Philadelphia Car Accident Lawyer Blog

The violent forces that occur as a result of a car accident often leave innocent victims with a traumatic brain injury that will greatly affect their daily abilities to fully function after a car accident. Many times a traumatic brain injury will result in a lifetime of rehabilitative training, extensive medical bills, and loss of a job which can take the wind out of the sails of a victim and their family emotionally and financially.

A traumatic brain injury can range from a mild occurrences such as a concussion which will normally resolve with no long term health consequences to a severe trauma to the brain which often occurs in a sudden acceleration/deceleration injury or the result of a penetrating injury to the head.

As an experienced traumatic brain injury and car accident lawyer for over three decades who has handled tens of thousands of car accident cases, I have observed that many cases are worked up by attorneys or physicians unfamiliar with traumatic brain injury symptoms, and unfortunately it is only after a case is resolved that a proper diagnosis has been made. Too many inexperienced car accident attorneys look for the “Easy A” and quickly settle a case without proper due diligence for health concerns that will impact the victim and their family for a lifetime. TBI is often difficult to recognize and the damage is not readily apparent and requires a thorough evaluation and investigation by trained physicians, neurologists, and attorneys with experience in the field.

Many symptoms of traumatic brain injuries include but are not limited to memory issues, behavioral changes and irritability, speak and language difficulty, nausea, vomiting, headaches, seizures, pupil dilation, ringing in the ears, fractures of the skull, loss of consciousness, depression, loss of life's enjoyment pleasures and libido, and inability to function in an emotional and mental level as the victim did prior to the accident. TBI is also referred to as a silent, hidden epidemic and often goes undiagnosed.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a car accident or truck accident or has suffered a blow to the head as the result of negligence of another or a product defect, it pays to have a free, no obligation consultation with an experienced car accident and traumatic brain injury lawyer.

To our dear clients, friends, and family,

On this holiday of Thanksgiving, we want to offer our heartfelt thanks to all of our clients, friends, and families whose lives we have touched and whose lives have touched us. We can only hope that we will continue to strive to keep all of our clients satisfied by the way we practice law. We recognize that the difference between ordinary and extraordinary is just a little bit extra. Our lawyers and staff continuously strive for excellence in everything they do and recognize that the price of greatness is responsibility and understanding. We recognize that sometimes it is difficult to remain sane in an insane world and that everyone needs help from everyone.

Thank you for your courtesies, patience, and confidence, and for recognizing that litigation can be and is often a stressful process. We thank you for allowing us to become part of your family. Most importantly, we thank you for allowing us to serve you.

With the utmost appreciation and thanks,

Happy Thanksgiving

Jeffrey Reiff
Raymond Bily
And Staff

It was with great interest that I read a story written by Carole Tarrant on Sunday, May 30, 2010 in the Roanoke Times. Ms. Tarrant writes about a situation that I have been aware of for at least 20 years as an experienced Pennsylvania truck and car accident attorney and as a driver familiar with Pennsylvania Interstate 81. Specifically, big rigs and truckers seem to dominant Interstate 81's stream of traffic. The author noted that large trucks crowd you out, cut you off, run up your rear, and go way too slow scaling the steep mountains. Trucks seem to easily outnumber cars on Route 81. Many people have been catastrophically injured or killed on Route 81 in catastrophic truck accidents. So much so that roanoke.com decided to create a forum of reporters to compile and interpret the wealth of traffic data concluding that I-81 is unusual due to its high percentage of truck traffic and because the outcomes of accidents when trucks are involved happen to be especially poor.

As our law office has investigated many truck accidents on Interstate 81, I applaud the efforts of Carole Tarrant and her team at roanoke.com and The Roanoke Times for their investigative series seeking facts behind fears of Interstate 81 and bringing the same to the public’s as well as lawmakers’ attention.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a truck or trailer accident in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, please feel free to contact one of our experienced Pennsylvania truck and trailer accident attorneys for a free no obligation consultation. We have a successful track record for 31 years and are committed to the safety of drivers on the roadways of Pennsylvania. Please contact us online at www.reiffandbily.com or at 1-800-421-9595.

