Philadelphia Couple Escalate Purse Snatching to Bonnie and Clyde Car-Crashing Caliber
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Car accidents and the resulting personal injuries caused by them may seem like a simple thing, but in truth car accidents come in all shapes, sizes, and motivations. Usually, car accidents are just that—accidents. But on rare occasions, such as the case of John Ferris and Kathleen Gilchrist, car accidents become quite literally a nefarious means to commit crime.
Cars as a Weapon: A Case of Extreme (and Peculiar) Crime.
Phillyburbs.com reports that the Philadelphia couple would cruise the streets of Bensalem and Philadelphia scouting for women—particularly elderly women—to collide with. Once the victim stopped, no doubt disoriented, the two would leap out and run off with their purses, sometimes taking violent measures. To anyone hurt during these attacks, we at Console & Hollawell wish you the very best health and recovery from such a traumatic experience.
What Do Malicious, Intentional Attempts to Crash a Car Mean for the Victims?
Ferris and Gilchrist’s case is an unusual one. But as such, their victims—who include an 86-year-old woman—have a powerful case on their side. Unlike car accidents, which are muddled with the grays and complexities of cause and liability, purposefully using a vehicle to cause car-on-car collisions then rob and assault the drivers is pretty cut and dry. Such a case is rife with material for New Jersey car accident attorneys and personal injury lawyers to examine and exercise the full extent of law on behalf of the people they represent.
Ferris and Gilchrist already face the possibility of first-degree felony, for which they could be sentenced twenty-years in prison. Award-winning lawyers like the Console & Hollawell team can ensure that unfortunate victims in bizarre cases like these are compensated accordingly, as justice demands.
So should you ever find yourself in as extreme a situation as this, your first course of action should be to reach out to the experts at Console & Hollawell for consultation and advice—at no expensive. Knowing what you may be entitled to is the least you can do for yourself after enduring such an ordeal.
Photograph courtesy of Fundamentals of Interactive Journalism, posted by Kieran Meadows.
San Francisco cyclist’s arm crushed in collision with Muni bus
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Posted on Thursday, September 22nd, 2011 Even in areas where drivers know to expect bicyclists, unexpected dangers can rear up at any moment. This was the case for Nob Hill resident Laila Brenner, who was cycling home from work when a double-parked car forced her to change lanes. The adjustment caused her to contact an 8X-Bayshore Express bus traveling in the same direction. After falling to the ground, Brenner’s arm was crushed by the back wheel of the bus, which then continued its route without stopping.
The traumatic incident, which occurred by the intersection of Columbus Avenue and Broadway in North Beach, is under investigation; Muni official Paul Rose said that the footage taken at a nearby club is inconclusive.
Regardless of the cause of the accident—whether the illegally parked car or negligence on the part of the bus driver or cyclist—the event raises serious questions about the driver’s reaction. Rose did offer that an operator may not feel such a collision if it involved only the second half of an articulating bus.
Though police are still trying to determine whether Brenner, whose arm was so badly crushed that doctors had to wait days before addressing the multiple fractures, changed lanes illegally and why the bus operator failed to stop, the story is yet another ugly incident for the Muni system. Only last month, a woman was killed crossing the street in San Francisco’s Castro district.
Brenner’s attorney said that he plans to bring a civil case against the city. If earlier cases are any indication, the city could end up paying upwards of $6 million to settle the Brenner case.
The relationship between San Francisco’s cyclists and Muni operators continues to be an troubled one. Executive Director Leah Shahum of the San Francisco Bike Coalition said she is unsatisfied with how Muni has trained its operators to deal with the city’s growing number of cyclists. “We haven’t seen much improvement in the way of operators in a long time,” said Shahum.
The problem certainly isn’t going away. There is growing movement from legislative bodies to encourage more Bay Area workers to commute on their bikes. So far, it seems the only thing that the Muni system has done to account for the extra cyclists is devote large sums of money to accident victims. In the last five years, Muni has paid more than $91 million in injury claims and settlements.
It’s unclear exactly how much can Muni operator training compensate for the inherent vulnerability of city cyclists navigating automobile and pedestrian traffic. Bike lanes and bike-only areas remain the surest way to avoid these unfortunate incidents. But clearly, reserving massive amounts of money ($22 million this year) for injury settlements instead of investing in more effective operator training is a choice that is both costly and dangerous.
Anaheim Teen Killed in a Riverside 91 Freeway Crash
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September 24, 2011 - According to reports a teen was killed in a 91 Freeway crash in Corona. According to the California Highway Patrol an 18 year old Anaheim teen was killed in an accident on the Riverside 91 Freeway in Corona.
California Highway Patrol Officer Sylvia Vargas said the accident occurred at approximately 2:40 a.m. Saturday, in the vicinity of Buchanan Street.
The victim identified as an 18 year old man was driving a 2001 Dodge Dakota and lost control crashing into a guardrail that was a concrete pillar.
Officer Vargas stated that the impact with the guardrail caused the mid-sized pickup to rollover and caused the teen driver to suffer fatal injuries.
According to the California Highway Patrol the cause of the car crash is still under investigation. Family members have identified the teen driver, who was born and raised in Anaheim and moved to Riverside this month to attend California Baptist University.
Ledesma’s mother Tammie stated that witnesses said the truck slowly veered off of the freeway and it is believed he might have fallen asleep at the wheel. Ledesma was pronounced dead at 3:05 a.m.
The car accident lawyer at Ehline Law Firm PC discusses these types of fact pattern to help the public understand potential tort liability in an effort to promote prevention through safety. 4445 Eastgate Mall, #200 San Diego, CA 92121 USA 619.312.6050; 11801 Pierce Street #200 Riverside, CA 92505 USA +951.777.2877.
