The Occupational Safety and Hazard Association announced earlier this month that they are unable to ban the unsafe pipe cleaning procedure using flammable natural gas that led to the February construction power plant blast at the Kleen Energy Systems plant in Middleton, Connecticut.  OSHA officials say they will send a letter of warning to the power industry concerning the practice, but currently they do not have enough information on the subject to completely ban it.  David Michaels, an OSHA administrator, stated, “We would love to be able to ban it, but we can’t”.

The announcement comes just after another announcement of proposed fines of $16.6 million to the contractors and construction companies working for Kleen Engery Systems.  The plant was attempting to clear debris from a supply pipe using flammable natural gas when the explosion occurred, leaving six dead and fifty injured.

The Philadelphia VA Medical Center and Dr. Gary Kao are being sued by five former patients for botched radiation therapy.

Five veterans and former cancer patients, Richard Mitchell, James Armstrong, Barry Lackro, Donald Pepper, and John Berry, that were treated by Dr. Kao at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center believe they received improper treatment for their cancer.  Dr. Kao performed a therapy called brachytherapy on all five patients.

Investigators from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission looked into the hospital and Dr. Kao’s practices and determined that of 114 patients receiving brachytherapy, Dr. Kao only performed the procedure correctly 16 times.   Furthermore, the NRC found that staff at the cancer unit often tried to cover up mistakes in medical records.  Dr. Kao was terminated from his position and the cancer unit at Philadelphia VA Medical Center was closed down.

If you or someone you love has been the victim of medical malpractice, contact the Harrisburg cancer malpractice lawyers of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. at 215-329-3511 to learn more about your rights.

Two motorcyclists and a pedestrian were injured in a motorcycle accident in Penns Landing over the holiday weekend.

The accident occurred around 2 AM on South Columbus Boulevard at Lombard Street when a man driving a motorcycle with a female passenger hit a pedestrian on the side of the road.  The  cause of the accident is being investigated.

The driver of the motorcycle and the pedestrian were both taken to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in critical condition.  The female passenger was taken to The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania with minor injuries and listed in stable condition.

If you or someone you love has been injured in a pedestrian accident, contact the Harrisburg pedestrian accident attorneys of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. at 610-667-7511 to learn more about your rights.

A tragic motorcycle accident occurred this past Sunday evening in Lancaster County, injuring two and leaving five dead.

Three Harley Davidson motorcycles collided with a van in the southbound lanes of Route 97, killing three men and two women motorcyclists.  A third woman motorcyclist survived the accident and was taken to Lancaster General Hospital in critical condition.  The driver of the van was also transported to Lancaster General Hospital in fair condition.

Pennsylvania Township police officials are unsure of what caused the accident and the order the motorcycles hit the van, but continue to investigate.  So far, they know that the motorcyclists were driving northbound on Route 97, but are unsure of the direction the van was traveling.  Police Corporal Rodney King said, “One hit in front and then the other two hit on either side…So there was some rotation of the van.  It’s really hard to tell who was going which way because the van was hit in three different areas”.

Law enforcement officials found helmets strewn about the scene and believe some of the motorcyclists were wearing helmets, but they probably fell off in the accident.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the friends and families of the motorcyclists.

A two-year old Pit bull, Nico, that attacked a man in McKees Rock, Pennsylvania will get a second chance.

In April, 54-year old Jeff Allen of Stowe was looking at purchasing a building on Herbst Alley when Nico jumped the fence of his house on Church Ave. and ran at Allen.  The dog knocked Allen down and lunged at him several times before biting the tip of the middle finger on his left hand completely off.  The dog’s owners then grabbed Nico by the collar and pulled him off.

Allen had to pay $1,700 dollars of medical bills and plastic surgeons were unable to reattach the tip of his finger after the attack.

Nico’s family and McKees Rock police argued that Nico had never hurt anyone before and that one offense does not make him a dangerous dog.  State law does not allow for first time offenders to be euthanized but, Judge Cercone recently ruled that Nico was a dangerous dog and ordered his family to build an escape proof enclosure.  The family intends to appeal the ruling.

If your or someone you know has been injured in an animal attack, contact the Harrisburg dog bite lawyers of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. at 610-667-7511 to learn more about your rights.

A total of seven people were injured this past Monday in a drilling accident near Moundsville, West Virginia. Three remain in the hospital, but hospital officials say the injuries are not life threatening.

