Master List of Personal Injury Product Defect Safety Press Article Excerpts

Los Angeles Times, "E. Coli Is Found in Third Bag of Dole Spinach; Another package has tested positive for the bacteria linked to the nationwide outbreak"

          The U.S. Food and Drug Administration reported Tuesday that the outbreak had expanded to 183 cases in 26 states and Canada. Ninety-five people have been hospitalized, and of those, 29 have developed a serious kidney complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome. An elderly Wisconsin woman has died. More...

Learn more about e. coli poisoning injuries and spinach contamination lawsuits.

San Francisco Chronicle, "5 more E. coli cases blamed on spinach; Total number sickened raised to 171 in 25 states, CDC reports"

          The outbreak of E. coli linked to fresh spinach was blamed for another five cases of illness Saturday, raising the number of people sickened to 171, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. More...

Learn more about e. coli poisoning injuries and spinach contamination lawsuits.

Los Angeles Times, "Drug Safety Overhaul Is Urged"

The FDA spends far more time on approvals than on follow-ups, a review finds. Calls for reform include warning labels and limits on ads.

          The government's drug safety system is seriously out of balance, devoting too much attention to approving new medications and not enough follow-up to uncovering risky side effects, a blue-ribbon scientific panel concluded in a major report released Friday. More...

Associated Press, "Health officials still can't track new drug safety; Panel says labeling, advertising restriction needed and FDA needs resources"

          Two years after the withdrawal of the painkiller Vioxx, federal health regulators still lack the resources necessary to track the safety of new drugs and respond quickly to any problems that might crop up, a panel of experts said Friday. More...

Los Angeles Times, "Government Oversight of Prescription Drugs Needs Overhaul"

          A blue-ribbon scientific panel convened after the Vioxx debacle has concluded in a report released today that the government's system for protecting the public from dangerous side effects of prescription drugs needs a sweeping overhaul to better monitor risks and provide early warnings to doctors and patients.

Associated Press , "Two more deaths possibly linked to e. coli tainted spinach"

          Two more deaths were under investigation Friday for possible links to tainted spinach, one in Maryland and one in Idaho. The Herald-Mail of Hagerstown, Maryland, reported an 86-year-old Hagerstown woman died last week after becoming infected with E-coli. More...

Learn more about e. coli contaminations and poisoning injury lawsuits.

Los Angeles Times, "Blue Cross Faces Fine for Voiding Policy"

          In the first sanction of its kind, California's top HMO regulator fined Blue Cross on Thursday for illegally canceling a woman's medical policy because she did not disclose corrective surgery she had 23 years earlier. More...

San Francisco Chronicle, "Spinach contamination crisis continues"

Thursday's developments:
-- The number of people sickened by E. coli climbed to 157. Of those, 83 have been hospitalized and 27 have suffered a form of kidney failure. One person has died. More...

Learn more about e. coli poisoning injuries and spinach contamination lawsuits.

San Jose Mercury News, "E. coli spinach contamination outbreak reveals lapses in food inspection"

          The expanding E. coli spinach outbreak, which now has sickened 146 victims in 23 states, is prompting calls for an overhaul of how food inspection is done in the United States, with a focus on getting rid of a patchwork approach that leads to loopholes and leaves the industry mostly policing itself. More...

Learn more about e. coli spinach contaminations and poisoning injury lawsuits.

Los Angeles Times, "Lab Definitively Links E. Coli Outbreak to Contaminated Spinach"

          A New Mexico laboratory was able to isolate potentially deadly bacteria in a bag of spinach that had sickened a resident -- a step hailed Wednesday as a significant break in the search for the source of a nationwide E. coli outbreak. More...

Learn more about e. coli spinach contaminations and poisoning injury lawsuits.

E. Coli Spinach Contamination Case: Sacramento Bee, "Spinach firm has permit troubles"

No evidence of link between wastewater woes, E. coli outbreak

          The spinach-packaging company in the cross hairs of an investigation into a nationwide E. coli outbreak has struggled to manage its wastewater and is in violation of a state water disposal permit, according to public records and state officials. More...

Learn more about e. coli spinach contaminations and poisoning injury lawsuits.

