Wilkes-Barre Becomes 4th Pennsylvania City to Outlaw Handheld Cell Phone Use While Driving

Monday, April 19th, 2010

Yesterday, a new law went into effect in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.  The ordinance prohibits the use of handheld cell phones while driving. It was passed by the city council on April 8, 2010 in an attempt to reduce the number of distracted driving accidents in the city.

The law prohibits a driver from using his or her hands to answer a phone, dial a phone, hold a phone, text, use the web, or do anything else on a cell phone while driving.  Hands free devices are still permitted.

The ordinance makes hand held cell phone use while driving a primary offense in Wilkes-Barre.  That means that the police can pull you over and issue a ticket even if you aren’t doing anything else wrong.  The municipality intends to issue warnings to drivers from now until July 1 and to start enforcing the law on that date.  Tickets for violations of this city ordinance will be $75.

Texting While Driving Accidents can be Devastating

Sunday, April 18th, 2010

We all know the pressure that exists to answer the beep or the light on your cell phone the instant that it alerts you to a new message or phone call.

Our bosses, colleagues, friends, and relatives expect us to be immediately available whenever they try to reach us. There are many times when it is advantageous to be able to get a quick text message but, no matter what the content of the message, it is never advisable to read or to type a text message while you are driving. If you have been hurt by someone “just checking a text message,” then you may be entitled to compensation for the injuries caused by that driver. It is important to contact an experienced Pennsylvania car accident lawyer for more information about your recovery. Jon Ostroff has helped more than 20,000 Pennsylvania accident victims over the past 20 years. He will know how ot protect you and to get you every penny you are entitled to.

Why is Texting While Driving Bad?

Quite simply, texting while driving is bad because it causes injuries and death. One need not read a texting while driving essay or a texting while driving article in order to understand that texting while driving. If you have texted while driving, surely you knew it was dangerous as your eyes left the roadway and your hands were wrapped around your PDA. The texting while driving graphs and the texting while driving charts only tell part of the story. These sources of information tell us about the texting while driving statistics. 2008 and 2009 were years when many people were hurt and killed by drivers who made the decision to text and drive. Teens report that it is common for them to text and drive. According to testing while driving statistics from the Pew Research Center in Washington D.C., 2009 was a year when approximately one third of all teen drivers were texting and driving.

Perhaps, the real reason why texting while driving is wrong is because of the trauma suffered by each victim and the victim’s family. One simple text message can ruin another person’s life. It can cause a person to sustain injuries that keep him out of school or out of work. Texting while driving accidents can cause lifelong disabilities and expensive rehabilitation and medical expenses. It can impact an entire family.

The individual impact of texting while driving was the focus of a recent public service announcement aired in England. The graphic ad, which shows teenagers dying and a young child being orphaned, is not currently on TV in the U.S. It has been the subject of much debate on national programs such as The Today Show. Texting while driving results in the type of horribly gruesome results seen on this public service ad from England. While it is troubling to watch, perhaps it would have more impact on Americans than the statistics that we currently use to deter teenagers, and others, from distracted driving.

A Pennsylvania Car Accident Lawyer Can Help

Texting is a form of distracted driving. If you have been injured, or if you have lost a loved one, in an accident caused by a driver who was texting or distracted, then you may be entitled to damages. Damages may include compensation for lost income, medical bills and pain and suffering. Jon Ostroff is a Pennsylvania car accident lawyer can advise you about your rights and help you recover the damages to which you are entitled pursuant to Pennsylvania law. Jon has been fighting for Pennsylvania accident victims for over 20 years. Jon is one of the few accident lawyers in America who has helped over 20,000 accident victims over the past 20 years.

http://www.pa-car-accident-law.com/cell-phone-accidents.php

Altoona Man Dies in Cumberland Township Accident

Friday, April 16th, 2010

Three pickup trucks were involved in back to back accidents early Wednesday morning in Cumberland Township, PA.  The accidents happened along Route 220 at approximately 5:30 a.m.  The death of one of the drivers, Mr. Jeffrey Quirin, age 46 of Altoona, was reported.

Mr. Quirin’s pickup truck was hit head on by a pickup truck driven by an 18 year old driver,  Andrew Hickey, from Bedford.  Just before that head on collision, a third pickup truck driven by Dean Halteman of Mapleton Depot had crossed into the lane where Mr. Hickey’s truck was traveling.  Mr. Hickey hit the trailer of Mr. Halteman’s truck which then caused his truck to swerve and hit Mr. Quirin’s truck.

The police plan to reconstruct the accident and the Bedford County district attorney is assisting in the investigation.

Fatal Accident on Pennsylvania Turnpike

Thursday, April 15th, 2010

A fatal accident occurred on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Allegheny County on Wednesday afternoon.  The accident happened between the Butler Valley and Cranberry Township interchanges, near mile marker 36.

Shortly after 2 p.m., a tri-axle truck slowed down to enter an access ramp.  The car behind the truck also slowed down but the SUV behind the car did not slow down and the SUV hit the car, forcing it under the back end of the truck.

