Thursday, May 29, 2014

Scranton-Area Woman Abuses Elderly Mother, Who Has Alzheimer's Disease

Often, this blog talks about the prevalence of elder abuse in Pennsylvania.  These discussions are often general, but occasionally a specific incident is highlighted and reported.  Once such report has recently come out in the Scranton area.  According to local news source WTRF.com, a 56-year-old woman from northeast Pennsylvania was charged with elder abuse of her 96-year-old mother, who suffers from Alzheimer's disease.  Reports highlight instances of beating, threatening, swearing, and hair pulling on the part of the daughter.  The abuse was initially brought to the attention of the authorities by a Chicago-area man who had found a live webcam feed of the family's living room.  To read more of the original story, please click here.

Attorney Doug Stoehr is a personal injury lawyer serving western and central Pennsylvania.  He takes cases for older Pennsylvanians who have been abused or neglected.  For more information on his Altoona, PA area practice, please call his office at 814-946-4100 or visit his website at http://www.stoehrlaw.com.  Attorney Stoehr takes cases in Blair and the seven surrounding counties.

Pennsylvania also has an Elder Abuse Task Force, which holds the mission to examine allegations of individuals who cheat, deceive, and/or abuse older Pennsylvanians.  To report a potential case of elder abuse, please call their reporting hotline at (866) 623-2137.

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Elder Abuse Education Close to Altoona

Many Pennsylvanians are working together to educate the community on the frequency and types of elder abuse that many aging citizens face in our state.  Last month, the Pennsylvania Department of Aging set up a community seminar to address some of these issues in Johnstown.  Over 400 people registered for the event, making it one of the largest elder abuse seminars that state officials have seen to date.  Other similar seminars are held frequently around the state.  For more information and to read the 
originals news source from the Tribune-Democrat, please click here

Attorney Doug Stoehr is a personal injury lawyer serving western and central Pennsylvania.  He takes cases for older Pennsylvanians who have been abused or neglected.  For more information on his Altoona, PA area practice, please call his office at 814-946-4100 or visit his website at http://www.stoehrlaw.com.  Attorney Stoehr takes cases in Blair and the seven surrounding counties.

Pennsylvania also has an Elder Abuse Task Force, which holds the mission to examine allegations of individuals who cheat, deceive, and/or abuse older Pennsylvanians.  To report a potential case of elder abuse, please call their reporting hotline at (866) 623-2137.

Friday, May 23, 2014

Pennsylvania's Elder Abuse Task Force

Did you know that Pennsylvania has its own Elder Abuse Task Force? Created in 2006, this state-wide initiative examines allegations of people  who cheat, deceive or abuse older Pennsylvanians.  The force is make up of a diverse group of participants, including prosecutors and support staff. As part of their duties, the force also has a public education component.  PA also has an elder abuse hotline, which can be reached by calling the number (866) 623-2137. According to an article by StateCollege.com, "The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has the third highest percentage of elderly residents in the United States with nearly 2 million residents over the age of 65. In addition, the fastest growing segment of Pennsylvania's population is those who are 85 years of age or older.".  To read more from the original article, please click here

Pennsylvania also has a state-wide Elder Law Task Force that examines Pennsylvania's issues with guardianship, abuse/neglect, and access to justice for the state's elderly population. This special task force is chaired by Justice Debra Todd.  The main aims of the task force include suggesting amendments for court rules, as well as recommendations for education and best practices involving the care of senior citizens. The task force has been given one year to complete its work.

Attorney Doug Stoehr is a personal injury lawyer serving western and central Pennsylvania.  He takes cases for older Pennsylvanians who have been abused or neglected.  For more information on his Altoona, PA area practice, please call his office at 814-946-4100 or visit his website at http://www.stoehrlaw.com.  Attorney Stoehr takes cases in Blair and the seven surrounding counties.

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Tractor-Trailer Hit In Accident On PA Highway

A tractor-trailer has was involved in an accident on Pennsylvania's highways.  According to the story posted by Lancaster Online, two people were injured in a crash when a tractor-trailer was hit on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.  The tractor-trailer was overturned and was blocking the right land and shoulder. At the time of the report, the accident was reported to have been caused by a sportscar driver who was driving too fast for the conditions and crashed into the truck.  