Los Angeles Times, "E. Coli Pervades Salinas Harvest Area"

          The bacterium that has sickened people across the nation and forced growers to destroy spinach crops is so pervasive in the Salinas Valley that virtually every waterway there violates national standards. More...

Learn more about e. coli contaminations and poisoning injury lawsuits.

Associated Press, "Lawsuit over Comair crash cites airport signs, taxiway names"

          The family of a Canadian woman killed in a central Kentucky plane crash last month filed a lawsuit citing inadequate airport signs and confusing taxiway names and alleging that pilots were negligent in taking off from the wrong runway. More...

Learn more about the Comair Lexington Kentucky airplane crash and lawsuits filed by families of victims of the tragedy.

MSNBC.com, "Concentrated produce industry highlights risks; Company at heart of E. coli outbreak works with vast network of suppliers"

          It appears the competitive advantages of the Salinas Valley produce industry have spawned outsized risks. In the latest case of produce-related food poisoning, deadly pathogens apparently traveled from the fertile valley to supermarkets across the country, sickening at least 146 people in 23 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One person has died and 76 others have been hospitalized, some with kidney failure. More...

Learn more about e. coli contaminated spinach and bacteria poisoning injuries and lawsuits.

MSNBC.com, "Ortho Evra Birth-control patch label warns of blood clots"

Oral contraceptives may be a safer option for some women, FDA says

          Women were warned Wednesday that their risk of blood clots in the legs and lungs may be higher if they use the birth-control patch instead of the pill. More...

Learn more about ortho evra injuries and lawsuits.

Associated Press, "Investigators find E. coli in spinach package"

          The E. coli outbreak spread to two more states Wednesday, and investigators reported finding contaminated spinach in the refrigerator of one victim. Learn more...

Associated Press, "Third Baby Dies From Heparin Drug Overdose in Indiana"

          A third premature infant has died after being accidentally given an adult-sized dose of heparin, a blood thinner medication, at a hospital last week. "We are all saddened by this news and our hearts are with this family, and all the families who have been affected," Methodist Hospital spokesman Jon Mills said in a news release Wednesday. More...

Los Angeles Times, "E. Coli Tainted Spinach Scare May Have Wider Impact"

          Much food lore has sprung from the Salinas and nearby valleys, this fecund farm country that stretches from oak-studded hills to the fertile bottom land and packing plants of Salinas and King City. This is Steinbeck country, and the National Steinbeck Center on Salinas' Main Street pays homage to the farming themes of "The Grapes of Wrath" and "Cannery Row." More...

Learn more about tainted spinach and e. coli injuries and lawsuits.

Associated Press , "Comair Air Crash: Lexington, Kentucky tower chief was criticized in FAA e-mails"

          The day after the plane crash that killed 49 people, high-ranking officials with the Federal Aviation Administration suggested that the Lexington air traffic manager was a "renegade" and speculated he would be fired for having only one controller on duty at the time. More...

Learn more about the Comair Disaster and the rights of families of victims of the crash.

The Boston Globe, "Couple sues over illness linked to spinach"

          A couple who say their teenage daughter became ill after eating bagged fresh spinach has sued Chiquita Brands International. The parents, referred to as John and Jane Doe in the suit, claim their daughter contracted an E. coli infection after eating spinach sold under Chiquita's Fresh Express brand two weeks ago. The girl remains hospitalized in stable condition after undergoing dialysis. More...

More about e. coli contaminations and injury cases...

San Francisco Chronicle, "Spinach growers were warned about produce safety"

State, federal officials concerned by 20 reports of tainted greens

          Just 10 months before fresh spinach started sending people to the hospital, state and federal officials warned Salinas Valley growers and packers to clean up their act after a decade of deadly E. coli bacteria breakouts. More...

Learn more about e. coli and injuries from tainted spinach and spinach injury lawsuits.

Los Angeles Times, "Number of E. Coli Cases Rises to 114"

Some growers decry what they call the government's too-strict advisory on spinach consumption, citing financial losses

          California farmers voiced frustration Monday at the government's continuing advisory that consumers avoid all fresh spinach. But federal authorities defended their action, as the tally of those sickened in a nationwide E. coli outbreak rose to 114. More...

