Philadelphia Car Accident Lawyer Blog

As the parent of three boys, two of whom have progressed through the teenage years, I have always expressed a concern for poor decision making by young and inexperienced teenage drivers. After handling catastrophic automobile accident cases in Philadelphia for over three decades, some of the most serious and catastrophic accidents have been caused by teenage drivers. Unfortunately many teenagers still continue to operate vehicles while texting or under the influence of drugs or alcohol, oblivious to the criminal and civil penalties that await them or their parents if an accident should occur.

Distracted driving remains one of the leading causes of horrific car accidents in Pennsylvania and America today. My father used to tell me routinely that an inexperienced driver behind the wheel of a powerful vehicle can be just as dangerous as a man with a gun, not to mention what occurs if we add intoxicating substances into the mix. Unfortunately many teenage drivers feel they are experienced and know more than their parents and yet over and over in depositions, it amazes me how many teenagers and their parents lack a sense of responsibility or culpability after an accident occurs.

Each year over 5,000 teens will die from injuries caused by car crashes and more than a half a million teenagers will sustain injuries serious enough to require emergency treatment according to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

As an experienced Philadelphia car accident attorney and a parent, I reach out to all of my readers to educate their children and friends on the dangers associated with distracted driving and teenagers. If you or a loved one has been injured as the result of a car accident, please contact one of our experienced Philadelphia car accident attorneys for a free, no obligation consultation toll free at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.

Over the past few years as an experienced Philadelphia car accident lawyer and philadelphia trucking accident attorney, during the discovery phase of several catastrophic car accident and truck accident cases, we were able to note that the offending driver was texting at the time of the accident. Several of these texting “just once” events resulted in fatalities to other innocent and unknowing drivers. Texting while driving is a pet peeve of mine since I am often on the other side of the fence representing victims and families of victims who have lost a loved one due to this potentially deadly multitasking combination performed by a defendant driver. Of course, I will admit I used to do it just as I did other silly things when I was younger, but it can be that “just once” incident that leads to an unforgivable and life changing event. When I am in the car with people who text while driving, and chastise them about it, they are quick to tell me “It’s just this one time. Don’t worry I never do it.” Many people believe that an accident will never happen to them and act irresponsibly when they get behind the wheel of a car whether it be driving while intoxicated, texting, or driving while on a cell phone.

Recently a 53-year old man was recently killed when a 19-year old who was allegedly texting while driving took his pickup truck and in a split second hit it straight on over the center into the man’s sedan. In another case, a texting driver rolled an SUV over amputating one of my client’s arms. Unfortunately many of the texting while driving accidents involve teenagers who pride themselves boasting that they can text quickly and control the vehicle, and in my house we have a rule, if you are going to drive a car you are not allowed to make a cell phone call or text. Almost every child and teenager today carries a cell phone and parents must strongly remind and advise their children of the dangers of driving while texting and if that doesn’t work bring them down to my office and I will show them some pictures of what can happen.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a car accident, please contact one of our experienced Philadelphia car accident attorneys for a free, no obligation consultation. For more information contact us toll free at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.

As an experienced Pennsylvania car accident lawyer and citizen of Pennsylvania, I am still amazed how many times I see many drivers running stop signs or traffic lights while still speaking on a cell phone. Just last week, I personally narrowly escaped a car accident when a very young driver operating an SUV ran a stop sign and I noticed she was speaking on a cell phone. She obnoxiously gave me the middle finger as if I had done something wrong after I issued a horn warning.

Just yesterday, a catastrophically injured victim met with me after she was also struck by a teen driver while texting on a cell phone. A new report issued comes as no surprise as it announces that distracted driving is killing more people than ever. It is claimed that at least 5% of all fatality accidents are due to texting and a rapidly growing list of distracted drivers. Such distractions include but are not limited to application of makeup, eating food, ipods, cell phones, and the use of computers and navigation devices inside the vehicle. A bill to ban texting while driving in Pennsylvania is one step closer to becoming law as it won unanimous support from the State House Transportation Committee. The legislation would ban texting by all drivers and prohibit drivers under the age of 18 from using handheld cell phones while behind the wheel.

As an experienced Philadelphia car accident attorney who has represented the families of loved ones who are killed by a texting driver, I am afraid to say that Pennsylvania has been behind the times and legislators have not attacked this issue in an aggressive enough fashion. While several localities have enacted restrictions in cell phone use, including West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, my experience as a car accident lawyer for the past 32 years has revealed just how dangerous multitasking can be while operating a car and I urge all the Pennsylvania legislatures to unanimously support any texting while driving bans.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a car accident, please feel free to contact one of our experienced Philadelphia car accident lawyers. Recently the law firm of Reiff & Bily has joined forces with the Beasley Firm and together both of our law firms have been awarded over $2 billion dollars since 1958. As always, we offer a free, no obligation consultation. Contact us online at www.beasleyreifflawgroup.com or toll free at 1-800-588-0130.

