All Topics

• Sleeping trucker kills motorist and daughter

  Barry Doyle | June 15, 2007 8:45 AM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  Last week in Pennsylvania, a woman and her daughter were hit by a truck when the truck driver behind them fell asleep at the wheel as they slowed to enter a construction zone.The woman and her daughter suffered fatal injuries.Driver fatigue is a major issue in trucking safety. One study showed that 13% of all trucking related crashes were caused in part by driver fatigue.Regulations setting...

• Fatal scaffolding collapse

  Barry Doyle | June 14, 2007 7:30 AM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  Two Indiana construction workers fell 40 feet to the ground when the scaffold they were working on collapsed. The scaffold had a loose pin holding in one of the members of the scaffold and when the workers went to repair the scaffold, their weight caused the scaffold to collapse.One worker survived the fall suffering chest and head injuries; the other workers suffered fatal injuries.Federal...

• Hospital sued for medication error

  Barry Doyle | June 13, 2007 2:30 PM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  A Missouri hospital has been sued by the parents of one of its patients after the 8-year old girl received the wrong medication. The girl had been prescribed israpidine but was given risperdal instead.The girl suffered brain damage and kidney damage and will eventually require a kidney transplant."Sound-alike" medications cause the potential for medication errors. This arises from the custom...

• Motorcyclists injured in multiple accidents

  Barry Doyle | June 13, 2007 9:30 AM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  An Indiana newspaper came out with a piece recently documenting the high number of accidents involving motorcycles and cars. The article noted that many of the accidents were the product of the car driver failing to yield the right of way to the motorcyclist, and postulated that the reason for this is that drivers are not used to looking for motorcyclists after their absence in winter months...

• Worker killed at Tribune plant

  Barry Doyle | June 12, 2007 10:00 AM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  A "temporary contract worker" was killed at the Chicago Tribune printing plant two weeks ago. The worker was cleaning gears at the bottom of an elevator shaft when the elevator started.The worker was cut in half by the machinery, resulting in instant fatal injuries.This clearly was an avoidable accident. When people are working in an enclosed area such as this, it should be clearly and plainly...

• Arizona assisted living facilities shuttered

  Barry Doyle | June 11, 2007 9:00 AM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  Four Arizona assisted living facilties were recently closed by state authorities after inpsections revealed filthy conditions and care deficiencies.In one instance, one resident was found to have 22 decubitus ulcers, some of which were bone-deep.Many consumers are unaware of the differences between assisted living facilities and nursing homes. Assisted living facilities are intended to provide...

• Minnesota woman killed by commuter train

  Barry Doyle | June 10, 2007 10:07 AM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  Passengers boarding a Minneapolis Metro Transit train made a gruesome discovery last week: blood spatters on the side of the train. Apparently, a 79-year old woman who gotten off the train and was walking alongside it when she lost her balance, touched the side of the train to regain her balance, and was sucked underneath the train.One she was pulled underneath the train, she suffered fatal...

• Abuse alleged in Wisconsin nursing home

  Barry Doyle | June 09, 2007 11:46 AM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  A West Allis, Wisconsin nursing home is under investigation after a family made complaints about several unexplained injuries that their grandmother suffered while a resident at the facility. The lack of explanation for the injuries has led the family to believe that she was abused by the staff, even though an internal investigation revealed no wrongdoing.The unexplained injuries include...

• Judge rules medication errors caused by workload

  Barry Doyle | June 02, 2007 9:52 AM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  At a recent administrative law hearing for unemployment benefits, a judge ruled that a nurse's discharge was not for cause -- even though she made many errors in the care of patients under her charge -- because the errors were the result of the multiple responsibilities that had been placed on the nurse. Therefore, the judge awrded unemployment benefits that the hospital had been contesting.The...

• Motoryclist hits telephone wire downed by drunken teen

  Barry Doyle | June 01, 2007 9:00 AM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  An Indiana teen is under arrest after he struck a telephone pole and then fled the scene. The impact between his vehicle and pole knocked the pole down, leaving a wire hanging over the road.A motorcyclist came upon the scene shortly thereafter and struck the wire, causing a loss of control. The motorcyclist suffered multiple fractures, but his passenger was killed due to blunt force trauma.One...