Learn more about e. coli and injuries from tainted spinach and spinach injury lawsuits.

San Francisco Chronicle, "FDA Says Spinach Tampering Not Suspected"

          Tampering is not suspected in an outbreak of E. coli linked to fresh spinach, federal health officials said Monday as they probed for a source of the contamination and warned consumers not to resume eating uncooked spinach products. More information on e. coli spinach contamination and injuries...

Learn more about e.coli spinach contamination, injuries and lawsuits.

Tampa Bay 10 News, "E-Coli spinach narrowed to at least one manufacturer"

          So far, one company has been positively linked to an outbreak of e-coli in spinach. One person has died and nearly 100 others sickened by the bacteria in 19 states. More...

San Francisco Chronicle, "Spinach probe of Salinas Valley; Feds tracking cause of E. coli outbreak"

          The number of people connected to an outbreak of the bacteria E. coli across the country rose to 109 Sunday, and federal authorities announced they will investigate farms in Salinas Valley seeking evidence of what caused the outbreak. More...

Associated Press, "Spinach E. coli outbreak spreads"

          The number of people sickened by an E. coli outbreak traced to tainted spinach rose to 109, as federal officials announced more brands recalling their products. More...

News24 [South Africa], "U.S. Spinach E. coli outbreak spreads"

          Popeye ate it all the time, but now millions of bags of spinach are being pulled off supermarket shelves, including right here in the Coastal Empire. This, after an outbreak of E. coli was linked to the vegetable. Grocery stores started pulling the bags off the shelves Friday morning. More...

Learn more about e. coli spinach injury lawsuits.

News3 Mempis, "E-Coli spinach infects 60 people; Spinach pulled from grocery stores"

          Supermarkets across the country are pulling bagged spinach off their shelves after an e-coli outbreak. Ten states have reported e-coli outbreaks from tainted spinach bringing the number of infected to 60 cases total, including one that proved to be fatal. More...

WTOC11 [Savannah, GA], "Spinach Scare Shocks Country"

          Popeye ate it all the time, but now millions of bags of spinach are being pulled off supermarket shelves, including right here in the Coastal Empire. This, after an outbreak of E. coli was linked to the vegetable. Grocery stores, like the Kroger off Mall Boulevard, started pulling the bags off the shelves Friday morning. More...

Learn more about e. coli spinach injury lawsuits.

CBS2 Chicago.com, "Answers Are Being Sought For E. Coli Spinach"

          There's still not a case of E. Coli E. Coli reported in Illinois, but the spinach scare is certainly having an impact on restaurants in Chicago. At the Bella Bacino restaurant on Wacker Drive, patrons can enjoy pastas, sandwiches and even pizzas -- but not this one. More...

Learn more about e. coli injuries and lawsuits.

San Francisco Chronicle, "Anti-Rollover Tech Required by 2012"

          New automobiles will be required to have anti-rollover technology by the 2012 model year, which should save thousands of lives annually, the government's traffic safety agency said Thursday. More...

Los Angeles Times, "Vioxx-Like Risks Linked to Another Pain Pill"

A report says diclofenac increases the chance of a heart attack. The FDA calls for further review.

          The widely used pain reliever diclofenac poses the same cardiovascular risk as the withdrawn drug Vioxx and should not be used by people with heart disease or high blood pressure, researchers reported Tuesday. More...

Los Angeles Times, "Comair Says It Had Outdated Airport Chart"

          Comair was using an outdated chart of Lexington's Blue Grass Airport when one of its planes took off on the wrong runway and crashed, killing 49 people, and the airline is now urging pilots to use "extreme caution," according to an e-mail obtained by the Associated Press. More...

Associated Press, "Controllers Raised Concerns Before Crash"

          Months before the Comair jet crash that killed 49 people, air traffic controllers at the Lexington airport wrote to federal officials complaining about a hostile working environment in the tower and short-staffing on the overnight shift, according to letters obtained by The Associated Press. More...

Courier-Journal (Louisville, Kentucky), "Comair: Airport diagrams incorrect; Pilots urged to be extremely cautious"

          Diagrams of Lexington's Blue Grass Airport issued to Comair pilots last week did "not accurately reflect actual airport signage," the company said in a memo to pilots in which it urged them to use "extreme caution." More...

