Philadelphia Car Accident Lawyer Blog

There have been an increasing number of defective trailer cases in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and nationwide. On May 7, 2009, a wayward trailer slowed traffic after it became unhooked, spun out and flipped over, dumping its contents on the roadway. The trailer was being hauled by a Dodge Durango. Although no other vehicles were involved in this accident, what would have happened if this trailer hit another vehicle or a school bus? Fortunately, this accident occurred at 5:00 a.m. when the roads are normally empty.

Unfortunately, the defective trailer and car accident lawyers at Reiff and Bily have participated in cases where other victims were not so lucky and there were multiple catastrophic injuries and wrongful deaths. If you or a loved one has been involved in an accident involving a loose trailer, defective trailer, or has sustained catastrophic and serious injuries as a result of a car accident, please feel free to contact the Philadelphia car accident lawyers at Reiff and Bily for a free no obligation consultation at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.

Michelle Kott of North Strabane Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania died after the car she was driving was hit by a trailer which came loose from a pickup truck and crossed over a median on Route 19. An investigation by the police revealed that the trailer became dislodged from the truck as the driver of the pickup truck applied his brakes causing the trailer to rotate around the driver side of the vehicle, causing it to break free of the truck and cross over a cement median. The truck went up over the hood of the Kott vehicle and through the windshield. The young mother sustained massive head fractures, eye and ankle injuries, and an abdominal blood clot. The driver of the pickup truck, Ryan Bier, told investigators in North Strabane that he “felt the trailer pulling hard on the side and then heard a loud pop”. Our hearts go out to the family of Michelle Kott and the passengers in her vehicle.

The experience defective trailer lawyers at the Philadelphia defective trailer law firm of Reiff and Bily have had extensive experience representing victims that have been injured or killed as a result of trailer accidents.

Continue reading "Trailer Breaks Free From Pickup Truck And Kills Woman After Going Through Her Windshield" »

A Washington County, Pennsylvania woman was killed and another woman and child were severely injured when a runaway trailer broke loose from a truck that was pulling it and struck a car on Route 19 in Washington County, Pennsylvania (video report).

Unfortunately, the force of the trailer’s impact on the driver of a Ford Tempo in oncoming traffic was devastating. According to an eyewitness, the trailer went through the windshield peeling back the car’s roof, killing the victim, Michelle Kott, on the spot. The crash also catastrophically injured Kott’s friend, Brandy Curtis, and her 5-year old daughter. The driver of the pickup truck, Ryan Bier, told North Strabane police investigators that he “felt the trailer pulling hard on the truck and heard a loud pop.” Bier also told police investigators that “the wind moved the trailer from side to side and that a large crosswind came across Route 19 and picked the trailer up off the roadway and tossed it into oncoming traffic.” The driver’s twin brother also told a of a “yank on the truck, a loud pop and a large gust of wind pulled the trailer off the roadway and crashed into the car.” Apparently, Pennsylvania State Police investigators are testing the hitch and chain of the towing hitch and the investigation continues.

Continue reading "Runaway Trailer Kills Pennsylvania Woman and Injures Two Others - Philadelphia Defective Trailer Lawyer Speaks Out" »

Seemingly, the trailer industry continues to manufacture products and couplers that are devoid of Federal regulation and regulations of many states including Pennsylvania. I have noticed on my blog repeatedly that for every trailer that is manufactured under a 3,000 pound threshold there are no minimum regulatory safety or manufacturing requirements. In fact, anyone can build one, anyone can drive one and anyone can take one home in ten minutes with very little or no training.

There is a gentleman by the name of Ron Melacon who has been a consumer crusader for many years and I urge you to go to his website at www.dangeroustrailers.org for more information on this pressing issue.

A week before Christmas there was a very high profile accident in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania resulting in death due to a defectively hitched trailer. As one drives down our streets and highways, we often see trailers swaying in a dangerous fashion and yet community, state and Federal governments have done very little to regulate or enforce rules regulating the thousands of trailers that are hitched to vehicles that travel on our roadways on any given day.

Continue reading "Defective Trailer and Trailer Hitch Lawyer Claims That Minimal or Non-Regulation of Trailer Industry and Trailer Towing Requires Complete Overhaul in Pennsylvania and Many Other States" »