As drivers in Pennsylvania, it is important to realize that we need to share the road with commercial truck drivers .  When truck drivers are put into a dangerous position, they are also a significant cause of motor vehicle accidents . As a result, passengers and other vehicles often bear the brunt of the activity and are can be seriously injured or die from a resulting collision. If you have been injured or a loved one has died as a result of a motor vehicle or commercial vehicle accident, please contact our law office for a consultation at no cost to you at the Law Offices of Attorney Doug Stoehr.
For more on the original article, please click here.

Pennsylvania Reports Increase In ER Visits for Head Injuries

Pennsylvania is seeing a significant increase in head injuries in their hospitals' emergency rooms.  According to a local central Pennsylvania news source, there was almost a 30% increase in the number of ER visits for head injuries from 2006 to 2010.  Among those statistics, the majority of reports came from children and adults over 60.  Right here in Altoona, the emergency department director, Dr. Bouchard, stated that they've seen a larger increase in the number of brain injuries in older people. He also believes that this is largely due to increased awareness and potential severity of brain injuries.

If you have recently been in a car crash, it is important to closely monitor your body's response to injury.  This is especially true if you suspect that you have sustained a significant head injury.  If your car accident was due to the fault of another, it may also be time to seek legal action.   If you or a loved one has recently been in a car accident due to the fault of another, please contact Altoona, PA area personal injury attorney Doug Stoehr to set up an initial, free consultation.  His law office can be reached by visiting his website at http://www.stoehrlaw.com or calling his firm at 814-946-4100.

Please visit the original article here.

Thursday, May 15, 2014

NPR Discusses Social Media and Class Action Lawsuits

Once again, the National Public Radio is weighing in on a relevant topic to today's blog topic.  Social media and its use for legal claims has been an area of hot debate in recent years.  Can private social media posts be used as courtroom evidence?  How do you control jurors and judges who may tweet or Facebook post about a current case? Interestingly, some lawyers are also attempting to use social media to reach large masses of people for class-action lawsuits.  Read about this new phenomenon by clicking the link to the original NPR article, which can be found here.

As stated on yesterday's blog, social media can be potentially complicated for clients pursuing a personal injury claim.  Just like applying for a job or being an employee within a company, your social media activity is not as private or as protected as you may think.  Social media can become dangerous for a legal claim when certain pictures or comments are taken out of context and may be used against you.  For this reason, if you are hesitant about posting a picture or writing a comment that you feel may be used against your case, use discretion and do not post that item.  It may be even be better to not discuss your injury, and especially your legal claim, over Facebook at all.  The only way to keep your personal life as private as you want it to be is to not post anything you wouldn't want everyone to know about.

If you would like more information about this page or central Pennsylvania attorney Doug Stoehr's areas of practice, contact our Altoona, Pennsylvania, law firm by calling 814-946-4100.

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Social Media in the Office

Ever wonder how different employers regulate the use of social media? The Huffington Post just released an interesting article that covered the trends that arose in social media use in the office.  Some of the more interesting points include the following:


  • Almost 100% of companies now use social media in some way for their businesses
  • There has been a 20% increase in the number of organizations that have formal social media policies in the past year
  • Fewer than 20% of organizations have provisions that protect against social media misuse by ex-employees
To read more, please visit  the original article from the Huffington Post by clicking here


Social media use has many implications for clients pursuing a personal injury claim.  Similar to applying for a job or being an employee within a company, your social media activity is not as private or as protected as you may think.  For example, an innocent picture of you enjoying a short walk after your accident may be misconstrued as a full and complete recovery.  Additionally, posts/comments from friends suggesting that you're healthier than you really are may come across as you being insincere about your injury as well.  Social media may become dangerous for a case when certain pictures or comments are taken out of context and may be used against you.  For this reason, if you are hesitant about posting a picture or writing a comment that you feel may be used against your case, use discretion and do not post that item.  It may be even be better to not discuss your injury, and especially your legal claim, over Facebook at all.  The only way to keep your personal life as private as you want it to be is to not post anything you wouldn't want everyone to know about.