Our hearts and prayers go out to the family Madina Sem, a Fels High School student who had completed her senior project in art therapy to rave reviews and then was tragically struck by an out of control vehicle that ran up on the highway and struck her as she was making her way home from school. Madina Sem, who was one of eight sisters born to Cambodian immigrants, was described as a beautiful young lovely lady. She was a mentor to other teens and helped them all through troubled times. According to news reports, at approximately 4:00 p.m. Ms. Medina got off the bus on Olney Avenue and 2nd Street and had just rounded the corner north on 2nd when she was struck by an out of control car that ran onto the sidewalk. As she lay bleeding on the sidewalk, her sister Melina Sem, 19, ran to the scene and stated that Madina was crying and asked what had happened to her. According to Philadelphia police, Ms. Sem was hit by a car that was struck by another vehicle in a Philadelphia car accident at the intersection suffering multiple fractures and head trauma. She was transported to Albert Einstein Medical Center where her family was informed that she needed immediate surgery to reduce brain swelling. However, at approximately 10:00 p.m., the doctors informed the family that she “did not make it”. News sources reveal that the motorists were also taken to Einstein for treatment of minor injuries and no charges have been filed as the police investigation continues.

Continue reading "Popular And Successful Philadelphia High School Teenager Killed By Runaway Car After Receiving Rave Reviews On Her Senior Project" »

According to Transportation Secretary Raymond LaHood, the ban will go into effect immediately. The experienced Philadelphia car accident and truck accident lawyers of Reiff & Bily have known for years that trucking regulator site research shows that when drivers take their eyes off the road to send and receive text messages on cell phones, they put themselves and other drivers at significantly higher risk for accidents. Drivers of heavy trucks and buses that 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 heavy vehicles take their eyes off the road for five to six seconds while texting. At 55 mph this means that drivers travel the length of a football field, including the end zones, without looking at the road. The National Safety Council estimates that over 200,000 crashes a year are caused by drivers who are texting. Legislation has also been introduced in Congress to extend the ban to all drivers of motor vehicles on a national scale.

As an experienced Philadelphia car accident attorney since 1979, I have handled many cases over the last few years that have been caused by driver inattention due to the fact that the driver was distracted while using a cell phone, either texting or speaking, rather than paying attention to the task of driving and the roadway ahead. One of those cases involved the driver of a truck owned by a corporate defendant who hit our clients head on, catastrophically injuring a husband and wife with permanent injuries. Due to the fact that the employer had deeper pockets than the single driver and that the employer’s liability insurance policy had greater value than the employee’s automobile coverage, we sued both the employer and the employee and were successful.

In Pennsylvania, an employer can be held responsible for an accident caused by their employee when the employee is driving a company vehicle or using his or her personal vehicle while engaged in business related activities. Employers do face potential liability for an accident caused by their employees in the course and scope of their employment by a doctrine known as respondeat superior.

I have been an outspoken advocate against the use of cell phones while driving and all too frequently have represented people who sustain catastrophic injuries or death as a result of driver inattention while using a cell phone. New laws restricting cell phone usage or texting while driving make it important for employers to consider adapting or adopting cell phone policies concerning employees while driving and it is more important than ever for lawyers representing injured persons to fully investigate this area of recovery.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a car accident and you believe that cell phone usage is an issue, please contact one of our experienced Philadelphia car accident attorneys for a free, no obligation consultation.

A new non-profit known as Focus Driven held an introductory news conference to announce that this new national organization will try to make driving and talking on cell phones as illegal and 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 and salute the efforts of Focus Driven and share the vision to prevent injuries and save lives by eliminating cell phone use while driving. While behind the wheel of a car, it is important to concentrate on the road ahead rather than on conversations which take your mind and thoughts off the task at hand. An inattentive driver is operating a weapon at a high speed and often irresponsibly causes catastrophic injuries and fatalities. Many times these accidents involve people who have been drinking while on the phone - a most deadly combination indeed. It is important to note that the five leaders of Focus Driven have all lost loved ones in crashes. I am all too familiar with this scenario and we offer whatever assistance and contribution we can make to this wonderful new cause.

In Pennsylvania we note that the House of Representatives may vote soon on a text messaging ban and that the Senate has passed a measure last year. Other pending legislation in Pennsylvania would ban all cell phone usage by junior drivers.

