Personal Injury
Could the Person Who Sends a Text Message to a Driver Be Held Liable in an Auto Accident?
Pennsylvania has passed a new law that could add five years in jail for a driver who causes a crash because they were texting behind the wheel. Those are stiff penalties for distracted driving and it calls into question the responsibility that the person sending the text message has in distracting someone who they know…
Read MoreAndroGel Testosterone-Replacement Defective Drug Bellwether Trials Set to Start
In August 2016, eight lawsuits were filed by people who used the testosterone-replacement therapy, AndroGel. In those lawsuits, the plaintiffs claim they experienced a number of adverse effects, including heart attacks, blood clots and strokes. These suits were approved to go to trial in 2017. United States District Judge Matthew Kennelly has approved four heart…
Read MoreWhat A Train Crash in Spain Can Teach Us in Washington, D.C.
On September 9, 2016, a Portuguese train derailed right at a station on the border of Spain and Portugal. The causes of the derailment are still under investigation. Two passengers (one from the U.S.), the driver and the conductor all died in the crash, but the rest of the passengers survived. “The front portion of…
Read MoreTragic Pedestrian Accident in Loudoun County Leads to Outcry for Safer Streets
The news is inundated with terrible stories about people who suffer losses every day, but the latest story out of Lansdowne, VA breaks our hearts. Today, a mother grieves the loss of her 5-month old baby after they were hit by a car while in a crosswalk on Riverside Parkway. As of yesterday, the “sheriff’s…
Read MoreWashington, D.C. Lawmakers Are at Odds Over a Bill That Could End Contributory Negligence
There is a new bill in front of legislators that could put an end to the contributory negligence law as it applies to bicyclists and pedestrians. The bill has stalled for the moment, according to an article in GreaterGreaterWashington.com, but it is one we should all be behind in the end. Contributory negligence has been…
Read MoreMedical Mistakes in the Emergency Room Related to Electronic Health Records
By its nature, the emergency room is a chaotic, frenetic place. Because of the speed at which emergency medical care is delivered, accuracy is important. You might think that electronic health records (EHRs) would be a helpful addition to the fast-paced environment, but it seems that EHRs are actually contributing to the medical errors that…
Read MoreGree Ordered to Pay $15.45 million Civil Penalty for Failure to Report Defective Dehumidifiers
In what is so far the highest penalty for a single offense that the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has ever imposed, Gree Electric Appliances Inc. has agreed to pay a $15.45 civil penalty to the government. The CPSC has charged Gree with the following: Knowingly failing to report a defect and the reasonable risk…
Read MoreLaundry Detergent Pods Poisoning Cases Involving Young Children on the Rise
You may remember hearing about the tragic cases of small children getting poisoned when they mistook their mom’s laundry detergent pods for candy. Laundry pods are small, brightly colored packets of clear plastic and filled with highly concentrated laundry soap and fabric softener. Children are biting into them because they think it looks like an…
Read MoreTainted Scopes Cause Deadly Superbug Infections
A duodenoscope is a flexible tube that doctors thread through the mouth, throat and stomach and into the beginning of the small intestine, which is the duodenum. In a procedure called, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), doctors use the duodenoscope to get a look at the digestive system of the patient and it allows them to…
Read MoreChildren Are Still Getting Caught and Strangled in Window Blinds—What Can Be Done?
You have likely heard news stories of young children getting strangled by window blinds cords over the past few decades. You would think that such a dangerous hazard with a product used inside the home would have been completely eliminated by now, but it still continues to occur with alarming frequency. The U.S. Consumer Product…
Read More