American Association for Justice (AAJ) President Gibson Vance says litigation has played a crucial role in consumer safety and manufacturer accountability in the auto industry. Gibson said that litigation and the civil justice system have, “served as the most consistent and powerful forces in heightening safety standards, revealing previously concealed defects and regulatory weaknesses...
Read MoreWashington, D.C. Personal Injury
Paramedics Wrongfully Diagnosed Man’s Heart Attack in 2008 Death
In December 2008, Washington, D.C. paramedics made a medical misdiagnosis that cost a 39-year-old man his life. When Edward Givens told paramedics he was having difficulty breathing and experiencing chest pains, their recommendation was to take some Pepto Bismol for what they said was acid reflux. Mr. Givens later died from what was...
Read MorePaulette Chapman Running for President of the Washington DC Bar Association
Washington, D.C. personal injury lawyer Paulette Chapman has been nominated to run for President Elect of the District of Columbia Bar. Ms. Chapman is a partner at Koonz, McKenney, Johnson & DePaolis and an honors graduate of George Washington University Law School. She is currently serving her...
Read MoreDC Construction Worker Killed On-Site
A Washington, D.C. construction worker lost his life last month when a heavy load of clay-like dirt collapsed on him in northeast DC. The construction accident happened when workers were performing utility work in a trench on Evarts Street. According to a fire department spokesperson, rescue workers arrived at the work site shortly...
Read MoreMetro Train Hits Woman at Rhode Island Avenue
A Metro train struck a woman at the Rhode Island Avenue-Brentwood station last month at around 2:24 p.m. The accident victim apparently trapped herself between the third rail and the chain link fence when the train accident occurred. Rescuers moved the 23-year-old victim to the platform...
Read More9-Year-Old DC Student Alleges Classroom Sexual Assault
A nine-year-old male student in the third grade at Randle Highlands Elementary in southeast DC claims two other male students sexually assaulted him this past February. The victim said he was working at a computer when the two alleged attackers began taunting him. The boy claims one boy dropped his pants while the...
Read MoreAd Campaign Seeks to Curb Pedestrian-Vehicle Collisions
This spring, law enforcement will ticket pedestrians, bikers and drivers in DC who do not obey traffic laws. That is the purpose of the Street Smart campaign, aimed at raising awareness of the rise in pedestrian accidents in the DC area over the years. On average, a car hits a pedestrian three times every...
Read MoreMetro Pipes May be Subpar for Fire Safety
A spokesperson from the D.C. Fire and EMS said the Metro standpipes that firefighters hook into during emergencies are too small. The result is that they do not carry enough water pressure, which could be a problem if a major fire started in a Metro tunnel. Fire crews carry a secondary water supply for...
Read MoreDC Government Fails to Pay Injured Workers’ Premiums for Nearly a Decade
For nearly a decade, the District of Columbia neglected to pay health and life insurance premiums for city workers injured or killed on the job. A DC auditor found that the city stopped making a majority of the payments in 2001. The city recently paid the...
Read MoreMetro Escalators Won’t Get You Moving
Are you having trouble finding a working escalator in a DC Metro station? It is because there are not many of them. The result is thousands of commuters walking up and down immobilized escalators or bottlenecking through a single working one. Many are often forced...
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