An epidemic of car accidents occurring while driving a vehicle and operating a cell phone either by talking or texting has resulted in a multitude of catastrophic accidents and fatalities. According to a recent study by the National Safety Council, 28% of all traffic accidents occur when people talk on cell phones or send text messages while driving. The study indicates that a vast majority of those crashes, 1.4 million annually, are caused by cell phone conversations and 200,000 more are blamed on text messaging. Because of the extent of the problem, federal transportation officials unveiled an organization on Tuesday patterned after Mothers Against Drunk Driving that will combat driver’s cell phone use. The group is named Focus Driven which grew out of a meeting of distracted driving sponsored by the United States Department of Transportation.

As an experienced Philadelphia car accident attorney who has handled many catastrophic car accidents resulting from cell phone usage and resulting inattention to the roadway, I salute the efforts of the Focus Driven organization and the attention being thrust upon this epidemic problem. Unfortunately, it is not until you look into the faces of those who have lost a loved one as a result of driver inattention is the gravity of this situation is recognized.

Law enforcement needs stronger laws and better tools to enforce these violations.

Finally and thankfully Philadelphia police will begin enforcing an ordinance banning the use of hand held phone for texting or telephoning while driving beginning on Sunday, November 1, 2009. First the police will issue warnings through November and then on December 1 police will enforce code violations that will incur a $75 fine. If you have a Bluetooth or answer a cellphone through a built in car system you are okay. “As long as you are not holding up a phone to your ear, you are okay,” stated Lt. Frank Vanore of the Philadelphia Police Department.

Our hats go off to the City of Philadelphia for tackling the issue of driving when using cell phones. I have written many articles noting the dangers of phoning and texting while driving or operating any vehicle. A momentary loss of attention often results in fatalities and catastrophic injuries from an otherwise avoidable car accident.

As an experienced Philadelphia car accident attorney, I am all too well aware of the serious and catastrophic injuries and fatalities sustained by victims of drivers not paying full attention to the road. The new ordinance is a step in the right direction and hopefully many of the other counties, cities, and states across our great country will follow in the footsteps of Philadelphia.

As an experienced Philadelphia car accident lawyer and one who has been cognizant about the risks of texting and speaking on mobile phones while driving, I salute President Obama’s signing an executive order prohibiting all Federal employees from text messaging while they are operating motor vehicles. For many years now, I have represented people who have been catastrophically injured or killed as a result of driver inattention due to text messaging or speaking on cell phones. I have written many articles on the subject because unfortunately until you or a family member is a victim of such an accident you are not fully cognizant of the risks of harm and damage involved. Understandably, the Senate is discussing a national ban on text messaging. The Department of Transportation recently held a summit addressing the subject of distracted driving. As an experienced car accident lawyer, I can state with certainty that texting while driving is irresponsible and reckless and a major distraction to the task at hand, namely driving. I have handled numerous cases involving texting teenagers with resulting fatalities and catastrophic injuries. Many times texting and cell phone usage goes hand in hand with marijuana and alcohol usage. Add adverse weather and roadway conditions to the equation, together with teenager drivers, and it can be an accident waiting to happen. Our hearts and prayers go out to the families of victims injured or killed while occupants in a vehicle operated by distracted drivers who were text messaging and we urge legislatures in all the states, as well as the federal government, to ban the use of cell phones and prohibit text messaging while operating motor vehicles. If you or a family member has been injured in a car accident, please contact one of our experienced Philadelphia car accident lawyers for a free no obligation consultation at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.

An article published May 31, 2009 at lancasteronline.com addresses an issue that this experienced Philadelphia car accident lawyer has been writing about on a consistent basis. Namely that texting and talking on a cell phone while driving is extraordinarily dangerous and has resulted in all too many catastrophic injuries and fatalities. Recently, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed a bill aimed at strengthening training requirements for teen drivers and curbing some of the distractions that put them in danger, particularly those addressing texting and cell phone usage.

House Bill 67, which now has to get through the Pennsylvania State Senate would prohibit teens with junior licenses from transporting more than one unrelated passenger under the age of 18. Additionally, teen drivers with junior licenses and learners permits would be prohibited from using cell phones or other wireless communication devices while driving. The Bill also seeks to add 10 hours of night time driving and 5 hours of inclement weather driving to the 50 hours of practice that are currently required of teens preparing to take their driving test. The Bill passed the Pennsylvania House of Representatives by an overwhelming margin.

As I have written on numerous occasions in the past, a car operated by young and inexperienced driver who was multi-tasking and on a cell phone can be like a high speed weapon with catastrophic safety consequences. Unfortunately, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation in 2008 there were 8,628 crashes involving 16 and 17 year old drivers with 64 fatalities. The experienced Philadelphia car accident lawyers at Reiff & Bily are all too familiar with catastrophic injuries and fatalities resulting from inexperienced and multi-tasking drivers operating cell phones and texting when their full attention should be on the road. We applaud the initiative taken by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in passing House Bill 67 and hopefully, the Senate will unanimously approve this Bill which promotes driver and roadway safety.

