Clifford Law

More than one third of the nation’s 15,500 nursing homes received relatively low ratings of one or two stars under the federal government’s recently revamped five-star Quality Rating System, according to a new analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation. This number accounts for some 39 percent of all nursing home residents. The rating system is overseen by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and is based on deficiencies that may be reported during health…

Train tank cars that haul fuel need retrofitting as soon as possible to avoid possible explosions, according to a recent study conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) that examines such accidents. A recent story published by the Associated Press (“Safety board: Train fuel tank cars need retrofits – and fast,” by Matthew Brown) explained how the public is not going to be able to wait the 10 years for improvements as the industry…

Premises Liability: Liability of landowners or those who are responsible for maintaining the property for activities or conditions occurring on the land.

“The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example.” – Benjamin Disraeli

This week’s Amtrak derailment in Philadelphia is a tragedy, as is the decades-long failure of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and Amtrak to provide safe, positively controlled rail transportation to patrons across the county, particularly in the Northeast region. As the NTSB and its parties continue to sort through the rubble and uncover what caused this horrific event Tuesday evening, one thing that appears reasonably clear is that the passengers aboard this speeding train, those…

Transportation attorney Kevin Durkin on the legal ramifications of the Amtrak derailment and train crash liability.

News continues round the clock on the tragic train derailment in Philadelphia last night (May 12, 2015) as rescuers continue a search-and-rescue mission into the night for people still reported missing on the manifest. Reporters from around the world are reporting on the fact that the 32-year-old Amtrak engineer of Amtrak Train Number 188 was being interviewed by National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators who have been working at the scene all day, the video…

Keith Hebeisen, Sarah King, Sarah F. King, Pro Bono, Excellence Award, Federal Bar Association, Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer, U.S. District Court

Investigators this morning uncovered the black box in the tragic Amtrak train crash in Philadelphia that has left at least seven dead and more than 200 injured. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators revealed that the Amtrak train was traveling about 100 miles per hour when it reached a curve on its route in northeast Philadelphia traveling from Washington, D.C., to New York carrying 238 passengers and five crew members. Officials are reporting that the…