Virginia Personal Injury and Medical Malpractice Blog

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 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 after Fisher-Price recalled about 4.7 million…

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…

From self-driving cars to smartwatches, we are all becoming more and more reliant on technology in our daily lives. Unfortunately, a defective “smart” device can cause catastrophic injuries. Below, the product liability team at Phelan Petty discusses the developing field of artificial intelligence (AI) liability. What Is Artificial Intelligence? Fueled by increasingly sophisticated software, chip…

How Do I Sue a Doctor for Medical Malpractice in Virginia? Claims against negligent doctors, providers, and medical facilities are some of the most complicated injury claims. Virginia law establishes strict rules about the timing and procedures associated with medical malpractice claims, and a single mistake can result in delays and lost compensation. In this…

Every day, more and more delivery trucks take to our roads in Virginia. As we begin to rely on home delivery for everything from Amazon orders to groceries, crashes and injuries involving delivery vehicles are becoming more common, too. So, if you’ve been injured by a delivery truck, what are your options, and what should…

In September 2018, a series of violent natural gas explosions in Boston shocked the country. While the devastation caused by the Boston gas explosions stood out, gas leaks and resultant injuries happen throughout the country every year. Keep reading to learn more about the dangers of gas utility lines and find out how you can…

In 2015, drowsy driving caused 41,000 injuries and more than 800 deaths across the nation. While federal and Virginia trucking regulations limit the number of hours a truck driver can operate their vehicle, drivers sometimes experience pressure from their employers to violate these rules so they can make deliveries faster. Keep reading to learn more…

While the rates of drunk driving-related car wrecks have declined in Virginia over the past two decades, annual spikes in accidents still occur around the holidays, and even the most careful motorists can fall victim to a drunk driver. As the holiday season approaches, it’s especially important to understand the steps you can take to…

Virginia Holiday Traffic Death Toll on the Rise During the 2017 Thanksgiving holiday weekend, 14 people were killed in Virginia automobile accidents.  This was the highest number killed over the Thanksgiving weekend since 2013.  This past Thanksgiving weekend, 12 people were killed in Virginia traffic crashes. Why do the number of Virginia highway fatalities during…