Pennsylvania State Representatives are proposing a bill, called “Ashley’s Law” that would abolish the current law capping the amount of money a school district can pay toward a defendant. The law is named for Ashley Zauflik, a Pennsbury High School student, who was severely injured when an out of control school bus struck and ran over her at Falls High School. Because of the accident, Ashley lost one leg above the knee and suffered a crushed pelvis.
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The Rising Trend of Mediation Has Both Benefits and Drawbacks
Mediation is an alternative way of settling a legal dispute without using the court system. A recent uptrend in the use of mediation has caused a noticeable decline in civil lawsuits across the state of Pennsylvania. In 2010, people in Pennsylvania filed 140,764 civil cases, which was a 21 percent decline from 2006.
There has been steady growth in mediation of medical malpractice cases in Pennsylvania because physicians want to try to control their liability exposure to patients.
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Pennsylvania Texting While Driving Ban Goes Into Effect
A state law that prohibits texting while driving, which was passed by the legislature last fall, recently went into effect – making Pennsylvania the 35th state to put a ban on this form of distracted driving.
Under the new law, texting while driving is considered a primary offense – meaning that drivers can be pulled over if caught texting, even if they’re not committing any other moving violations at the time. Those who are caught breaking this law will face fines of around $135.
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OSHA Adopts International Chemical-Hazard Warning Standards
Many U.S. workplaces of all sizes and types have the potential to expose workers to dangerous chemicals. The federal government has adopted an internationally recognized labeling warning system that will provide uniform communication to employees of the specific hazards they face. It is hoped that the new labeling standards will significantly increase workplace safety and decrease the rate of workplace accidents, injuries, diseases and even deaths from dangerous or toxic chemical exposure.
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Slip and Fall Liability on Pennsylvania’s Snowy Sidewalks
With Thanksgiving come and gone, winter is starting to creep up on everyone. For those living in Pennsylvania, when the sub-zero winds start to blow they know all too well how quickly snow, sleet and ice can start to accumulate. Consequently, Pennsylvania residents need to be careful when clearing their sidewalks of snow and ice – as doing so improperly may expose the homeowner to liability.
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While Experts Debate PSA Testing, Cancer Patients Could Suffer
In recent months, health policy experts and medical professionals have argued back and forth over the use of PSA tests to detect and diagnose prostate cancer. How the issue is resolved could affect thousands of men each year and help define detection and treatment standards for this serious disease.
PSA is short for prostate-specific antigen, a protein that is produced by the prostate gland; high PSA levels are an indicator of prostate cancer. Healthcare professionals test PSA levels by taking a blood sample and sending it to a lab for analysis, then confirming the results with a biopsy.
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Pennsylvania Study Highlights Nurse Fatigue and Infection Risk
A recent study out of the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing casts light on a serious problem in American healthcare. Thousands of nurses studied showed high levels of burnout or fatigue, which can lead to otherwise preventable medical errors with potentially life-threatening consequences.
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Pennsylvania’s “No Texting While Driving” Law Proves Difficult to Enforce
According to records kept by the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts and police, there were roughly 900 citations issued to motorists under Pennsylvania’s new “no texting while driving” law during the first eight months of the texting ban.
And while there is little question as to why the texting law was passed – namely, to make the roads safer and curb distracted driving car accidents – many police officers are finding the new law difficult to enforce.
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Hip Implant Manufacturer Aware of High Failure Rates, Records Show
According to recently released court documents reported on by the New York Times, an internal audit performed by Johnson & Johnson in 2011 assessed that one of its recalled metal-on-metal hip implants would have a failure rate of almost 40 percent within five years of implantation.
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Starting in 2014 Public can Look Up Payments to Doctors from Drug Makers
Many patients may be surprised to discover that several doctors routinely receive gifts and payments from pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers. In fact, it is quite common for physicians to have financial relationships with the companies that make the medicines and devices that the doctors use on a daily basis.
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