Pittsburgh Personal Injury Law Blog

Recently, the NFL has faced a string of lawsuits related to brain injury and the resulting onset of brain disease filed by former players and their families. The most recent is a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of a former linebacker.

The family of former linebacker Wally Higenberg filed a wrongful death suit in federal court today, and the lawsuit claims Higenberg died from a degenerative brain disease caused by repeated concussions sustained during his long career in the NFL. Wally Higenberg played in the NFL for 16 seasons. He went to four Super Bowls with the Minnesota Vikings and he also played for the Detroit Lions before he retired from the NFL in 1979.

After his retirement from the NFL, Higenberg formed a successful real estate business with a former teammate, but in 2003 Higenberg began to suffer from memory loss and muscle weakness. He was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), better known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Higenberg died in 2008 at age 66. Some of Higenberg's organs were donated to Boston University's Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalomyopathy, and the University later announced the former professional linebacker's death was caused by Chronic Traumatic Encephalomyopathy.

As you drive during rush hour on Interstate 376 or 279 in Pittsburgh, how often do you see other drivers texting behind the wheel? Distracted driving is a major cause of car accidents in the Pittsburgh area, and in 2010 more than 3,000 people died in car accidents caused by texting or other cellphone use. Pennsylvania recently passed a texting and driving ban and as a result the number of car accidents caused by texting behind the wheel may decrease.

Beginning March 8, drivers who text, email or search the internet while driving will face a $50 fine. Pennsylvania's new ban on texting while driving is a primary offense law; which means that a police officer can pull a driver over if the officer sees a driver texting. An officer does not have to state another reason to pull the driver over.

Under the ban, the use of a wireless phone, smartphone, portable or mobile computer, personal digital assistant or similar device cannot be used for texting, instant messaging, browsing the internet or emailing by a driver. The purpose of the law, according to state policymakers, is to change the current culture of distracted driving and to educate the public on the risk of texting while driving. Often the danger of texting while driving is compared to the danger of driving while legally intoxicated. While it is clear that texting and driving is dangerous, the ability of police officers to spot drivers breaking the texting ban may not be so straightforward.

While the law bans texting and surfing the internet while behind the wheel, the law does not ban the use of cellphones for talking. Police officers will therefore have to see drivers actually texting before tickets can be issued.

For parents, teens and driving can be a hard enough mix, but throw cell phones in the mix and the worry over car accidents reaches a new height. Some parents in Pennsylvania hope new technology will help reduce the risk of distracted driving and therefore teen car accidents.

Parents are turning to new cellphone applications that prevent drivers from using their cellphones in moving cars. Parents realize that teenagers today spend a significant amount of time communicating with friends on cellphones through text and social media. The goal is to minimize the temptation teenagers have to use their cellphones while behind the wheel and therefore give parents peace of mind.

One 50-year-old father from Pennsylvania who has a 21-year-old daughter and an 18-year-old son said, "[Teens] do so much of their communication using texting. I know how dangerous it is for me. It's really reassuring to know that they're not doing it." The technology also makes the roads safer for other drivers as well.

The New Year brings new rules for teenage drivers in Pennsylvania. This year teenagers in the Pittsburgh area and elsewhere in the state will have to meet new requirements to gain their driver's permit and junior license. The new teenage driving rules touch upon passenger, seat belt and driving hour requirements, and the new rules are designed to prevent distraction, provide greater driving experience and prevent car accidents. In this post, we will briefly go over the new rules.

Teenagers looking to gain their learner's permit will have to meet new driving hour requirements that include additional hours and a greater range of experience. Teens in Pennsylvania are now required to have a total of 65 hours of supervised driving. The previous requirement was 50 hours. In addition to the greater number of hours, Pennsylvania teens will also have to complete five of the 65 supervised, driving hours at night and five of the supervised, driving hours during inclement weather. Inclement weather is defined as fog, rain, snow or any condition that inhibits visibility.