As I have noted in a previous blog, some states have decided to do away with mandatory vehicle inspections. As an experienced Philadelphia car accident and truck accident attorney, I have all too often seen the results of defective and mechanically improper vehicles on the roadways which cause catastrophic injuries and fatalities. On December 15, 2009, the part owner of a tractor trailer with faulty brakes that had never been inspected pled guilty to vehicular homicide of an innocent 50-year old man, a third degree felony. He also pled guilty to two summary offenses for putting a vehicle on the road with defective brakes and with brake lining too thin for safe operation. It turns out that this vehicle bore an inspection sticker but the vehicle was never inspected. The sticker had been purchased from a garage in Philadelphia. Both the mechanic who passed the truck without looking at it and the vehicle’s part owner who drove it pled guilty to the vehicular homicide and related charges. All three will be sentenced.

In addition to the fatality, another individual, age 55, was catastrophically injured. The vehicle was carrying a heavy load of vegetables and was in the passing lane and stopped because of heavy traffic but the vehicle could not stop because all ten brake assemblies were so overworked and cracked that the brake drums were close to rupturing according to an expert mechanic who inspected the vehicle. The vehicle hit the Infinity occupied by the deceased so hard that it mounted the vehicle and the driver died instantly from asphyxiation due to massive chest injuries. This accident by an admittedly uninspected vehicle involved four other vehicles.

I believe this situation underscores the necessity for state mandated inspections on all motor vehicles on our highways. To eliminate motor vehicle inspection, as some states have chosen to do in view of the tight economy, will have a potentially far more devastating impact on our citizens.

The Pennsylvania motor vehicle accident lawyers of Reiff & Bily are committed to motorist and consumer safety representing the catastrophically injured since 1979.

Traumatic brain injury and closed head trauma can result even when the damage to your vehicle is minimal in a car accident. In a recent car accident case handled by the Philadelphia Car Accident Lawyers of Reiff & Bily, the insurance company of the striking vehicle refused to offer a settlement due to minimal property damage sustained by our client’s car. This case was classified as a “mist” case, otherwise known as a minimal impact soft tissue case.

Continue reading "A SMALL CAR ACCIDENT CAN CAUSE A MAJOR BRAIN INJURY" »

On November 17, 2008 an eight person jury found that the passenger restraint system on the Toyota 1994 Truck was defectively designed so as to be unreasonably dangerous and that Toyota was negligent in its design and testing of the 1994 Toyota Truck Passenger Restraint System. In this case, the right front seat passenger was rendered a quadriplegic when the 1994 Toyota Cab Truck in which he was in rolled over. It was alleged that Mr. Momson’s belt spooled out pushing his head partially outside the vehicle 12 inches. The driver and center seated passenger had only seatbelt bruising.

Continue reading "Toyota Found Liable for Negligent Design and Testing of Truck Passenger Restraint System" »

According to a national fatality data study from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and State Farm Insurance Company, many teenagers are driving without drivers’ licenses and are disproportionately involved in fatal car accidents. According to the study, unlicensed teenagers are more likely to report not wearing a seat belt, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol and driving without a purpose, behaviors known to be associated with fatal crashes. Laurette Stiles, Vice President of Strategic Resources at State Farm Insurance Company notes this issue also impacts those who share the roads with unlicensed drivers. Parents may be unknowingly contributing to teens risky driving behaviors by not giving proper safety advice to their teenagers as well as failing to recognize that an auto in the wrong and inexperienced hands of a teenage driver is a death machine. Lack of proper supervision and could very well expose an irresponsible parent to legal liability for failure to supervise. Driving without a license is not only illegal but a negligent and irresponsible act that demonstrates a callous disregard for public safety.

Continue reading "20% of 14 to 18 Year Old Drivers Involved in Fatal Crashes in 2006 Did Not Have A Driver’s License - Death Rate Four Times Rate of Adult Drivers 25 to 69 Years Old" »