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Man Arrested at Border Involved In USC Hit-and-run

Greg Owen — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 12:07:59 GMT

The man, Josue Luna, 32, was booked early Saturday as an accessory to a crime. He was attempting to cross back into the US from Mexico. According to the LAPD, he was released after posting $50,000 bail.

Luna was a passenger when his wife, Claudia Cabrera, 30, ran a red light at Jefferson Blvd. and Hoover, near USC, on March 29th. The couple's 2000 Infinity Sedan hit two students, killing Adrianna Bachan and leaving Marcus Garfinkle severely injured.

According to investigators, Marcus Garfinkle, 19, was carried 300-400 feet on the windshield when the car stopped and Luna pulled him off. Luna returned to the car and his wife drive off. The couple's 7-month old baby was in the back seat at the time of the accident.

Garfinkle suffered two broken legs and multiple other injuries. He remains hospitalized.

Claudia Cabrera, 30, was arrested April 2 and has pleaded not guilty to vehicular manslaugter and hit-and-run. She is being held on one million dollar bail.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Greg Owen

Suit Filed Over Classroom Murder of Southern California Gay Teen

Greg Owen — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 08:33:00 GMT

The family of a gay teenager murdered during class has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit accusing the scool district, a shelter, and a gay rights organization of failure to protect him.

Lawrence King, 15, was killed last February while attending class at E. O. Green Junior High School. The accused, Brandon McInerney, was charged as an adult and has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and a hate crime.

The suit names nearly two dozen defendents including Lawrence's principal and teacher; McInerney and his parents; Casa Pacifica, a shelter for troubled children; counselors; a social worker; and the Ventura County Rainbow Alliance.

The shelter allegedly gave Lawrence “cross-dressing clothes and makeup and women’s boots,” and the Rainbow Alliance, where Mr. King took part in group activities for gay teenagers, encouraged him to make sexual advances toward his classmate, the suit claims.

If convicted, Mr. McInerney, now 15, could face 51 years to life in prison. He is accused of shooting Mr. King, who was in the eighth grade, twice in the head in English class.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Greg Owen

Allie's Voice Being Heard By Big Pharma

Greg Owen — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 13:07:00 GMT

Last year, over 80 Americans died and hundreds more became ill after receiving tainted doses of the blood thinner heparin. After an investigation, it was discovered that the contaminated batch of the drug was manufactured at Baxter International’s China location. The discover lead to a prompt recall followed by many questions about imported medication.

Among those questioning their safety was Allie Beaty, a diabetic woman with a mission to raise the standard of FDA oversight on imported medicine. After hearing of the recall, Allie posted a video on YouTube titled “Is my insulin tainted?” She also manages a website, Alliesvoice.com where a diabetes think group comes together to share videos and input. After multiple attempts to contact even the largest drug companies, only a handful were willing to answer Allie’s questions in regards to where their heparin is manufactured and under what standards.

After receiving so few responses, Allie is now more determined than ever to “make the world safer for people with diabetes.”

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Greg Owen

Philadelphia Police Officers Win $10 M Judgement

Greg Owen — Fri, 16 May 2008 21:45:50 GMT

The three officers were awarded a total of $10 million by a jury this week. The jury awarded $2 million to Raymond Carnation, $3 million to William McKenna, and $5 million to William's twin brother Michael McKenna after deliberating three hours.

The three former Philadelphia police officers claimed they suffered retaliation on the job after they showed opposition to discrimination they observed towards fellow officers who were African American. The three officers who sued the city of Philadelphia are white.

"We got justice," declared William McKenna, 42, of Northeast Philadelphia, outside the U.S. Courthouse the day after he and his fellow ex-officers - his twin brother, Michael, and Raymond Carnation - won the hard-fought case." They are hopeful they taught the city of Philadelphia something.

Blue Bonnet Spread Recalled After Label Mixup

Greg Owen — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:09:00 GMT

ConAgra Foods, along with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is voluntarily recalling a 1,120 cases of 15 oz. tubs of Blue Bonnet Spread. The lot was mispackaged as the lid used is for regular Blue Bonnet Spread and the tub portion describes the product as Blue Bonnet Light Spread. The product inside of the tub is regular Blue Bonnet Spread. As a result, the product tubs do not declare the allergen whey (milk), as an ingredient.

People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to milk run the risk of a serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume this product. No allergic reactions have been reported.

The product UPC on the tub is 27000-00930. The product lid will not have the blue ribbon graphic bearing the word "Light" that is found on the tub portion of the package. The rim of the lid will feature the batch code "2247923200" and a Sell By date of March 18, 2010.

ConAgra Foods became aware of the issue after receiving a report from a store where the tub did not match the lid or the case.