Guardian Unlimited (UK), "Comair Warns Pilots About Airport Signs"

          Comair has begun warning pilots to use "extreme caution" when navigating runways at the airport where a crash killed 49 people last month, saying some diagrams aren't accurate, according to an e-mail obtained Monday by The Associated Press. More...

Lexington Kentucky Herald-Leader, "Victim's family sues Comair"

          The family of a 39-year-old man from Lafayette, La., has sued Comair Inc. over the crash of Flight 5191. Bryan Keith Woodward, an electrician, had gone to Kentucky with Jamie Hebert and their two daughters, Lauren Hebert, 15, and Mattie-Kay Hebert, 11, attorney David Wise of Chicago said yesterday. More...

Associated Press, "FAA imposes 'no nap' policy for air controllers"

National directive comes after crash in Ky. killed 49 out of 50 on board

          Air traffic controllers who nap during break times could be suspended for up to 10 days under rules the Federal Aviation Administration has begun enforcing nationally since the deadly crash of Comair Flight 5191. Learn more...

Kansas City Star, "Pilot may have called the wrong flight number before Lexington, Kentucky crash of Comair Flight 5191"

          In addition to departing from the wrong runway and initially getting on the wrong plane, one of the pilots on Comair Flight 5191 to Atlanta might have made a third mistake: In talking to the control tower before the fatal crash, one of the pilots called out the wrong flight number and city. More about problems leading to the crash of Comair Flight 5191...

San Francisco Chronicle, "Group says children's lunch boxes still tainted with lead"

          Lab test results announced Tuesday by an environmental group found that several national chain stores continue to sell lead-tainted children's lunch boxes a year after the group sued more than a dozen lunch box makers over the toxin. More...

Los Angeles Times, "34 Are Hurt When Bus Rolls Over on Off-Ramp"

          A bus traveling from New York to Boston rolled over on an interstate offramp in Auburn, injuring 34 people, authorities said. More...

USA Today, "Airport construction projects have created dangers before"

          Dan Silverthorn had just touched down when his single-engine Beech C23 jolted violently and careered off the runway on its belly in a shower of sparks. From the air, the veteran pilot couldn't tell that the runway at Higginsville, Mo., had a fresh layer of pavement that ended abruptly, creating an 8-inch ledge that ripped the landing gear from his plane like the pull-tab from a sardine can. More...

USA Today, "1st victims of Ky. Comair Flight 5191 plane crash buried"

          Clark and Bobbie Sue Benton were supposed to be vacationing in the Caribbean. Instead, they were buried in this south-central Kentucky town, five days after they were killed when Comair Flight 5191 crashed. More...

Louisville Courier-Journal, "Suits filed in Comair crash; Millions might be paid in each death"

          As the first lawsuits were filed yesterday by families of Comair Flight 5191 victims, aviation law experts said plaintiffs can expect to recover several million dollars each, depending on earnings and life expectancies of those who died. More...

Cincinnati Enquirer, "First Comair suit filed"

          A lawsuit blaming Comair for a deadly crash at the Lexington airport was filed Friday, less than a week after the nation's deadliest airline disaster in five years. More...

Associated Press, "Family Sues Over Deadly Comair Crash"

          The family of a woman killed when Comair Flight 5191 took off on the wrong runway and crashed in flames sued the airline Friday, blaming it for the nation's deadliest airplane disaster in five years. More on the Lexington Kentucky Comair/Delta Airplane Disaster...

USA Today, "Comair Flight 5191 jet crash spotlights controllers' shifts"

          Democratic lawmakers are demanding an investigation into the practice of allowing air-traffic controllers to work two shifts in 24 hours, a practice denounced by sleep experts. More...

USA Today, "Comair controller slept only 2 hours"

          Two congressmen called for an investigation into the staffing at airport control towers after investigators revealed that only one controller was on duty when Comair Flight 5191 crashed in Kentucky and that he had had just two hours of sleep between shifts. More...

Seattle Post-Intelligencer, "Kentucky -- Cockpit warning system could have prevented crash"

          A cockpit warning system used by only a few commercial airlines might have prevented the deadly Comair jet crash last weekend if the plane had been equipped with the $18,000 piece of technology, a former top federal safety official says. More...

