Glendale Personal Injury Lawyer

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.

Sheriff's Office Offering Teen Driving Course

Greg Owen — Fri, 09 May 2008 22:41:05 GMT

Statistics in America show that the leading cause of death for young adults is automobile accidents. As a result, a teen driving course is being offered by the Santa Rosa Sheriff's Office.

In addition to impaired driving being a course topic, other topics such as vehicular maintenance, vehicular dynamics and aggressive driving are covered. The Sheriff's department also offer driving course exercises such as braking, swerving and recovering their vehicle from spin outs. More than just teen drivers could use that particular course. All of the driving courses offered are directly supervised by instructors from the Sheriff's department.

Additional Information Pertaining to Automobile Accidents

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Greg Owen

Judge Orders Family of Slain Farmer to Repay Assets

Greg Owen — Fri, 02 May 2008 22:46:17 GMT

In 2003, 48-year-old Rodney Heemstra was convicted of murdering his neighbor, Tom Lyon. That verdict was then overturned, and the money that was initally awarded must be returned.

At the time of the conviction the family of the decedent were awarded $11.5 million, an award based on the murder conviction. However, subsequent to the 2003 trial, a new trial was granted and in 2006 the original conviction was overturned. The second conviction is now under appeal. In the new trial Heemstra was convicted of voluntary manslaughter. He claims he was merely defending himself at the time of the incident.

Now the decedent's family must return deeds to property worth millions - deeds they acquired as a result of the initial verdict. Additionally, the estate must pay back more than $929,000. Punative damages will be pursued by the family of the decedent during the upcoming second civil trail.

Get Informaton Pertaining to Wrongful Death.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Greg Owen

Medication Surveillance Coming Soon

Greg Owen — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 20:11:00 GMT

According to the Well Street Journal, WellPoint along with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have announced the launch of one of the first real-time medication surveillance systems. The system will be implemented in 2009.

WellPoint will scan the records of medical claims and medication use of millions of residents of the United States who are enrolled in company health plans in order to ascertain the presence of safety issues. It is believed that only 10 percent of the adverse events are identified currently. That number is certainly cause for concern.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will establish a computerized network which would scan private and public pharmacy records. The FDA will rely on the database of not only WellPoint but other large health insurers to take on a task of such magnitude. Deputy vice president for regulatory affairs for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America said "pharmaceutical companies are watching with a great deal of interest."

Additional Information Pertaining to the FDA and Perscription Drugs

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Greg Owen

Is Pit Bull Ordinance Working?

Greg Owen — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 18:23:01 GMT

When it comes to dangerous dogs, I'm sure you've heard the slogan "punish the deed not the breed." While many subscribe to that slogan, feeling that the fault lies with the owner/trainer of a given dog, there are many others who insist that some breeds of dogs have more of a propensity to attack than others.

According to the Springfield-Greene County Health Department dog bites and vicious dog complaints are on the decline in their neighborhood. They attribute that decline to the implementation of the Pit Bull Ordinance in the City of Springfield. That ordinance went into effect in 2005. When you compare the complaints pertaining to vicious dogs in 2005 (18 in all) to 2007 (total of eight), they feel the positive results are clear and impressive.

"The data speaks for itself," says director of health Kevin Gipson. "The ordinance is a valuable tool for our animal control staff. It is successfully making our city safer from dog bites and vicious dog attacks."

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Greg Owen

Washington State Highlights Motorcycle Safety

Greg Owen — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 17:14:20 GMT

April will kick off Washington State's motorcycle safety campaign. The word is spreading by way of radio, television and print. In fact, Washington is backing up its concern for the safety of motorcycle riders by offering subsidized safety courses to residents of Washington State.

The courses include videos that demonstrate how drivers of automobiles and motorcycles alike can lessen the rate of accidents. There were as many as 17,000 motorcycle riders who took the subsidized safety course last year alone, and it seems to be working. There was a substantial reduction in fatal motorcycle accidents in 2007 in comparison to the year prior.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Greg Owen

FDA Warns Singulair Users and Physicians

Greg Owen — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 17:45:37 GMT

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) informed healthcare professionals and patients alike of their findings regarding the possible links between the use of Singulair and changes in mood and behavior. Their concerns pertain to suicidal thinking, changed behavior and indeed suicide.

