In the U.S., numerous local and state governments continue to look for the legislative answer, to both preventing dog attacks and holding the owners criminally responsible. According to a Philadelphia dog bite lawyer, Leonard Hill, 4.7 million people are victimized each year in dog attacks.

The problem of dog attacks on humans is not isolated to the United States.

Across the globe, in Melbourne, Australia, citizens are now demanding harsher fines and jail time for irresponsible dog owners after the slaughter of a 4-year-old girl in August 2011.

News.com.au reports that newly proposed legislation would provide for prison time, along with a fine of up to $30,000 if a person’s dog escapes and hurts or kills another person.

CourierMail.com performed a poll on August 18, 2011, asking readers, “Should dog owners be charged over attacks?” The response was overwhelmingly “Yes,” which was favored by 93.15% of respondents, compared to a “No” response from 6.85% of respondents.

Currently, Australian legislation allows irresponsible dog owners to face manslaughter charges, but Attorney General Paul Lucas would prefer to have specific legislation for prosecuting “irresponsible dog owners.”

As it stands, the drafted legislation holds owners responsible for managing their dogs and takes into account any past incidents where the dogs attacked humans. Also taken into consideration will be the dog’s training, temperament, whether restraint was appropriate in the circumstances, and whether the breed of dog was appropriate for protecting people or property.

By wording the language of this law in this manner, the law would theoretically prevent owners who responsibly managed their dogs from being mistakenly charged. If an owner fails to take appropriate steps to control their dog, however, he or she could be held criminally responsible and face up to 10 years in jail.

After a separate attack which killed a toddler, her five-year-old cousin, and aunt who attempted to help her, it become public knowledge that more than one-third of Queensland’s 73 councils either banned American Pit Bulls or would renew registration for the breed. Approximately 1900 restricted, dangerous, or menacing dogs are kept in Queensland.

The new legislation makes provisions for how these “restricted” dogs must be kept and is being followed by many other Queensland councils.

Cargill reportedly initiated the recall following its own internal investigation, an Agriculture Department Investigation and information about the illnesses released by the CDC earlier this week.  The recalled packages include “Est. P-963” on the label, although the recalled packaged are labeled under many different brand names.  According to the CDC, the strain of salmonella is resistant to many commonly prescribed antibiotics, causing complications in treating illnesses caused by the bacteria. 

At least 5 Pennsylvania residents have reportedly become ill with salmonella poisoning after eating the tainted meat, including one Philadelphia resident.  There have been no reported illnesses in Delaware or New Jersey. 

If you have suffered illness as a result of consuming contaminated meat subject to the ground turkey recall, you should consider consulting a Pennsylvania personal injury and product liability attorney. 

Pennsylvania State Representative Katharine M. Watson recently unveiled legislation to update Pennsylvania’s teen driving laws. House Bill 9 would increase the hours of behind-the-wheel training Pennsylvania permit holders must complete before they may obtain a junior license, from 50 to 65 hours. The bill would require that 10 of those hours be at night and 5 of the hours during inclement weather. In addition, House Bill 9 would limit junior license holders to one passenger, with exceptions for family members. Pennsylvania is one of just 7 states that does not impose teen passenger limits. Finally, House Bill 9 would make seat belt and child seat law violations a primary offense, allowing police officers to stop a driver on the grounds the vehicle contained an unbuckled occupant under the age of 18. Currently, passenger restraints are only a secondary offense which only permits officers to cite drivers for these offenses after the driver has been pulled over for a different reason.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation recently reported that fatalities in crashes that involved a 16 or 17 year old driver in 2010 increased from 40 in 2009 to 57 last year, an increase of 43 percent. Teen driver and passenger deaths account for one-fourth of total teen deaths nationwide, and teen drivers have fatal crashes at four times the rate of adult drivers. Vehicle crashes are the number one cause of death for teenagers. In addition, the risk of fatal collisions involving teen drivers increases with each additional passenger in the vehicle. According to AAA Statistics, one passenger increases the risk of fatality to 39 percent while three or more passengers increases the risk by 182 percent. The Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety further recognize Pennsylvania as one of the most dangerous states for drivers due to a lack of traffic safety laws.

Representative Watson recently stated that she also intends to introduce a separate bill that would make it illegal for teens to text from their cell phones while operating a vehicle. Watson serves as the Chairperson for the Pennsylvania House Transportation Committee’s Transportation Safety Subcommittee. House Bill 9 has a total of 48 bipartisan co-sponsors and is currently under consideration of the House Transportation Committee.

Danger increases when trucks are on the road: http://www.philadelphiainjurylawyer.com/are-you-safe-on-the-road-with-commercial-trucks/

An increase of %5 fatality rate on Pennsylvania highways

Not all car seats are safe. Research should be done to make sure your child is safely secured in an appropriate car seat: http://www.philadelphiainjurylawyer.com/is-your-childs-car-seat-safe-p1/

Sean Quinn explains what steps should be taken after a fall down injury: http://www.avvo.com/legal-guides/ugc/fall-down-injuries--a-victims-guide-on-what-to-do

OHSA increases the safety standard of all crane operations - Neil Murray: http://www.philadelphiainjurylawyerblogs.com/oshas-increased-safety-standards-in-crane-operations/

Sean Quinn analyzes the hidden dangers that all homes present: http://www.jrapublish.com/philadelphia-personal-injury-lawyer.html

The must knows on nursing home abuse is analyzed by Neil Murray: http://www.deekow.net/uncategorized/what-everyone-should-know-about-nursing-home-abuse/