Baltimore Sun, "Potential hazards to consumers from flavoring agent unchecked"

Agencies yet to assess risk of inhaling vapors of chemical linked to workers' lung disease

          Millions of Americans are exposed regularly to vapors released when they heat products containing the same synthetic butter flavoring blamed for destroying the lungs of workers in popcorn and flavoring factories. But public health activists say no one in government has stepped up to assess whether consumers are at risk. More...

FDA MedWatch, "Alaris SE Infusion Pumps recalled due to risk of overinfusion at ten times intended infusion rate"

          FDA and Alaris Products notified healthcare professionals of a recall of defective infusion pumps due to a design defect called "key bounce" that may cause potential over-infusion of medications and result in an infusion rate at least 10 times the intended infusion rate. More...

Washington Post, "Group Says FDA, Advisory Panels Show Bias Toward Drug Approvals"

          The panels of experts assembled by the Food and Drug Administration to advise it on whether to approve new drugs and medical devices are often biased in favor of recommending approval, according to a consumer group's analysis released yesterday. More...

WHIO-TV, "Kentucky Fatal Plane Crash May Prompt Delay By Delta"

          Delta Airlines has announced that because of the crash investigation in Lexington, Ky., it might ease up on Comair. More...

CNN: "FAA: Tower staffing during plane crash violated rules"

          The Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday acknowledged that only one controller was in the tower, in violation of FAA policy, when a Comair jet crashed Sunday while trying to take off from the wrong runway in Lexington, Kentucky. More...

Free Internet Press, "49 Killed, 1 Survivor In Kentucky Plane Crash"

          Forty-nine of the 50 people aboard Delta Flight 5191 were killed when the aircraft crashed Sunday morning shortly after takeoff from Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Kentucky, according to Fayette County Coroner Gary Ginn. More...

Associated Press, "Kentucky Crash May Imperil Comair's Survival"

          The deadly Kentucky crash involving a Comair flight could make the regional carrier's survival even tougher. More...

WFMZTv.com, "Pilot Took Wrong Runway in Plane Crash"

          The sole survivor of a commuter plane crash in Lexington, Kentucky is in critical condition this morning. Comair jet co-pilot James Polehinke was the only survivor pulled from the burning wreckage of a crash that killed 49 people yesterday. The plane crashed after attempting to take off from a runway that was too short for commuter planes. A witness described what he saw. More...

WMCTv.com, "Runway Mistake Caused Fatal Crash"

          NTSB investigators confirmed Sunday night that the crash of a Delta-Comair commuter flight from Lexington, Kentucky to Atlanta came after the jetliner took off on the wrong runway. 49 people died. More...

Reuters, "Kentucky plane crash kills 49, co-pilot survives"

          A Comair jet crashed and burned in a Kentucky pasture on Sunday after a failed takeoff on a short runway, killing all but one of the 50 people aboard, authorities said. More...

Bloomberg News, "Delta Air Regional Jet Crashes in Kentucky; 49 Dead"

          A Delta Air Lines Inc. Comair commuter plane crashed shortly after takeoff at Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49 and critically injuring one. More information...

Associated Press, "Newlyweds Among Plane Crash Victims"

          A newlywed couple starting their honeymoon, a Habitat for Humanity board member and a businessman who took an early flight to get home to his children were among the victims of Comair Flight 5191, friends and relatives said Sunday. More...

New York Times, "Lens Care Solution Is Faulted"

          Federal disease control experts and leading eye doctors have formally concluded that ReNu With MoistureLoc from Bausch & Lomb was the only contact lens solution contributing to an outbreak of potentially blinding fungal eye infections earlier this year.

Reuters, "Recall of Bausch & Lomb ReNu with Moisture Loc curbs outbreak of rare eye infection"

          Bausch & Lomb Inc.'s global recall of a popular contact lens solution in May appears to have stopped the spread of a serious eye infection but U.S. scientists still don't know what caused the outbreak, according to a study released on Tuesday. More...

