Personal Injury Law News & Recall Articles

Los Angeles Times, "The packaged product, distributed by the Los Angeles Salad Company, could carry a bacteria that could cause intestinal ailments."

Packaged carrots sold under the Genuine Sweet Baby Carrots brand at Ralphs, Trader Joe's and other stores have been recalled because they might be contaminated with bacteria that could cause diarrhea, fever, nausea and vomiting. More...

San Jose Mercury News, "Monte Sereno doctor accused of faking patients' need for surgery"

          On the day of his cancer treatment, 87-year-old Dung Le lay on a table, his frail body sedated as needles loaded with radioactive seeds were inserted into his prostate to destroy the malignant tissue his doctor told him was there. Afterward, the San Jose man was bruised, fatigued and hungry, having been forbidden to eat solid food for 24 hours. But Dung Le never had cancer, and his doctor knew it. More...

MSNBC.com, "Ford recalls 3.6 million vehicles over switch; Cruise control in more than a dozen models from ’92 to ’04 linked to fires"

          Ford Motor Co. said Friday it is recalling 3.6 million passenger cars, trucks, sport utility vehicles and vans to address concerns about a cruise control switch that has led to previous recalls based on reports of fires. Ford said the recall covered more than a dozen vehicle models built from 1992-2004. The company said it was responding to concerns from owners about the safety of their cars and questions about the speed control deactivation switch in the vehicles that is powered at all times. More...

San Francisco Chronicle, "Fisher-Price Recalls Nearly 1 Million Toys"

          Toy-maker Fisher-Price is recalling 83 types of toys -- including the popular Big Bird, Elmo, Dora and Diego characters -- because their paint contains excessive amounts of lead. The recall being announced Thursday involves 967,000 plastic preschool toys made by a Chinese vendor and sold in the United States between May and August. It is the latest in a wave of recalls that has heightened global concern about the safety of Chinese-made products. More...

New York Times, "Swabs in Hand, Hospital Cuts Deadly Infections"

          The Veteran Affairs Hospital in Pittsburgh has significantly reduced the number of patients who develop deadly drug-resistant infections, long an unaddressed problem in American hospitals. Nurses swab the nasal passages of every arriving patient to test them for drug-resistant bacteria. Those found positive are housed in isolation rooms behind red painted lines that warn workers not to approach without wearing gowns and gloves. Every room and corridor is equipped with dispensers of foamy hand sanitizer. Blood pressure cuffs are discarded after use, and each room is assigned its own stethoscope to prevent the transfer of microorganisms. These relatively inexpensive measures may transform American healthcare. More...

New York Times, "Report Backs Up Warnings About Drug Avandia"

          Patients who take Avandia, a popular diabetes medicine, face an increased risk of heart attacks while those who take Actos, a similar drug, do not, federal drug reviewers conclude in a new report. Avandia, made by GlaxoSmithKline, is particularly dangerous to patients who take insulin, the review found, a risk not found with Actos, made by Takeda. More...

San Francisco Chronicle, "NTSB to Set Blame in Kentucky Comair Air Crash"

          Government staff investigating last summer's deadly Comair plane crash in Kentucky recommended enhancements in airport taxiway markings and cockpit map displays Thursday as a response to the crash. The National Transportation Safety Board is deliberating the cause of the crash of Comair Flight 5191, which killed 49 of 50 people on board after the jet tried to depart from the wrong runway -- a general aviation strip too short for a proper takeoff. Although NTSB's five board members were to vote on a cause later in the day, the NTSB's proposed the airport changes earlier Thursday. More...

Law.com, "Florida Jury Awards $6 Million to Man Injured in Ford Van Rollover"

          After a six-week product liability trial, a Broward Circuit Court jury in Florida Wednesday awarded $6 million to a 22-year-old man for injuries he suffered five years ago in the rollover of a 1993 Ford Aerostar van. It was a victory for plaintiff Julian Felipe, who was temporarily paralyzed after the accident. The jury found that Ford Motor Co., the sole defendant in the case, was negligent in putting the vehicle on the market with a defect in the design and manufacture of its roof structure that led to a roof collapse. More...

Waco Tribune-Herald, "Waco Jury awards $8 million verdict in suit over 2005 big rig smashup"

          A Waco jury on Friday handed down an $8 million verdict against Charles Lay, of Waco, and Kansas-based National Carriers Inc., for the 2005 wrongful death of 20-year-old Round Rock resident Ellen Esther Deunsing, killed when her car was hit from behind by an 18-wheeler driven by Lay on U.S. Interstate 35. Rob Ammons, the Houston-based lawyer representing Deunsing’s father, Ron Deunsing, said local attorney John Mabry, who assisted Ammons with the case, told him "this might be the largest verdict for compensatory damages in a death case for one claimant awarded in McLennan County." More...

Washington Post, "Research Links Lead Exposure, Criminal Activity; Data May Undermine Giuliani's Claims"

          Rudy Giuliani never misses an opportunity to remind people about his track record in fighting crime as mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001. "I began with the city that was the crime capital of America," Giuliani, now a candidate for president, recently told Fox's Chris Wallace. "When I left, it was the safest large city in America. I reduced homicides by 67 percent. I reduced overall crime by 57 percent." More...

MSNBC.com, "Pool drain rips out part of girl's intestinal tract; 6-year-old, who was sitting on top of hole, is in intensive care"

          A 6-year-old girl who sat on an open drain in a wading pool lost part of her intestinal tract to the drain's powerful suction. Abigail Taylor was injured in the wading pool on June 29, according to her family. Her father, Scott Taylor, said the suction caused a 2-inch tear in Abigail's rectum and pulled out much of her small intestine. Doctors had to remove the part of her intestines that remained. More...

MSNBC.com, "Recalled AMO lens solution strongly tied to infection; Users of product had more than 16-fold higher risk, doctors find"

          Results of an ongoing investigation confirm a "strong association" between use of a particular type of contact lens solution -- Advanced Medical Optics (AMO) Complete MoisturePlus Multi-Purpose Solution -- and increased risk of a rare but serious eye infection called Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK). More...

United Press, "Chicago Police Probe Insulin Deaths"

MSNBC.com, "Teen has one foot reattached after ride injury; Six Flags' Tower of Power severed 13-year-old's legs above the ankles"

          Doctors reattached the right foot of a 13-year-old girl involved in a gruesome amusement park accident, but her left foot was too severely damaged to repair, her family and doctor said in a statement Tuesday. Kaitlyn Lasitter of Louisville remained in stable condition at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn. More...

Charleston Daily Mail, "Fosamax Dangers: Stopping bone loss not so simple"

          The widespread use of hormone therapy for bone protection came to an abrupt halt in 2002 with the revelation of links to breast cancer, heart disease and stroke. Patients started using bisphosphonates such as Fosamax, Actonel and Boniva. Subsequently we've learned of potential serious side effects. More...