Virginia Personal Injury and Medical Malpractice Blog

Rideshare apps like Uber and Lyft make local travel simple and convenient, and more Virginia residents than ever are using these apps. However, if you have been in an accident involving a rideshare vehicle, determining liability can be extremely difficult. If you or someone you love were in a car accident while riding in an…

There is nothing more emblematic of summer than a road trip, but summer is also one of the most dangerous times to be on the road. More fatal car accidents involving teen drivers occur during the 100 Deadly Days of Summer than any other time of the year. Distracted driving is a common cause of…

E-cigarette Explosion Breaks Jaw In March of 2018, a teenager in Salt Lake City was smoking a vape pen when it exploded in his mouth.  The emergency room physician who operated on the teen compared the boy’s e-cigarette explosion injury to “kind of like a close-range gunshot wound.”  Another treating physician said, “[t]hat’s an injury…

Most of us probably do not even think about the possibility of a car accident when we climb into an Uber or Lyft. But once a crash happens, you quickly realize that the aftermath of a rideshare wreck is anything but straightforward. How well do I really know this driver I just met? Who is…

Congress takes action on dangerous inclined baby sleepers Bills were introduced this week in the U.S. House and Senate to ban all infant sleeping devices with an incline greater than 10 degrees. This would bring the U.S. in-line with Canadian safety regulations regarding inclined baby sleepers. Millions of baby sleepers recalled Inclined baby sleepers are…

While we love nothing more than a good road trip, summer can be a dangerous time to drive. Not only are there more Virginians traveling, but they are also driving heavily-packed vehicles on busy roads during some of the most dangerous months for highway travel. Tire blowouts are an unsuspecting danger that can change lives…

Understand Virginia’s Bike Safety Laws to Have Fun and Stay Safe Virginia is a great state for bicycling, and Richmond is an especially terrific city for a brisk ride. Unfortunately, it seems the roads are becoming more dangerous for cyclists. According to research compiled by the Virginia Highway Safety Office, there were 13 fatal car…

Vaping nicotine is often touted as a safer alternative to smoking cigarettes. However, e-cigarettes are extremely dangerous and extremely addictive. In recent years, use has exploded among middle and high school students. Keep reading to learn why the U.S. Surgeon General has declared underage vaping an epidemic, how to talk to your kids about the…

Kids II Sleeper Recall Highlights the Risk of Rocking Sleepers Kids II is recalling about 700,000 rocking baby sleepers sold since 2012 at Walmart, Target and Toys R Us.  Kids II manufactures baby products for brands such as Baby Einstein, Ingenuity, Bright Starts and Disney Baby. The Kids II Rocking Sleepers recall comes just two weeks…

During your personal injury claim, it’s more than likely that the insurance company will want to negotiate a settlement. In fact, most accident victims will eventually settle their claims. However, unless you’re careful, it’s easy to make costly mistakes that can reduce your settlement’s value. Are you considering filing a personal injury claim? Rather than…

Rock ‘n Play Recall: What You Need to Know On April 10, 2019, the American Academy of Pediatricians (AAP) called for the immediate recall of Fisher-Price Rock ‘n Play sleepers.  Today, after trying to blame parents and otherwise shirk responsibility for its dangerous product, Fisher-Price announced that it is recalling 4.7 million Rock ‘n Play…

A single mistake by a doctor or medical professional can turn a hopeful patient into a victim suffering from physical, psychological, and financial damages. If you were injured by someone’s medical malpractice, you need to understand that holding negligent doctors and hospitals accountable is crucial, not only for your own well-being, but that of the community…

Boeing Responsible for Crashes Boeing has taken the extraordinary step of accepting responsibility for the deadly Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines  airplane crashes that killed several hundred people.  Boeing CEO, Dennis Muilenburg, posted to Twitter today a letter and video in which he acknowledged fault.  Preliminary reports indicate that the 737 MAX’s Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System…

Many of us have hopped on a charter bus headed to a sporting event, casino, or amusement park. However, you may not realize that some discount bus lines value profits over their passengers’ safety. A recent charter bus crash highlights this risk. Below, the motor vehicle accident lawyers at Phelan Petty discuss a series of…

4 Common Reasons Insurance Companies Use to Deny Car Crash Claims After a traumatic car accident, victims would rather focus on their physical, emotional, and mental health than fighting for legal compensation. Most people believe they will make an insurance claim and receive the compensation they deserve within a few weeks. Unfortunately, that is not…

Drugged Driving: A Growing Threat on Virginia Roads Drugged driving is becoming increasingly problematic on Virginia roads. When people who are not in condition to drive get behind the wheel, impairment can cause crashes that lead to injury or death. Keep reading to learn more about drugged driving in Virginia, and what to do if…

I was raised in the Catholic Church and it pains me to write this article.  What hurts me, even more, is that countless children endured sexual abuse while the Church did nothing. Recently, there has been an outpouring of admissions that the Catholic Church received “credible claims” of sexual abuse against thousands of priests. The…

Recently, two Catholic dioceses in Virginia publicly named 58 priests as having been “credibly accused” of sexually abusing children. The abuse went on for decades and involves an unknown number of innocent victims. This startling and seemingly transparent disclosure of the identity of pedophiles in the clergy has been viewed by many as an attempt…

What is Paragard? Paragard is a small, hormone-free IUD made of plastic wrapped in a layer of copper.  Remarkably, copper is its only active ingredient in the device. Copper wires coiled around the device produce an inflammatory reaction, which is toxic to sperm and eggs (ova), preventing pregnancy.  The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved this…

A recent article published in the Daily Beast focused on the uptick in e-cigarette explosion cases seen at Vanderbilt University’s Division of Trauma and Surgical Critical Care. The surgeon interviewed for the article has treated 30 people for exploding e-cigarette injuries.  The injuries treated include third degree flame burns, chemical burns and damage to teeth and…