Most victims of the Glenview explosion can’t afford to pay attorneys an hourly rate to investigate the cause of the accident or to take a potential lawsuit to trial. For these people, the doors of the courthouse would be essentially closed were it not for the contingency fee agreement. The contingency fee agreement places
Preventing Second Impact Syndrome in High School Athletes
“Second Impact Syndrome” refers to mild brain injuries suffered repeatedly within a short period (hours, days, or weeks). Although all brain injuries are serious, second impacts can be catastrophic or even fatal. The American Academy of Neurology has developed guidelines for deciding when it is safe to return to play after a first injury.
2009 Interview Warns of PG&E Time Bombs Beneath the Street
NBC in San Francisco interviewed me in July 
2009 about PG&E’s underground systems. I warned then that PG&E’s whole underground infrastructure was collapsing and that, unless PG&E did something right away, people would be hurt.
They’re just time bombs under the street and PG&E has done nothing, nothing that makes a difference, to stop them from
San Bruno Residents’ Right to Compensation for Emotional Distress
Many of the San Bruno residents evacuated on September 9th may be categorized as “survivors,” having escaped the Glenview fire without being burned. But even though they suffer no physical injuries, the gas explosion will leave dozens with emotional injuries that will persist for a long time to come.
Generally the law does not require a
Critical Burn Care: The Early Stages
What is the biggest challenge facing doctors in the first days after a burn injury? Fluid loss.
When a victim suffers severe burns, much of his skin may be gone and to put it very simply, his capillaries begin to leak. Instead of sticking together, keeping blood inside of the vessel, the tissue cells separate
PG&E’s 2009 Annual Report Warns its Shareholders of Explosion Hazard
PG&E warned its shareholders that deficiencies in its leak detection procedures could r
esult in a major catastrophe. It further warned that the economic cost of the catastrophe could jeopardize the utility’s financial condition. But it didn’t warn its customers.
According to its 2009 Annual Report, PG&E reviewed its own gas leak survey practices in 2008 and found that "improvements
Blast Result of a Run-to-failure Mentality
TV reporter Jean Elle interviewed me in my office, noting that the San Bruno blast is "eerily similar" to the Santa Rosa explosion and fire that I handled some years ago. She then put some hard questions to PG&E and got nothing back but double-talk.
View more news videos at: http://www.nbcbayarea.com/video.
Calls for Automatic Shut-off Valves in the Wake of the San Bruno Fire (Deja Vu All Over Again)
Political leaders are calling for PG&E to install on its gas lines automatic shut-off valves to prevent or mitigate future gas line disasters.
Sounds like a good idea. Here’s an interesting snippet from a report of the NTSB, the agency that is investigating the San Bruno gas explosion:
The Safety Board believes that had an
The Sewer Work that Preceeded San Bruno Blast
The google map below shows the spot where the pipeline exploded. It also shows the asphalt patches placed on the street surface by a San Francisco firm (D’Arcy and Harty) after it completed sewer work in May 2008.
Before a contractor digs in the street, PG&E is supposed to mark on the street with spray paint the location of its gas
Insurance Claims and the San Bruno Explosion Homeowners
Insurance companies are businesses. Their goal is to increase profits. Sometimes they view settling an insurance claim with the victim of a disaster as a business negotiation. Following a disaster, homeowners may face the following problems:
- Not having enough insurance to cover their losses (also known as “underinsurance”.)
- Delays in getting responses to phone calls, letters or other