Personal Injury and Accident Lawyers

Maryland Personal Injury Attorney John Yannone talk about medical malpractice in Maryland.

Thu, 16 May 2013 10:16:20 -0500

Attorney John Yannone explains how to determine a valid Medical Malpractice claim and the steps to take if you feel you have become a victim. He begins detailing steps to take to understand negligence. Starting with identifying a breach in care that causes damages as a result. The next and most important fact Mr. Yannone outlines is being clear if it was or wasn't a direct result of a medical professionals actions.

John Yannone : Things You Should Know About Wrongful Death

Thu, 16 May 2013 09:24:07 -0500

Attorney John Yannone explains the differences between a wrongful death claim and a survival action.

Could the FDA Have Stopped The Meningitis Outbreak In Massachusetts?

Mon, 06 May 2013 13:54:15 -0500

The following post was written by False Claims Act attorney Tony Munter

The Washington Post's Kimberly Kindy reports on a particularly scary issue involving the FDA's ability to ensure that pharmaceuticals are produced safely.

One almost feels sorry for Commissioner Margaret Hamburg who had the task of defending the FDA in front of Congressional members out for blood. It all stems from steroids produced by a company called the New England Compounding Center. Contaminated steroids were "tied to the outbreak" of meningitis. The Post says in a particularly ominous paragraph that the outbreak "has so far killed 53 people."

Louis Freeh sues John Corzine

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 09:44:28 -0500

This Blog Post was written by Qui Tam Attorney Tony Munter

For those of us who love to look at financial fraud and politics, (this is Washington, DC so this means everyone here) well it doesn't get any more fun than this. John Corzine is being sued by Louis Freeh. See the latest in the New York Times.

Yes the story in the Times is the moral equivalent of the super market checkout line tabloids. With this kind of thing going on, it is hard to make fun of people who read about the Kardashians. Here in the financial news we have all the bold face type for big time names you could want and it seems that they just can't get enough of fighting with each other.

Children's Hospital and Colonial Parking Sued for boy's 24 feet fall

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 12:23:37 -0500

After leaving an appointment at the Children's Hospital in Washington, D.C. Giovanni Destefano, six years old at the time, fell 24 feet down an open air shaft in 2009. Giovanni Destefano, who is epileptic, was leaving the Children's Hospital with his mom and younger sister. As his mom, Wendy Paola Destefano, was rushing him and his sister into the car Giovanni accidently fell into an open air shaft landing on the concrete floor. His mother almost tumbled in herself but thankfully her daughter grabbed and steadied her.

DePuy Tries to Get Patient's Claims Dismissed in Personal Injury Lawsuit

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 17:53:14 -0500

In December 2010, Loren Kransky filed a civil lawsuit against DePuy Orthopaedics after he sustained injuries from the ASR XL hip device. DePuy recently submitted a motion to the California Superior Court asking that some of Kransky's legal claims be dismissed since his surgeon was aware of the health risks associated with the ASR XL hip device before he performed Kransky's implant surgery.

Kransky is one of thousands of patients who filed personal injury lawsuits against DePuy Orthopaedics after suffering from medical complications caused by the manufacturer's defective ASR XL hip devices. The patients are seeking compensation for their medical expenses, pain and suffering and other costs incurred as a result of receiving the defective hip device.

Are Chefs Intentionally Misleading Customers About Different Types Of Fish?

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 15:18:49 -0500

The following post was written by attorney Tony Munter.

Chefs all over the country are serving Snapper which really isn't Snapper. In fact researchers from the environmental group Oceana found that 87% of the time the snapper sold in restaurants and grocery stores is some other kind of fish.

The Oceana study was picked up by the Washington Post's Juliet Eilperin and Tim Carman on February 21, 2013. Apparently the mislabeling of fish is not restricted to just snapper.

Former Johns Hopkins OB/GYN Commits Suicide After Details Of Misconduct Come To Light

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 16:48:32 -0500

The following is a post written by personal injury and medical malpractice attorney Terry Gaffney about the circumstances surrounding the recent death of Dr. Nikita Levy.

Dr. Nikita Levy, an OB/GYN at Johns Hopkins, recently commited suicide, after it came to light that he had surreptitiously been videotaping unknowing patients for over twenty years. These patients may be entitled to compensation as a result of having their privacy invaded.

DePuy Tries to Get Patient's Claims Dismissed in Personal Injury Lawsuit

Mon, 31 Dec 2012 16:19:15 -0500

FDA Shuts Down Peanut Butter Plant Due to Salmonella Contamination

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 17:54:26 -0500

The FDA forced Sunland Inc. to shut down operations after finding salmonella at the company's New Mexico plant. Sunland, the country's largest peanut butter manufacturer, became the focus of an FDA investigation after people started getting sick from eating the company's contaminated peanut and almond butter products. The CDC reported that 41 people in twenty states fell ill with salmonella poisoning.

In September 2012, Trader Joe's removed Creamy Salted Valencia Peanut Butter from its shelves after the FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) informed the store chain there was a link between its peanut butter and reports of salmonella illness. The FDA found out that the salmonella poisoning stemmed from products made at Sunland's New Mexico-based plant. Retailers such as Target, Costco, Walmart, and Whole Foods were advised to stop selling the products that could have possibly been affected by the salmonella strain. Nearly 400 items were recalled.

