Allentown Pennsylvania Personal Injury Law Blog

Motor scooter accident severely injures Allentown man, others

On behalf of Scherline & Associates posted in personal injury on Tuesday, December 18, 2018.

Earlier this month, an Allentown resident was tragically hit by two motor vehicles while riding on an electric scooter. The first car struck the man as he was riding along, which sent him flying into traffic. A United States Postal Service truck then hit the man again.

Sadly, this is not the first case of a serious accident on an electric scooter. As electric scooters have started gaining popularity in around 100 cities across the country, emergency rooms have felt the effect. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently found that scooters may be far more dangerous than they realized.

Car accidents: Plan ahead to mitigate the consequences

On behalf of Scherline & Associates on Tuesday, December 18, 2018.

When it comes to car accidents in Allentown, the best way to overcome the challenges is to have an emergency plan. Then, if the unexpected does happen, you may have far less to deal with.

Consider the following pointers when devising your emergency plan.

Watch out for the 4 Ds of hazardous driving

On behalf of Scherline & Associates posted in motor vehicle accidents on Thursday, December 6, 2018.

Hazards are everywhere we look on Pennsylvania's roadways. We have to contend with changing weather conditions, debris on the road, road construction, potholes, ice and snow (during the winter months) and more every time they get behind the wheel. In addition, we must deal with other drivers, watch our speed, drive defensively, and follow the rules of the road.

No matter how safe you drive, though, your safety could be at risk because of the poor choices of other drivers. Among the worst of bad driving behaviors are the "four Ds,": distracted driving, drunk driving, drugged driving, and drowsy driving.

Staying safe in Pennsylvania parking lots this holiday season

On behalf of Scherline & Associates posted in personal injury on Thursday, November 29, 2018.

Pennsylvania parking lots are surprisingly dangerous places. The National Safety Council reports that there are upwards of 50,000 crashes in parking lots and garages each year. These crashes result in more than 500 deaths and 60,000 injuries. We may assume that parking lots are relatively safe because of the slow speeds, but these statistics prove that is not always the case.

Parking lot accidents spike on Black Friday every year, and they remain high throughout the entire holiday shopping season across our state and around the country. It is possible to decrease the chances of being involved in a parking lot or garage crash by exercising common sense and following some basic safety tips.

Pennsylvania teen drivers at higher risk of fatal accidents

On behalf of Scherline & Associates posted in motor vehicle accidents on Friday, November 23, 2018.

Pennsylvania's teen drivers are at a higher risk of being involved in fatal car crashes when they have teenage passengers in the vehicle with them, according to research from the American Automobile Association's Foundation for Traffic Safety. AAA reports that the risk of fatal car crashes involving teen drivers more than doubles when there are teenage passengers present.

Interestingly, the risk of fatal crashes decreases by eight percent for all teen drivers when there is a parent or other adult (over the age of 35) present. This illustrates the importance of supervised driving when teens are first learning the rules of the road. AAA recommends that teen drivers have at least 100 hours of supervised driving experience before they transport other teens.

Burn injuries affect a surprising number of children annually

On behalf of Scherline & Associates posted in personal injury on Wednesday, November 14, 2018.

A recent Popular Science article relayed information about a previously relatively unconsidered subset of child injuries: burns. Minor burns are pretty common, with children suffering scalds from hot water or touching hot stoves every day across the country, but this article highlights something that many of us might not consider a burn hazard: instant soup and ramen.

Data cited in the article found that nearly 10,000 children each year go to emergency rooms for burns caused by instant soup. These aren't your stereotypical ramen eaters - college students have that dubious honor - but instead this group is comprised of young children between the ages of four and twelve. One out of every ten children visiting the E.R. for soup-related burns needed to be hospitalized for their injuries; that's nearly 1,000 children per year. In fact, soup injuries are so common that they account for one out of every five pediatric burns.

What not to do this Thanksgiving

On behalf of Scherline & Associates posted in personal injury on Friday, November 9, 2018.

Thanksgiving is a festive time of year. We enjoy a hearty meal with loved ones, have a little discourse and follow up the feast with football. Thanksgiving isn't always just merriment, though.

Mistakes - and not just those made in the kitchen - can put a damper on the festivities for everyone involved.

New Treatment Can Help Grow Spinal Cord Connections

By Scherline & Associates on Monday, November 5, 2018.

Spinal cord injuries are some of the most devastating types of personal injuries. Mild spinal cord injuries can cause pain and suffering that linger for years, if not a lifetime. Some injuries even result in paralysis.

However, researchers may have found the key to help future spinal-cord injury survivors. An innovative experiment uncovered a promising new medical treatment. Researchers discovered a method that can regrow the nerve cells spanning a spinal cord injury.

Common causes of retail slips and falls

On behalf of Scherline & Associates posted in slip and falls on Wednesday, October 31, 2018.

Any business opening its doors to business invitees (customers, clients, vendors, and other visitors who come in for business-related purposes) must use reasonable care to maintain its premises in a safe and passable condition and free of dangerous conditions. Failure to do that can easily result in slips, trips, and falls for which the business itself is responsible.

If you've fallen at a place of business, you're not alone. The circumstances of your situation will be unique, of course, but there are some common reasons why people fall at business establishments, particularly retail stores.

Winter is coming to Pennsylvania: are you ready to drive safely?

On behalf of Scherline & Associates posted in motor vehicle accidents on Thursday, October 25, 2018.

The temps are cooling all along the East Coast and throughout Pennsylvania. We are well and truly in the grips of fall now, and winter will be here before we know it. Before the snow flies is the best time to review the hazards of cold-weather driving, particularly the risks often associated with car accidents.

Snow is, of course, a key winter-weather crash risk. Falling snow - especially when combined with high winds - shortens visibility and increases the chances of an accident. Any time visibility suffers, drivers must adjust their speed and drive more defensively to avoid crashes. Sadly, many of them don't do that. Snow also gets compacted onto road surfaces, creating a slick and bumpy roadway on which traction is poor.