Pennsylvania Personal Injury Blog

Patients not only have their health to worry about, but they also have to concern themselves with the medical devices that are used to diagnose and treat their ailments. According to an Latimes.com report, the well publicized CT Scan malfunction which resulted in accidental radiation overdosing to patients could be a national dilemma.The FDA found that a 3rd L.A area hospital, Providence St. Joseph, has overdosed 34 patients over a 20 month interval. The patients, who had gone to the hospital to have a brain scan performed, were found to have been exposed to unsafe levels of radiation.

The CT Scan, which scans those who have suffered a stroke, aids hospital officials in determining how much damage has been done to the brain. Another issue that raises concerns for FDA officials and the public is that the problem with the first two hospitals involved scanners from GE, but the scanner in the third hospital is manufactured by Toshiba. A doctor who is the acting director of the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health said, “Given the fact that we are dealing with two manufacturers and multiple institutions, we wouldn’t be surprised if there are more problems at other institutions”.

Hospitals throughout the country have been directed by the FDA to review radiation dosing guidelines when a CT perfusion scan will be performed. This means that CT technologists must be trained to check the display on the scanner prior to the scan. According to the FDA, an estimated 150,000 CT brain perfusion scans are carried out yearly throughout the country. It is of the utmost importance for all the machines to be checked properly and hospital personnel must be accurately trained to operate them as soon as possible. The FDA is continuing their investigation as to whether the overdoses are a result of human error, defective machines, or both.

Continue reading " FDA Orders National Review of Hospital Scanners " »

Parents of newborns should take special heed of the following story about faulty baby crib products. The Associated Press reported that government officials have ordered a second recall of two crib models from LaJobi Inc., a company based in Cranbury, New Jersey.

The first recall was issued back in 2001 because of potential entrapment and strangulation hazards. Officials at the Consumer Product Safety Commission reported that they had received a report of a one year old Mississippi girl lodging her head between the decorative cutouts on the headboard, causing her death. The accident took place in 2003 but officials declined to specify when they were made aware of this sad accident.

CPSC reports that the cribs were manufactured back in the year 2001 which could make it particularly difficult to inform parents as they probably have given or sold the crib to another individual or it may be being offered at second hand stores. The LaJobi models were made in Italy and are called Molly and Betsy Style. If you believe that you possess one of these cribs LaJobi urges you to contact them by phone for replacement panels at 1-800-266-2848.
Parents expect that their children will be completely secure in a crib, but unfortunately, this is not always the case. There are a number of ways in which the crib you choose could potentially harm your child. Although baby products are highly regulated to prevent injuries, some manufacturing problems and other mistakes can hurt your infant.

Continue reading " Crib Models "Betsy" and "Molly" Recalled " »

Most Pennsylvanians have heard the news of a hospital in Los Angeles, California that accidentally exposed CT scans patients to dangerous levels of radiation. Officials believe that patients received up to 8 times the prescribed dosage at the Cedars-Sinai hospital.

The troubling revelation has many experts proclaiming that there is too much reliance on medical machinery in the health industry and that this is a growing problem of modern technology.

Chief medical officer for Siemens, a manufacturer of CT scanners, said, “It’s in your face on the screen,” when describing the radiation levels during a CT scan. Investigators are trying to figure out why no one noticed the problem for 18 months. Director of the Center for Radiological Research said, “It’s pretty mystifying to me.”

The state Department of Public Health and the FDA are investigating while Cedars-Sinai claims that the overdoses happened as a result of the hospital reconfiguring a scanner in order to improve physicians’ capability to see blood flow in the brain. Cedars-Sinai released a statement that said they have “added double-checks to our process whenever a protocol is changed.”

Continue reading " Cedars-Sinai Overdoses at Least 206 CT Scan Patients With Radiation " »

Two bridge-builders working on the Pennsylvania Turnpike were injured when a ten-foot circle of steel tipped over and them along with parked cars. The two men were immediately taken to local hospitals with what was thought to be non life-threatening injuries, according to the Parryville Fire Chief. They are employees of Walsh Construction and were working on laying the steel framework for a column support for a bridge replacement project in its early stages. The fire chief, one of the first to respond to the accident, reported that he was not sure what the cause of the accident was, but that an investigation would be carried out.

