Our client, Angela M. Iannelli of Hampton, found a notice on her door announcing that her house had been repossessed by Bank of America. The only problem was that she hadn't defaulted on her mortgage nor had she received any notification that a foreclosure was approaching.

Please check out these links below from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review to find out how this happened and how Bank of America responded – it may surprise you.

Hampton Woman Seeks Damages From Bank in Mistaken ID Case

Woman Says Bank of America Wrongly Repossessed Home

So, remember to clear the sidewalks outside your home or you'll receive a citation, followed by a $25 fine if you still don't shovel your walks. And check out my website for more information about who's responsible for clearing snow and ice from sidewalks.

iBurgh is an application for smart phones, like the iPhone and the Droid, that allows users to take pictures of potholes and send their photos directly to Pittsburgh's 311 complaint system. Submissions are tagged with GPS data to pinpoint the exact location. Users then receive a tracking number to follow the progress of their complaint.

With new technology like iBurgh, hopefully Pittsburgh residents can minimize the risk of car accidents caused by potholes. And even if you don't have a smart phone, you can still submit your pothole complaints the old fashioned way by calling 412-255-CITY.

I can't say I blame them – I've lost plenty of tires this winter thanks to potholes. One bad dip in the road took out both of my left tires at the same time, while a different pothole snuck up on my car at night and left me with another flat to fix.

I'll be back here in a couple days to tell you about a new technology that the city of Pittsburgh is using to identify potholes. In the meantime, check out my website's resources on potholes as well as the Post-Gazette article, featuring Attorney Rick Rosenthal, our managing partner here at Edgar Snyder & Associates.

For more information, check out our website's page on risky asthma drugs, as well as USA TODAY's "FDA issues warning on 4 common asthma drugs."

In 2000, the TREAD act – Transportation Recall Enhancement, Accountability and Documentation – was enacted. Under this law, automakers face toughened civil and criminal penalties for not promptly reporting safety defects to federal regulators. According to TREAD, a manufacturer has five business days from the time it finds what it believes to be a safety problem to report that problem to federal regulators. If it fails to do so, the company can be fined up to $16.4 million.

However, the article says that the largest fine ever imposed was against General Motors in 2004 – for only $1 million. Why isn't TREAD more heavily enforced? CNN says the main reason is that the five days an automaker has to report a problem begins the day the company comes to believe there is a safety issue. If the company says they never believed the problem to be safety-related, they're not obligated to report it.

In Toyota's case, for example, the manufacturer says it doesn't believe Prius's brake problems to be a safety issue, which can be enough to get them off the hook. In addition, experts say that all the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration really cares about is that manufacturers recall cars and fix them. Since Toyota has done this, the agency may not want to engage in a lengthy legal battle.

It may surprise you that so little is done in instances where consumers' safety is put at such great risk. This is why I'm so proud of the work that my law firm does. Oftentimes, the very laws that are supposed to protect consumers are used against them, and we make it our top priority to help those who've been injured overcome roadblocks to getting justice.

Each year, about 16% of pedestrian traffic fatalities in the USA occur on freeways, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Over 700 pedestrians lost their lives on highways in 2008.

For example, in January, two women on an Atlanta highway were killed by a truck as they assessed damage from a fender-bender. Just weeks before that, a 26-year-old woman in Atlanta was killed trying to cross the road after an accident on Interstate 285. A father and son were struck and killed on Interstate 81 in western Virginia after stopping to help another car that was stuck in the snow. The list of pedestrians killed on highways begs the question: what should you do after an accident?

According to a spokesperson from AAA, here's the answer:

• Get the vehicle safely off of the roadway and as far away from traffic as you can.
• Stay inside the vehicle because it provides a layer of protection around you. Getting out makes you more susceptible to injury.
• Call for help as soon as the car is out of traffic. Most states have a telephone number posted on highway signs that stranded motorists can call.
• If the vehicle is stuck in active travel lanes, drivers should activate their flashers, exit the vehicle, and try to reach a safer location on foot. Never stand near moving traffic but instead get as far from the roadway as possible. Standing behind a barrier on the side of the road is one option.

