News Archive

Premises Liability News

Inmate Death Lawsuit Settled Out of Court
The father of a heroin-addicted inmate who died in Bedford County Prison has settled his four-year lawsuit with the firm that provides health care to the inmates and a county prison official. The inmate was a 23-year-old admitted heroin addict who was placed in prison for a parole violation. When his condition deteriorated over a period of several days. Eventually he became dehydrated and unconscious, yet he was not hospitalized. At one point, he was even denied food and water. After the inmate died, his father filed a federal lawsuit against PrimeCare, two of its employees and the deputy warden of the prison. 

New Rules on Drains Put Pools in Hot Water
The Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act, passed by Congress in 2007, was named for the 7-year-old granddaughter of former U.S. Secretary of State James Baker. She died in 2002 when trapped underwater by the suction of a hot-tub drain. The law requires the drain systems at public hot tubs and pools to meet strict standards which required many pool owners to buy additional parts to cover drains. Many are still confused by the law and have missed the deadline of December 2008. The cost to comply with the law is also expensive, ranging anywhere from $1,000 to $100,000. 

Desert Gust Blows Health Risks from California Mines
Heaps of toxic mine waste rise like church steeples over this wind-swept desert town, threatening the health of residents and of thousands of off-road bikers. Tests on dust samples have revealed some of the highest arsenic levels in the country, as much as 460,000 times the level deemed safe by the federal government. But while the poison can cause cancer in people and harm wildlife, little has been done to remove the costly waste here or similar hazardous waste at thousands of other abandoned mines around the nation. Many worry that particles of arsenic scattered by the area's stiff wind could be slowly poisoning the estimated 300 residents of Randsburg, Johannesburg and Red Mountain in California.

Amazon Pollution Case Could Cost Chevron Billions
For the past 15 years, a class action lawsuit has been winding its way through the courts on behalf of the more than 125,000 people who drink, bathe, fish and wash their clothes in tainted headwaters of the Amazon River. Now a single judge is expected to rule in the case. Statements from a court-appointed expert suggest Chevron Corp. will be held responsible for the many oil spills and dumping of wastewater. If Chevron loses, it could be ordered to pay up to $27.3 billion in damages. Chevron is accused of contaminated the Amazon rainforest with its oil wells and pipeline grids that allegedly led to 1,401 pollution-caused cancer deaths. While Chevron doesn't deny "the presence of pollution" or the impacts, it contends a 1998 agreement with Ecuador that included $40 million of remediation, absolves it of any legal responsibility.

Hospital May Face Lawsuit Over Woman's Death
The family of the 89-year-old woman who died on the roof of a Pittsburgh hospital has asked Common Please Court to give it access to reports from authorities regarding the woman's death. A writ of summons would allow the family to gather information to prepare a wrongful death lawsuit. The family is currently seeking subpoena power for investigative reports on the death prepared by the Allegheny County medical examiner, the district attorney's office, Pittsburgh police and the Department of Health. The woman, who suffered from dementia and heart problems and had a history of wandering, left her room through a fire exit. Her body was found the next morning by a maintenance worker with injures that suggested a fall. She was wearing only a hospital gown.

Businesses Must Install Anti-Drowning Drain Covers
Hotels and fitness centers must install new anti-drowning drain covers in their swimming pools and hot tubs or they will be forced to close under a sweeping law designed to prevent drain suction from trapping children under water. The rules apply to pools and spas used by the public, including municipal pools and those inside private clubs, hotels, apartment buildings and community centers. The improved drain systems were outlines in the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Safety Act passed by Congress a year ago. The issue received heightened attention after the 7-year-old granddaughter of former Secretary of State James A. Baker died when she was sucked into a spa drain in 2002.  

Teen's Miscarriage Suit Moving Against Juvenile Detention Center
A lawsuit by a Pennsylvania woman who miscarried in a juvenile detention center is headed to federal mediation. She is suing Erie County because of the miscarriage she suffered at the center. She claims the center's staff did too little when she complained of back pain and other problems while she was 17 weeks pregnant. While a federal judge rejected her claims of cruel and unusual punishment, he claimed that the center did otherwise violate her rights.  

