Altoona Personal Injury Blog

Girl killed in truck accident

On behalf of Goldstein, Heslop, Steele, Clapper, Oswalt & Smith posted in truck accidents on Friday, June 21, 2019.

An accident on the Pennsylvania Turnpike left a 5-year-old girl dead the scene. Additionally, the child's parents, as well as two other children who were traveling with the family, had to be taken to an area hospital. However, it was not clear how serious their injuries were.

Authorities and witnesses say that the accident involved three vehicles. Apparently, a commercial box truck slammed in to the rear of the family's passenger car. This truck accident happened during the start of the evening commute when traffic is more likely to slow down unexpectedly.

Can an unsafe work environment cause permanent eye damage?

On behalf of Goldstein, Heslop, Steele, Clapper, Oswalt & Smith on Thursday, June 13, 2019.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has eyewash requirements for certain types of facilities nationwide, including Pennsylvania. Industries that work with corrosive materials must protect workers from suffering eye injuries that can be extremely painful. If not treated promptly, it could cause permanent damage to the sight of the injured workers and leave them permanently disabled.

Under federal and state laws, your employer is responsible for your health and safety. However, putting all your trust in your employer might not be a good idea. If you know for which workplace hazards to look out, you could take precautions to avoid eye injuries.

Handling truck accident claims requires attention to detail

On behalf of Goldstein, Heslop, Steele, Clapper, Oswalt & Smith posted in truck accidents on Friday, June 7, 2019.

While our blog has talked extensively about the importance of attentive driving, it is of equal importance for lawyers who are handling personal injury claims to pay careful attention to what they are doing at all stages.

A lack of attention to detail can make a legal proceeding more difficult and, in the worst cases, mean that the victim of an accident does not get the compensation that they deserve.

Truck accident on Pennsylvania highway kills student

On behalf of Goldstein, Heslop, Steele, Clapper, Oswalt & Smith posted in truck accidents on Friday, May 24, 2019.

A college student died in a major truck accident in Pennsylvania that also left an interstate closed for several hours.

According to the initial reports, a truck crossed the median of the interstate and in to oncoming traffic. The truck wound up smashing in to the driver's side of a passenger vehicle. Additional reports about the accident said that the semi also hit another vehicle, although the driver of that vehicle was not physically injured. Likewise, the truck driver suffered no injuries.

Your boss does not necessarily have your best interests at heart

On behalf of Goldstein, Heslop, Steele, Clapper, Oswalt & Smith on Thursday, May 16, 2019.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration requires all employers nationwide, including Pennsylvania, to provide safe work environments free of known hazards. However, not all of them comply, and you might be one of the many workers whose employer prioritizes profits over employee safety. If that is the case, returning home safely each night might depend on your ability to avoid safety hazards.

Safety initiatives can prevent most work-related illnesses and injuries, but they require safety training, vigilance and supervision to ensure compliance with prescribed safety standards. You might find it necessary to learn about potential hazards and take precautions to avoid landing in the hospital.

Pennsylvania fares fairly well with respect to distracted driving

On behalf of Goldstein, Heslop, Steele, Clapper, Oswalt & Smith posted in car accidents on Friday, May 10, 2019.

As this blog has reported on previous occasions, distracted driving, especially texting and driving, is an ongoing problem in this state. However, according to at least some recent data, Pennsylvania drivers are actually doing relatively well when it comes to keeping their eyes on the road.

According to information pulled by Zendrive, an application that helps insurance companies keep track of their customer's driving habits, Pennsylvania drivers actually had the lowest rate of using their phones while also operating a vehicle.

You likely face more hazards at work than you think

On behalf of Goldstein, Heslop, Steele, Clapper, Oswalt & Smith on Wednesday, May 8, 2019.

It is common for people to have concerns about their well-being while at work. You may work in the construction industry and understand that you face numerous hazards every day, or you may work in an office and not realize the harm your body could still suffer. Unfortunately, almost all occupations present some type of health and safety risk.

If you end up suffering an injury or illness that stems from your work-related activities, you may wonder what that will mean for you financially. In some cases, a serious illness or injury may prevent you from working for a period of time or may result in your life overall becoming more difficult. Fortunately, workers' compensation may be able to help.

Serious motorcycle injuries require skilled legal handling

On behalf of Goldstein, Heslop, Steele, Clapper, Oswalt & Smith posted in motorcycle accidents on Friday, April 26, 2019.

With warmer weather settling in for the spring and summer, many motorcycle aficionados will be taking to the roads and highways around Altoona and the rest of Pennsylvania. After all, many people in this state enjoy riding their motorcycles so as to take in scenery or even just for the thrill of it.

A great motorcycle ride can very quickly turn in to a disaster, however, should another motor vehicle run in to the motorcyclist or even, without hitting the bike, force the rider off the road or in to a fall.

Distracted drivers could pose threat to kids in school zones

On behalf of Goldstein, Heslop, Steele, Clapper, Oswalt & Smith on Thursday, April 11, 2019.

As you and most other Pennsylvania drivers know, distracted driving is a serious issue that puts everyone on the road in danger. Unfortunately, distracted driving accidents can easily have pedestrians as victims, and some of those victims may be children getting on or off the school bus.

Though state laws require drivers to stop their vehicles when a bus has its lights flashing and stop sign out, distracted drivers may not realize that a bus has stopped or otherwise disregard this part of the law. If your child is getting on or off the bus at the bus stop near your home or in a school zone, he or she could be in danger of suffering injuries due to a distracted driver.

Study shows higher speeds claim more lives

On behalf of Goldstein, Heslop, Steele, Clapper, Oswalt & Smith posted in truck accidents on Wednesday, April 10, 2019.

According to a report by a think tank which researches issues related to traffic safety, while higher speed limits might be a nice convenience for Pennsylvania drivers, they come at a price. The group's report suggested that, over the last 25 years 37,000 people lost their lives because lawmakers have been increasing speed limits on roads and highways. For instance, in Pennsylvania, while the highway speed limit was 55 miles per hour in bygone years, the state is opening more stretches of the highways to speed limits of 70 miles per hour.

The study suggested that, in just 2017 alone, over 1,900 people died because of this trend toward permitting higher speeds on the roads. On the whole, the study concluded that for every five miles per hour by which officials raise a speed limit, the rate of highway deaths increases by 8 percent and the rate of deaths on streets increases by 3 percent.

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