Butler Personal Injury Law Blog

What to do after suffering a slip-and-fall injury

On behalf of Conlon Tarker, P.C. posted in slip-and-fall accidents on Thursday, November 14, 2019.

Personal injury accidents, are serious legal matters. While a victim may waive off their losses in order to quickly move past their ordeal, they should be aware that they may have rights to compensation if liability for their harm rests on another party. A Pennsylvania personal injury attorney can advise a person in such a situation of their options and ways to protect their rights.

One common way that individuals suffer personal injuries is through slip-and-fall accidents. When a person falls due to inadequately maintained premises, they may have a right to sue for compensation if the owner of the property or the individual responsible for maintaining the premises was negligent.

Thanksgiving Eve is the deadliest holiday

On behalf of Conlon Tarker, P.C. on Sunday, November 3, 2019.

When you think of Thanksgiving, you probably think of spending time with family, eating turkey, watching football and lounging around on a lazy day off from work. It's a family-oriented, food-based holiday that is fairly relaxed. It's not a party holiday like New Year's Eve. Would you assume that means it's pretty safe?

While Thanksgiving may be, the truth is that "Thanksgiving Eve" is one of the deadliest days in the United States. Some reports claim that there are more DUI accidents resulting in death on this night than on any other holiday. That includes New Year's, St. Patrick's Day and other holidays more commonly associated with alcohol. The long Thanksgiving weekend takes an incredible toll.

Poor driving in bad weather can result in serious injuries

On behalf of Conlon Tarker, P.C. posted in Car Accidents on Wednesday, October 30, 2019.

Fall has arrived in Pennsylvania and with it cooler temperatures. Though children have yet to don their costumes and head out for trick-or-treating on Halloween, some residents may be looking ahead to more serious and sinister weather on the horizon. Snow, ice, sleet, and rain are all dangers that Pennsylvanians have to put up with when the winter months come at the end of the year.

The weather can impact many activities and events. In particular, bad weather can change the way that drivers approach operating their motor vehicles. This post will offer some insights into how the weather may alter driving conditions for individuals, but it does not provide driving recommendations or legal advice to its readers. No legal advice should be derived from the contents of this post.

Three steps to protecting one's workers' compensation options

On behalf of Conlon Tarker, P.C. posted in workers' compensation on Thursday, October 17, 2019.

Workers' compensation is an important form of support for men and women who get hurt on Pennsylvania jobsites. Through this program, rather than pursuing the sometimes long and drawn out process of litigation as a way to recover damages, workers can seek compensation for their losses from their employers in a more direct and timely way. In order to protect one's rights and options for seeking workers' compensation after a jobsite accident, a worker may wish to undertake three important steps.

First, they should inform their employer as soon as possible of their injury. Notice is a requirement of the workers' compensation process, and waiting to report an accident may result in a denial of the employee's claim. Second, the worker must complete a claim form to begin the process of determining eligibility for benefits. Until a claim form is filed the worker's employer has no obligation to provide them with financial support.

Is driving at night more dangerous than during the day?

On behalf of Conlon Tarker, P.C. on Saturday, October 5, 2019.

Think of your evening commute home from work. Chances are that the sun was a whole lot brighter in the summer months than it is now in fall. Over the coming weeks, the sun is going to continue setting earlier than it already is. The earlier sunset can affect everything from your mood to your after-work activities, but did you know it affects your safety on the road?

Just 42 percent of non-alcohol-related fatal crashes in Pennsylvania in 2017 happened between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. While this information applies to the entire year and not just the colder months, the sun will have barely risen on your way to the office and begun setting by the time you head home in the evening. That means you will be spending more time driving in the dark, which is riskier than commuting in the daylight.

Outdoor slip-and-fall accident may indicate premises liability

By Conlon Tarker, P.C. on Wednesday, October 2, 2019.

Pennsylvania residents are no strangers to the variable weather that the state can throw at them. During the summer, Butler residents may enjoy warm days and dry conditions, but as fall and winter approach the temperatures can drop and precipitation can pick up. When wet, cold, and slippery conditions develop, outdoor surfaces like stairs, sidewalks, and parking lots can become treacherous for pedestrians to cross.

It is generally the responsibility of a property owner to keep their outdoor pathways and surfaces clear of debris and hazards. In the case of a store owner, that individual may have a duty to maintain a safe means of walking from a parking area to their store when snow, ice, and sleet begin to accumulate. A property owner who neglects this duty may find themselves facing a lawsuit from a slip-and-fall accident victim.

Proof that commuting adds stress to our lives

On behalf of Conlon Tarker, P.C. on Sunday, September 29, 2019.

The daily commute into and out of Pittsburgh from the outlying suburbs and communities up and down the Ohio River on both the Ohio and West Virginia sides can be quite stressful.

Road construction and bumper-to-bumper traffic in the most congested areas adds long minutes to commuters' daily travel times. This contributes to the higher stress levels experienced by commuters.

Know the elements of a successful personal injury claim

On behalf of Conlon Tarker, P.C. posted in Car Accidents on Friday, September 20, 2019.

Every legal claim is different, and readers of this Pennsylvania-based personal injury blog are reminded that when accidents happen in their lives, they should always seek independent legal advice from attorneys that they trust. They should not rely on how other cases resolved to guess what may happen when their matters go to trial, as legal judgments and outcomes are based on facts, persuasive arguments, and other elements that are independent to unique claims.

With that said, many car accident claims follow a similar path to trial in their preparation and pleading. When a victim is hurt in a car collision, they may work with their attorney to file a lawsuit in the relevant court system. That pleading will contain certain allegations that seek to meet certain legal elements. Such a claim is often based on negligence.

Settlement may be an option for a car accident claim

On behalf of Conlon Tarker, P.C. posted in Car Accidents on Friday, September 6, 2019.

Not all car accident claims that Pennsylvania residents file in the civil courts of the state will be litigated. Some will resolve before the make it to court by agreement of the parties. When individuals decide to find agreeable terms to settle their pending legal differences, the resolution may be called a settlement agreement.

Settlement agreements parallel standard contracts in their components. Generally, a settlement agreement will start with an offer, and the non-offering party will have an opportunity to accept the offer, reject the offer, or counter the offer. When an acceptable offer or counter offer is reached, a party must provide consideration for the actions of the other. When it comes to car accident settlement agreements, a victim may offer as consideration the release of all future damages claims against the responsible party in exchange for financial compensation.

Physics alone makes semitrucks so dangerous

On behalf of Conlon Tarker, P.C. on Thursday, September 5, 2019.

There are many reasons why semitrucks are so dangerous on Pennsylvania's highways. For instance, researchers have studied truck driver fatigue to find out how often it causes accidents, seeing as truck drivers work full-time in this position and, just like the rest of us, may have to work while they're tired.

That said, you do not have to dig down very far to see why trucks are such a threat. The reality is that physics alone makes them far more dangerous than many other vehicle types. They're just larger and heavier than anything they'll face in a crash, and, while that can protect truck drivers, it can also mean that those other drivers and passengers face extreme risks.