The accident occurred on Monday when Union Drilling Inc. workers hit a pocket of methane gas while sinking a natural gas well through an abandoned coal mine. Gas and environmental officials are unsure of how the methane ignited.

A spokeswoman for Chief Oil & Gas LLC, Kristi Gittens, said they are trying to move some of the equipment from the rig while the methane burns, and will try to cap the well when it is safe to approach.

Furthermore, Gittens stated, “Drilling for natural gas is not accident-free. You can’t say that about any industrial operation. But we take our role in protecting our workers, the community and the environment seriously”.

If your or someone you love has been injured in the workplace, contact the Harrisburg personal injury attorneys of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. at 610-667-7511 to learn more about your rights.

Last year, the Pennsylvania house voted to pass legistlation which would consider texting and driving a primary offense, meaning that if a police officer saw a driver texting while driving they would be able to pull them over and issue the driver a citation.

Now, the bill has made it to the Senate only to fall in a 33-14 vote to ammend the legislation to make texting and driving a secondary offense. A secondary offense means that an officer is only able to issue a citation after having pulled a driver over for a primary offense. In the case of texting and driving, this would essentially make texting and driving legal for those who are not speeding or committing any other primary driving offenses.

Joseph Markosek, author of the bill, stated, “My legislation would allow law enforcement to be proactive and stop these drivers before an accident occurs”.

The bill also takes into consideration the age of drivers, which was a turning point for some voters. If different circumstances apply to those of a certain age, particularly teens with driving permits etc., it can create a difficult situation for police officers who cannot usually tell a drivers specific age. Some states like New Jersey require a special stickers to be placed on younger drivers’ vehicles.

For now the bill is up for ammendment to settle the issues of age and primary vs. secondary offense, but members of the senate agree that in general texting and driving can be very dangerous. “I don’t think any of us would disagree that you should not be texting while driving,” declared Gordon.

Currently, 25 states have banned texting and driving.

If you or someone you know has been injured in a car accident contact the Harrisburg personal injury attorneys at Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. at 610-667-7511 to learn more about your rights.

An officer with the Philadelphia Police Department was taken to the hospital after an early-morning car crash involving an allegedly drunk driver Tuesday.

According to officials with the Philadelphia Police Department, the officer was at the scene of an arrest early Tuesday morning, in the city’s Frankford section, when the accident occurred. Investigators say a driver did not see the police scene in time and tried to stop but struck a parked car. The force of the impact sent the parked vehicle into a squad car which struck the officer.

The male officer, whose identity has not been released by police, was transported to a nearby hospital where he was treated and released.

Police arrested the driver that caused the crash on suspicion of drunk driving. The results of a blood test are pending.

If you or someone you know has been injured in a Philadelphia car accident, please contact a Harrisburg DWI accident lawyer from Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. by calling 610-667-7511.

A commuter train collided with a car stuck between gates at a crossing in Philadelphia, Thursday, leaving one person injured.

According to officials with the Philadelphia Police Department, the accident occurred at a crossing in the East Falls section of the city Thursday night. Fifty-four-year-old train-passenger Joe Higgins said the train, headed for Norristown, was approaching a station and moving slowly when the accident happened. Many people on the train did not realize something had happened, Higgins said.

According to a report released by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, the vehicle was sitting upside-down after the crash and appeared to have suffered significant damage.

One passenger in the car was injured, police could not comment on the nature or extent of the injuries.

If you or someone you love has been injured in a Philadelphia car accident, please contact the Harrisburg car accident lawyers of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. by calling 610-667-7511.

Three people were injured in an early morning crash in Philadelphia’s Oxford Circle neighborhood Thursday.

According to reports from the Philadelphia Police Department, officers were called to an accident at the intersection of Castor Avenue and Benner Street shortly after 1:30 a.m. Emergency response crews rushed to free three women who were trapped inside a wrecked sport utility vehicle. A 40 year-old woman was transported to Einstein Medical Center in critical condition. A 33 year-old and a 17 year-old were said to be in stable condition after the crash.

The cause of the accident remains under investigation. Police say they do not believe alcohol or drugs to have been a factor in the crash. Toxicology reports are pending. Officers could not comment on the nature or extent of the victim’s injuries.

If you or someone you love has been injured in a Philadelphia car accident, please contact the Harrisburg personal injury lawyers of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. by calling 610-667-7511.