Even though the natural reaction after an accident is to get out and inspect your vehicle, please think of your safety first and worry about your vehicle once you are out of harm's way.

It seems as though much of the city has been in hiding over the past five or six days – schools remain closed, many employees are just now returning to work, and quite a few cars still haven't budged from last week's parking spaces. But now that we're emerging from our snowy hibernation, there are a few considerations I'd like everyone to keep in mind as they take to the streets:

Sidewalk Shoveling and Ice Removal
Many people are unsure of their responsibility when it comes to this issue, so my firm has created a section on our website that tells you everything you need to know. Who's responsible for clearing walkways, when they need to be treated, what can happen if they're not – it's all there.

Winter Driving Safety Tips
Though the snow has stopped falling, the roads are still messy and slick. My law firm has created a page that contains tips on winter driving and preparing your car for the dangerous conditions. We even have a winter driving quiz – take it to test your knowledge on navigating winter's obstacles.

Sledding Safety Tips
Sledding, popular with all ages, may seem relatively safe, but it can actually lead to serious injuries. Check out my firm's site for tips on keeping you and your loved ones safe as you have fun in the snow.

I hope that everyone who was affected by the storm is keeping safe and warm – enjoy the white stuff while it lasts, but please be careful while you do!

If so, you may be interested in an article I found in USA Today about the persistently low ratings that many long-term care facilities receive every year. In fact, the article says that one in five of our country's 157,000 nursing homes received poor ratings for overall quality from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

These ratings are assigned yearly and are based on quality, staffing, health inspections, and an overall score. More than a quarter million people are residents at facilities that have received low quality scores this year, and nearly all of the homes that are repeatedly rated poorly are for-profit corporations.

Medicare says that a one-star nursing home isn't necessarily a terrible facility because even the lowest-rated homes must still meet baseline Medicare conditions. If you don't want your loved one put into a one- or two-star facility, however, make sure to tell your hospital discharge planner.

It's not even a question that every nursing home resident deserves the best care possible. My law firm's website has a number of resources to help you make sure that happens. We have information on things to consider when choosing a nursing home, frequently asked nursing home questions, and rights of nursing home residents.

Please take advantage of these free resources – it can make a big difference in the lives of those you love.

The accidents caused by the recalled cars are extremely serious – faulty floor mats and sticking gas pedals may lead to spontaneous runaway acceleration, and some cars have crashed while going over 100 mph. Here are the models that are affected by the recalls:

Floor mat recall: 2007-2010 Camry 2005-2010 Avalon 2004-2009 Prius 2005-2010 Tacoma 2007-2010 Tundra 2007-2010 Lexus ES 350 2006-2010 Lexus IS 250 & 350 2008-2010 Highlander 2009-2010 Corolla 2009-2010 Venza 2009-2010 Matrix 2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe

Gas pedal recall: 2007-2008 Tundra 2008-2010 Sequoia 2005-2010 Avalon 2007-2010 Camry 2009-2010 Corolla 2009-2010 Matrix 2009-2010 RAV4 2010 Highlander 2009-2010 Vibe

The company says that repairs will begin immediately and that dealerships will stay open around the clock to complete them.

Federal investigators aren't as confident in the plan. The Department of Transportation said it will continue to investigate consumer reports that some type of electronic malfunction or computer glitch may also be involved. Hopefully, though, Toyota really has found a way to fix the deadly defect and no other drivers will be affected.

My law firm is staying on top of the latest information on this story, so please check out the Toyota recall section of our website for updates if you'd like to know more, including what to do if your car is affected.

In 2008, about 1,415 work zone crashes occurred across Pennsylvania, and about 85 percent of those killed were motorists. That’s startling enough, but what's more alarming is that many of the accidents that occur in construction zones are due to poor safety regulations.

The hazards in road construction zones are abundant – improperly positioned concrete barriers, incorrect lane markings, unused warning signs, and road drop-offs just to name a few – yet there are virtually no federal laws regulating safety measures in work zones.