On November 26, 2012, the FDA suspended Sunland, Inc.'s food-facility registration. Sunland is not authorized to make or distribute any additional food products until further notice from the FDA. Sunland voluntarily shut down operations earlier this fall while the FDA and CDC performed their respective investigations. The company originally planned on reopening the plant by the last week of November. Obviously, that is not going to happen in light of the FDA's recent actions.

The FDA performed a month-long investigation to find out what caused the salmonella outbreak. Salmonella was found in 28 different locations throughout Sunland's food processing plant in New Mexico. Salmonella was also traced in one raw peanut sample and thirteen nut butter samples. While the peanuts were outside the facility, they were uncovered and exposed in a manner that made it possible for salmonella and other types of bacteria to grow.

The FDA also reported that Sunland committed numerous food safety violations during investigations conducted in 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011. Investigators didn't find any records verifying that the production equipment was cleaned on a regular basis. Employees did not wash their hands and sometimes didn't use gloves while handling the products. Equipment, utensils, containers and food were not handled properly. Based on the FDA's latest investigation and Sunland's failure to properly address previous violations, the agency decided to shut down Sunland's operations for the public's safety.

Sunland has the right to request a hearing regarding the suspension. The company can also submit a plan that states how corrective measures will be implemented and sustained if it wants to have the registration reinstated.

The FDA was able to stop Sunland from continuing food production based on the authority granted to the agency under the Food Safety Modernization Act. The new food safety law was enacted in 2011. Now the FDA can suspend a company's registration based on reasonable probability that its actions will cause serious harm or death. Previously, the FDA had to go to court and get an order from a judge in order to shut down a company's operations. Hopefully, the FDA will be able to curb the growth of other harmful outbreaks in the future by being diligent and exercising its new authority.

Special thanks to Attorney Darren Finebloom.

State of Indiana Adds $6 Million To State Fair Accident Settlement In Order To Avoid Future Payments

Tue, 14 Aug 2012 10:06:25 -0500

A complicated personal injury case involving a deadly stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair is inching closer to reconciliation as more and more potential claimants agree to a settlement package proposed by the State and the two companies responsible for the stage. According to the Star Tribune, 51 of 62 victims or beneficiaries have agreed to the modified proposal.

On The Face Eating Man, And The Potential Dangers Of Bath Salts

Thu, 31 May 2012 10:23:02 -0500

With the explosion of available channels on your television set, and the constant battle for each station to earn your viewership, the characters and circumstances that we see on television have become completely ridiculous in the past few years. At this point our society has become sort of desensitized to the truly bizarre, as it has actually just become a regular part of our viewing schedule. But there are still occasionally cases that remind even the most imaginative among us that real life is still so much weirder than anything a television writer could ever dream up.

Over the past weekend, a story emerged from the Miami metro area that was so shocking that it immediately became the go-to water cooler discussion for every office with an Internet connection around the Country. Rudy Eugene, presumably high on what most believe will prove to be bath salts, stripped off his clothes and attacked a homeless by eating his face. I should stop here and say this is not referring to actual bath salts that are used to make water smell nice or imitate natural minerals in their reaction with water. The bath salts, as used here is a phony name to reference designer drugs of the phenethylamine class. These "bath salts" comes in a powdered form that is inhaled, swallowed or shot into a vein.

Levaquin & Similar Anti-biotics Could Lead To Increased Likelihood of Retinal Detachment

Thu, 24 May 2012 16:02:50 -0500

Prescription drugs must undergo a very rigorous series of tests and evaluations before they are even brought to the FDA to get approved. That brings a whole other series of tests and scrutiny that the drug must pass. By the time the drug makes it to the open market, it is pretty safe to assume that it does a good job of achieving its desired effect. What might go understudied occasionally, however, is the side effects that may come with that drug, and the issues that they can cause in patients who aren't made aware of some of the potential dangers.

Medtronic Facing Possible Off-Label Marketing Suit For InFUSE Bone Graft

Thu, 24 May 2012 13:36:37 -0500

Medtronic, makers of everything from Insulin pumps to neurostimulators, are in some hot water about their marketing of InFUSE bone graphs, an artificial graft designed to grow vertebrae without having to harvest bone from a patient's hip. The product was initially designed and approved for use in the lower spine, but some whistleblowers have come forth saying that Medtronic has been marketing the product for use in others areas of the back, and that could potentially lead to serious injuries and in some cases death.

"Yellow Means Slow" - A Valuable Lesson From Our 5-year Olds

Tue, 22 May 2012 11:46:40 -0500

When my son was in elementary school, maybe even as young as Kindergarten, he learned an educational [read as annoying] little diddy that he insisted on singing all the time- "Green means go, yellow means slow, red means no." While even though this song when screamed by a group of 5 year olds can pierce anyone's veil of sanity, it is important to note that we, as a society, teach and reteach these principles to young children as a way of teaching traffic safety. At some point we assume we have done our jobs and our kids are safe.