Eighty-Two Year Woman Killed in Collision and Her Husband in Serious Condition
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September 16, 2011 - According to reports by the personal injury lawyer at Ehline Law Firm PC, an 82 year old woman was killed in a collision on Thursday and her husband suffered serious injuries.
According to California Highway Patrol Officer Brian Pennings the accident occurred at approximately 1:15 p.m. on Tavern Road in the vicinity of Alpine Boulevard.
The accident occurred while the woman was pulling out of a private driveway and into the path of an oncoming 2005 Ford Super Duty pickup truck. The 82 year old woman was driving a 2005 Ford Focus at the time of the collision that fatally injured her and seriously injured her husband.
The woman, whose identity has not been released, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash and her husband was transported by a medical helicopter to the hospital. According to authorities the man’s severe injuries included broken bones.
The driver of the Ford Super Duty pickup has been identified as a 45 year old man from Alpine and according to Officer Pennings the man stated he could not avoid the motor vehicle collision. The vehicles collided with the pickup truck hitting the driver’s door of the Ford Focus. 655 North Central Avenue 17th Floor Glendale, CA 91203 USA +818.485.2311.
Driver Blinded By Sun Hits and Critically InjuredThree Children
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September 27, 2011 - According to reports three children were struck and critically injured, by a driver that was blinded by the sun. According to authorities the accident occurred at approximately 8:00 a.m. in the 1400 block of West Temple Street in Echo Park Tuesday morning.
The driver that struck and seriously injured three children claimed to be blinded by the sun. The children ages 5, 10 and 16, two of whom are sisters, were in a marked crosswalk at the time of the accident, according to authorities.
The three girls that were struck by the vehicle were transported by paramedics to area hospitals and are listed in serious condition. According to witnesses there have been complaints in the past about the intersection and there have been repeated requests for the city to install a traffic signal.
The car accident lawyer at Ehline Law Firm PC has seen an increase in child related injuries in their practice. If you or someone you love was injured and need help, tort attorneys are best suited for these actions.
Big Rig Crash Propels Vehicle on to Bart Tracks
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September 21, 2011-A big rig collision caused a vehicle to be sent onto Bart tracks. According to the California Highway Patrol a collision occurred that was reported at approximately 2:30 p.m. in the eastbound lanes of the I-580 Freeway. The accident according to California Highway Patrol Officer Steve Creel occurred in the vicinity of Dublin and Pleasanton in Alameda County, involving a big rig and two other vehicles.
The collision occurred when the big rig was switching lanes and collided with a Mazda and other vehicle. The collision caused the Mazda to crash through a fence and onto the Bart tracks located between West Dublin, Pleasonton and the Castro Valley stations.
According to the California Highway Patrol the three drivers were transported to the hospital from the accident scene and treated for what is believed to be minor injuries.
Bart stated there was a delay for passengers up to five minutes after the crash on the Dublin, Pleasanton line. The collision also blocked the two left lanes of the I-580 Freeway with debris for an extended amount of time.
If you or a loved one was hurt in a Bart Tracks accident, contact Ehline Law Firm PC at 50 Francisco Street, #460 San Francisco, CA 94133 (415) 684-7688, your Dublin California personal injury attorneys.
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Risks Associated with Surgical Mesh
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Use of Surgical Mesh Products
Surgeons are increasingly using mesh products to reinforce weak tissue in patients suffering from hernias, pelvic organ prolapse, or stress incontinence. Unfortunately, these medical products may cause serious complications and require patients to undergo the expense and pain of further surgeries or medical treatment.
Complications Resulting from Mesh Products
A hernia occurs when an organ or tissue pushes through a hole or weak spot in surrounding muscle or connective tissue. Common types of hernias include inguinal hernias, incisional hernias, femoral hernias, umbilical hernias, and hiatal hernias. Pelvic organ prolapse is a specific type of hernia that often affects women after childbirth. With this type of hernia, one or more pelvic organs drop (prolapse) from their proper place, causing problems such as incontinence and pain.
The most commonly reported adverse reactions to mesh products used for hernia repair include intestinal loops adhering to each other or to the mesh. In addition, use of mesh products to treat hernias can cause injuries to neighboring organs, blood vessels, or nerves and can also lead to infection, pain, and recurrence of hernia. Many patients who experience complications from mesh products require surgery to treat the complications or remove the mesh. Two common surgical mesh products used to repair hernias are the Ethicon Prolene Hernia System and the Bard 3D Max Mesh.
Recent FDA Warning Regarding Mesh Products
On July 13, 2011, the FDA issued a warning stating that surgical mesh inserted through the vagina to repair pelvic organ prolapse may be riskier to patients than traditional surgery using stitches. Furthermore, the FDA found no clinical benefits to patients to warrant the increased risks of using mesh products. The FDA received 1503 reports of mesh product complications associated with pelvic organ prolapse between 2008 and 2010, which was five times the number of reports received the three previous years. According to the FDA, the most common reports of complications associated with the use of surgical mesh inserted transvaginally to treat pelvic organ prolapse included mesh protruding from vaginal tissue, perforation of organs by surgical tools used to insert mesh, pain, bleeding, infection, and recurrence of urinary problems.
Skilled Florida Mesh Product Defect Attorneys
If you have suffered a serious complication from surgery involving a surgical mesh product, you may be entitled to compensation for damages including medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. A personal injury attorney at Kelley/Uustal has extensive experience litigating mesh product and other medical product defect cases. We will work hard to get the justice you deserve. Call a personal injury lawyer at our firm today for a FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION.