Construction sites are very dangerous work places and the state and federal government have imposed safety policies and regulations to ensure worker safety. Construction accidents in Pennsylvania continue to be common, despite the many state and federal regulations, as well as industry standards, requiring owners, general contractors and sub-contractors to implement a wide variety of safety measures to ensure worker safety. Negligent general contractors, sub-contractors, vendors, and employees can cause many of these dangers, which often result in substantial injuries to construction workers at the job site. In fact, construction accidents often cause life-threatening conditions, require amputation or extensive reconstructive surgery, and tragically leave innocent victims with brain injuries, disfigurement, and other conditions that impact their ability to hold down a job or even pay for their own care.

Continue reading " Builders Injured While Working on PA Turnpike Bridge " »

The US government is attempting to prepare for an onslaught of aging baby boomers by passing a new long term care program that assists individuals with severe disabilities. Nytimes.com reports that more and more Americans are going to be earning the title of “Older Americans” as the significant number of baby boomers age. Congress wants to help by establishing a program in the National Health Care Bill that will assist older Americans with long-term care including assisted living care and nursing home care. The late Senator Edward Kennedy had drafted the program several years ago. Then-Senator Obama was a cosponsor. Vigorous debate regarding this huge new federal insurance program has been taking place on the senate floor.

A 45-year-old independent woman from Arlington Virginia who has cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis and works as a consultant stated that she has been able to live a normal life, but worries that if her conditions worsen she may be in serious need of long term care.

Advocates of the program claim it will help many aging Americans who may become severely disabled and require nursing home or assisted living care. Critics contend the program and say it will lead to grave financial troubles. As a large segment of society continues to age and the question over their long term care continues to play out on Capitol Hill, it is important to address the inherent dangers that can exist for those that choose nursing home care for their loved ones.

Continue reading " Baby Boomers Could Benefit From Long Term Care Program " »

According to a report by Fox News, 10 million cans of the popular diet drink Slim-Fast have been recalled by its parent company, Unilever PLC. Unilever claims that this move is strictly precautionary. They believe that the cans may possibly be contaminated with bacteria that can make consumers ill, but were quick to point out that the recall only affects their “Slim-Fast ready-to-drink” products; their snack-bars and powder products remain untainted with the bacteria.

Unilever describes the bacteria, called Bacillus cereus, as a micro-organism that can cause diarrhea, nausea and vomiting when ingested. The company spokeswoman did not have information on whether calls from consumers had prompted the recall or if consumers would be compensated for any problems. Unilever’s spokeswoman did say that, “The probability of serious, adverse consequences is remote.” The company also announced that, “Out of an abundance of caution, the company is recalling all ready-to-drink products in cans that are currently in distribution centers, on shelf or in back room retail outlets or in consumer’s homes.” Unilever asked the public to throw away any cans they have and contact them for a full refund.

Continue reading " 10 Million Cans of Slim Fast Recalled " »

On January 26, a New York City sanitation worker died after he was pinned between a tractor trailor and his garbage truck. According to an article on NBC.com, the 41-year-old man worked for the department for 11 years. He was the father of two daughters and very well liked in his district.

This man’s family is eligible for worker’s compensation benefits through his employer. These benefits often are inadequate and may not be enough to cover a worker’s family. It may be in the worker’s family’s best interest, however, to also contact an experienced worker’s compensation attorney who can carefully examine the incident to identify any negligence or wrongdoing.

A“third party claim” may be considered in which a claim may be filed against parties that are not the worker’s employer. It could be a contractor, a sub-contractor, or even the manufacturer of a defective product. If it is determined that one of those parties was responsible for the accident and any injuries, then they could be held liable.

Continue reading " NYC Sanitation Worker Dies on the Job " »

An 18-year-old former female student at Central Bucks High School South who pleaded guilty to charges of vehicular homicide in the death of a schoolmate, was sentenced yesterday to an indefinite term at a disciplinary wilderness camp.

According to an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer, the girl will serve at least six months at the facility and will be evaluated at six-month intervals to determine when she can be released.