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

According to a news sources, Meghan L. Obendorfer, 18, was exceeding the speed limit on a rain slicked creek road in East Brandywine Township at 4:30 p.m. on April 14th when she failed to negotiate a curve and slid into the path of a school bus in the opposite lane. Obendorfer’s passenger, Nicholette Pomon, 17, of Downingtown, who was 9 months pregnant, was pronounced dead at the scene and a certificate of fatal death was issued to her nearly full term baby daughter. The driver of the school bus was treated for injuries. The driver of the vehicle was charged with homicide by vehicle, reckless driving and marijuana possession. Phone records indicated that the driver Obendorfer received 39 messages and calls in the hour preceding the crash and text messages indicated she was en route to deliver marijuana.

I have written many times in the past about the dangers of text messaging and using a cell phone when driving and this is an extreme example of the dangers and resulting catastrophic injuries and wrongful death that can occur.

Our hearts and prayers go out to the family of Nicolette Pomon and the experienced car accident lawyers at Reiff & Bily strongly urge Pennsylvania legislators to follow the lead in New Jersey and other states in banning the use of cell phones while operating a motor vehicle.

The family of Nicolette Pomon would be well advised to seek the services of an experienced car accident lawyer who can investigate this matter and protect the rights of Nicolette Pomon and her family. Please contact one of the experienced car accident lawyers of Reiff & Bily at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.

For many years, the experienced Philadelphia car accident attorneys at Reiff & Bily have been representing catastrophically injuried individuals, as well as wrongful death cases resulting from people driving a vehicle while on a cell phone and not paying attention to the rules of the road.

Last week, the legislators of Pennsylvania, for some reason which I cannot comprehend, voted to add a $50 fine for drivers who are caught using a cell phone while driving carelessly. This experienced car accident attorney would have preferred to have seen a law with more teeth in it.

I salute the efforts of Republican Josh Shapiro, a Montgomery County Democrat, who stressed that he wanted to enable police to give a driver a $50 ticket if they were caught chatting on a hand cell phone or sending text messages while driving. However, a majority of his colleagues did not agree. As Representative Shapiro is aware, there have been thousands of accidents that have occurred on Pennsylvania roads due to cell phone usage since 2002. As I have previously blogged studies such as The New England Journal of Medicine has noted that being on the phone while driving makes people four times as likely to crash as those who are simply driving.

I am personally involved in a case at the moment where a gentleman has lost his arm due to the fact that he was a passenger in a vehicle where the driver was sending a text message while operating his vehicle, causing the vehicle to roll over and eject the passenger. Any person can understand that usage of a cell phone while driving causes a cognitive distraction significant enough to degrade the driver’s performance.

Continue reading "Philadelphia Car Accident Attorney Strongly Disagrees With Pennsylvania Legislature’s Choice Not To Ban Cell Phone Use While Driving" »

As a practicing Philadelphia car accident attorney since 1979, I have written many times about the use of cell phones by teenagers for text messaging or speaking while operating a motor vehicle. The two simply do not go together and according to recent surveys often times result in catastrophic injuries or deaths.

I salute the efforts of State Representative Kate Harper (R-Montgomery) who is co-sponsoring House Bill 67 which will impose restrictions on 16 and 17-year olds. If the legislation passes, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will join 18 other states and the District of Columbia putting cell phone limits on young drivers.

Continue reading "Philadelphia Car Accident Attorney Tips Hat To Pennsylvania State Rep. Kate Harper (R-Montgomery) For Co-Sponsoring A Bill Which Would Impose Restrictions On 16 and 17-Year Old Drivers Regarding The Use Of Cell Phones While Operating Motor Vehicles" »

Not so surprisingly, a team at the University of Alabama in Birmingham reported on Monday, January 26th that children who talk on cell phones while crossing streets are 43% more likely to be hit by a car than when they are not using their phones or their phones are turned off.

According to doctoral student Despina Stavrinos, whose study appeared in the Journal of Pediatrics, “cell phones clearly offer convenience to safeguard families but they may also pose a risk.” Stavrinos stated that children, as well as others who attempt to multi-task while talking on a cell phone, “reduce cognitive capacity to devote to potentially dangerous activities such as crossing streets.” Not only were the children using cell phones distracted, but also the study noted that it took these individuals about 20% longer to begin crossing the street and they were 43% more likely to be hit by a vehicle or have a close call when they are on their phone. Children also forgot to look both ways at about 20% of the crossings while on the phone and they cut it a bit closer giving themselves about 8% less time to cross safely in front of oncoming traffic.

Continue reading "Children and Pedestrians On Cell Phones Are More Likely To Be Involved In An Accident - Philadelphia Car Accident Lawyer, Jeffrey Reiff, Opines" »