13Wham.com (Rochester, NY), "CDC: Bausch & Lomb's ReNu with MoistureLoc Contact Lens Solution Caused Infections"

          After a months-long investigation, federal scientists have determined that Bausch & Lomb's ReNu with Moisture Loc contact lens solution caused an outbreak of a fungal eye infection. No other product was implicated in their report. More...

New York Times, "Ritalin, other stimulants to carry cardiac warnings"

          Federal drug regulators have ordered that strong warnings be put on the labels of stimulants like Dexedrine and Ritalin to caution against their use in adults or children with heart problems and to alert doctors that the drugs cause 1 child in 1,000 to experience hallucinations. More...

Associated Press, "Merck suffers 2 setbacks in Vioxx cases"

          Merck & Co. suffered two major legal setbacks over the withdrawn painkiller Vioxx on Thursday when a federal jury here ordered the drug maker to pay $51 million to a heart attack victim, and a state judge in New Jersey overturned a November verdict favoring the company. More...

Learn more about Vioxx injuries and Vioxx heart attack lawsuits.

The Legal Intelligencer, "Suit Against Infants' Tylenol Gets $5 Million Verdict"

          A wrongful death action filed by the family of a dead 1-year-old against the makers of Infants' Tylenol resulted in a $5 million verdict from a Philadelphia jury last month. The plaintiffs claimed their 1-year-old child died from acetaminophen toxicity after being given dosages of the concentrated over-the-counter drug for three days. More...

San Francisco Chronicle, "Ford Issues Recall, Sees 2Q Loss"

         Ford Motor Co., already reeling from business setbacks, recalled 1.2 million trucks, sport utility vehicles and vans Thursday amid concerns about potential engine fires.  Ford said the recall was tied to the speed control deactivation switch system, which could corrode over time, overheat and ignite. It builds upon one of the largest recalls in U.S. history. More...

USA Today, "Ford recalls 1.2M trucks over fire hazard; almost 6M vehicles recalled for issue"

          Ford recalled 1.2 million trucks, sport-utility vehicles and vans on Thursday amid concerns of potential engine fires, expanding upon one of the largest vehicle recalls in history. Ford Motor said the recall was tied to the cruise control deactivation switch system, which could corrode over time, overheat and catch fire. More...

San Francisco Chronicle, "Ford Issues Recall, Sees 2Q Loss"

Ford Motor Co., already reeling from business setbacks, recalled 1.2 million trucks, sport utility vehicles and vans Thursday amid concerns about potential engine fires.  Ford said the recall was tied to the speed control deactivation switch system, which could corrode over time, overheat and ignite. It builds upon one of the largest recalls in U.S. history.  More...

Bloomberg News, "Trial: Lung disease blamed on Wyeth drug"

          A Wyeth drug used in the now-withdrawn fen-phen diet combination caused a Michigan woman to develop a sometimes-fatal lung disease, her lawyer told a jury. More...

Forbes, "Sanofi-Aventis adds warning to antibiotic Ketek after FDA discussions"

          French pharmaceutical company Sanofi-Aventis said it has revised the prescribing information for its antibiotic Ketek following discussions with the US Food and Drug Administration.More...

Deseret Morning News, "Popcorn butter flavor risky to workers?  EPA is accused of withholding results of study on vapors"

The Environmental Protection Agency has been withholding the results of a 2003 study that may indicate potential health risks from inhaling artificial butter flavor vapors from microwave popcorn, a group of scientists and former Occupational Safety and Health Administration officials say. More...

The Los Angeles Times, "Limits Sought on Worker Exposure to Flavor Agent"

          Emergency safety standards are needed to counter a widening outbreak of lung disease among workers exposed to a common ingredient in microwave popcorn, health experts and labor unions said Tuesday. More...

         Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire LLC said it is taking additional steps, including sending letters to current owners of certain Ford Explorers, to make sure tires recalled in 2000 and 2001 have been taken off the road. More...

Detroit News, "Check tires: Tire maker will warn owners that some tires recalled in 2000-01 may still be on the road"

Firestone announced a renewed recall effort Friday for its radial tires, mainly spares, still remaining on the Ford Explorer and similar SUVs from the 1990s.  More...

        Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, seeking to finish the massive tire recalls it began six years ago, said it would notify owners to bring in 200,000 recalled tires that may still be on vehicles or used as spares. More...