- Barry Doyle | April 30, 2007 7:00 AM |
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Automobile AccidentsLast week, there was a chain collision on the Indiana toll road. The accident took place as traffic stopped to allow authorities to remove a disabled vehicle from the shoulder of the road. A tractor trailer driver was not paying attention as he approached the line of stalled vehicles and plowed into the rear of the vehicle ahead of him without slowing.In all, seven vehicles besides the tractor...
- Barry Doyle | April 29, 2007 11:41 AM |
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MiscellaneousThe Illinois Campaign for Legal Reform ran an ad in today's Chicago Tribune with the tag line "Who will be the next trial lawyer victim?" The ad asserts that Predatory trial lawyers are pushing legislation that would make it easier to clog our courts with even more frivolous lawsuits that victimize working families and small businesses."The ad provides a web address for their site which had a...
- Barry Doyle | April 27, 2007 8:45 AM |
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Workplace InjuriesAn Idaho construction worker was found dead on a residential construction project. At the time of his death, he was using a nail gun to frame houses.The nail gun apparently accidentally discharged and he was killed by a penetrating injury to his brain stem.On a construction site, not only do the work practices have to be safe, but the equipment must be safe as well. Nail guns are a special...
- Barry Doyle | April 26, 2007 7:45 AM |
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Nursing Home & Elder AbuseA Michigan nursing home has been cited by a state monitor after she found that the bed rails in several rooms were not properly installed, creating a safety hazard to residents.Improperly installed bed rails have caused the deaths of several Michigan nursing home residents since 1999.Bed rails are considered a form of restraint and shouldnto be used unless ordered by a physician. The danger...
- Barry Doyle | April 25, 2007 8:00 AM |
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Nursing Home & Elder AbuseThe body of a second deceased resident from a McHenry nurisng home has been exhumed.The body was removed from its resting place as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into allegations that residents at the facility were deliberately given fatal medication overdoses.This has been a fascinating story to watch develop. It involves allegations that a member of the nursing staff was giving...
- Barry Doyle | April 24, 2007 9:00 AM |
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Medical MalpracticeA Philadelphia family has filed suit against a local hospital after their father died following heart surgery. Two hours after having bypass surgery, the man had a fatal heart attack. The man's daughter, a doctor, reviewed his chart and saw that he was given an excessive amount of potassium, and she believes that this led to his death.Nurses are taught that they need to check their "R's"...
- Barry Doyle | April 23, 2007 10:12 AM |
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Nursing Home & Elder AbuseA California nursing home was fined $100,000 by the state after a resident fell from a mechanical lift as she was being moved from her bed to chair by a nursing aide.The resident suffered blunt trauma and a lacerated liver which caused her death.All members of the nursing home staff must be properly trained in their jobs and in the use of the equipment that they use as part of their jobs. When...
- Barry Doyle | April 22, 2007 10:44 PM |
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Nursing Home & Elder AbuseAn Arizona nursing home was recently fined by the state after an inspection revealed a pattern of care deficiencies. The violations were widespead and affected a number of different aspects of patient care.Two residents with osteoporosis were not treated properly and each suffered a fractured leg. Other residents developed bed sores, while other residents were not being given medications...
- Barry Doyle | April 22, 2007 4:20 PM |
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Property Owner's Liability (Slip & Fall)There have been a series of three violent dog attacks in the Minneapolis area in recent weeks. In one a girl was attacked by a pit bull, in another, a boy was attacked by an akita, and in other a woman was nearly killed by a pit bull.In the most recent attack, the 4-year old girl suffered severe lacerations to her scalp which required 13 staples to close.The common thread running through these...
- Barry Doyle | April 21, 2007 11:06 AM |
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Automobile AccidentsFour people were injured in a head-on collision on Connecticut. There were three people in one of the vehicles and one in the other. Three people had to be cut out of the one vehicle.All four people were hospitalized, three in critical condition.Accidents with multiple injuries underline the importance of carrying underinsured motorist coverage on your own vehicle. Underinsured coverage is...
