North Dallas Personal Injury Lawyer

Wall Furnaces Recalled Due to Carbon Monoxide Hazard

Jenny Albano — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 18:32:45 GMT

Rinnai America Corp., in conjunction of the CPSC, is recalling about 52,000 Direct-Vent Wall Furnaces, Models RHFE 431 and RHFE 556 due to carbon monoxide hazard. A gasket in the unit can fail which can cause carbon monoxide to leak from the furnace and into the home.

So far Rinnai has received 11 reports of carbon monoxide leaking, but there have not been any injuries or illnesses reported.

The recall involves Rinnai EnergySaver Direct-Vent Wall Furnaces, Models RHFE 431 and RHFE 556. They are either natural gas or LP gas (propane) fueled. The following model numbers are included in the recall:
Model RHFE-431 FAIII-N FAIII-P
WTA-N WTA-P
WTA-72B-N WTA-76B-N
Model RHFE-556 FAIII-N FAIII-P
WTA-N WTA-P

The model number can be found on top of the rating plate which is located on the side of the furnace. The models recalled includes only the products manufactured from February 2000 to December 2007 and were sold through wholesale distributors nationwide to contractors and dealers. The manufacturing date code is the first four digits of the serial number (YY MM) and is listed by the bottom of the rating plate.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jenny Albano

Surgical Objects Left Inside More Than 1,500 Patients In US Each Year

Jenny Albano — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 18:10:39 GMT

Every year about 1,500 people in the United States leave the hospital after surgery with surgical objects still inside them. More than 2/3 of the objects left behind are sponges, which can lead to all sorts of problems like pain, infection, bowel obstructions, longer hospital stays, and maybe even death.

"When there is significant bleeding and a sponge is placed in a patient, it can sometimes look indistinguishable from the tissue around it. Unintentional retained sponges and instruments is a devastating complication for patients and is a national problem affecting every hospital in the country that performs invasive and surgical procedures," said Dr. Steven DeJong, vice chair, department of surgery, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine.

To prevent this problem, Loyola University Medical Center is using a new technology that helps surgical teams keep track of sponges during a surgical procedure.

Each sponge has a unique bar code affixed to it that is scanned by a high-tech device to obtain a count. Before a procedure begins, the identification number of the patient and the badge of the surgical team member maintaining the count are scanned into the counter. As an added safety feature, the bar code is heat sealed into the sponge to eliminate any danger of it becoming detached during a procedure.

"We perform complex cases that we do on a frequent basis that require hundreds of sponges. Sometimes things move very fast, especially when you're doing an operation for trauma. It's not too hard to imagine that something might be missed," said Jo Quetsch, RN, clinical director, surgical services at Loyola.

The system, which is FDA approved, is being used in all of Loyola's operating rooms. As the technology grows, Loyola plans to use it to keep track of all medical equipment used during surgery.

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Medical Malpractice and Negligent Care.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jenny Albano

Lawsuit Over Stolen Bone Implanted in Man's Neck

Jenny Albano — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 01:04:12 GMT

A man from Texas found out the bone implanted in his neck to relieve neck pain was stolen from a corpse and now he is suing the medical technology company as well as some tissue processing businesses.

James Livingston filed a suit against Medtronic Inc. for fraud and negligence and is also suing Tenn.-based Sofamor Danek Inc.; Knoxville, Tenn.-based Spinalgraft Technologies Inc.; Alachua, Fla.-based Regeneration Technologies Inc.; Fort Lee, N.J.-based Biomedical Tissue Services; Michael Mastromarino and Joseph Nicelli. He has not announced any specific monetary amount.

New York authorities believe Mastromarino, owner of now-defunct Biomedical Tissue Services, made deals with funeral directors to remove bones, tendons and heart valves from corpses without notifying their families or screening for disease. He has pleaded innocent to charges that include a felony punishable by up to 25 years in prison.

Mastromarino would replace the bones removed from the corpses with PVC pipe and would then sew the incision so family members would not notice at the funerals. He would then send the removed body parts to processing firms across the nation who would sterilize and then implant the body parts. This went on from early 2004 to September 2005.

After the investigation of Mastromarino, five different tissue processing companies recalled the items, as well as Medtronic Inc., who recalled about 16,000 bones and tested 12,000 to 13,000 people. So far no tests have shown results of infectious disease that could be traced to the recalled tissue and bone.

Although Livingston's blood tests have shown no evidence of disease, he said he is worried about getting sick years from now. Knowing that the bone went through a sterilization process is of little comfort to him.

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Medical Malpractice and Negligent Care.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jenny Albano

Former Plant High Cheeleader Killed in Car Wreck

Courtney Mills — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 13:45:55 GMT

A Former Plant High cheerleader was killed the other day in an early morning car crash around 3:00am, say authorities, when she lost control of her car on U.S. 41 in south Florida.

Mary Taafe, 18, of Tampa was a recent graduate of Plant High in Tampa, Florida and was attending Florida Gulf Coast University when she and a friend were out Friday evening. Police say that Taafe and a friend were driving North on U.S. 41 when Taafe lost control of her car and crashed along the side of the highway into some brush.

Taafe unfortunately was not wearing her seatbelt, and did not survive the crash. Her passenger Erin Reid of Tampa was taken to a local hospital to be treated for injuries sustained during the car accident.

For more information on this subject matter, please refer to the section on Car and Motorcycle Accidents.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Courtney Mills

Expanded Log Splitter Recall Due to Risk of Serious Injury

Jenny Albano — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 12:25:10 GMT

The CPSC, in cooperation with Brave Products Inc., is voluntarily recalling about 8,000 log splitters. In February an additional 4,000 log splitters were recalled.

