According to an article that appeared in the U. S. News and World Report on September 10, 2007, the number of serious “adverse” drug events more than doubled between 1998 and 2005 in the United States as did a number of related deaths. Adverse event reports are filed when a…
Our lawyers frequently review cases in which cars sustain side impacts which result in serious injury and death. Beginning in the 2013 model-year all new passenger vehicles will be required to provide head protection for side crashes. New regulations, announced by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, are designed to…
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) adverse event and reporting program has issued a warning that medications containing codeine given to breast-feeding mothers who rapidly metabolize codeine into morphine may cause adverse effects in their infants. Codeine is generally considered safe for use in nursing mothers; however, last year,…
While reviewing cases involving falls in skilled nursing facilities our lawyers have determined that there are several causes of falls that we see frequently. The first involves patient’s characteristics. Dementia associated with “sundowner” syndrome or nighttime confusion is a common occurrence. In this situation, the patient may awake in the…
Our lawyers are frequently asked to review cases involving patient falls in skilled nursing home facilities. Due to the physical and mental conditions of many infirm and elderly patients, it is impossible to prevent all falls. However, in many instances falls can be prevented or greatly reduced by the implementation…
Mattel issued another major recall today involving Chinese-made toys which contain excessive amounts of lead. These include locomotive toys and accessories for the Barbie brand dolls. The Consumer Product Safety Commission reported that Mattel is recalling almost 800,000 toys. Mattel reported that it discovered the use of lead-based paint as…
Our lawyers have successfully litigated many cases involving defective household products which have caused fires and serious personal injury or death. Recently, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with GE Consumer & Industrial has announced a voluntary recall of 2.5 million GE Dishwashers. The recall advises consumers to…
There are two major organizations which crash test automobiles and report the results to the public. One is the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, (NHTSA), an agency of the United States government. The other is the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, (IIHS), a non-profit organization funded by auto insurers. Both…
The Associated Press has reported that an 86-year-old Providence Rhode Island man died three weeks after a neurosurgeon operated on the wrong side of his head. The patient, whose name wasn’t released, died Saturday, and the state medical examiner was determining the cause of death.The man underwent emergency surgery at…
Last week, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety released test results for side impact ratings of large cars. Three of six large car models tested earned the top rating of good, but one was rated marginal in the side impact crash tests. The Institute ratings of good, acceptable, marginal, or…