Consumers should return the product to the store where it was purchased for a full refund. Consumers with questions may call 866-518-4177 (9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. CST daily) or visit www.bluebonnet.com for more information.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Greg Owen

Lawsuit Claims Negligence in Texas Daycare Death

Greg Owen — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:30:00 GMT

Attorneys representing Dallas' Rasansky Law Firm announced the lawsuit on behalf of the mother of a two-year-old girl who choked to death on a piece of gravel at a northeast Dallas daycare center in 2008.

According to the wrongful death lawsuit filed in the 44th District Court in Dallas, employees at the Woodbridge Day School located on Plano Road failed to notice when 2-year old Isabella Estep started choking on a small rock and collapsed inside the school on Oct. 31, 2008. Despite activity all around the unconscious child, 5-10 minutes passed before any school employees realized something was wrong. Isabella later died after being transported to a local hospital.

According to Texas Department of Family and Human Services, the girl's teacher, Mia Jennings, did not meet state required qualifications and was not trained in CPR and first aid. The investigation also discovered inadequate supervision.

Attorneys for Isabella's family also allege that the school's owners prevented the results of the investigation from being made public by selling the school. According to the TDFPS investigator, Mr. Hall said he wanted to "sell the operation as quickly as possible" if the state planned to close the facility. As a result of the sale, the school has continued to operate without information about Isabella's death being available on the state database used by other parents when selecting a day care facility.

The Dallas County medical examiner ruled the choking an accident.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Greg Owen

I-5 Reopens After Milti-car Collision

Greg Owen — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:05:00 GMT

All lanes on Interstate 5 in Burbank have been reopened after a big rig jackknifed and struck the center divider early this morning, catching fire and causing a multi-car collision.

The 5:51 a.m. accident occurred on the northbound lanes near West Alameda Avenue. A SigAlert was issued but was canceled at about 11:30 a.m. California Highway Patrol officials said.

The cause of the accident was under investigation, but CHP spokesman Andre Primeaux said the truck driver told officials he saw an obstruction in the road and swerved left, hitting the median. Three cars on each side of the road were involved in the accident, but only one driver suffered minor injuries. An official of the Burbank Fire Department, which responded to the accident, said she didn't have any update on that person’s condition.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Greg Owen

Patients at Cedars-Sinai Receive Radiation Overdose; Hospital Fails to Inform All Affected

Greg Owen — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:29:27 GMT

Four patients at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center who received eight times the necessary amount of radiation were not informed of the hospital's error. Of the 206 patients who received radiation overdose, at least four were called and asked only about hair loss or other side effects. Those four interviewed by the Los Angeles Times reported only hearing of the error through news media.

The treatments occured between the months of February 2008 when computer protocols were modified on a specific scanner and continued until August 2009 when a patient reported hair loss. The reconfiguration was made in order to improve the ability to see blood flow to the brain.

Although the machine in question was used to perform various types of scans, the problem was limited to CT brain perfusion scans, which are used to diagnose strokes.

In a written statement Monday, Dr. Barry D. Pressman, chairman of the imaging department, said that his goal in speaking with patients was "to address any side-effects that may occur, without unnecessarily alarming them."

He said that any questions, including those about radiation levels, were addressed. "I sincerely regret if any patient feels that they did not receive the information they needed," he said.

The most severe side effect of the overdose is a brain tumor, though the chance is remote. Younger patients who received multiply scans are at highest risk as the risk of radiation is cumulative.

The discovery of the overdoses at Cedars-Sinai prompted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to issue an alert warning hospitals nationwide to check the settings on their scanners.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Greg Owen

Driver Kills One After Allegedly Texting While Driving

Greg Owen — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 22:19:00 GMT

A Costa Mesa motorist was ordered to stand trial for allegedly killing a pedestrian minutes after he was texting on his cellphone in the car.

An Orange County judge on Monday rejected a defense request to reduce the charges. The man's attorney argued that there is no evidence he was texting at the time of the crash, but prosecutors say his use of the phone and other factors suggest he was acting negligently and didn't see the pedestrian.

The trial comes amid a growing national debate about the texting while driving, which the state outlawed last year. If convicted of vehicular manslaughter, he faces up to nine years in prison.

Martin Burt Kuehl, 42, is charged with vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, although prosecutors acknowledge that they have no phone company records to prove that he was texting at the moment of impact.

Martha Ovalle, a Guatemalan immigrant working in Newport Beach as a nanny, died in the Aug. 29, 2008, accident. It took place about 8:30 a.m on Westcliff Drive near Dover Drive in Newport Beach.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Greg Owen

CHP Recommends Manslaughter Charges Against Officer Involved in Deadly Collision

Greg Owen — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 19:58:00 GMT

The California Highway Patrol recommends that prosecutors bring manslaughter charges against La Habra police officer, Nancy Garcia, who was responding to an emergency in April when she sped through a red light and

collided with a car

. The accident killed a husband and wife, authorities said Wednesday.

The case was presented to the Orange County district attorney's office Wednesday by the California Highway Patrol's Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation team, which recommended filing the charges against La Habra Police Officer Nancy Garcia.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Greg Owen