- Michael Phelan | January 28, 2007 12:37 PM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsSystemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) is a potentially deadly condition in which there is inflammation throughout the whole body. One cause of SIRS is exposure to high levels of endotoxins. A recent outbreak of SIRS deaths in patients who had undergone cardiopulmonary bypass (CPG) surgery at a hospital in Virginia was linked by the Centers for Disease Control to a compounding...
- Aubrey Ford | January 26, 2007 8:05 AM |
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MiscellaneousA business lawsuit in which record companies claimed that XM Satellite Radio Holdings, Inc. was depriving them of revenue by allowing consumers to store songs can proceed to trial, a New York judge ruled last week. The case is another in recent highly publicized actions relating to the recording industry.The case was brought by Atlantic Recording Corporation, BMG Music, Capitol Records, Inc.,...
- Aubrey Ford | January 25, 2007 8:00 AM |
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Workplace InjuriesThe U.S. Supreme Court this week refused to consider an appeal brought by an IBM employee claiming that he was forced to leave the company in retaliation for his complaint about unpaid overtime. In the case, employee Michael Saville had worked for the company for 32 years before he accepted early retirement in October 1998. Saville filed suit afterwards claiming that he was forced to leave...
- Aubrey Ford | January 25, 2007 7:54 AM |
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Head & Brain InjuriesAubrey Ford served as lead counsel in a case pending in the Augusta County Circuit Court involving a brain injury suffered by the infant of a police officer employed by the City of Waynesboro. Augusta County Circuit Court Judge Wood ruled in favor of the infant in a very complex ruling on sovereign immunity. The case involved the serious traumatic brain injury suffered by the fetus of the...
- Michael Phelan | January 24, 2007 11:31 AM |
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MiscellaneousTo the horror of many of the victims of Hurricane Katrina who lost their homes in the storm, the insurance industry uniformly denied these folks' property damage claims. Insurers contended that damage to houses in Louisiana and Mississippi was caused by surging flood waters and not by high winds. The insurers said their policies covered only wind damage. The New York Times reports today that...
- Michael Phelan | January 19, 2007 1:00 AM |
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Tractor-Trailer AccidentsA 15 passenger bus (commonly referred to as a 15 passenger van) is designed to seat 14 passengers and a driver. The design of these buses is a standard cargo chassis with an extended full-size body that has been equipped with passenger seating. These buses have been sold by GM, Ford, and Chrysler under various names:1. Chevrolet Express 35002. GMC Savana G35003. Dodge Ram Van/Wagon B35004. ...
- Michael Phelan | January 18, 2007 9:44 AM |
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Head & Brain InjuriesSports fans were shocked to learn last November that hard-hitting former Eagles safety, Andre Waters, committed suicide by shooting himself in the head. The New York Times reports today that Mr. Waters's brain has been examined by Dr. Bennet Omalu, a leading forensic neuropathologist, who concluded that Mr. Waters sustained strong>brain damage > from playing football which led to his depression...
- Michael Phelan | January 15, 2007 10:44 AM |
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Automobile AccidentsA series of recent alcohol-related car crashes have resulted in several tragic deaths in the Richmond area. On New Years Eve, a 16 year old drunk driver slammed into the vehicle of a 29 year old restaurant manager who was driving home from work. The crashed happend near the Short Pump Town Center. The restaurant manager was killed in the crash. On Christmas Eve, two passengers, aged 21 and...
- Aubrey Ford | January 14, 2007 2:13 PM |
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Workplace InjuriesThe vast majority of employees are entitled to overtime pay at "time and a half" for every hour worked above forty hours in a week. Yet , every day employers violate the federal and state laws enacted to compensate workers for hard work and the inconvenience of longer hours. The state and federal laws (the Fair Labor Standards Act or FLSA) governing overtime pay can be complex and often...
- Michael Phelan | January 13, 2007 11:18 AM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsThe U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned parents on Thursday not to give common over-the counter cold remedies to babies and toddlers under two years of age without first consulting a doctor. The active ingredient in cold remedies such as nasal decongestants and cough suppressants is pseudoephendrine. The active ingredient in these products used to be phenylpropanolamine...
- Michael Phelan | January 12, 2007 1:00 AM |
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Head & Brain InjuriesThe January 11, 2007 issue of the NEJM contains a "case vignette" entitled, Concussion. Ostensibly, a case study about a 64 year old woman who fell on ice and hit her head on a sidewalk, the article reads like an HMO-authored attack on the alleged overuse of CT scanning. The article relies on outdated research and offers medical conclusions that have been long debunked. For example, the...
- Michael Phelan | January 11, 2007 10:53 AM |
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Head & Brain InjuriesA little over one year after suffering severe head and brain injuries that he sustained while covering the war in Iraq, ABC news journalist, Bob Woodruff, has agreed to tell his story in a prime-time television program entitled, To Iraq and Back: Bob Woodruff Reports. Mr. Woodruff and his wife are also publishing a memoir which will discuss how they and their family were effected by his severe...
- Michael Phelan | January 08, 2007 11:18 AM |
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Head & Brain InjuriesToday's edition of the Wall Street Journal features a front page story disussing the benefits of cognitive rehabilitation to victims of traumatic brain injury and the difficulty most victims have in getting their health insurance companies to pay for such crucial treatment. This article coincides with the publication today of a position paper from the Brain Injury Association of America...
- Aubrey Ford | January 06, 2007 5:05 PM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsThe International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA), which represents the world's largest drug makers, updated on January 1 its code of ethics for the first time in a decade. The revised code bars drug manufacturers that are members of the federation from lavishing physicians with cash, extravagant all-expenses paid trips, and expensive gifts. Such...
- Aubrey Ford | January 06, 2007 3:11 PM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsMany consumers believe that the FDA actually tests presecription drugs for safety and efficacy before such drugs are approved to go on the market. This is not so. In fact, for the most part, the FDA simply reviews information (e.g., animal studies and clinical trials) submitted by the drug manufacturer in the pre-approval process. History is replete with examples of dangerous drugs that...
- Aubrey Ford | January 05, 2007 6:46 PM |
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Tractor-Trailer AccidentsAn 11 month old baby was killed and her two siblings and mother were were injured when the tractor trailer truck in which they were passengers overturned. The children and their mother were taking a road trip with their father who was hauling magazines stacked on pallets. Unfortunately, the magazines had been loaded improperly. When the truck slowly entered a curve, the mother heard a loud...