In September, the girl was traveling nearly 30 m.p.h. above the speed limit when she lost control of her car in Warrington, PA. The vehicle slammed into a tree, killing a 16-year-old girl who was a passenger in the backseat.

The 18-year-old girl and another student in the car sustained minor injuries.

In December, the girl entered an admission in a nonadversarial hearing, which is the Juvenile Court equivalent of a guilty plea. She is on house arrest and undergoing therapy.

The girl was also sentenced to community service and ordered to continue therapy sessions.

Her driver’s license is suspended indefinitely and she must pay a fine.

Continue reading " Bucks Student Sentenced in Car Death " »

On February 7, 2010, an explosion at the Kleen Energy Systems in Connecticut blew out the walls of an unfinished power plant and set off a fire during a test of natural gas lines. According to an article on Philly.com, the explosion killed at least five workers and injured a dozen or more.

The cause of the gas explosion was unknown and is under investigation. It left huge pieces of metal that once encased the plant peeling off its sides. A large swath of the structure was blackened and surrounded by debris, but the building, its roof and its two smokestacks were still standing.

The article said that 50 to 60 people were in the area at the time of the explosion, and multiple contractors were working on the project.

Workers for the construction company, O&G Industries, were purging the gas line when the explosion occurred.

At least a dozen people had injuries ranging from minor to very serious.

Safety board investigators have done extensive work on the issue of gas line purging since an explosion last year at a Slim Jim factory in North Carolina killed four people. They’ve identified other explosions caused by workers who were unsafely venting gas lines inside buildings.

The workers here who sustained any injuries and the families of the workers who died because of the explosion are entitled to workers’ compensation benefits through the employer. These benefits often are inadequate and may not be enough to cover a worker and his family, especially if the incident involves serious injuries that could keep the worker away from his/her job for a long time. It may be in the worker’s best interest, however, to also contact an experienced worker’s compensation attorney who can carefully examine the incident to identify any negligence or wrongdoing.

Continue reading " Gas Blast at Connecticut Power Plant Kills at Least 5 " »

Federal health officials announced the recall of 2 million medical needles last month because of a risk they can push bits of silicone into patients’ bodies. According to an article on Philly.com, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Nipro Medical Corp. voluntarily recalled its Exel/Exelint Huber needles manufactured between January 2007 and August 2009.

The needles are used to access injection ports, which are devices implanted beneath the skin of patients who require frequent injections. The ports connect to a vein and allow easy delivery of chemotherapy, antibiotics, and other injectable drugs.

Huber needles are designed to be non-coring, or to penetrate an injected material without retaining any of it.

However, an FDA investigation found that the needles could dislodge bits of silicone from the ports, potentially pushing them into the patient’s bloodstream. The problem can also damage the ports themselves, resulting in problems delivering drug therapy.

According to the FDA, 60 to 72 % of the company’s needles had the design problem.

The FDA is working with 19 other manufacturers to determine if their needles have the same problem.

Doctors may have difficulty identifying the problem of silicone shards in patients. The FDA recommended that physicians watch for signs of tissue or nerve damage in patients, which could be a sign of damage to their port. And, they suggested throwing out the first syringe injected into a port, in an effort to discard any bits of silicone.

Continue reading " FDA Announces Recall of 2M Defective Needles " »

It is normal and a very common thing to take a walk when visiting a new city especially with your significant other. Unfortunately, a tragic story unfolded on the streets of New York City recently when a husband and wife from Britain were run down by a garbage truck driver who forgot to take his anti-seizure medicine, according to a story on the nypost.com website. The avoidable accident happened in February 2008 and now the 58-year-old driver of that truck has been found guilty by a jury and sentenced to 20 years to life in prison. The couple, both age 47, were enjoying a nice walk near Pennsylvania station when the driver lost control of the garbage truck, smashing his way onto the sidewalk where the couple happened to be walking.

The judge said that by not taking his medication, the man had become “a time bomb ready to explode.” Prosecutors stated that the man had failed to disclose his illness at the time of hiring. Without question, this story highlights the flawed hiring procedures by the city. How can a person be given the keys to a multi-ton vehicle without being tested to see if they are fit to operate such heavy duty equipment?