If you would like more information about this page or central Pennsylvania attorney Doug Stoehr's areas of practice, contact our Altoona, Pennsylvania, law firm by calling 814-946-4100.

Friday, May 9, 2014

State College Sees Decline In Traffic Fatalities

Good news for residents of State College, PA!  New statistics show that the number of traffic-related fatalities has largely dropped in the past several years.  Many of these numbers reflect a reduced amount of fatalities related to no seatbelt use, speeding, and alcohol consumption.  However, some subsets of traffic-related fatalities actually increased.  The number of deaths involving distracted driving increased by 57 in the past year, as well as deaths related to head-on or side-swipe crashes.  For more information on the new statistics, please click here for the original StateCollege.com article

If you are involved in a car accident, most states, including Pennsylvania, have at least one section on the incident report dedicated to distracted driving violations.  Fines and charges may increase if you are cited with one of these violations.  In addition to fines and charges for distracted driving, you also are putting yourself and others in danger.  Attorney Stoehr represents those injured through no fault of their own, including automobile and pedestrian accidents. Call today for your free case evaluation 814-946-4100 or visit his website at http://www.stoehrlaw.com.

Thursday, May 8, 2014

An Editorial On PA's Distracted Driving Problem

Pennsylvania has had a driving and texting ban that has been in effect since 2011.  However, many drivers continue to text on the road, as well as engage in other forms of distracted driving.  What have Pennsylvania and other states done to address this issue?  Some of the things that police have done include sitting in unmarked SUVs and riding city buses to be able to look down on drivers.  You might want to read this editorial, written in Lancaster Online, to find out more.  

 Distracted driving is a major cause of motor vehicle accidents on the highway.  If you have been injured as the result of a distracted driver, it might be time to consult an attorney.  Tractor-trailer drivers are also cited with distracted driving, and can leave devastation in their wake after a highway accident.  Attorney Doug Stoehr is a personal injury lawyer serving western and central Pennsylvania.  Please visit his website athttp://www.stoehrlaw.com for more information.

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Truck Drivers Guilty of Distracted Driving

When you see tractor-trailers moving along our country's highways, you expect their drivers to be safe, alert, and vigilant. Unfortunately, this is not always the case.  A local New York City news source just posted an article about the increased occurrence of truck drivers who text and drive.  According to the news report, through local ABC news station 13WHAM,  "A hidden camera investigation has uncovered a dangerous trend on highways. WABC-TV in New York City set up camera on several of highly travel roadways, catching truckers texting and talking on their phones and one driver even talking on two cell phones at once. The New York State Department of Transportation said nearly 16,000 truckers were ticketed for distracted driving in 2013, but only four of them were suspended and taken out of service.4 out of 16,000 drivers who were caught texting while driving seems like a tiny percentage!    

If you are involved in a car accident, most states, including Pennsylvania, have at least one section on the incident report dedicated to distracted driving violations.  Fines and charges may increase if you are cited with one of these violations.  Distracted driving is a major cause of motor vehicle accidents on the highway.  If you have been injured as the result of a distracted driver, it might be time to consult an attorney.  Attorney Doug Stoehr is a personal injury lawyer serving western and central Pennsylvania.  Please visit his website athttp://www.stoehrlaw.com for more information.

Please read more of the original 13WHAM article by clicking this link

Friday, May 2, 2014

Chronic Pain Education Through Tweeting


In the latest in a series of articles on this blog relating to chronic pain, ABC News has released an interesting article covering many common questions about chronic pain in the form of Twitter tweets.  It is an interesting and engaging lens into the world of chronic pain.  I urge you to take a look at the original article, which can be found by clicking this link.  Considering that as much as 25% of the United States population may be experiencing some form of chronic pain, the disorder is worth looking into. 

Attorney Doug Stoehr is a personal injury lawyer serving Blair and the seven surrounding counties in central Pennsylvania.  He takes cases for clients who are experiencing chronic pain as the result of an injury due to the fault of another.  This may include a car accidentslip-and-fall accident, and others.  For more information on his Altoona, PA area firm, please call his office at 814-946-4100 or visit his website at http://www.stoehrlaw.com.