Supreme Court Revives Former Guantanamo Detainees' Case
The U.S. Supreme Court breathed new life into a lawsuit filed by former detainees at Guantanamo Bay over alleged torture and abuse of their religious rights. The justices threw out an appeals court ruling that dismissed claims by four British men that, during their time at the U.S. naval base in Cuba, they were beaten, shackled in painful stress positions, threatened by dogs and subjected to extreme medical care. They also allege they were harassed while practicing their religion, including forced shaving of their beards, banning or interrupting their prayers, denying them copies of the Koran and prayer mats and throwing a copy of the Koran in a toilet. They contend in their lawsuit that the treatment violated the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which provides that the "government shall not substantially burden a person's exercise of religion." The appeals court unanimously ruled against the former detainees, claiming that because they were aliens and not on U.S. soil, they do not fall within the definition of "person." The Supreme Court instructed the appeals court to reconsider the lawsuit in light their ruling that detainees have some rights under the U.S. Constitution. 

Health Department Claims No Evidence of Cancer Cluster
The Pennsylvania Department of Health has closed its investigation into a cluster of childhood cancers near Tobyhanna after finding the number of cancers to be statistically in line with state averages. The department opened the investigation in the spring after a cluster of childhood cancers in the Pocono Mountain area were reported. At least six cases of cancer were diagnosed in less than two years among teenagers who live or once lived for a substantial period within a 7-mile radius. Four of the children have bone cancer, one has brain cancer and another has leukemia. One of the children has died, which the cancers in two others are in remission.  

Day Care Could Close After Kids Wander Off
After two toddlers walked out of a day care center without being noticed, two employees have been suspended and a state investigation could shut the facility. The children, both 2, were found outside by a neighbor. If the center violated state regulations, it could lose its license and be closed. The workers were suspended without pay after the children went out a back door of the day care and remained outside for more than 20 minutes before being noticed. The day care was also cited this year for exceeding its staff to child ratio.   

Top Bush Officials Unlikely to Face Personal Liability for 9/11 Detentions
The Supreme Court has already shown its skepticism of the Bush administration's war-on-terror policies through a series of rulings vindicating the rights of Guantanamo detainees and "enemy combatants." However, the Supreme Court seems unlikely to act on that skepticism and expose top government officials to personal liability for their role in ordering and administering a roundup of Arab-American and Muslims in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. A Pakistani citizen, one of the 184 "high interest" suspects taken in, claims the policy was discriminatory and led to his mistreatment at a federal corrections center. The man is now seeking to hold former Attorney General John Ashcroft and former FBI Director Robert Mueller personally liable for violating his rights. The Supreme Court is still debating whether or not the two officials can be held liable, but recent arguments seemed to lean towards the government. 

Former Inmate Suing Greene County Prison
A former inmate filed suit against Greene County and its prison officials, claiming that they "maliciously and sadistically" harassed him, threatening to extend his two-day-per-week sentence. He claims that after entering the prison to serve a sentence for driving under the influence in 48-hour increments, the guards routinely threatened to keep him over the court-ordered time 48-hours and did so on three occasions. The suit alleges that prison officials also forced him to stay in a cell with a toilet that did not flush and forced him to touch his own feces before releasing him. 

Daycare Provider Pleads Guilty in Infant Death
A woman who ran a licensed day care out of her house and was charged in connection with the death of a 1-year-old boy pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and obstruction of justice. The baby was dropped off by his mother at the day care at 9:30 am, after which the child was found unresponsive shortly after 10 am. The day care provider first claimed that she placed the baby in a playpen and no other incidents occurred. However, a 12-year-old at the day care was interviewed and stated that another unsupervised 9-year-old child had placed a board on top of the playpen in an effort to contain the child, causing the child to die of asphyxiation.

New Measures Can Prevent Many Child Deaths
The United Nations urged governments around the world to require bicycle helmets, swimming pool fencing and other measures to stop preventable accidents that kill hundreds of thousands of children each year. Nearly 830,000 children die each year of injuries from accidents. One thousand deaths a day could be relatively easily prevented through safety rules including obligatory lifejackets, smoke alarms, window guards and child-resistant packaging of medicines. The report also found that accidents are the biggest cause of death in children over 9. 

Judge Backs Wind Farm in Noise Lawsuit
A Blair County judge has all but released Gamesa Energy as a defendant in a civil lawsuit filed by a Blair County couple alleged that noise from the turbines in a nearby wind farm make it difficult for them to sleep and is impacting their health and well-being. Meanwhile, the judge kept alive some portions of the lawsuit and left open the door for the couple to bring Gamesa back into the suit if they can prove fraudulent misrepresentative by the company. The couple argued that Gamesa officials were aware of the noise the windmills would make, but told township officials that a local ordinance providing a 2,000-foot set-back distance from homes was sufficient to protect residents. 

