Philadelphia Car Accident Lawyer Blog

A Chester County Pennsylvania jury found a Coatesville restaurant liable for having served a man who was visibly intoxicated and thereafter drove his vehicle into a violent head-on collision. The intoxicated driver of the striking vehicle had been drinking at the Famous Mexican restaurant and bar in Coatesville, PA before getting in his car and smashing head-on into the victims’ car just four miles down the road. The driver was later deported to Mexico and the restaurant has since closed.

Since 1979, Philadelphia car accident lawyers of Reiff & Bily has successfully represented victims of drunk driving car accidents who have suffered serious personal injury or death and who have lost loved ones in drunk driving accidents. The case in point is almost identical to a case that the lawyers at Reiff & Bily are currently handling where a man who had been drinking to the point of extreme intoxication at one of Pennsylvania’s casinos left and struck one of our clients head-on causing permanent and disfiguring injuries. Under Pennsylvania law, it is illegal to drive with a blood alcohol level of .08% or higher.

As an experienced Philadelphia car accident attorney since 1979, there is one thing that I am certain of: any distraction or impairment of your faculties while driving can lead to catastrophic consequences. The majority of car accidents are caused by distracted drivers such as those who talk on cell phones. As an animal lover who owns a dog and a few cats, I too must confess that I am guilty of this offense.

We recently investigated a claim where a young boy was struck and catastrophically injured by a car being operated with an over-aggressive and anxious pet dog in the front seat that kept interfering with the driver’s functioning and abilities. The driver of the stricken vehicle claimed that her dog jumped onto her and then to the floor interfering with her ability to properly see and operate the controls. Many readers are aware that pets in cars have a tendency to wander around and sometimes can even go to the floor level where the brakes and accelerator pedals are positioned. If you have a pet wandering around your car when you are driving, there is an excellent chance that you will be distracted.

Recently when driving, my dog attempted to jump from the back seat to the front seat, scratching the leather console, and I must guiltily confess that my attention was drawn away from the road, but thankfully I did not have an accident. Additionally, if one has to take an accident avoidance maneuver or apply the brakes in a sudden fashion, a pet is another loose object that can be thrown about the vehicle impairing driving ability. A recent survey by AAA Foundation for Traffic and Safety revealed that an overwhelming 80% of respondents state that they have driven with their pets in a variety of car trips and only 17% claim that they use any form of pet restraint system. A few safety tips to be offered:

1. Use safety barriers throughout your car to prevent your pet from being projected in case of a short stop or accident avoidance maneuver.

2. Purchase a dog or cat restraint system to insure that the animal behaves properly while riding and that the restraint prevents it from hitting the hard interior of the vehicle in a sudden stop.

3. Place your dog or cat in an animal carrier and secure it properly. When using a pet carrier, it is important that it be secured properly so that it doesn’t fly around during a collision.

The Pennsylvania car accident law firm of Reiff & Bily is committed to motorist safety and offers a free no obligation consultation to those who are injured as a result of a motor vehicle accident. For more information, contact us at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.

Recent news reports indicate that celebrity plastic surgeon Frank Ryan who died in a car crash may have been sending text messages right before the fatal crash. According to sources, celebrity publicist Charmaine Blake informed People Magazine that Dr. Ryan’s family was told by investigators that tweeting caused the fatal car accident. The California Highway Patrol confirmed that Ryan was texting before the crash but investigators have not officially determined the cause of the accident. Dr. Ryan was a plastic surgeon who famously performed ten surgeries on Heidi Montag and other stars such as Gene Simmons, Vince Neil, Adrianne Currey, and Shauna Sand.

I am an experienced Philadelphia car accident lawyer who for many years advocated against the use of cell phones and argued to ban texting by drivers while operating motor vehicles. When one uses a cell phone to text a message, research reveals that the driver takes his eyes off the road and puts himself and others at a significantly high risk of accidents. In fact, drivers of heavy trucks and buses who are texting are 23.2 times more likely to be involved in a crash or near crash event than those who are not texting while driving. Studies have indicated that drivers of vehicles who take their eyes off the road for 5 to 6 seconds while texting result in hundreds of thousands of fatal crashes a year. In this experienced car accident attorney’s opinion, talking on cell phones and texting while driving should be made illegal in all states and as socially unacceptable as being drunk behind the wheel.

The experienced Philadelphia car accident lawyers of Reiff & Bily have long been outspoken critics against talking or texting on cell phones while behind the wheel of a car. Our hearts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Dr. Frank Ryan. This unfortunate and tragic accident should send a loud message that texting while driving can be a deadly combination. If you or a loved one has been involved in a Pennsylvania car accident, please feel free to contact one of our experienced Pennsylvania car accident attorneys for a free no obligation consultation at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.

A 22-year old man was killed after his 1996 Toyota collided head on with a trailer that was being towed and broke loose from a 1995 Toyota. The trailer crossed the center line after detachment killing the 22-year old victim. News sources have described this event as a freak accident. Unfortunately, as an experienced trailer accident lawyer for more than 30 years, I feel comfortable stating that this situation is not so unique and happens on a regular basis, causing catastrophic injury and killing many unknowing and innocent victims. For more information, I direct you to a wonderful website maintained by consumer advocate Ron Melancon entitled dangeroustrailers.org. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of this victim. The family of the victim would be well served to seek the services of an experienced defective trailer and car accident lawyer to fully investigate this claim and to hold the responsible parties accountable for compensatory and possible punitive damages. The experienced defective trailer firm of Reiff & Bily has a successful track record with car accident and trailer accident cases since 1979.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident, trailer accident, or truck accident as the result of a defective trailer, please contact one of our experienced Pennsylvania trailer accident lawyers for a free no obligation consultation at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.

