The year may have just begun, but there are already major mass tort cases approaching in 2019 that news outlets will be talking about. They involve defective products and drugs that have caused a lot of people harm. In a mass tort, a group of attorneys represent the injured parties individually. Clients are handled individually since the products or drugs in question have caused harm in similar ways, but the harm and/or injuries require separate cases.

Here are some of the top mass torts we’re likely hear about as the year continues to unfold:

Suffering an injury on the job can create a number of setbacks and concerns for victims and their families. That’s especially true if injuries are severe enough to require extensive medical treatment, long recoveries, and limited opportunity to work and earn needed wages. Fortunately, there are systems in place designed to help injured workers harmed as a result of the work they perform and provide them with compensation. Choosing the right pathway to compensation and navigating it effectively, however, is not always a simple task.

At Shrager & Sachs, our Philadelphia personal injury lawyers provide injured victims and their families with the guidance needed to navigate the civil justice system, including victims who suffered injuries on the job as a result of preventable accidents and therefore have the ability to pursue civil personal injury lawsuits outside of workers’ compensation. From helping clients understand their rights and options to tenaciously fighting for the full financial recoveries they deserve, we work toward the best outcome possible.

What About Workers’ Compensation?

Whether you were involved in a construction accident, a car accident, or another incident while at work, your work-related injury is likely covered by your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance. Workers’ comp can be important for workers who suffer work-related injuries or illnesses, as it can provide wage supplementation while they recover, vocational rehabilitation services, and needed medical treatment – even if a worker caused their own injuries.

While workers’ compensation is important, especially since it is a no-fault system, there are times when injured workers may have other available options. This includes a civil personal injury lawsuit. Typically, these lawsuits require victims to prove that the negligent or wrongful acts of another party, who isn’t their employer (except in rare circumstances), more likely than not caused them harm. When successful, victims can hold at-fault parties financially liable for their damages, and recover a larger scope of damages that may not have been available to them under workers’ compensation, including damages for their pain and suffering.

The summer is a popular time for water activities. This doesn’t just include cooling off at swimming pools. It also includes a range of recreational boating activities, especially along the rivers and lakes throughout Pennsylvania and the surrounding areas. Whether it’s fishing, water sports, power boating, or a simple way to enjoy the water, however, recreational boating poses numerous risks to all involved. What’s more, those risks can be substantially elevated when negligence is involved.

At Shrager & Sachs, our Philadelphia personal injury lawyers represent injured victims and families throughout Pennsylvania, and are aware of the many situations and circumstances that can lead to preventable boating accidents. Given the fact that Pennsylvania is consistently ranked among the top U.S. states when it comes to boating-related injuries and deaths, our legal team is prepared to help victims and their loved ones understand their rights and who can be held liable for their damages.

Personal Injury Law: Your Rights After a Preventable Injury

When it comes to the preventable accidents, including boating accidents, injured victims may have the right to seek justice and compensation for their losses by pursuing a personal injury case. While the facts of each case are always unique, these matters focus on holding individuals or entities accountable for negligent acts that caused or contributed to preventable accidents. In addition to seeking accountability, personal injury claims and lawsuits are also essential to helping victims and families recover financial compensation for the damages they incurred – including their medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, and more.

Summer is now here, and with it warmer weather. During this time of year, enjoying your free time and the outdoors often means cooling off in the pool. While swimming pools are a great form of recreational fun and a great way to exercise, they aren’t free from safety risks and the potential for preventable accidents and injuries – especially when negligence is involved.

Unfortunately, as statistics show, swimming pool accidents are a common cause of accidental injury and death nationwide. This is especially true during the summer months. While it is important to make safety a priority when enjoying your time at a private or public pool, not all injuries can be prevented by your own vigilance alone. Some may be the result of another’s negligence.

As with any personal injury case, victims harmed in swimming pool accidents may have the right to seek justice and financial compensation for their damages – including their pain and suffering, lost wages, and medical expenses – when they are able to effectively demonstrate that another party should be held accountable, either as a result of their negligence or their strict liability. Below, our Philadelphia personal injury attorneys discuss a few common issues when it comes to swimming pool accidents and determining who should be held at fault for victims’ injuries.

In December, an Amtrak train from Portland, Oregon derailed off a bridge outside of Tacoma, Washington, killing 3 victims and injuring over 60 others. In the wake of the tragic crash, initial investigations have showed that the train was traveling nearly 50 miles per hour over the speed limit when the incident happened – a discovery many safety advocates say should never happen with the advent of new technology and policies.

In recent years, train accidents like the Washington Amtrak derailment have happened frequently across the U.S., often with devastating results. This includes a 2015 Amtrak derailment in Philadelphia that killed 8 victims and injured more than 200 passengers, and a Metrolink collision in Chatsworth, California that resulted in 25 deaths and 135 injuries. In both of these crashes, engineers had become distracted. Federal officials also stated they could and should have been prevented.

