When the weather is nice, it can be enjoyable to put on your running shoes and go for a brisk jog. While this can be a great form of exercise and a great mental break from a stressful day, jogging can be extremely dangerous if you do not pay close attention to your surroundings.

To help you avoid a pedestrian accident while going for a run, consider the 3 helpful tips our Philadelphia pedestrian accident lawyers have listed below:

1. Run Against the Flow Traffic

It is important to jog against the flow of traffic for a number of reasons. For one, you will be able to see when cars make certain maneuvers so you can adjust your path if necessary. Secondly, you will be able to see motorists’ signals, which can help you avoid a collision. Being able to see where motorists go or plan to go can provide you with a larger window of reaction time.

One of the most common ways for a child to be injured during birth is by an intracranial hemorrhage, or “brain bleed.” This type of trauma can occur during labor and delivery complications, often caused by the negligence of doctors or nurses during or near the time of birth. While some brain bleeds are minor and heal in a short amount of time, others can be very serious and result in permanent brain damage or other lifelong disabilities, such as cerebral palsy, seizures, or developmental and intellectual disabilities.

A large pileup involving more than 50 vehicles near Harrisburg resulted in numerous injuries and several deaths on Saturday morning. Authorities from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation reported that the Lebanon County accident occurred shortly before 10:00 am as a result of strong winds and poor visibility. Officials have confirmed at least 3 fatalities, more than 40 people transported to local hospitals, and numerous other non-critical injuries.

The pileup resulted in a full shutdown of I-78 while numerous emergency crews worked to treat victims. Over 50 vehicles were involved in the wreckage, including multiple tractor-trailers, commercial box trucks, numerous passenger cars, and a bus carrying members of the Penn State Lehigh Valley men’s basketball team. Due to poor weather, as many as 70 people involved in the incident took temporary shelter at the Jonestown Fire Department. At the time of the crash, winds were recorded at over 30 mph and visibility at less than 2 miles.

Medical malpractice cases often involve serious and life-altering injuries, and can be very complex and expensive to try. Because the burden of proof rests entirely on the plaintiff, it is very important that medical malpractice cases be handled by a law firm with substantial experience and a history of positive outcomes. At Shrager & Sachs, we have handled countless malpractice cases and know what it takes to help our clients obtain the money they deserve after a doctor or health care provider’s mistake left them injured.

The holidays are here and for many that means celebrations, parties, and time with family. Although this time of year brings enjoyment for many, it unfortunately also brings an increase in accidents, injuries, and deaths – many of which are preventable. In fact, statistics and studies show that the winter holidays account for some of the highest rates of accidents in America:

• Crash data shows a significant spike in traffic accidents during the holidays, especially alcohol-involved auto accidents.
• Dangerous weather conditions during the holidays and an increase in holiday traffic often contribute to a rise in traffic accidents.
• Researchers from the Nationwide Children’s Hospital have found that child injuries – many of which are caused by toys and children’s products – commonly occur during the holiday season.

Because the holiday season does pose risks for injury, it’s important for everyone to make safety a priority. At Shrager & Sachs, we’ve worked with many victims and families injured during this time of year, including numerous clients injured in common winter and holiday accidents. We hope to help others throughout Philadelphia and Pennsylvania stay safe this holiday season with the following safety tips.

You may recall from our previous blog that an outbreak of nontuberculous mycobacterium (NTM) a few weeks ago at WellSpan York Hospital in Pennsylvania resulted in the deaths of four patients. Now, the Pennsylvania Department of Health has announced that more cases have been confirmed at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. Approximately 2,300 patients who received open-heart surgery at this hospital have been alerted of the possibility that they may have been exposed to the bacteria.

In light of this information, the Health Department is urging healthcare facilities to follow new guidelines related to the use and care of the heater-cooler devices believed to be the culprit behind the recent onslaught of patient infections. So far, all of the heater-cooler devices at both hospitals have been replaced.

The heater-cooler devices, used to monitor the body temperature of patients undergoing open-heart surgery, has been linked to the spread of the harmful bacteria. Because the device blows air onto the patient, any contaminants on or inside of the device due to contaminated water or improper cleaning methods could make contact with an open wound. While NTM bacteria is usually not harmful, it can be very dangerous to an individual whose health is already compromised.

During his three-year long career as a neurosurgeon, Ben Carson, a man now running for the republican nomination for the presidential election, has been sued eight times for medical malpractice in Maryland.

In one instance, a patient who was suffering from multiple sclerosis, sustained pain on the left side of her face, and suffered vision problems was referred to Carson for injections that would reduce nerve pain and alleviate the patient’s symptoms. Sadly, the symptoms and suffering grew worse.

To help the patient, Carson suggested that the patient undergo an invasive operation referred to as microvascular decompression. During this procedure, a part of the patient’s cranium was removed to separate a nerve from other parts.

In the lawsuit, investigator found that Carson did not review the patient’s MRI which would have informed him of the patient’s lesions on the brainstem due to multiple sclerosis, making the invasive procedure useless. Carson failure to review the MRI caused him to breach standardized medical care.

A suspected outbreak of nontuberculous mycobacterium, also known at NTM, may be linked to the deaths of four patients at WellSpan York Hospital in Pennsylvania. Hospital staff estimate that roughly 1,300 open-heart surgery patients may have been exposed the bacteria, eight of whom have so far contracted infection. Since all four of the patients had underlying medical conditions, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) is still not officially attributing their deaths to the infection, although the hospital has admitted that it was a contributing factor. This is the second hospital in Pennsylvania in recent months to be associated with a deadly infection.

NTM naturally occurs in water and soil, and sometimes in tap water. It usually does not make people ill, but people with weakened immune systems, like those recovering from surgery, may be at risk. Inhaling the bacteria can result in a serious pulmonary illness that could take up to a year to cure with antibiotics.

After the Attorney General’s Office filed a lawsuit against Golden Gate National Senior Care due to alleged inadequate care, poorly trained staff members, and not enough staff members in 14 different nursing home facilities, the Auditor General and the Department of Health (DOH) formed a task force to review the state regulations of these facilities over a six-month period.

Currently, the DOH is permitted to place provisional statuses on facilities not performing up to par. During this period, the nursing home is able to operate but must be monitored by the DOH while the facility makes improvements to ensure the health and safety of residents. In addition, the DOH is able to ban admissions, initiate civil penalties, and revoke the nursing home’s license. Due to the increase in nursing home safety concerns over the last decade, the task force has been given the responsibility to reform regulations so that nursing homes are forced to abide by stricter standards.

As an update on the truck/bus collision Wednesday in Pennsylvania, we are learning more about the truck company whose truck crossed the median and struck the bus. Subsequent reports about the accident indicated that the driver of the tractor trailer which crossed the median was Franklin Wyatt of Macomb, Oklahoma. He was driving for Greatwide Dedicated Transport, which is an operating division of Cardinal Logistics Holdings, LLC from North Carolina. We checked one of our resources for handling commercial truck cases and found that “Greatwide Dedicated Transport” corporate structure is becoming increasingly common in the interstate trucking industry.