It’s the responsibility of individual states to maintain all roads. However, most of the work zone laws in place in Pennsylvania focus on driver regulation, like speed control, headlight use, and increased fines, even though many accidents are caused by poor work zone maintenance on the part of construction companies.

Remember, roadway hazards can be anywhere, so please drive safely and keep your eyes on the road.

Here's how the Department of Transportation defines a commercial motor vehicle (CMV):

• Any vehicle that weighs 10,001 pounds or more
• Any vehicle that is transporting hazardous materials
• Any vehicle designed or used to carry 9 or more people, including the driver, for compensation
• Any vehicle designed or used to carry 16 or more people, including the driver, not for compensation

If people driving a CMV don't refrain from texting while driving, they could face civil or criminal penalties up to $2,750.

Our law firm has a tremendous amount of respect for truckers – we know how hard the work is and how long the hours are. We also know how important it is for all drivers, not just truckers, to follow the rules of the road. This means obeying every law – from speeding to passing to texting – to keep everyone as safe as possible. No text message is worth the lives that distracted driving can claim.

I encourage you to check my law firm's complete list of state-by-state cell phone and driving laws. I also urge to be extremely careful on the roads – keep in mind that even if your state doesn't ban cell phone use behind the wheel, going above and beyond the guidelines of the law is always a safe bet.

Here's a little background on BPA:

• In 2007, a National Institutes of Health panel determined that there was "some concern" about BPA's effects on fetal and infant brain development and behavior. A 2008 report by the National Toxicology Program agreed with the panel's findings. Subsequent animal studies found that BPA can have adverse effects on the nervous system, thyroid function, the reproductive system, and can lead to some types of cancer.
• The first results from human studies were published in 2008. Researchers found that higher BPA levels were strongly associated with heart disease, diabetes, and abnormally high levels of certain liver enzymes. A later similar study performed by the same group of scientists was published in January 2010. It confirmed, despite lower concentrations of BPA in the second study sample, an increased risk for heart disease but not for diabetes or liver enzymes.

There hasn't been an official federal policy on BPA in the US, but a number of retailers and local governments have taken action. Toys 'R' Us and Wal-Mart both announced that they would remove all baby bottles containing BPA from their inventories.  In May 2009, Minnesota and Chicago became some of the first jurisdictions to pass legislation banning the chemical. The next month, Connecticut became the first state to ban Bisphenol A from infant formula and baby food containers, as well from any reusable food or beverage container.

As more information becomes available on BPA's side effects, it will be interesting to see how the federal government responds. We can only hope that officials will do what's necessary to protect consumers' safety. If you'd like more information, including how to help protect your children from exposure, you can check out this BPA news article on my firm's website.

There are currently several pieces of pending legislation that would address some of the issues uncovered by the advocacy organization, and hopefully these measures will pass soon. If you'd like to learn more about the dangers on Pennsylvania's roads, please check out this news story on my firm's site.

Most sledding mishaps are minor, but local emergency rooms have treated some serious concussions and spinal injuries resulting from sledding accidents in recent years. To reduce the risk of injury here are several tips for safe sled riding:

• Avoid hills that have a street or body of water near the bottom. If you go too fast you could end up in the roadway or the water.
• Check for and avoid any sledding hill that has trees, posts, fences or other obstacles in its path.
• Choose a sled that you can steer instead of discs, inner tubes, and toboggans. Don't use plastic sheets that can be punctured by objects on the ground.
  
• Do NOT sled head-first down a hill. You should be seated and facing forward so you can steer and so your head isn't the first thing to make contact in a collision.
  
• When climbing back up a hill, be alert and on the lookout for oncoming sled riders who may not be able to steer their sleds.
  
• Consider using a helmet for children riding particularly fast sleds.
  
• Younger children should always be supervised by an adult.
  
• Sled at night only in well-lighted areas.
  
• Do NOT drink alcohol before sledding as it makes you more susceptible to the cold and leads to bad decisions.

Remember, have fun and stay safe as you enjoy the winter weather!