If you are involved in an accident and suffer property damage or injuries, you will rely on your insurance company (or the other party’s insurance company) to provide financial coverage. However, most of the time, the insurance company doesn’t want to pay a settlement, and will use tactics to avoid paying what you deserve. Our firm has a thorough knowledge of insurance policies. We can use our experience to fight for the compensation you deserve for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages.

You Don’t Have to Settle Right Away

After a car accident or personal injury incident, insurance companies may try to pressure you into accepting a settlement as soon as possible. They will offer you a dollar amount for the damages caused by the accident, and will try to get you to settle quickly without having to hire a lawyer or go to court. This may seem enticing to people who just want to put the accident behind them. However, it is a bad idea. If your injuries turn out to be more severe than you thought, or other unexpected costs from the accident start piling up, you will be unable to receive more compensation after signing the settlement release.

Attorneys can help with a wide variety of injury cases. A personal injury attorney may be able to help if you have been injured at work, by a doctor, by an ill-meaning assailant, because of the negligence of another person, or for any other reason. Serious injuries typically result in large medical costs, significant time out of work, long-term physical damage, and other lasting negative effects for the injured party. If you have suffered a serious injury that was not your fault, you may be able to file a personal injury suit in order to hold the responsible parties accountable and receive the compensation you need to cover your costs and get back to your life.

Workers Injured on the Job

If you have been injured on the job, it is especially important that you speak to a personal injury lawyer before accepting workers’ compensation benefits. In many cases, employers can provide workers with some financial help to cover immediate injury-related costs, but workers’ comp is typically not substantial enough to cover the cost of a serious injury. Be advised that once you access workers’ comp benefits and payments, you are no longer legally permitted to file a personal injury lawsuit, even if the amount of workers’ comp you receive ultimately falls short of what you require. If you have been injured on the job, get in touch with an experienced Philadelphia personal injury attorney immediately.

Suffering a serious blow to the head from a car accident, blast, fall, or some other incident can result in a traumatic brain injury (TBI). For some, the memories from sustaining that injury can be extremely jarring, and may also trigger posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A traumatic brain injury is typically very traumatic, and the symptoms may sometimes overlap with those of PTSD, making it difficult to determine whether you are suffering from a TBI, or both a TBI and PTSD.

A traumatic brain injury may be caused by any type of injury to the head, whether direct or indirect and may vary in degrees of severity. For example, someone may suffer a slight TBI after experiencing whiplash in a minor car accident, while someone else who hits their head after a nearby explosion may suffer a much more serious TBI.

Someone with a TBI may experience symptoms of physical discomfort, mental problems, as well as emotional difficulties.

Soft tissue injuries may seem mild and less concerning than visible wounds, but they can be equally dangerous if left untreated. These types of injuries are typically the result of a car accident or perhaps a slip and fall incident. Unfortunately, because these injuries are not as apparent as open gashes or broken bones, they are often overlooked and left to worsen gradually.

A soft tissue injury is any type of physical damage that does not involve the bones. So, this may include any harm inflicted on the structures that support the bones, such as ligaments, muscles, or tendons. These injuries may seem less threatening, but they can be just as damaging and should never be ignored.

Common types of soft tissue injuries may include:

• Ligament sprains
• Muscle or tendon strains
• Contusions

What is Whiplash?

While soft tissue injuries can occur anywhere, neck injuries, especially whiplash, are the most common. Car crashes are one of the biggest causes of whiplash because a sudden impact from either the front or the back can make the head and neck whip backward and forward, thus resulting in a whiplash injury. Whiplash is a very dangerous health issue and can result in serious head or spinal injuries, even if there was no actual impact to the head or visible harm. The symptoms of whiplash include neck stiffness, tingling in the shoulders, jaw pain, and a headache. In very severe cases, whiplash may lead to nausea, vertigo, or vomiting. In some instances, whiplash may cause injuries to the brain.

When you go to the airport, you’re usually wondering if you forgot anything, if you have your identification, and how long it will take to get through security. The clients we’ve represented who have been injured or sustained losses because of accidents inside an airport never thought that while they were traveling their lives would be changed in this way. It is paramount for every airport to ensure the safety and security of its passengers and personnel, but that’s not always the case.

Philadelphia-based Managing Partner Rob Sachs, Jr. has represented people injured on moving sidewalks in airports and who were being assisted in wheelchairs or on the modified golf carts that transport guests from gate to gate. All of these potentially dangerous activities are compounded risks when you’re carrying bags, distracted by watching your children, or trying to push a wheelchair. Some of the features at major airports are designed to help you travel from curbside through security and to your gate – like the moving sidewalk – but like any mechanical device, it can occasionally cause more harm than good. That’s why it’s important to safeguard yourself and your family as best as you can from these potentially serious airport accidents.