Fourth Quarter 2004 Personal Injury Law News & Recall Articles

The Washington Post, "A Lethal Combination"

         The many factors in the crash that killed 16-year-old Lauren Sausville on Dec. 3 came together in a split second, on a curve that would claim her life. More...

Daytona Beach News-Journal, "Deltona man warns of truck fires"

          A Deltona man whose Ford pickup caught fire in his garage, extensively damaging his home, is warning others that it could happen to them, too. More...

Omaha World-Herald, "Workers' lawsuits say health is damaged by flavoring for popcorn"

          At least 66 workers at the Gilster-Mary Lee Corp. and ConAgra plants in Missouri, Ohio, Illinois and Iowa have sued the companies that make artificial butter flavoring, claiming it damaged their lungs. More...

National Law Journal, "Lawsuits Over Tire-Tread Separations Gain Momentum; Tires 6 years and older, regardless of mileage, are a danger, actions allege"

          Auto accidents allegedly caused by tire-tread separations are sparking lawsuits across the country, with plaintiffs charging that tire manufacturers are selling tires without warning consumers of the potential risk when the tires get older. More...

Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, "Carbon monoxide death leads to lawsuit"

Tri-City Herald, "Families work to prevent van accidents"

          A year ago today, two Prosser High School students, Belen Campos and Corinne Bardessono, died when a 15-passenger Ford van carrying them slid on black ice on Highway 395 near Ritzville and rolled. More...

The National Law Journal, "Tire-tread separations at center of lawsuits"

          Auto accidents allegedly caused by tire-tread separations are sparking lawsuits across the country, with plaintiffs charging that tire manufacturers are selling tires without warning consumers of the potential risk when the tires get older. A handful of cases have settled, and about 25 lawsuits are currently pending in several states, including California, Florida, North Carolina and Texas, according to attorneys involved in tire litigation. More...

ABC News, "Drug Maker Withheld Paxil Study; ABC News Uncovers Documents Unknown to Regulators and Many Doctors"

          New documents uncovered by ABC News suggest GlaxoSmithKline, the maker of the popular antidepressant Paxil, failed to disclose important information about the possibility of an increased risk of suicidal behavior in some children taking the drug More...

The New York Times, "Earlier Merck Study Indicated Risks of Vioxx"

          Nearly a year before Merck received results from the clinical trial that prompted the company to withdraw its painkiller Vioxx from the market, the company received preliminary results from a separate study of patient records that also apparently indicated that the drug posed cardiovascular risks. More...

The New York Times, "In Face of Warnings, Drug Giant Took Long Path to Vioxx Recall"

          In May 2000, executives at Merck, the pharmaceutical giant under siege for its handling of the multibillion-dollar drug Vioxx, made a fateful decision. More...

Forbes, "The Vioxx Safety Study Merck Didn't Do"

          On Sunday, 60 Minutes will run a story asking if Merck knew about the dangers of Vioxx, the arthritis drug that was pulled from the market because it doubled the risk of heart attack and stroke. Did Merck do enough to study Vioxx's effect on the heart? More...

MSNBC.com, "Report: Merck tried to bury Vioxx concerns; E-mails suggest drug firm knew of problems for years"

          Internal e-mails and other documents from Merck & Co. show the company fought for years to keep safety concerns from undermining the drug's commercial prospects, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday [November 1, 2004]. More...

The New York Times, "Study Backs Systems to Aid Auto Stability"

          A new study by the insurance industry says that the stability systems available in some cars and trucks can greatly reduce the likelihood of an accident. The technology, which applies brake pressure to help a driver maintain control of the vehicle, was found to reduce the chances of a fatal crash by 34 percent, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. More...

The Washington Post, "Painful Withdrawal for Makers of Vioxx; Pulling of Arthritis Drug Raises Questions on Marketing, Safety Risks"

          Backed by a $195 million ad campaign, featuring testimonials from former skater Dorothy Hamill and music by the Rascals to appeal to aging baby boomers, Merck had sold Vioxx to more than 20 million Americans since its approval in 1999 and millions more worldwide. More...

The New York Times, "FDA Toughens Warning on Antidepressant Drugs"

          Heeding the recommendation of an advisory committee, the Food and Drug Administration ordered pharmaceutical companies yesterday to add strong warnings to antidepressants, More...

The New York Times, "U.S. Orders New Warnings on Antidepressants Used by Children"

          After concluding that the use of antidepressants could increase thoughts of suicide among children and adolescents, the Food and Drug Administration said today that it was ordering manufacturers of all such drugs to post "black box" warnings on their products. More...

The American Lawyer, "The New New Tobacco"

          Mold. Artificial sweeteners. Fast-food. French fries. In the past five years, all have been deemed "the next tobacco," implying, of course, the next gold rush for plaintiffs lawyers and nightmare for industry. More...

Belleville News-Democrat (IL), "Defense rests in Madison County welding rod suit"

          Jurors heard final testimony Tuesday in a trial for a man who claims welding fumes caused him to develop Parkinson's disease at an early age. More...