Personal Injury Lawyer Blog
114 Total Hepatitis Cases Linked to Las Vegas Clinics - Friday, October 24, 2008
Investigators believe they have identified nearly everyone who may have contracted hepatitis C at two Las Vegas medical clinics. This is the latest in an outbreak first reported last year in which thousands of people may have been exposed to a variety of diseases, including HIV due to the clinics' unsafe practice of reusing syringes and medical vials. Both clinics – the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada and the Desert Shadow Endoscopy Center – have since been closed. However, only nine of the 114 cases have been directly linked to the clinics. The other 105 cases are of people who have been diagnosed since becoming patients at the clinics, but could have contracted hepatitis C elsewhere.
Nonetheless, 50,000 patients of Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada and 13,000 patients of Desert Shadow Endoscopy Center have been notified by health officials to get tested for hepatitis B, C, and HIV. There have been no cases found in which patients contracted hepatitis B or HIV from the clinics. A final report on the outbreak is due at the beginning of January 2009.
Dr. Dipak Desai, a Nevada gastroenterologist headed several clinics in the Las Vegas area, including the two at the center of the outbreak. He has since surrendered his medical license pending the results of the investigation. Desai and other former clinic owners are facing 120 lawsuits for alleged medical negligence, as well as a class-action suit brought by patients for emotional distress.
Hepatitis C is an incurable blood-borne disease of the liver. It causes swelling of the liver, fatigue, stomach pain, and jaundice. Symptoms may not always occur, though damage to the liver will continue.
13-Year-Old Driver Causes Accidents and a Sinkhole -
A 13-year-old girl took her parents Chevrolet Suburban without their permission early Tuesday morning in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She then picked up five of her friends to take them to their junior high school.
Before they go there, the driver rear-ended a 2009 Dodge Journey, but didn't stop. The driver of the Dodge followed the Suburban east on Airport Road. The Suburban was in the right through lane and the Dodge was in the left turn lane when the teen driver turned left onto another road, hitting the Dodge for a second time. Again the driver did not stop.
After another block, the driver suddenly crossed the left side of the road and struck a fire hydrant. The girl's friends decided this would be the best place to jump out and run. The damaged fire hydrant caused a water leak that resulted in a 5-foot-by-five-foot sinkhole in the road.
The teen driver was cited for driving without a license, insurance and registration and faces two charges of hit-and-run and three counts of reckless driving. Her five friends were contacted at school later that day.
If you or a loved one has been involved in an auto accident with an underage teen driver, please contact an experienced personal injury lawyer in your area.
Another Holiday Season with Lead Tainted Toys - Thursday, October 23, 2008
Although the federal government passed a bill that makes new testing procedures and reduces levels of toxins in toys and other products earlier this year, it will not go into effect until February 2009. As a result, consumers have been told they will need to be aware for lead tainted toys on the shelves this Christmas season. This is unfortunate given the number of toy recalls last holiday season. Critics say this is yet another season the toy industry does not have to comply with the new regulations. They also wonder if this will be another season full of recalls.
The new standards mandated by the government state that lead levels in toys cannot exceed 300 parts per million within three years. However, toys that exceed this standard are still on the shelves. A national consumer project group called HealthyToys.org conducted a test of toys last year and found that some toys have lead levels as high as 5,000 parts per million. These levels were also found in goods sold around other holidays.
As a result, consumers are warned to look for imported toys that have bright colors. There is also a lead detection kit called Lead Check that detects high levels of lead in toys, decorations, and metal jewelry.
Lead contamination has been linked to growth and developmental problems and lowered IQs in children.
Serious Drug Reactions Reported Hits a Record High - Wednesday, October 22, 2008
According to a report from the nonprofit Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP), the Food and Drug Administration received almost 21,000 reports of serious drug reactions, including more than 4,800 deaths, from the first three months of 2008. The ISMP has tallied data over the last four years, and looked at yearly totals since the '90s. This latest report was nearly 40 percent higher than results from the last four quarters, and the highest of any quarter tallied. Fatalities accounted for 23 percent of the drug reactions, an increase of three percent over the last calendar quarter from 2007.
A serious drug reaction is defined by the FDA as "ones that cause hospitalization, require medical intervention, or place a life in jeopardy." The reports rely on voluntary information received from doctors. It is believed that there are many more problems than the fraction reported. Drug safety problems reported to the FDA increased between 1998 and 2005. However, the case reports can only provide an idea of possible problems with a drug, but only an investigation can show a cause-and-effect connection. This is equivalent to indicating "probable cause" and not necessarily "guilt beyond a reasonable doubt."
The two drugs that take the brunt of this report are the blood thinner Heparin and the anti-smoking drug Chantrix. Tainted Heparin traced to China sickened and killed hundreds at the end of 2007 and beginning of 2008. The ISMP says that the Heparin case "illustrates an example of a significant drug safety problem that was promptly and effectively resolved by the drug manufacturers and the FDA once the issue was detected and understood."
Chantrix has been linked to psychiatric problems, including vivid dreams and suicidal behavior. The government has even gone so far as to ban the drug for pilots. Pfizer, the manufacturer or Chantrix stands by the drug. The ISMP report states the belief that the FDA should increase the language of the warnings (currently only stating that patients may be too impaired to operate heavy machinery or drive) to include blackouts and other problems that may lead to accidents. The report shows 15 cases of Chantrix users involved in auto accidents, and another 52 of blackouts or loss of consciousness.
Crib Recall - Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Nearly 1.6 million cribs are being voluntarily recalled by Delta Enterprises after the deaths of two infants. The recall targets older versions of its drop-side cribs made between 1995 and 2005. The product recall does not affect any cribs at retail stores now.
Delta Enterprises has announced that 985,000 drop-side cribs have safety pegs that may have been lost by customers during reassembly, and that another 600,000 may have worn spring-pegs after customers have used the cribs repeatedly.
The two infants who died suffocated in their cribs. One of them became stuck in a gap created by the detached side of a crib. This gap was caused by the lack of a safety peg. The second infant died when the crib side detached after a spring-peg failed.
For more information on this recall, please visit the Delta Enterprise site set up specifically for this issue at www.cribrecallcenter.com.
Truck Accident Kills Two Children - Monday, October 20, 2008
A truck accident in Guadalupe County, Texas, killed a five-day old and a two-year-old child on Monday morning. A one-year-old and a 14-year-old were airlifted to the hospital. Two adults were in the vehicle, but were not injured.
Police say the truck accident occurred when the driver reached down for a cigarette and lost control of the 18-wheeler causing the rig to flip over at around 4:30 am. A short time later, a Chevrolet Impala crashed into the flipped rig. None of the children were strapped to safety seats.
Driver distraction is one of the many reasons truck accidents occur. However, exhaustion and stress of the driver are just as deadly. However, the trailer of semi trucks are long and, if they flip, they will block the road. Add the early morning hours when the sun isn't quite up, and unsuspecting drivers of smaller passenger vehicles may become involved in a serious accident, as did the victims in Guadalupe County.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a truck accident, please contact Personal Injury.com to find an experienced personal injury attorney in your area.
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