Stadium Beer Vendor Liability Suit Settled for $25 Million
The beer refreshment vendor at Giants Stadium agreed to pay $25 million to settle the case of a girl paralyzed in a crash with a drunken football fan under an 18-month-old secret agreement that an appeals court unsealed at the request of a public advocacy group. The court ruled that the settlement paid by Aramark to the girl couldn't remain confidential because the girl's privacy was trumped by the presumption of open court records and the public interest in her tragic case. The girl, now a quadriplegic who needs a breathing tube, was injured in a crash caused by a drunken fan a few hours after a game. The fan testified later that vendors had served him while intoxicated and the case cast nationwide attention on the problem of binge drinking at American sports events.  

Woman Sues Sports Bar for Toilet Seat Break
A New Jersey woman is a suing a Pennsylvania sports bar and restaurant, claiming she got stuck inside a toilet bowl for 20 minutes when the seat broke. Her suit says that she was in the bathroom when the handicapped toilet seat she was sitting on cracked and dumped her into the bowl. She is also suing the makers of the toilet seat, claiming that the hip surgery she received prior to the incident was aggravated when the seat broke, leading her to be re-injured. 

PA Officials Baffled by Tainted Water Source
Pennsylvania environmental officials can't find the source that's contaminating well water used by a community of about 40 homes in southwestern Pennsylvania. Residents in the community have been under a water advisory since Thanksgiving and officials say fecal coliform is contaminating the water. For now, residents can only use the water to flush their toilets. They cannot bathe in it, drink it, or cook with it. The community may be forced to dig another well to solve the problem, which made two residents sick enough to require hospitalization.  

Little Girl's Claims at Issue in High Court Case
A Massachusetts girl's awful experience on a school bus is at the heart of a case argued in the Supreme Court over limits on lawsuits about sex discrimination in education. The 5-year-old kindergarten student told her parents that a third-grade boy repeatedly made her lift her dress, pull down her underwear and spread her legs. Local police and the school system investigated, but found insufficient evidence and refused to remove the boy from the school bus or put a monitor on the bus. Upset with the school's response, her parents filed a lawsuit under Title IX, which bars sex discrimination at schools that receive federal money, and a provision of a Civil War era, anti-discrimination law that was designed to enforce the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause. At issue for the court is whether Title IX, enacted in 1972, rules out suits under the older provision. 

State Closes Day Care Center
When a mother arrived at a Harrisburg day care center to pick up her 11-month-old son, she found the door locked and the lights out. No one was at the day care when the woman arrived at 6 p.m. Her baby had been left sleeping inside, prompting the state Department of Public Welfare to shut the day care down. The same day care center had been cited for four violations during its last inspection less than four months ago, which included not conducting criminal background checks on employees and not verifying child care training for employees.  

Testing for Dangerous PCE Continues
A property that was once home to a dry cleaning operation is underlain with a potential cancer-causing chemical, but officials say it has not posed a significant health threat. Researchers discovered tetrachloroethylene, also known as PCE, at a property in Emmaus in 2001. The company that purchased the property filed a notice with the DEP to address the problem at the 7 and 1/2 acre property after studying the extent of the groundwater and soil contamination. It apparently was caused by chemicals used for dry cleaning services at the former uniform service that operated on the property for nearly 30 years. Researchers continue to investigate how widespread the contamination is, but stressed that the public is safe from the chemical, which has only reached private wells while most are using public water.  

Blast Levels Three Businesses in Monroe County Strip Mall
An explosion blew walls out of a burning strip mall as Monroe County firefighters dashed for safety during a Thanksgiving afternoon blaze that ultimately destroyed a pizzeria, a Chinese restaurant and a chocolate shop. The incident was the second in three days of a blast pulverizing an area building while people were inside it. Like the first incident, everyone escaped without serious injury. The blaze ultimately drew about 50 firefighters from six area companies. About a half-dozen firefighters were inside when something exploded, blowing out some of the buildings' walls and causing much of it to collapse. 

State Tightens Child Care Regulations
After 16 years, Pennsylvania has updated its regulations for the child care industry. The regulations update health and safety requirements, require mandatory training for new providers and should enhance communication and information between parents and providers. Pennsylvania has about 9,000 child day care centers, group child homes and family care centers serving more than 300,000 children.