The log splitter's hydraulic cylinders can have defective rod retention, causing the seals to leak and the rods to detach. This can result in serious injury to the operator, as the rod can rapidly and unexpectedly extend the splitting wedge.

So far there have been 59 new reports of leaking cylinders and/or rod retention failure since the recall in February. One consumer had to have his hand amputated that could have been caused by the faulty cylinder. The log splitters are made of steel and are painted either orange and black, or blue and black. Each splitter has trailer hitches, rubber tires, and a decal on the side of the product that says "Brave Products, Inc." or ""Iron & Oak" that are either 15 tons, 22 tons, 26 tons, or 34 tons.

The log splitters were available at Ace, True Value, and Do It Best Hardware stores and other independent power equipment dealers all over the country from January 2002 to October 2004, and from May 2007 to April 2007.

To see what models have been recalled visit the CPSC's log splitter recall page.

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Defective and Dangerous Products.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jenny Albano

Pesticide from Bananas Made Workers Sterile

Jenny Albano — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 14:03:47 GMT

More than 5,000 agricultural workers from Latin American countries are claiming that a pesticide, DBCP, designed to kill worms infesting the roots of banana trees, caused them to become sterile after extended exposure. There have been five lawsuits filed in the U.S. against growing and manufacturing companies.

Jury selection for the first lawsuit begins on July 10th in Los Angeles County Superior Court. This is an important case because it raises the issue of whether multinational companies should be held liable in the country where they are based or in the country where they have employees. If the jury finds a verdict in favor of the workers, then other workers with similar cases will be able to file suit in the U.S., where the awards tend to be larger.

The upcoming lawsuit was filed in 2004 and accuses Dole Fresh Fruit Co. and Standard Fruit Co., now a part of Dole, of negligence and fraudulent concealment while using the pesticide. Dow Chemical Co. and Amvac Chemical Corp., manufacturers of the pesticide, "actively suppressed information about DBCP's reproductive toxicity," according to the lawsuit.

DBCP was used as a fumigant on more than 40 different crops in the U.S, but use of the chemical was largely stopped in 1979. Long exposure to DBCP can cause male reproductive problems, including decreased sperm count.

The lawsuit states that Dow and Amvac knew about the problems with the chemical as early as the 1950's because of studies done on animals exposed to DBCP. The pesticide was sprayed on trees and dropped onto workers are contaminated the water supply.

Workers lived in company-supplied houses where they continued to drink and bathe in the DBCP contaminated water. The company did not warn the workers of the danger and did not use any protective measures.

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Workplace Injuries and Discrimination.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jenny Albano

Texas Trooper Killed in Car Accident

Christina Cole — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 19:59:17 GMT

Department of Public Safety Trooper Todd Holmes, 29, died Wednesday night in a car accident when his patrol car was broadsided by an 18-wheeler truck as he turned to cross the highway while in pursuit of another vehicle. Funeral services are being held Saturday.

The accident happened on Wednesday just before 10pm, north of Marshall on US Highway 59.

Holmes was parked on the north shoulder of the road and he had activated his emergency lights as he started to turn toward a crossover to head south in pursuit of another vehicle. As he turned his car, he pulled into the path of a northbound 18-wheeler. The truck driver tried to avoid the patrol car but he couldn't stop in time and crashed into the patrol's driver side door. Both vehicles came to rest in the center of the highway.

Funeral services are at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Alpine Church of Christ in Longview.
Holmes joined the DPS in January 2005 and was stationed in Gilmer. He was married and had three young children.
He was the 82nd state trooper to die in the line of duty.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Christina Cole

Car Collides with Ambulance

Christina Cole — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 17:44:02 GMT

While in route to a call, a Houston paramedic was injured when the ambulance he was traveling in, crashed into a passenger vehicle on Wednesday. The car accident happened at 10:15am near West Alabama and Post Oak.

The ambulance was on its way to seizure call when the driver tried to cut across two lanes of traffic, but ended up clipping a passenger sedan.

The paramedic's condition is unknown and the driver of the sedan was treated at the scene.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Christina Cole

Irving Construction Worker Killed By Motorist

Craig Cherry — Sun, 04 Mar 2007 17:04:36 GMT

Irving construction worker, Jose Santos Guardiola-Ruilas, was killed Friday night on the George Bush Turnpike in Plano after a vehicle crashed into him. According to investigators, Guardiola-Ruilas was setting up barricades on the turnpike when he was struck by a vehicle driven by Justin Perry.

The police believe Perry's wife, Holly, was following him home after attending a concert together. Police believe Holly collided into the rear of her husband's vehicle, causing it to then crash into Guardiola-Ruilas. Holly and Justin Perry face charges of intoxication manslaughter and D.U.I, respectively.

Guardiola-Ruilas, 29, leaves behind a wife.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Craig Cherry

DART Railroad Construction Accident

Christina Cole — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 00:08:28 GMT

A trench collapsed along a DART rail line that is under construction in Deep Ellum killing one worker and injuring another, officials say.

The accident happened at 1:30pm on Friday at a worksite along Malcolm X Blvd. near Elm Street. The trench collapsed on two workers who were working to reset a water line between future Deep Ellum and Baylor stations along the planned Green Line rail tracks.

Dallas Fire-Rescue said the department's technical rescue team was called to the scent to help rescue two workers. Firefighters dug their way to the victim trapped beneath the rubble, who was later pronounced dead at the scene. The other victim was pulled from the site and taken to the hospital; his condition is unknown.

A total of 16 fire personnel worked at the scene to extricate the victims, Ms. Ponce said.
Mr. Lyons said work along that portion of the Green Line would be shut down until OSHA officials can complete their investigation and return the site back to DART.
"We've never had a fatal accident like this on the DART rail system, going back to 1992," he said. "Our own staff will work with OSHA to investigate what happened and learn from it."

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Christina Cole