The driver of the car, 42 year old Theresa Pastore of Delaware County, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.  The driver of the SUV suffered minor injuries and was released from the hospital on Wednesday afternoon. 

The eastbound lanes of the Pennsylvania Turnpike were closed for several hours near the accident scene as police investigated the death of Ms. Pastore and the cause of the accident.

York County Accident Kills One Teenager and Injures Three

Wednesday, April 14th, 2010

At about 1:30 yesterday afternoon an SUV was involved in a fatal accident on Grant Road in Hanover.  One driver and three passengers – all female teenagers from New Oxford High School- were travelling in the SUV at the time of the crash. 

The Ford SUV hit a tree resulting in one death and three significant injuries.  The front seat passenger was pronounced dead at Hanover Hospital less than an hour after the accident.  The driver was flown to Hershey Medical Center with serious injuries and the backseat passengers were flown to York Hospital with significant injuries.  The prognosis of the three injured victims is not yet known. 

The one vehicle accident happened when the SUV hit a tree and caught fire.  Neighbors in nearby homes tried to put the fire out to save the girls further injury.  The names of the victims have not yet been released.

School Van Crashes in Scranton

Tuesday, April 13th, 2010

Yesterday morning, Monday April 12, 2010, a Propst Transportation school van was involved in an accident.  The van was traveling north on Route 307 in Scranton shortly before 8:30 a.m. when it crashed with another vehicle at the bottom of the Interstate 81 southbound Moosic Street exit ramp.  At least one person was hurt in the accident. That person’s name has not yet been released.

According to the media accounts, at two vehicles were involved in the accident.  Other injuries have not yet been reported.  Scranton police are currently investigating the accident.

Montgomery County Pennsylvania State Police Department Office

Monday, April 12th, 2010

Montgomery County Pennsylvania is one of the Commonwealth’s ten most populated counties and has one of the highest percentages of motor vehicle accidents each year.  In 2008, 6.7% of Pennsylvania accidents occurred in Montgomery County, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.  8,373 crashes occurred in Montgomery County that year.  4,127 of those accidents resulted in injuries and 44 crashes resulted in fatalities.

State Police at the Schwenksville Station Investigate Accidents

Montgomery County is one of the 10 counties in Pennsylvania with the most miles of local roads and streets.  Vehicle accidents that occur in Montgomery County are investigated by Troop K of the Pennsylvania State Police.

The contact information for the Montgomery County State Police Department is as follows:

Montgomery County PA State Police Schwenksville

2047C Bridge Road

Scwhenksville, PA 19473

610-584-1250

866-250-9360

Contact a Montgomery County PA Accident Lawyer (more…)

Two Weekend Philadelphia Hit and Run Accidents Result in Critical Injuries

Monday, April 12th, 2010

Over the weekend, two serious hit and run accidents happened in the city of Philadelphia.

The first hit and run occurred in the overnight hours of Sunday morning.  A 24 year old 3rdyear Temple Law School student, Tony Foltz, was crossing the street near 22ndStreet and Ben Franklin Parkway in Center City when he was hit by a white car that left the scene of the accident before the driver could be identified. Mr. Foltz was taken to Hahnemann Hospital in critical condition with multiple injuries. 

Hours later another hit and run accident resulted in critical injuries to a 36 year old man in the East Oak Lane section of Philadelphia.  That accident happened near the intersection of Broad Street and Old York Road.  The victim of that accident is being treated for critical injuries at Albert Einstein Medical Center.  His identity has not yet been released.

Philadelphia police are currently investigating both accidents and encouraging anyone with information about either accident to contact them.

Pedestrian Killed on Route 422 in Amity Township

Friday, April 9th, 2010

Just before 6 a.m. yesterday, a serious accident occurred on Route 422 in Amity Township.  51 year old Gene Kronyak of Exeter was crossing Route 422, as a pedestrian, and was struck by a vehicle.   He was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.  The coroner has announced that the cause of his death was blunt force trauma from the accident.

The driver of the car that killed Mr. Kronyak was 27 year old Stephanie Giuffrida.  The investigation of the accident is ongoing and the police have not yet decided whether to file charges against Ms. Guiffrida.

This accident spawned another accident which occurred when two vehicles were trying to stop to avoid the initial accident.    A tractor trailer and a car collided.  No major injuries have yet been reported from that accident.

Route 422 was closed for about 7 hours on April 8, 2010 for investigation after the accident.

What Toyota Knew and When

Thursday, April 8th, 2010

Yesterday’s New York Times reports that Toyota may have known about its gas pedal problem before a recall was issued earlier this year.  The Times article reports that a senior level Toyota official sent an email to his colleagues on January 16, 2010 urging them to “come clean” about the accelerator pedals’ “tendency for mechanical failure” because “the time to hide on this one is over.”  Toyota met with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on January 19th – three days after that email was sent – to discuss recalls.   

On Monday the U.S. Transportation Secretary announced that he would seek the maximum legal fine against Toyota for the sticky pedal recall.  To date, eight million vehicles have been recalled and many serious accidents have been caused by the accelerator problem.

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