County Shells Out $1 Million to Settle Fatal Fall Suit
An Illinois county has paid $1 million to settle a wrongful-death lawsuit alleging a county-owned nursing home failed to prevent an Alzheimer's patient's fatal fall even after she had fallen several other times. The settlement is the largest ever in the county in a nursing home negligence case. The patient's daughter filed the suit in 2005. Her mother had Alzheimer's, an unsteady gait and poor balance. The nursing home failed to update the patient's care plan to address her risk for falls or to follow several interventions the plan required. Between March and October, the woman fell six times at the facility. After a particularly terrible fall, alarms were installed on the patient's bed and wheelchair; however, during her final, fatal fall, none of the alarm systems were in place or functioning properly.

Miners' Widows Settle West Virginia Fire Lawsuit
The widows of two men killed in a 2006 coal mine fire in West Virginia settled a wrongful death lawsuit against Massey Energy Co. The widows of the miners sued the company, its CEO and two subsidiaries. The two men died after getting lost in thick smoke from a conveyor belt fire. The lawsuit claimed the defendants knew or should have known that a series of problems at the mine, including a missing air control wall, could kill miners by allowing smoke to fill escape routes. It also claimed that the CEO was personally liable because he had strict control over activities at the mine. 

First of Many Lawsuits Filed Over Minnesota Bridge Collapse
The first of what is expected to be many lawsuits stemming from the collapse of a Minnesota freeway bridge was filed recently. The suits were filed on behalf of three people who were injured and the family of one person who was killed when the bridge collapsed into the Mississippi River in 2007. The collapse killed 13 people and injured 150. The plaintiffs allege that the company in charge of conducting "fatigue analysis" of the bridge failed to take action despite documented bulging and buckling of the bridge. Another defendant in the case, PCI Corporation, is alleged to have placed an excessive load on the bridge after removing critical bridge deck elements. 

Woman's Lawsuit Against Mall Goes to Trial
A woman who filed a civil lawsuit against a company that manages a Pittsburgh mall will finally see her case go to trial. The victim claims that the mall management company provided "wholly inadequate" security at the mall, leaving her vulnerable to a man who kidnapped her and later raped her three times. The woman and her husband are seeking monetary damages from the company. The woman was accosted in the parking lot of the mall while with her 16-month-old daughter after they had finished grocery shopping. The suspect then held a knife to the baby's throat and forced the woman to drive him to Ohio, where the rapes occurred. 

Once Just an Aging Sign, Falls Merit Complex Care
Once considered an inevitable part of aging, falls are now recognized as complex, often preventable events with multiple causes and consequences, calling for a wide range of interventions, both psychological and physiological, that many patients never receive. Even falls that cause only minor injury need to be taken as seriously as diabetes because they can be a real warning sign that something serious is wrong. The elderly do not always report falls or seek help for fear their families will try to put them in nursing homes. Many older fall victims admit that they find a fall tantamount to admitting that they are no longer competent to take care of themselves. 

State Takes Look at Day Care After Children Wandered Away
The state Department of Public Welfare said it will most likely shut down a Lancaster home day care center after two children allegedly wandered away. Both a 1-year-old and a 2-year-old were found wandering in traffic by a passerby. The owner has admitted that the children left her home without her knowledge. While the day care currently remains in operation, DPW will most likely revoke the day care's license.  

Foster Home Sued Over 9-Year-Old's Starvation
The family of a 9-year-old boy with cerebral palsy is suing the operators of a Detroit foster home where they say their son starved to death. The mother claims she placed her son in foster care when she lost her job and couldn't afford to care for him. The boy died at the home with a height of 5 feet and a weight that had dropped from 80 to 40 pounds.  

Day Care Provider Might Get Leniency
The former operator of a home day care center where a 17-month-old boy was fatally injured a year ago could escape a trial and possible jail time if she agrees to never engage in child care again. The infant died at the woman's day care center in September 2007 after his neck became lodged between the slats of an old crib. His parents have since become crusaders for inspections and mandatory liability insurance for daycare centers.  

Texas A&M Settles Decade-Old Lawsuit Over Deaths
Texas A&M University has settled a lawsuit over the bonfire collapse that killed 12 people and injured dozens of others nearly a decade ago. The university was sued by several people who were injured and by relatives of those killed in the November 1999 collapse. The huge structure of logs fell apart while it was being assembled for the school's annual festivities preceding a football game. 