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, pedestrian and motor vehicle accidents are a serious problem throughout the world and the United States has a particular problem with pedestrian deaths and injuries. Not surprising is the fact that older pedestrians are more likely to be injured or killed when struck by a motor vehicle than younger pedestrians.

Continue reading " Garbage Truck Kills Two Pedestrians " »

A worker from Oneida, PA, died on February 1 after falling from a lift at the demolition site of a church.

According to an article on Philly.com, the Schuylkill County Deputy Coroner said the 53-year-old man died after the accident happened at St. George Roman Catholic Church in Shenandoah, PA.

The article reported that the man fell about 60 feet when he and another worker were shoring up a part of the church’s steeple. The other worker was treated at a nearby hospital.

The church was closed in 2006 because of structural problems.

Any worker who has sustained an injury arising out of and in the course of their employment has a potential workers’ compensation claim. The injury can occur while traveling on business, doing a work-related errand, attending a required business-related social function, or even while on a break or using restroom facilities and you are still legally covered by workers compensation.

Continue reading " Demolition Worker Dies after Pa. Church Accident " »

The family of the late Latino musician Joaquin Rivera is preparing to sue Aria Health System. According to an article in the Philadelphia Daily News, the state Department of Health released a report detailing numerous staff policy violations that occurred on Nov. 28, the night Rivera had a fatal heart attack in the waiting room of Aria Health’s Frankford campus.
Rivera, 63, sat dead for more than 40 minutes and was robbed by three vagrants before hospital personnel noticed.

Investigators found an extensive list of hospital errors that took place before, during, and after his death.

Rivera, a father of three who worked for years as a guidance counselor at Olney High School, complained of pain on his left side when he entered the hospital at 10:45 p.m.

Surveillance footage showed that he stopped moving 11 minutes later. According to the state report, a triage nurse called his name at 11:03 p.m. and noticed that he was staring at a wall and not moving.

However, the report shows neither the nurse nor other hospital personnel checked to see if Rivera was in need of help.

The report also shows that staffers responded to Rivera only when another patient said that he had died.

State investigators learned in subsequent interviews with the hospital staff that many were unaware of protocol that requires them to check on patients in the waiting area.

Continue reading " Family to Sue Aria Over Waiting-Room Death " »

Two brothers from Mooresville, N.C., who were injured in a deadly explosion at an International Paper Co. mill in Mississippi, have agreed to settle their federal lawsuit.

According to an article, the brothers were injured when a 12-story recovery boiler blew when workers tried to restart it after annual maintenance. The explosion happened at the Redwood plant on May 3, 2008. One man was killed and nearly two dozen others were hurt.

The boiler didn’t have adequate steam, according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). OSHA fined International Paper $77,000 for two alleged violations.

The brothers, both in their late 20s, said they were burned on their faces and hands, suffered some hearing loss and were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, among other things.

They sued in U.S. District Court in Mississippi on Jan. 26, 2009. The lawsuit claimed International Paper recklessly ignited the boiler when it was filled with combustible gas.

The article stated that the settlement will help the brothers recover from financial and emotional hardships they have faced since the explosion.

An International Paper spokeswoman said six cases related to the explosion have been settled. Two are still pending in federal court and two are pending in state court.

The worker here is entitled to workers’ compensation benefits through the employer. These benefits often are inadequate and may not be enough to cover a worker and his family, especially if the incident involves serious injuries that could keep the worker away from his/her job for a long time. It may be in the worker’s best interest, however, to also contact an experienced worker’s compensation attorney who can carefully examine the incident to identify any negligence or wrongdoing.

Continue reading " Lawsuit Settled Over Deadly Miss. Paper Mill Blast " »

A bridge worker who fell about 50 feet into the Hackensack River, died from his injuries. According to an article, the 55-year-old man from North Arlington, NJ was working for the CSX rail line when he fell from the Wittpenn Bridge on January 29.

The worker made his way to some pilings but lost consciousness due to hypothermia.

Emergency service workers soon hoisted him to the bridge in a basket and took him to a nearby hospital. He died several hours later.

At the time of the accident, the male worker had been on the CSX bridge near the Wittpenn, which connects Jersey City and Kearny along Route 7 in New Jersey.