- Barry Doyle | April 20, 2007 10:00 AM |
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Property Owner's Liability (Slip & Fall)A California child is dead and his brother hangs for life after the two boys were discovered in a pool owned by a neighbor. The dirty condition of the water in the pool delayed finding the boys.The cause of death for the younger boy wasd drowning.One of the criticisms of trial lawyers is that accidents such as this one have the potential for bankrupting pool owners, leading to people not...
- Barry Doyle | April 19, 2007 9:45 AM |
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Automobile AccidentsAn Oklahoma accident has left two seriously injured. The crash occurred when the driver of one vehicle slowed to make a right hand turn off of a state highway. The driver behind them did not slow and struck them from behind.The driver was air-lifted from the scene with neck and back injuries while his passenger was hospitalized with head injuries.Inattention is a factor that gets far too...
- Barry Doyle | April 18, 2007 7:31 AM |
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Workplace InjuriesA Florida worker died when he was struck by a backhoe and knocked into a trench.He suffered head injuries which proved fatal.The equipment on construction sites must be safe for not only the operator but those who can be expected to be working nearby.For moving equipment such as backhoes, this may include equipping the backhoe with a beeping alarm to alert those nearby when the backhoe is in...
- Barry Doyle | April 17, 2007 7:28 PM |
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Automobile AccidentsFour vehicles were involved a chain reaction collision in Fox River Grove. A soutbound vehicle was waiting to make a left hand turn off of Route 14 when her vehicle was hit by a northbound vehicle. The impact pushed her backwards, where her vehicle was clipped by a southbound truck which spun the woman's vehicle around and into the path of yet another southbound vehicle which T-boned the...
- Barry Doyle | April 16, 2007 7:30 AM |
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Property Owner's Liability (Slip & Fall)The Missouri town of Sikeston recently enacted a dangerous dog ordinance which requires owners of dangerous dogs to follow certain regulations, including keeping the dog in a secure enclosure and having liability insurance.The ordinance defines a dangerous dog by the type of breed of dog, including pit bulls, and dogs having a history of biting hard enough to break the skin.This kind of...
- Barry Doyle | April 15, 2007 6:24 PM |
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Workplace InjuriesAt a Florida construction site, a worker was injured when boards fell from a roof truss. The workers were building a warehouse at the time of the accident.After a 200-foot fall, the boards hit a worker on ground level. He suffered head and spine injuries.This accident involves issues of coordination of the work. When work is going on overhead, the areas beneath must be cleared of workers in...
- Barry Doyle | April 14, 2007 9:20 AM |
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Nursing Home & Elder AbuseAn Iowa nursing home was recently fined by the state after two residents were injured in falls. Both residents had a history of falling with repeat episodes of falls in the facility. These falls at first did not result in significant injury, but later fall required hospitalization. One resident suffered a head injury, while the other suffered a fractured hip.Falls involving geriatric patients...
- Barry Doyle | April 12, 2007 8:45 AM |
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Automobile AccidentsA Tulsa police officer was injured while pursuing a fleeing motorist when another driver failed to stop for the siren and flashing lights and pulled into an intersection in front of him. He hit the rear bumper of the car and flipped over.He suffered numerous injuries, including a fracured collarbone, a fractured tailbone, multiple rib fractures, and road rash.Every motorist has the obligation...
- Barry Doyle | April 11, 2007 11:30 AM |
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Nursing Home & Elder AbuseA police raid on an East Peoria nursing home resulted in the arrests of four residents and one staff member on outstanding warrants. The four residents, all under the age of 60, were wanted on a variety of court charges. Police also identified a number of other residents who were wanted on other charges, but were not arrested because police did not have arrest warrants.The raid came as an...