8-Year-Old Boy Shot to Death in Gun Show Accident
An 8-year-old boy died after accidentally shooting himself in the head while firing an Uzi submachine gun at a gun fair. The boy lost control of the weapon while firing it. The boy was with a certified instructor while he was shooting the gun on a range; however, the force of the weapon made it travel up and back toward the boy's head. Although the death appears accidental, local police and the district attorney's office are investigating.  

Restaurant Closed After Dead Deer Found in Kitchen
Health officials shut down a suburban Buffalo restaurant after an inspector found employees butchering a dead deer inside the business. The county health department has received a tip about a dead deer in a Chinese restaurant. State health laws prohibit butchering an animal inside a restaurant. Officials do not know whether the deer was killed by a hunter or a vehicle.

Woman Ordered Out of Chemical-Free Bubble
Ten hours a day, every day, an Allentown woman would confine herself to a galvanized-steel-and-porcelain shed outside her house to keep her safe from allergens she considered to be deadly. She will be forced to come out, though, after a judge ordered her bubble taken down by the end of the month. The woman's neighbors complained to officials that the building is not stable and so unsightly that it drags down their property values. The woman also hooked up electrical, water and sewer service without securing permits.

Family Sues Disneyland for Dog Attack on Toddler
A family is suing Disneyland, claiming their toddler was mauled by a dog at the park's petting zoo. The suit says that a dog attacked the 2-year-old girl, biting her several times on the face and leaving her permanently scarred. The 6-year-old dog, which had a history of aggression, was adopted from a shelter by a Disneyland employee and brought to the theme park two weeks before the attack. 

Outdoor Pools Can Boost Child's Asthma Risk
Swimming in outdoor chlorinated pools appears to increase the odds a child will develop asthma, Belgian researchers found. Other studies have linked chlorine and asthma, but the new findings cast doubt on the idea outdoor pools are safer than indoor ones where chlorine vapors remain trapped inside an enclosed space.

Court Finds Alterations May Open Resort to Disabilities Act
The scope of a property owner's obligation to make a public accommodation accessible to the disabled when alterations are made to the property was fleshed out by an appeals court. Reversing a lower court, the circuit said a resort in Montauk, New York underwent significant enough renovations so that it might be required under the Americans with Disabilities Act to make changes to allow access to customers who use wheelchairs. The resort was sued when a handicapped man could not negotiate a gravel parking lot, reach the resort office to check in or access the bathrooms in his wheelchair.

Woman Faces Manslaughter Charge in Death of Infant
A woman who runs a licensed day care out of her house has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and obstruction of justice in connection with the death of a 1-year-old boy who died while under her supervision. Despite the contrary story the woman gave investigators, another child in the day care told investigators that after the owner placed the infant in a play pen, a 9-year-old child placed a board and additional objects on the infant. When the infant attempted to push the board off, it fell directly on him and asphyxiated him. The children were in an unsupervised basement at the time of the incident. 

DA Reviewing Death of Toddler at Day Care
The Allegheny County district attorney's office again is reviewing the case of a 10-month-old girl who was killed at a day care center in June after a Common Pleas judge said she doesn't believe a seven-year-old girl blamed in the death is responsible. The judge made the statement on the final day of the seven-year-old's dependency hearing in juvenile court.  

Juvenile Detention Center Doesn't Comply
State officials say Shuman Juvenile Detention Center is out of compliance with state regulators, citing violations of minimum staffing requirements, poor medical record documentation, inaccessible fire extinguishers and disrepair at the facility, where inspectors found leaky ceilings, dust-caked vents and black mold. The Department of Public Welfare has issued a six-month provisional certificate of compliance for the center while officials address needed corrections. 

Man Enters Plea for Assaulting Girl at Day Care Center
A 69-year-old man pleaded guilty to charges of assaulting a 4-year-old girl at his wife's day care center nine years ago. The girl, now a teen, testified that she was awakened by the man, who exposed himself and sexually assaulted her while she was napping upstairs in the man's living room on two different occasions. The girl attended the day care center until she was 8 or 9.

Family Turns Toddler's Death Into a Cause
A couple whose toddler died at day care after his neck became lodged between the slats of a crib have dedicated themselves to making sure that no parents make the same mistake they did. The day care they had enrolled their toddler in was not registered with the state or inspected by the state. They hope their story will remind other parents of how easy it is for a day care operator to get a license.

Birmingham Bridge Flaw Found in More Spans
The same problem that caused part of the Birmingham Bridge to fail in February has been detected on other area bridges, PennDOT acknowledged. In February, a southbound section of the Birmingham Bridge fell 8 inches and dislodged a 60-foot pier, forcing PennDOT to close the span for two weeks. Officials determined that a water leak from above and a buildup of debris combined to jam the rocker bearing, which ultimately contributed to the deck failure.  

