You should stop and think about what you have in your apartment and how much it would cost to replace, should something unfortunate occur. I would think the replacement cost far exceeds the $200/year for coverage.

Another tip I would suggest is going over a plan in case you are not at the bus stop when they return home from school. When my oldest son was in kindergarten, the school mistakenly sent him home on the bus instead of to aftercare. By some miracle, my husband was home due to a meeting he had near our home being done early. My son didn't know anyone was home, and by the time he got to the front door, he was hysterical. After that lucky incident, we set up a plan for him to follow should this situation ever re-occur. We felt better, but more importantly he would be safe incase of a similar incident or emergency.

In conclusion, for those of you with children heading off to school, I urge you to constantly remind them of safety matters. Whether they deal with other cars, buses or predators. And I urge everyone driving a vehicle to be mindful of children suddenly crossing the street and/or not being aware of the circumstances around them. We at Mednick, Mezyk & Kredo, P.C. wish you a safe and healthy school year.

The problem of serious injuries resulting from dog bite attacks has led Chicago city lawmakers to introduce an ordinance which would mandate that every dog is neutered (except those used for breeding purposes). The ordinance says "No person shall own, harbor or keep within the City of Chicago, a dog or cat over six months of age which has not been sterilized." The rationale behind the proposal is that most dog bite attacks involve unneutered animals. Violators would be faced with fines as high as $100. Registered breeders would be exempt, but would pay annually for a "breeding permit" and would undergo criminal background checks.

Good idea? I think so. As a Philadelphia Dog Bite Lawyer, I have seen first hand the serious injuries dog bite attacks cause innocent victims. Whether such a law will ever be introduced in Pennsylvania, I don't know. But, I do think it makes sense if it will help cut down on the vicious dog attacks.

This reminds me of a wheel separation case I recently settled. In this other case, a wheel and tire separated from a Ford Explorer causing the wheel and tire to crash into another vehicle and kill its driver, a single parent mother. In the case on behalf of the mother's estate, we alleged that the wheel and tire had been improperly installed a mere 11 days before the accident by Country Tire Warehouse. Shortly before trial, we were able to secure a large confidential settlement for the Estate whose sole beneficiary was the minor-child.

Experts in wheel separation cases will tell you that a properly installed wheel should NEVER separate from a vehicle. Therefore, the family of this Morristown, NJ woman should immediatley hire a Personal Injury Lawyer who can hire experts to look into what caused this wheel and tire to separate from this vehicle.

The Philadelphia Taxi Cab then left the scene of the accident. The driver of the taxi cab has not yet been identified. At last report, it was believed that the Philadelphia Police Department had recovered the taxi cab which was involved in the fatal accident.

Why would any driver leave the scene of an accident after striking a pedestrian? One would think that this driver was possibly not licensed or illegally driving the taxi cab. However, doesn't this driver have a conscience? Shouldn't we all help out our fellow man? It is beyond my comprehension how a person can leave another, especially a child, on the side of a road with extensive injuries.

As a Philadelphia Personal Injury Lawyer, I represent families of individuals killed in automobile accidents. When this occurs, my job it to try to get the most compensation I can for the family. A taxi cab driver can drive through the streets of Philadelphia with only $15,000 of bodily injury automobile liability insurance to compensate an injured victim. In my opinion, the State of Pennsylvania should be ashamed of itself for allowing this to occur. As my office is in center city Philadelphia, I have often taken taxi cabs around the city. In my opinion, the cab drivers are worse than the SEPTA bus drivers. At least SEPTA is required to be self insured for $250,000 of bodily injury insurance coverage per person. Something needs to be done about these drivers who don't have licenses and have insufficient coverage to compensate injured victims.

Related Web Resources:

Report Philadelphia Taxi Cab Complaints

A spinal cord injury usually begins with a sudden, traumatic blow to the spine that fractures or dislocates vertebrae. The damage begins at the moment of injury when displaced bone fragments, disc material, or ligaments bruise or tear into spinal cord tissue. Most injuries to the spinal cord don't completely sever it. Instead, an injury is more likely to cause fractures and compression of the vertebrae.

According to the Travis Roy Foundation, which is dedicated to Spinal Cord Injury Research, more than 13,000 people sustain spinal cord injuries each year, or one in every 41 minutes. These injuries cost the nation an estimated 11 billion annually. If you or someone you know is the unfortunate victim of a spinal cord injury, contact our law firm for a free consultation.

Prior to 1996, Pennsylvania allowed all dogs one prior bite before liability could be attached to the dog's owner. This law was commonly referred to as the "one bite rule". In 1996, the Pennsylvania Legislature rewrote the Dog Law Statutes. The changes did away with the need of a dog bite victim to prove that the dog had bitten before in order to show the dog's dangerous propensities. Pursuant to the amendments, the propensity to attack may be proven
by a single incident of the infliction of a severe injury clearly finding a ‘propensity’ to attack human beings by virtue of the attack in question, even if it is only the first attack.

