Rock Hill Personal Injury Lawyer

E. Coli Outbreak Reported in Michigan, Ohio

Courtney Mills — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 10:02:26 GMT

A spokesman for the Ohio Department of Health alerted the public to the existence of a multi-state outbreak of E-Coli bacteria, evidently involving raw ground beef from Kroger Food Stores, the largest grocery chain in the U.S. Cases of the same strain of the bacteria were discovered in both Ohio and Michigan.

According to media reports, the spokesman for Ohio's Department of Health reported that CDC testing of samples of ground beef culled from Kroger processing centers in Ohio and Michigan revealed the same strain of E. coli present throughout. E. coli is a noxious food contagion that causes cramping, vomiting, and diarrhea, and can be fatal in immunospressed populations. Fifteen cases of food-poisoning through E. coli were discovered in Michigan, and two were reported in Ohio. These cases are all related to the same strain of E. coli, E. Coli 0157:H7.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this strain of E. coli is one of the most toxic. Ten have been hospitalized from this latest outbreak.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Courtney Mills

One Died in Hopkins Car Accident

Jenny Albano — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 20:05:56 GMT

On Saturday morning there was a car accident that left one dead in Hopkins, South Carolina.

Around 4:00 a.m. a 51-year-old driver of a 1994 Ford Explorer was driving north on Mt. Elon Church Road when the driver drove off the side of the road into a ditch. The Explorer then overturned and the driver died at the scene from injuries.

The driver was wearing his seatbelt when the accident occurred.

The name of the driver has no been released by the Richland County Coroner's Office until the next of kin has been notified.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jenny Albano

CPSC Recalls Toy Wrestler Figures for Excessive Lead

Courtney Mills — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 17:31:47 GMT

The federal government issued a recall today for about 5,600 toy figurines because they violated the federal lead paint standard. These toy figures were sold mainly over Christmas and were made by A.A. of America of East Brunswick, New Jersey.

The CPSC, the U.S. agency charged with the oversight of toy safety, announced the recall in conjunction with the toy company to alert the public to the high lead content of paint on these toy figures. The agency directed parents to remove these toys from children as soon as possible.

The toy figures were sold in the U.S. from January to December 2007 for about $1. Parents can return the action figures, which were sold in sets of four, for a full refund at the place of purchase.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Defective and Dangerous Products.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Courtney Mills

Pet Food Maker Pays $3.1 Million Settlement for Tainted Product

Jenny Albano — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 02:56:02 GMT

Diamond Pet Foods is paying a $3.1 million settlement to pet owners because they produced contaminated pet food that killed dozens of dogs. The contaminated pet food, which was made at the company's South Carolina plant, contained a mold called aflatoxin. The company is planning to reimburse pet owners for the loss of their dogs, their veterinarian bills, and the cost of unreturned contaminated food.

Diamond Pet Foods, based in Meta, Mo., acknowledged that workers at its Gaston, S.C., plant failed to follow internal testing procedures to ensure its products were safe. The company made the acknowledgment after the Food and Drug Administration released a report showing the company has no record of test results for 12 shipments of corn in 2005, when grain tainted with the deadly fungus slipped into the plant.

The contaminated pet food was recalled when a veterinarian in New York linked a dog's death to the company's dog food. Around 350,000 bags of the dog food was recalled. Diamond is claiming it did nothing illegal and recalled the product as soon as it found out about the problem. The company plans to cooperate with the claimants and feels the settlement shows how Diamond has continued to take care of its customers.

So far Diamond and its insurance company have settled around 1,200 claims. The settlement states that pet owners whose pet died from the contaminated pet food could recieve up to $1000. Owners could also be compensated up to $1,000 for testing and treatment for aflatoxin poisoning and for payment for up to two bags of pet food.

Aflatoxin, a naturally occurring chemical that comes from a fungus sometimes found on corn and in other crops, can cause severe liver damage.

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Defective and Dangerous Products.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jenny Albano

New England School Mistakenly Administers Shock Therapy to Students

Courtney Mills — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 11:12:44 GMT

A New England school for the emotionally and mentally handicapped mistakenly administered electric shock therapy (EST) to two students earlier this year, according to admissions by school officials. A single prank caller to the school initiated the mistaken shock therapy to the affected students.

According to officials at the Judge Rotenberg Educational Center, allegedly a former student at the school made a call earlier this summer posing as a teacher at the institution, and issued instructions to school officials for two students to receive shock therapy. The prank caller directed officials to administer 29 shocks to one student and, unbelievably, 77 shocks to another student. A school spokesman admitted that although both treatments are an excessive number of shock treatments, the electric shock treatments were carried out.