Brain Injuries Linked to Senior Deaths from Falls
A U.S. government study indicates that seniors hitting their head during a fall can have deadly consequences: Brain injuries account for half of all deaths from falls. The study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is the first comprehensive national look at the role brain injuries play in fatal elderly falls. The CDC found that slightly more than half of all senior deaths that listed unintentional falls as the cause of death were attributed to brain injuries.

Who Cares About Day Care?
In April, an organization released a report, "Leaving Children to Chance," that gave Pennsylvania's inspection system a dismal ranking. It is just one of nine states that does not require family child care homes or those that can have no more than six unrelated children at one time to be inspected regularly. Pennsylvania received a score of 0 points out of a possible 140. 

Child Care Center Where Infant Died is Closed
A child care facility where police said a 7-year-old girl killed an infant this month has closed. The operator of the facility handed over her certificate of registration to an inspector from the state Department of Public Welfare. The day care has been closed since a 7-year-old girl removed a 10-month-old child from her baby chair and threw her to the floor twice. The 7-year-old child was unsupervised at the time of the incident. 

Health Clinic Evacuated After Illnesses
A state-affiliated health clinic in northwestern Arkansas was evacuated after more than 30 people were sickened with symptoms including nausea, dizziness and in some cases, uncontrollable drooling. A hazardous material unit from the National Guard base at Camp Robinson was sent to the clinic to run tests. Health officials were looking into whether the outbreak might be related to an exterminator's visit to the clinic this week. 

Leak and Debris Blamed in Birmingham Bridge Failure
A leak and debris buildup caused the Birmingham Bridge to fail by jamming a movable piece in its underbelly, PennDOT said. PennDOT also acknowledged that the problems predated a 2006 inspection. The 32-year-old bridge failed in February when a movable part under the driving surface toppled over, allowing the deck to fall 8 inches and dislodging a 60-foot pier.

Swim at Your Own Risk?
"Swim at your own risk" has taken on new meaning at Pennsylvania parks. Over the last nine years, the state's Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has withdrawn lifeguards at 22 of 37 state parks with lake beaches. The plan is to eliminate the last of the lifeguard posts this summer. The department claims it will bring in a savings of $800,000; however, it will also bring an increased risk of tragedy. 

Idyllic Florida Development Contained Bombs, Toxic Waste
More than 400 Orlando-area homeowners are suing land developers who built homes on the site of a World War II aircraft bombing range that still contains unexploded bombs and toxic chemicals. Thousands of homes and a middle school were built on the site where the Army Corp of Engineers discovered hundreds of pounds of ammunition, unexploded bombs and toxic chemicals.

Sixty High-Hazard Dams Targeted in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's fiscal watchdog called on state officials to do more to fix unsafe dams and make sure nearby residents know where to evacuate in case of an emergency. A recent audit identified more than 60 high-hazard dams across Pennsylvania considered unsafe because of structural problems.

Bridge Closed After Collapse
Pocono motorists have become emergency road and bridge inspectors as the infrastructure of the Tobyhanna Bridge crumbles. Average citizens, rather than bridge inspectors, are the ones discovering dangerous driving conditions.  

Birmingham Bridge Troubles First Seen in 1990
The failed components of the Birmingham Bridge that caused the span to drop and forced its closing were deteriorating and shifting for nearly 20 years. Though inspection reports dating back to 1990 show problems with the bridge's rocker bearings, they were not repaired because they did not show signs of imminent failure. 

Escalator Injuries Rise in Older Adults
A new study reports that from 1991 to 2005, nearly 40,000 people older than 65 were injured while rising an escalator, an average of 2,660 a year. Slips and falls caused 85 percent of the injuries. 

Miners' Families Sue Over Utah Cave In
A lawsuit filed by the families of six men killed in a Utah mine cave in claims that the collapse occurred because the mine's owners were harvesting coal unsafely.

Fall at Wal-Mart Prompts Lawsuit
A local couple is suing Wal-Mart because they don’t think the store did enough to warn the man about a wet spot on which he slipped and injured himself nearly three years ago.

Slip and Fall at H.E.B. Leads to Suit
A suit filed against H.E.B. Grocery Co. claims that a man “slipped and fell on some type of foreign object or substance," which has caused him to "sustain severe, permanent and disabling injuries."

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