A "severe injury" is "any physical injury that results in broken bones or disfiguring lacerations requiring multiple sutures or cosmetic surgery." A severely injured victim can make a Dog Law claim against the dog owner for medical expenses and all other losses and legal damages. The victim is required to prove that the dog inflicted severe injury without provocation regardless whether or not the dog had previously bitten a person.

If you or a loved one is the victim of a dog bite attack, contact Michael Mednick, a Philadelphia Dog Bite Lawyer. Many times homeowners insurance will provide insurance coverage for dog bite attacks. Some renters insurance will provide coverage as well. If there is no insurance and the dog owner is unable to compensate the dog bite victim, an experienced dog bite lawyer can consider whether another party may be responsible for the dog attack, such as a landlord who knows his tenant is harboring a dangerous dog.

Last September, Minnesota became the first state to announce that its hospitals would no longer charge patients or insurers for avoidable errors. Within weeks, others states began following suit. Before September, a hospital would still charge a patient even in the circumstance of clear hospital error.

In Pennsylvania, hospitals will not bill Medicaid for 16 specific medical malpractice errors. They are:

1. Wrong surgical procedure on a patient
2. Patient death or serious disability from contaminated drugs, devices or biologics
3. Patient death or serious disability associated with use or function of a device other than as intended
4. Patient suicide or attempted suicide resulting in serious disability
5. Patient death or disability associated with medication administration error
6. Patient death from a fall while in the facility
7. Unexpected removal of organ
8. Unexpected amputation of limb
9. Death during or immediately after an operation in a normally healthy patient
10. Patient death or disability caused by incompatible ABO blood or products, two events
11. Maternal death or serious disability during labor or delivery of a low-risk pregnancy
12. Stage 3 or 4 pressure ulcers
13. Severe allergic reaction
14. Retention of a foreign object in a patient after surgery
15. Patient death or serious disability from a burn incurred from any source while in the healthcare facility
16. Patient death or disability associated with a medication error, two events.

At the same time, many of the nation's largest insurance providers — Cigna, Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield — have announced they no longer will pay for serious, preventable mistakes.

All of these medical malpractice mistakes are situations that should NEVER OCCUR. This is why they are called "never events". In addition to not charging a patient for the errors, the patient or families should consult with a Medical Malpractice Lawyer for a full investigation of their claim.

"Like the physical and emotional harm caused by medical errors, the financial consequences don't stop at the hospital door," said AHRQ Director Carolyn M. Clancy, M.D. "Eliminating medical errors and their after effects must continue to be top priority for our health care system."

This cost of 1.5 billion eventually filters down to every one of us. It is important to keep in mind that this study is very limited in that it only takes into account medical errors incurred during the initial hospital stay following a surgical procedure.

The Philadelphia Medical Malpractice Law Firm of Mednick, Mezyk & Kredo offers a free consultation to all potential clients who would like us to review a case for possible medical malpractice.

According to fire officials the blaze had accidentally been sparked by two jar candles left burning on a dining room table in the home. Fire officials said one smoke detector was in the house basement, but the batteries had been removed.

As a Philadelphia Personal Injury Lawyer who handles Fire Claims, I applaud the mothers and their lawyer for filing suit against the landlord. Many of my clients throughout the City of Philadelphia are forced to live in less than ideal situations in houses which are unsafe, not properly inspected and pose a risk to themselves and their families. The very least these landlords can supply is a proper amount of working smoke detectors.

Generally, dog biters fit within two categories; submissive types (fear biters) and dominant types (aggression biters). The submissive types will slow down or veer to one side when you approach them in an attempt to avoid a confrontation dominant types may approach you with their ears and tail standing up tall, showing off their confidence.

If you feel threatened by a dog while jogging, you should try to determine the type of dog that is threatening you and deal with these dogs in different manners. When dealing with a dominant type of dog, you should stop jogging or walking and avoid direct eye contact. Turn your body slightly away from the dog (i.e. avoid full frontal or rear views). Allow the dog to sniff you to establish that you are not a threat. Most dominant dogs will simply leave you alone.

If you feel threatened by a submissive dog, you should once again stop jogging or walking, but this time, face the dog straight on, even if the dog tries to circle around you. Slowly withdraw from the dog's "territory" so that it does not feel threatened.

It is important to remember to never run away, since running triggers the natural instinct in dogs to give chase. Also never stare at the dog or make direct eye contact, since this is perceived as a threat.

Should all else fail and you get attacked by a dog, it is important to try to identify the owner of the dog. This will enable you to get information regarding whether the dog is current on its shots. This could be the difference from having to undergo painful rabies injections or other treatment. You should also contact a Philadelphia Dog Bite Lawyer to obtain information on your rights under Pennsylvania Law.