- Barry Doyle | April 10, 2007 10:00 AM |
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Automobile AccidentsA recent accident in Prairie Grove claimed the life of an expectant mother. She was driving south on Route 31 when a drunk driver heading north on Route 31 crossed over the center line.The pregnant woman sustained fatal injuries, and her passengers were hospitalized with serious injuries.This accident is a tragedy for all involved, but especially for the family of the woman who was killed, as...
- Barry Doyle | April 09, 2007 9:00 PM |
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Property Owner's Liability (Slip & Fall)Many American homes are equipped with stoves which can tip over when weight is applied to the oven door. Retailers and manfacturers have long been aware of the hazard and have developed voluntary standards for design and installation of anti-tipping devices. However because the standards are voluntary, they are often not implemented.Many injuries have been reported with tiping stoves,...
- Barry Doyle | April 07, 2007 8:44 AM |
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Automobile AccidentsOutside of Columbus, Ohio, the driver of a pick-up truck ran a red light and struck another vehicle on the driver's side door. The pick-up truck driver received a ticket.The driver of the other vehicle had to be cut out of his vehicle and was flown to the hospital with a fractured leg.The issue of who received a ticket is one which is not always as significant as it seems. The law in Illinois...
- Barry Doyle | April 06, 2007 8:45 AM |
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Workplace InjuriesIn Florida, a traffic flagger is recovering after he was hit by a truck while working on a road construction project. The truck driver failed to keep clear of the flagger. He hit the flagger with his outside mirror and then drove over the top of his foot.The flagger suffered a mangled foot as a result of being run over.Obviously every driver needs to be careful of workers in construction zones...
- Barry Doyle | April 06, 2007 12:30 AM |
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Automobile AccidentsResidents in a Florida neighborhood were awakened early one recent morning when a Jeep struck a series of mail boxes. Emerging from their homes, they discovered a naked woman, the Jeep's passenger, lying in the roadway. Authorities had a young man in custody, but he was denying he was the driver. The woman had be airlifted from the scene, and had road rash over 30% of her body and other...
- Barry Doyle | April 05, 2007 9:16 AM |
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Property Owner's Liability (Slip & Fall)A Central Florida boy is recovering after he was mauled by a pack of three dogs, including a boxer, a rottweiler, and a pit bull. Neighbors pulled the dogs away from the boy. The owners of the dogs have turned them over to authorities.The boy sustained numerous bite wounds that may have proved fatal but for the intervention of the neighbors.This story highlights the dangers of dog packs. One...
- Barry Doyle | April 04, 2007 8:34 AM |
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Automobile AccidentsIn Florida, the front wheel from the trailer of a south-bound tractor trailer broke loose and flew into the lanes for north-bound traffic. There, the tire went through the windshield of a car, causing fatal injuries to the passenger.Frequently, truck drivers simply pick up a trailer from a warehouse and haul the trailer and its load to the proper desitination. The trailer does not belong to the...
- Barry Doyle | April 03, 2007 8:17 AM |
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Medical MalpracticeA teenage pharmacy technician filled a prescription with 10 times the dose of coumadin a customer was supposed to receive. The pharmacist on duty, charged with checking the work of the technician, failed to catch the error and dispensed the prescription to the customer.The customer suffered a massive stroke due to the overdose of coumadin. She had been suffering from Stage II breast cancer,...
- Barry Doyle | April 02, 2007 10:39 AM |
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Automobile AccidentsIn New Jersey, a number of bus passengers were injured when the bus rear-ended a garbage truck which was stopped in traffic. Authorities report that the bus was traveling at a high rate of speed and there were no skid marks on the pavement.Seven passengers were hospitalzied, inclusing one who suffered a head injury.It is important to remember that with bus accidents, the bus operator is...
- Barry Doyle | April 01, 2007 10:28 AM |
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Nursing Home & Elder AbuseUpset that they had not been paid in months and that paychecks were bouncing, the entire staff of certified nursing assistants walked off the job at the Contiental Care Center on Western Avenue in Chicago on Friday.Certified nursing assistants provide much of the day-to-day care at nursing homes, including the turning and repositioning which is so crucial to the prevention of pressure...