Recently 47-year old Michelle Philpots was featured on The Today Show, as well as in a number of articles, claiming that after two serious motor accidents more than 20 years ago, she has developed a rare form of amnesia from the resulting brain injuries. These injuries erase her recent memories each night and keep her stuck in the year 1994. Her memory loss has been brought on by a condition known as anterograde amnesia and every morning Philpots wakes up thinking that it is still 1994, the last year that she can fully remember. Philpots told Today Show host Matt Laurer during her Today Show appearance, “I didn’t want to be different. I wanted to be back to the normal me and not the shell of a person. I want my career back. I want to be able to say I remember when again and knowing that’s the life you lost, you can’t do it.” In 1985, Philpots was in a motorcycle accident and 5 years later in a serious car accident. Both resulted in severe head trauma which caused the anterograde amnesia, a condition that allows the brain to remember past events but not those in the future.

As an experienced Pennsylvania car accident attorney since 1979 whose law firm has handled in excess of 20,000 car accident cases, I am well aware of the occurrence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) when a blow to the head damages the brain as a result of a car accident. Motor vehicle accidents are the predominant cause of traumatic brain injuries. When an individual suffers a traumatic brain injury or closed head trauma, the extent of the injury depends on the areas of the brain that were damaged. Traumatic brain injuries may result in memory loss, paralysis, sensory loss, diminished cognitive function, and communication problems. These symptoms are often permanent and sometimes brain injury and closed head trauma victims may not recognize the extent of the injuries until weeks after the injuries have occurred. Even people displaying less severe symptoms may discover that a slight loss in coordination or slower cognitive ability prevents them from performing their work at the same level as before the injury. Accordingly, the medical, recovery, and cost of living expenses resulting from a traumatic brain injury or closed head trauma can be very high.

The experienced Philadelphia car accident lawyers at Reiff & Bily fully investigate your claim and offer a free no obligation consultation to determine if you are in a position to obtain compensation from the party responsible for your injuries so that you can recover your medical expenses, rehabilitation, lost income, pain and suffering, and home or resident care. Our record of success speaks for itself. For further information, please contact us at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.

Test results have revealed that people with sleep apnea perform just as poorly or worse on driving performance tests as those that are legally intoxicated. Sleep studies have revealed that people with sleep apnea, a breathing disorder that disrupts sleep, are at least double the risk of being in a car crash. An academic study recently revealed that patients with sleep apnea are 3 to 5 times more likely to be in a serious car accident involving personal injury. Not only is the number of car and truck crashes startling but even more surprising is the severity of the crashes and how many catastrophic injuries and fatalities have occurred.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the U.S. Department of Transportation Task Force in Pulmonary Disorders noted that untreated obstructive sleep apnea is a preventable cause of numerous car and truck accidents. Many times the condition results in deadly consequences and has risen to epidemic proportions in regard to commercial truck drivers. No one on the roadways is immune. An individual with sleep apnea can fall asleep within minutes in a quiet or monotonous environment such as driving at night and many times during the daytime. The cost of car accidents due to sleep apnea has been estimated to be in the billions each year. In fact, the costs are so high that it would be cheaper to diagnose and treat all drivers with sleep apnea.

Unfortunately very little is being done about this silent epidemic in the trucking industry which has particularly worsened considering that there are over 4.7 million commercial truck drivers on the highways and studies indicates that more than 28% of them have sleep apnea. Such a result implies that over 1.3 million truck drivers are affected. Many trucking companies and drivers knowing the serious risks and dangers posed by sleep apnea still choose to turn a blind eye to this clear and present danger to the motoring public.

The experienced Pennsylvania car accident law firm of Reiff & Bily carefully investigate all of our trucking and car accident cases for the involvement of sleep apnea and other medical or physical conditions which may explain to the insurance company or the jury why our clients have been injured and why we are greedy for justice including punitive damages. If you or a loved one has been involved in a Pennsylvania motor vehicle accident, please feel free to contact one of our experienced car accident and truck accident attorneys for a free no obligation consultation. Our record of success since 1979 speaks for itself.

A recent study revealed that what might appear to be a simple whiplash may also cause anatomical changes resulting in brain injury. It has long been known that whiplash can cause injuries to the cervical spine. However, in the July issue of The Journal of Brain Injury coauthored by Ezriel E. Kornel, M.D. FACS and Michael Friedman, Ph.D. it was determined that there was a definitive connection between whiplash and brain injury and examination of MRI scans of 1,200 neck pain patients revealed that those patients suffering from whiplash were more likely to have anatomical changes to the brain resulting in brain injury, specifically herniation of the brain called a “Chiari malformation” where the bottom part of the brain the cerebellum dips through an opening in the base of the skull after whiplash injury. The preliminary findings indicated that brain injury occurred in 23% of whiplash cases studied. This condition can be quite painful and endanger a patient’s health with symptoms including headaches, neck pain, upper extremity numbness, tingling and weakness and in a few cases there can also be lower extremity weakness and brain dysfunction. Dr. Cornell advised that anyone suffering from whiplash to see a physician immediately.

At the Philadelphia car accident law firm of Reiff & Bily, we have successfully handled over 20,000 automobile accidents claims since 1979 and are all too familiar with closed head trauma and brain injuries that result from the same. If you or a loved one has been involved in a Pennsylvania car accident, please feel free to contact one of our experienced Philadelphia car accident lawyers at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.