Articles Posted in Third Party Liability

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A Pennsylvania woman died days after she was struck by a power line that fell into her yard. Carrie Goretzka stepped outside to call 911 about the line and was shocked and burned by a live electrical wire that fell from trees. Rescue workers were unable to administer treatment until a utility crew came to cut off the power.

Goretzka’s family filed a lawsuit against the utility company, West Penn Power, and its related companies. It contends the companies are liable for Goretzka’s death because utility workers failed to properly maintain the wires that fell near her home.

The family’s attorney, Shanin Specter, says the power line failed at a point where it was spliced. He says workers using a splice device know to use a wire brush to clean oxides from the wires, otherwise overheating will cause the splice to fail.

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The case involving the 2004 explosion of a water heater in Indiana has been settled for $27 million.

The explosion leveled an apartment that was attached to a Morgan County barn, killing one man and critically burning six of his family members.

A year after the incident, the family filed a products liability suit against the water heater company. The jury decided South Central Indiana Rural Electric Membership Corp., RushShelby Energy Rural Electric Cooperative and SCI Propane LLC were 65 percent liable for the accident.

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In 2008, a five-year-old girl drowned in a pool at her after-school program, Little Bridges. The little girl was autistic and blind, and although Little Bridges was fully aware of this, they failed to provide the proper supervision for her.

The father of the California five-year-old filed a wrongful death suit against everyone connected to his little girl’s death, including the local school district. In March he was awarded $400k.

If you or someone you know has experienced suffering from the loss of a loved one please contact McAleer Law today.

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According to WSAV.com, the family of former Lee County Commissioner, who was shot a year ago, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the company that was monitoring the electronic device that the suspect was ordered to wear.

The company was responsible for monitoring the suspect’s house arrest anklet but did not take action when the suspect violated the terms of house arrest. The Lee County family is alleging negligence on the part of the monitoring company.

If you and your family are experiencing pain and suffering due to a loved one’s death and feel that a third party is responsible for your loss, please contact McAleer Law to get the justice you deserve.

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A recent report warns that metal-on-metal hip implants are failing at an alarming rate. Hip implants such as the DePuy Pinnacle Ultamet and the DePuy Orthopedic ASR, which have been recalled, fail in one-third of patients. Metal-on-metal hip replacement devices were designed to be more durable than traditional hip replacement devices; however, they have a significantly higher early failure rate than hip replacement devices made with ceramic and plastic components.

Artificial hips are typically expected to last 15 years before replacement is needed. Some reports indicate that all-metal hips are failing after only five or six years. Failure of a hip implant device often causes extreme pain and mobility issues, and may require the patient to undergo revision surgery which comes with an added risk of complications.

A concern with all-metal hip replacement devices is that debris can come loose from the joint and be absorbed by the patient’s soft tissue surrounding the joint, creating a condition known as metallosis. The uncertain effects of any release of cobalt and chromium ions into the patient’s blood are also a concern.

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An Ohio jury recently returned a verdict of $5.671 million in favor of a 53-year-old man who sustained severe shoulder injuries as a result of an explosion at an AEP power plant in 2007.

During the trial, the jurors heard testimony that included information about a similar explosion approximately 15 months earlier at an AEP plant in West Virginia. It was found that the plant failed to take any steps to correct that problem. The jury found that the Ohio Power Company, a subsidiary of AEP, acted with a conscious disregard of the plaintiff’s well being.

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