiff & Bily has achieved an excellent reputation in the area of product liability and rollover accidents and in recognition of their accomplishments both Jeffrey Reiff and Raymond Bily have been named Superlawyers for seven consecutive years by Law and Politics Magazine and Philadelphia Magazine. If you have any questions regarding a Yamaha Rhino rollover, you can reach an experienced rollover attorney at Reiff & Bily by calling us at 1-800-21-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.

It is now becoming commonplace in my law practice to review cases involving catastrophic injuries and fatalities that involve the operator of a motor vehicle sending a text message while driving. Unfortunately, too many bad things happen to good people that could have been easily prevented and although text messaging while driving is dangerous, it is legal in all too many states and jurisdictions.

Last week Mississippi lawmakers passed a Senate bill with an amendment that bans text messaging while driving for those with intermediate licenses and temporary learning and driving permits. I feel that the ban on text messaging should apply to all motor vehicle operators. Any critics of the ban on texting while driving state that it is an example of over government regulation. However, when you sit in the shoes of this experienced car accident attorney, there is a lot to learn when you see cases involving amputations, wrongful deaths and traumatic brain injury due to the fact that the operator of the vehicle was not paying attention. A motor vehicle operated by someone who is not paying complete attention to the rules of the road is just as dangerous as a gun or any other weapon. Driving a motor vehicle is a privilege and not a right and there should be certain rules and regulations passed that insure that one safely complies with this privilege.

If you or a loved has been injured as the result of a car accident, please contact the Philadelphia car accident lawyers at Reiff & Bily at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.

As an experienced Philadelphia car accident attorney, I have written in the past noting that the holidays, particularly St. Patrick’s Day is an invitation for drunk drivers to take to the road. Periods following the holidays are often busy times in our office consulting with innocent victims who have been injured due to an automobile accident caused by an intoxicated driver. Thankfully, PennDOT has announced that they will be stepping up drunk driving enforcement efforts in many of the Pennsylvania counties. There may be sobriety check points, roving DUI patrols and undercover police in bars and speed and seat belt enforcement according to PennDOT. Quite simply, I need not repeat myself that drinking and driving do not go together.

Sadly in Pennsylvania many wrongful deaths and catastrophic injuries occur during holidays, particularly St. Patrick’s Day, which should be a time of enjoyment not resulting in emergency room trips or fatalities. In Pennsylvania, people who are harmed by drunk drivers may file lawsuits against irresponsible and reckless bar owners, as well as intoxicated drinkers.

Pennsylvania Dram Shop and alcohol related injury lawyers at the Philadelphia car accident law firm of Reiff & Bily have fought against drunk driving and resulting catastrophic injuries and fatalities since 1979. It is important that people who irresponsibly sell alcohol to individuals on St. Patty’s Day or any other day for that matter can be held financially responsible for resulting injuries and fatalities for selling alcohol to an intoxicated individual.

The experienced Dram Shop and Philadelphia car accident law firm of Reiff & Bily have the knowledge and personal experience necessary to investigate drunk driving accidents and hold owners of bars, restaurants, hotels, social hosts and individuals responsible for the injuries or deaths caused by drunk drivers.

If you or a loved one has been killed or injured as a result of a drunk driving accident, please feel free to contact us for a free, no obligation consultation at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.

The Philadelphia car accident and Dram Shop lawyers of Reiff & Bily continue to be astounded when people fail to take responsibility for their actions, particularly while driving when intoxicated. In our opinion, these individuals are the worst offenders and deserve to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law criminally and civilly for the damages and harm that they cause. Recently, an Easton, Pennsylvania man identified as 44-year old Scott Allan Witmer, who represented himself in a court hearing, stated that the police lacked jurisdiction to pull him over and furthermore stated “I live inside myself not in Pennsylvania” and stated there was no victim in the crime. This is according to news sources published March 10, 2009 in the Daily Item, Easton, Pennsylvania. ((news article)

What this gentleman fails to recognize is that the drunk driving laws of Pennsylvania apply to everyone and are intended to deter such irresponsible behaviors which often lead up to catastrophic injuries and fatalities to innocent victims.

Unfortunately thousands of people die on Pennsylvania and national highways ever year as the result of alcohol related incidents. In Pennsylvania, people who are harmed by drunk drivers may file a law suit against irresponsible and reckless bar owners, as well as an intoxicated driver. An intoxicated person who causes a catastrophic accident or fatality while operating a motor vehicle, as well as a business or personal establishment or social host who gave alcohol to a visibly intoxicated person, is legally responsible for any damage that person may cause.

Continue reading " A Man Suspected Of Driving Under The Influence States That The Laws Do Not Apply To Him And The Court’s Have No Jurisdiction Over Him In Pennsylvania " »

The Philadelphia SUV rollover lawyers at Reiff & Bily have been handling and researching single vehicle SUV rollover cases for many years and written about their inherent dangers in previous articles. On March 8, 2009, four teenagers, ages 16 to 19, were critically and catastrophically injured when the SUV they were driving spun out of control and flipped over in Southwest Philadelphia. Two female passengers were found ejected and the two male passengers were found inside the overturned vehicle. Police state that the cause of the accident was unknown.

Thousands of deaths occur each year in the United States due to SUV rollovers. My heart and prayers go out to the four teenagers and their families. I constantly monitor single SUV and 15-passenger van rollovers when compiling “other similar incidents” for our SUV rollover research and SUV rollover legal practice. I am astounded that these vehicles are notorious for the tendency to rollover and cause catastrophic injuries and fatalities and continue to be so prevalently used. The families of these injured teenagers would be well advised to seek the counsel of an experienced Pennsylvania auto product defect and SUV rollover lawyer who will have an expert examine the vehicle for product defects (well noted and documented) in SUV rollovers. A knowledgeable Philadelphia car accident attorney would also advise the owner of this vehicle to preserve it in its current crash condition so that it can be examined for mechanical malfunction, product defects and other evidence.

If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in an SUV rollover accident, please contact the SUV rollover lawyers at Reiff & Bily at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.

The Philadelphia car accident and serious personal injury law firm of Reiff & Bily is pleased and honored to announce that Jeffrey M. Reiff and Raymond M. Bily have once again been selected as Pennsylvania Superlawyers. The established Philadelphia catastrophic injury law firm of Reiff & Bily is a boutique legal practice with 30 years of experience exclusively handling catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases. Jeffrey Reiff and Raymond Bily have also been recognized by Martindate-Hubble with their highest rankings regarding legal skills and ethics and have been listed in Preeminent Lawyers of America as well and have received other national and international recognitions.

Jeffrey Reiff and Raymond Bily are passionate advocates representing the rights of seriously injured and aggrieved individuals in Pennsylvania and throughout the United States of America.

Jeffrey Reiff and Raymond Bily are honored to have been selected by a statewide survey of lawyers and independent research which identifies outstanding lawyers in their field. The Superlawyer selection process includes a blue ribbon panel reviewed by each practice area and a discipline check of each candidate. The selection involves transparent, multi-phase process.