Merck, the manufacturer of Singulair, is stressing that this warning is based on a small number of studies. (Still cause for concern, I'd say). Singulair is a leukotriene receptor antagonist. It is used to prevent exercise-induced asthma and to treat asthma and the symptoms of allergic rhinitis.
Last year Merck's Singulair reached $4.3 billion in sales. Their Singulair labeling does not current mention risk of possible mood/behavior changes and/or suicidal thoughts.

Additional Information Pertaining to Dangerous and Defective Products

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Greg Owen

Deaths and Injuries Linked to Heparin

Greg Owen — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 13:36:37 GMT

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is working to identify the contaminant that has been found in Heparin, which may be linked to as many as 19 deaths. Although, at this time, the FDA has not established a direct causal link. The drug Heparin is used in dialysis and heart procedures to stave off blood clots. Baxter sells somewhere in the range of 35 million units of heparin sodium injection multi and single dose vials per year in the U.S. alone. Those sales amount to approximately $30 million annually.

Initially, there were nine lot of heparin recalled by Baxter Healthcare corporation. The January 17, 2008, recall was initiated due to reports of a sudden increase in adverse effects from consumers of the product. A host of health problems were reported including, vomiting, abdominal pain and decreased blood pressure.

Baxter released a recall update on February 11, 2008. The company announced that the recall would be expanded due to the fact that they had received reports that consumers were experiencing adverse effects from additional heparin products. It was at that time that Baxter decided to suspend further production of heparin. Although, the vials of heparin that were on the market remained on the market due to a concern pertaining to a diminished supply of heparin to consumers. Baxter also noted, at that time, that adverse effects from the drug could actually be life-threatening.

Shortly after the February 11, 2008 expanded recall, it was reported by The Wall Street Journal that the active ingredient in heparin came from none other than China. At this time, the FDA is inspecting the Chinese facility, but have yet to make an announcement as to their findings. As recently as February 28, 2008, it was announced by Baxter that it would recall all sizes and lots of heparin. By the last week in February the only heparin product that was still on the market was the Haparin IV bags. On the heels of the expanded recall in late February, it was reported by the FDA during the first week of March that a molecule very similar to heparin had been found in the heparin ingredients sent to Baxter by Scientific Protein Laboratories (SPL).

The FDA has reported that up to 21 deaths and 448 allergic reactions may be linked to Heparin. The reports continue to come in and the exact numbers of people adversely effected by this drug are currently unknown, but the numbers continue to grow. Stay tuned for further updates.

Further Information Pertaining to Dangerous and Defective Products

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Greg Owen

Mitsubishi to Pay Parents $11 Million in Settlement

Greg Owen — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 17:06:49 GMT

A Florida jury orded Mitsubishi to pay a couple $11 million in compensatory damages this week. Mr. & Mrs. Laliberte's 25-year-old son, Scott, died in 2007 as a result of being ejected from a Montero SUV.

Attorneys for Donna and Peter Laliberte of Maine argued that Mitsubishi put its Montero SUV on the market despite known problems with the seat belt. The couple's 25-year-old son, Scott, died hours after a rollover crash in 2004.
The Japanese auto company know about the SUV's defect, but choose to hide that information from the people who had bought their product. What a horrible thing to do. In fact, in 2000 Mitsubishi made obvious their total disregard for human life when it acknowledged it had hidden automobile defects for decades, secretly repairing them without proper recalls despite reports of dozens of accidents. Jurors were in tears and awarded the Lilibertes $10 million for pain and suffering and $1 million other losses.

Additional Informaiton Pertaining to Defective and Dangerous Products

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Greg Owen

Actavis Recalls Remaining Patches as a Precaution

Greg Owen — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 16:53:45 GMT

Actavis Inc., announced that its subsidiary Actavis South Atlantic LLC is moving forward with the recall of all of the Fentanyl transdermal system CII patches that were sold in the U. S.

The concern pertains to a possible defect that could cause a leakage of the fentanyl gel. Initally, 14 lots of the patches were recalled. However, it is unknown if the defect is present in patches that are still available to the public. Accordingly, Actavis Inc. has expanded its original recall. The patches in question were manufactured by Corium International Inc. The recall does not include Fentanyl patches sold in Europe. Fentanyl is a potent opioid medication. Using the defect patch could cause respiratory depression and possible overdose, which could be fatal. If you have purchased this product, please go to the link provided for additional information.

Additional Information Pertaining to Dangerous and Defective Products

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Greg Owen