On behalf of Caroselli Beachler McTiernan & Conboy, L.L.C. posted in Wrongful Death on Thursday, January 26, 2012
Often pedestrian accidents and fatalities occur at unexpected moments when for one moment a driver fails to pay attention to their surroundings. Just recently a Pennsylvania school bus driver was killed while walking across the parking lot just after arriving at her workplace.
Investigation of the accident is continuing and it is not known whether the driver of the car will face any charges. Though the deceased driver was wearing dark clothing at the time the accident occurred, this does not relieve a driver of the obligation of paying attention to their surroundings. This is especially true in a parking lot where one would be expecting pedestrians to be in the immediate vicinity.
On behalf of Caroselli Beachler McTiernan & Conboy, L.L.C. posted in Asbestos Injuries on Monday, January 23, 2012
A Pittsburgh woman has brought a wrongful death action against 63 separate companies due to her mother's illness and death that was attributed to asbestosis and mesothelioma. Her mother's exposure was unusual as it likely came about due to exposure through her mother's husband who had routinely handled asbestos as a part of his employment.
The woman's father had worked both in a gas station and as a carpenter throughout the West Virginia area. Unfortunately, such exposure in any number of types of occupation is quite common, and the real dangers of such exposure have only recently been revealed in part because symptoms of asbestos exposure are not immediately forthcoming.
On behalf of Caroselli Beachler McTiernan & Conboy, L.L.C. posted in Wrongful Death on Friday, January 20, 2012
A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed in Pittsburgh after a woman was electrocuted by a power line that fell in the backyard of her home. The power line apparently fell off of a power line pole. After striking the woman, her body caught on fire. The line could not be removed from her body until workers from the power company arrived sometimes later.
Such an accident could quite possibly have occurred in a number of areas across Pennsylvania where such power lines were not tightly connected to the power line poles. The procedures that the power company takes in securing such lines might possibly have contributed to this situation.
On behalf of Caroselli Beachler McTiernan & Conboy, L.L.C. posted in Work-Related Deaths on Tuesday, January 17, 2012
A 23-year old Pennsylvania tow truck driver was killed when due to possible truck driver negligence a tractor trailer crashed into the operator while that individual was loading a broken down truck onto the tow truck's bed. The section of the road where the accident occurred is known by other tow truck drivers to be a dangerous area due to no existent lanes for individuals to park their stalled vehicles.
Though such work related deaths frequently happen, tow truck accidents receive little attention. Operators of tow trucks seemed to be in constant danger of grievous injury or even death while out on the roads and doing their job. One Pennsylvania driver familiar with the roads in the area often listens to the radio and hears about a tow truck driver that was killed when another vehicle crashed into the tow truck.
On behalf of Caroselli Beachler McTiernan & Conboy, L.L.C. posted in Products Liability on Friday, January 13, 2012
An organization known as Safe Kids Pennsylvania is trying to raise awareness of child safety and prevent product injuries from occurring by keeping seemingly innocuous but dangerous or defective products from being in the possession of children. The key to such safety is educating parents, stressing active supervision and taking steps to childproof the home.
Children are injured while riding as passengers in cars, gaining access to toxins or poisons, engaging in unsafe sports' practices, from burns or falls, and open access to firearms. Unintentional childhood injury is the leading cause of death and disability for those under the age of 14.
On behalf of Caroselli Beachler McTiernan & Conboy, L.L.C. posted in Asbestos Injuries on Tuesday, January 10, 2012
An old school building in western Pennsylvania will likely soon be demolished due to asbestos contamination and possible asbestos exposure. A newspaper described the school as a danger to anyone that steps inside of it as the school was built at a time when asbestos was widely used in building materials. As such building materials such as tiles, roofs, ceilings and walls begin to deteriorate, the chances of asbestos becoming airborne greatly increase.
Unfortunately, removal costs for asbestos are understandably high. The contractors that remove such asbestos are required to be trained and licensed in asbestos abatement. This limits the number of contractors that can actually bid regarding the removal of the asbestos and demolition of the building itself.
On behalf of Caroselli Beachler McTiernan & Conboy, L.L.C. posted in Work-Related Deaths on Friday, January 6, 2012
A contractor in Pennsylvania was killed in a work related fatal injury on February 24th when struck by a falling tree and the employer was cited for various OSHA citations. A second worker was killed in a similar manner at another location in June and faced similar citations.
As a result of this second instance, OSHA cited the company and assessed a fine of $31,175. OSHA officials stated that the employer failed to implement safe practices that would have prevented the worker from being struck by the tree. It was felt that since the occupation of tree clearing is ripe with hazards to begin with, the company needed to be more "aggressive" in its approach to worker safety.
On behalf of Caroselli Beachler McTiernan & Conboy, L.L.C. posted in Wrongful Death on Wednesday, January 4, 2012
A trucking company that has been doing business in Pittsburgh has been involved in at least three fatal crashes during the last two-years as well as 28 crashes involving injuries. Just recently, one of its trucks drove over a curb and struck a stroller holding a baby boy. The boy was taking to a Pittsburgh hospital where he is undergoing surgery. The mother of the baby boy was also slightly injured in the accident.
These types of pedestrian accidents are unfortunately all too common. Though the trucking company has been involved in more than its share of accidents, the safety rating for the company is actually above the national average. However, the safety record is due in part to the trucking company taking more trucks out of service that have failed inspection and may not be due to the safety practices of its drivers.
On behalf of Caroselli Beachler McTiernan & Conboy, L.L.C. posted in Asbestos Injuries on Friday, December 30, 2011
Garlock Sealing Technologies has recently made promises to pay out on approximately 100,000 asbestos related injury claims that have been made against the company. The company plans to do so through a Chapter 11 exit plan that needs to be approved by a bankruptcy judge and that will create a trust fund for paying out current and future claimants against the company. Money set aside could equal $200 million.
Without question, those injured by such asbestos exposure will include claimants from Pittsburgh and throughout the Pennsylvania area. That a single company has agreed to such a massive settlement only accentuates the point that asbestos exposure is and will continue to be a major problem that has not been adequately dealt with by various manufacturers throughout the United States.
On behalf of Caroselli Beachler McTiernan & Conboy, L.L.C. posted in Workers' Compensation on Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Heirs to a worker that died from an overdose of a prescription medication prescribed to him due to a work related injury are entitled to workers' compensation benefits. The benefits were rewarded despite a review finding that concluded the use of the drugs were not necessary.
The deceased worker injured his lower back a number of years ago in a work-related accident. This individual died five-years later in 2007 from, according to a forensic pathology report, of a "drug intoxication due to an overdose of fentanyl prescribed for his work injury."