According to media reports, Massachusetts's Disabled Persons Protection Committee's 24-hour hotline received an anonymous call after the incident alerting the authorities to the mistaken shock therapy treatments. Both students were under 22 years of age and their names have not been released.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Courtney Mills

Deaths Reported in Patients Undergoing Radiofrequency Ablation of Tumors

Courtney Mills — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 09:50:40 GMT

The FDA made a public announcement recently about the association between radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of lung tumors and patient deaths. The FDA has received several reports of patient deaths linked to lung tumor ablation with RFA devices. According to the government agency, patient selection, follow-up care, and technical use of these devices may have contributed to patient deaths.

Radiofrequency ablation is a minimally invasive procedure in which tumors are heated with highly focused energy. RFA is ideal for local control of some cancers. RFA can also be used to heat nerve tissue to reduce arthritis pain and chronic back pain. Needles must be inserted at the locus of the pain or tumor before the radiofrequency ablation takes place.

The FDA has not cleared RFA devices for anything more than general ablation. The devices may not be legally marketed to treat lung tumors, because their clinical efficacy in the treatment of such tumors has not yet been fully established by the agency.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Drugs, Medical Devices, and Implants.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Courtney Mills

Four Transplant Recipients Contract H.I.V. in Chicago

Courtney Mills — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 17:26:13 GMT

Four patients in Chicago tested positive for H.I.V. after receiving organs from an H.I.V. - infected organ donor. Two patients were infected at the University of Chicago Medical Center, one at Northwestern University Medical Center, and one transplant patient was infected at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

The story was first reported by the Chicago Tribune. The transplant recipients all received organs from the same infected donor. It is the first time in at least ten years that there has been a case of H.I.V. as a result of an organ transplant. The transplant recipients were infected with hepatitis C at the same time they were infected with H.I.V., the virus that causes AIDS.

These cases are important because they may lead to a serious reevaluation of viral testing procedures for organ donors. Most donor tests are able to detect the progression of the H.I.V. virus. Organ donor surgery is almost always time-sensitive, however, so doctors have not used more thorough testing methods.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Medical Malpractice and Negligent Care.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Courtney Mills

U.S. Recalls Aqua Dots Toys Because of 'Date-Rape' Drug

Courtney Mills — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 15:14:32 GMT

Spin Master Toys of Toronto, Canada in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a recall for over 4 million packages of Aqua Dots because the coating applied on these toy beads breaks down in the stomachs of toddlers into GHB, the notorious 'date-rape' drug.

Aqua Dots are chemically-coated toy beads that fuse together once sprayed with water. Known as Bindeez in Australia, the first case of poisoning by toy bead ingestion happened in Australia. Since then, according to media reports at least two American children and three Australian children have been hospitalized because of eating the tiny toy beads.

Aqua Dots, which were originally made in China, were meant to be huge seller for Christmas this year. But the colorful chemically-coated beads fit easily into the mouths of toddlers and, if swallowed, form a dangerous compound in the stomach called gamma hydroxy butyrate, otherwise known as the 'date rape' drug, GHB. GHB induces sedation, respiratory depression, and in some people seizures and death.

If your child has a set of Aqua Dots or Bindeez then it is important to remove the dots from play immediately, as they represent a serious health hazard.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Defective and Dangerous Products.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Courtney Mills

Chemical Plant Fire Causes Explosion, One Injury

Courtney Mills — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 13:30:45 GMT

A chemical plant northeast of Des Moines, Iowa exploded Monday afternoon, sending firefighters from all over the region scrambling to help with the huge chemical fire. The fire started at 1:15pm, and continued to burn for several hours thereafter.

Flames and thick clouds of black smoke could be seen emanating from the Barton Solvents chemical plant for several miles, according to media reports. Police were forced to close nearby Interstates because of the fire's intensity. There was one injury reported from the fire.

Barton Solvents Inc. manufactures industrial chemicals for wholesale distribution under the name of Barsol, and has several plants in the Midwest. The last explosion at a Barton Solvents Chemical plant was in Kansas, where 6,000 people had to be evacuated.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Toxic and Hazardous Substances.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Courtney Mills

Topps E. Coli Beef Recall Linked to Tainted Canadian Beef

Courtney Mills — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 13:53:31 GMT

The U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service announced on Friday that a Canadian meatpacker was the probable source of the Topps large beef recall last month. DNA beef fingerprints had led the F.S.I.S. to the conclusion that Ranchers Beef Ltd of Balzac, Alberta was the source of the contagion.

According to media reports, over 100 cases of E. coli illness have been reported in both Canada and the U.S. because of ingestion of the contaminated beef. The F.S.I.S. urged food preparers not to use Ranchers Beef boneless beef trim just as the group was removed from an approved list of beef exporters.

E. coli bacteria can cause serious stomach illness, especially in young children, the elderly, and the immunosuppressed. Infection with E. coli usually leads to diarrhea, stomach cramping, and sometimes hospitalization and death. Most people do recover within a week of becoming infected.

The outbreak of E. coli in the U.S. led to a huge recall of over 21 million pounds of beef last month, ultimately causing the Topps Meat Company to go out of business.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Defective and Dangerous Products.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Courtney Mills