Pittsburgh Law Blog

What are the real odds of a dog bite?

On behalf of DelVecchio & Miller, LLC posted in dog bites on Friday, October 11, 2019.

If you've never met a dog that you didn't like, you may not realize just how common dog bites can actually be. Unfortunately, many people end up bitten simply because they see every dog as "man's best friend" and don't realize that some dogs just...well, aren't friendly.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are around 4.7 million dog bites every year in the United States alone. Around 800,000 of those bites will send the victim to an emergency room -- and it's likely that many more people should go, but don't.

Do you want to avoid driving while distracted? Here's how

On behalf of DelVecchio & Miller, LLC posted in car accidents on Wednesday, October 9, 2019.

If you have seen an accident caused by distracted driving, you may be interested in how to avoid it yourself. If a driver was distracted, rear-ending a vehicle and causing a crash, the injuries to the other driver could be life-changing.

It is not easy to deal with the pain and suffering that can happen after a crash, which is why it's smart to go over what happened and to make sure you don't make similar mistakes in the future. As to distracted driving, there are lots of ways that you can avoid it.

Take precautions before stepping into the woods right now

On behalf of DelVecchio & Miller, LLC posted in personal injury on Friday, October 4, 2019.

The air is getting crisp and the leaves on the trees are starting to turn -- which makes the idea of a walk in the woods really enticing to a lot of people -- especially bow hunters.

Archery hunting starts in the state on Oct. 5, 2019, and members of the United Bowhunters of Pennsylvania want to remind enthusiasts of several safety measures they should take before they lift up their bow. Here's what they recommend:

How your "reptilian brain" affects your ability to commute safely

On behalf of DelVecchio & Miller, LLC posted in car accidents on Friday, September 27, 2019.

Traveling the same route to work, your kids' school or errands every day can become dull. You may feel like you know every building and road sign along the way, and paying attention to your commute can become quite difficult. You may find yourself slipping into bouts of intense boredom.

Some people traveling down familiar roads will experience a loss of time, where they arrive at their destination and can't quite recall how they got there. This happens because of a unique physiological response to boredom and routine in the human brain.

The scary statistics about runs on red

On behalf of DelVecchio & Miller, LLC posted in car accidents on Thursday, September 26, 2019.

About 85% of drivers out there realize that running a red light is dangerous -- yet, one in three drivers will admit that they've done exactly that sometime within the last month.

The apparent disconnect between awareness and action may be partially to blame for the fact that fatalities as a result of a "run on red" are climbing. According to a recent report, 2017 saw the highest number of fatalities in a decade, with 939 people killed. That's almost two deaths per day and represents a 28% increase over the number of deaths reported in 2012.

Vaping deaths, injuries spark lawsuits against manufacturers

On behalf of DelVecchio & Miller, LLC posted in product liability on Thursday, September 19, 2019.

Vaping was supposed to be a safer alternative to cigarettes, and it was quickly adopted by millions of people around the nation.

Now, in the wake of several deaths and hundreds of injuries related to e-cigarettes and vaping, many consumers are angry. They feel misled by the safety claims of many e-cigarette manufacturers and targeted for exploitation. Now, three teenage victims are taking on some of the major manufacturers of e-cigarettes. The New Jersey teens have filed lawsuits accusing Juul Lab Inc., Altria Group Inc. and PAX Labs Inc. of targeting young people with their advertising and products and misrepresenting the dangers of vaping.

Injured by a distracted driver? Get assistance

On behalf of DelVecchio & Miller, LLC posted in car accidents on Friday, September 13, 2019.

Distracted driving isn't exactly brand new -- but it seems to be rising to new heights lately. In 2018, there were 4,637 known distracted driving fatalities -- a sharp rise over the 3,166 that occurred in 2017. As you can imagine, the number of injuries each due to distracted driving is much higher.

In general, the problem is that drivers often convince themselves that they aren't really distracted. Some people simply underestimate how quickly an accident can happen -- they honestly don't understand the danger. Others simply only see "texting and driving" or "talking on a cellphone" and driving as the whole problem.

Recalls by Ford, Kia put design flaws in the news again

On behalf of DelVecchio & Miller, LLC posted in product liability on Tuesday, September 3, 2019.

If you drive a car, you know that accidents happen. More than likely, however, you're relying on your car's safety features to help protect you if an accident d KOPOO

oes occur.

How to avoid tree-stand injuries while hunting

On behalf of DelVecchio & Miller, LLC posted in slip-and-fall accidents on Wednesday, August 28, 2019.

As summer slips into fall, hunting seasons will soon begin. That makes this a good time to brush up on safety issues that are of particular concern to hunters -- but we aren't talking about gun safety.

Let's talk about tree stands, instead. After all, September is National Tree Stand Safety Awareness Month.

Tailgating is one of the biggest dangers on the road

On behalf of DelVecchio & Miller, LLC posted in personal injury on Wednesday, August 21, 2019.

Tailgating occurs when one driver drives too close to the rear fender of another vehicle. What's too close for safety? According to the experts, you can reduce the dangers of ending up in a collision due to tailgating simply by keeping about 10 feet between you and the vehicle in front of you for every 10 miles per hour that you're driving.

If, on the other hand, you're the driver being tailgated, move over and let the other driver pass if at all possible. Most tailgating occurs simply because one driver is impatient with another or in a hurry to get somewhere. If you can't move over to let the other driver pass, slow down gradually and make sure that you have plenty of space between you and the driver in front of you to minimize the possibility of a three-car accident.