The worker here is entitled to workers’ compensation benefits through the employer. These benefits often are inadequate and may not be enough to cover a worker and his family, especially if the incident involves serious injuries that could keep the worker away from his/her job for a long time. It may be in the worker’s best interest, however, to also contact an experienced worker’s compensation attorney who can carefully examine the incident to identify any negligence or wrongdoing.

Continue reading " Worker Dies after Fall from NJ Bridge " »

A nursing home in Oakmont has been punished by the state and given a provisional license after an 89-year-old woman committed suicide by jumping out her third-story window, reports the post-gazette website. Her son is left full of anguish as to what exactly happened to his mother who had been admitted to the facility in July with heart problems, glaucoma, dementia, and depression. State officials downgraded the Presbyterian Senior Care nursing home known as the Willows nursing home to a provisional license until March 28th because they failed to do enough to stop the death of the 89-year-old woman.

State Inspectors reported finding notes in the facility’s records that stated the woman had “attempted to exit the facility via the stairs in a wheelchair and had expressed a desire to jump out the window.” Where the nursing home failed is that the staff did not inform a physician responsible for her care and did not “develop measures to protect the resident and to prevent injuries”. A urinary tract infection is all that was reported but not her suicidal urges.

A spokeswoman for the nursing home said, “We believe the report has omitted several key facts ... looks like we went from Sept. 19 to Sept. 24 without any type of intervention and that is not accurate.” In addition, she stated that all the windows are now locked down and the staff has been retrained to inform physicians of any major behavior or mood changes in the patients.

Continue reading " PA Nursing Home Cited for Insufficient Safeguards " »

With healthcare becoming a national topic and the economy on a continuous downward spiral, doctors at Allegheny General Hospital have released a report detailing how motorcyclists are not only endangering themselves but are costing the state money when they are involved in an accident which requires transport, many times on helicopter, and medical treatment. The details outlined on the website pittsburghlive.com report that since the Pennsylvania helmet law was repealed in 2003 there has been an increase of motorcycle riders coming into the emergency room with serious facial and head injuries. A doctor at Allegheny General Hospital stated that treatment from facial and head injuries have doubled within the last five years.

Officials at AGH hospital reported encountering 122 motorcycle-linked facial injuries from September 2003 to August 2008, when they only had 10 from 1998 to September 2003.

Dr. Joseph E. Cillo, an AGH oral and maxillofacial surgeon, said, “Riding a motorcycle without a helmet is just risky behavior. Pennsylvania repealed the universal helmet law in 2003, but mandating helmet use to motorcyclists under 21 and riders having less than 2 years experience.”

Continue reading " PA Study Concludes Motorcyclists without Helmets at Greater Risk " »

The widow of a motorcyclist killed when he collided with a western Pennsylvania housing agency’s truck, has won more than $1.6 million in a wrongful death verdict. According to an article, a jury found the Mercer County Housing Authority and an employee negligent in the death of the woman’s husband who was 52-years-old.

The widow’s husband was killed May 8, 2007 when his motorcycle crashed into a housing authority pickup truck. The truck had started to turn left and stopped a few feet into the man’s lane when the crash occurred.

The driver was cited for a left turn violation and paid a fine. The man’s widow settled separate claims against PennDOT and other defendants.

Continue reading " Widow Wins $1.6M from PA Housing Agency " »

According to a recent article, federal safety officials are investigating a DuPont chemical plant after a series of leaks that resulted in the death of one worker.

The DuPont Belle plant in West Virginia is on safety shutdown after three leaks were reported. One leak, which released about 1,900 pounds of hazardous methyl chloride, went unnoticed for 5 days.

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the U.S. Chemical Safety Board are investigating.

On January 23, 2010 a worker was taken to a Charleston hospital after being exposed to the chemical phosgene. The article reported that a 58-year-old man who was a 32-year DuPont employee died on January 24, 2010.

Phosgene is used to make plastics and pesticides, and can damage the respiratory system.
The company reported the methyl chloride leak to emergency officials on January 22. On the 23rd, the worker was taken to the hospital after being exposed to phosgene residue in a transfer line.

Continue reading " W. Va. DuPont Worker Dies after Phosgene Exposure " »