Archive for the ‘ personal injury ’ Category

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3
Apr

Lawn Mower Safety Important To Remember As Weather Warms

April 3, 2012

With the weather warming up in Maryland, people are beginning to mow their lawns again, but the weekly chore has been found to be dangerous for some people.

According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, the number of lawn mower accidents rose 3 percent between 2009 and 2010 with a total of 253,000 accidents occurring. Approximately 17,000 of those accidents involved children under the age of 19.

Most recently, a 9-year-old girl from Jarrettsville, Maryland, almost lost a foot after she was run over by her father on a riding lawn mower. Reports from WBALTV 11 News stated that the girl was taken to Johns Hopkins Children’s Center in Baltimore, where she faces possible amputation of the injured limb.

Safety tips for lawn mowers include:

  • Children should be at least 12-years-old before operating any piece of lawn equipment and at least 16-years-old to operate a riding mower.
  • Children should never be passengers on riding lawn mowers.
  • Always wear sturdy shoes while mowing – not open-toe sandals of flip-flops.
  • Young children should be at least 50 yards from the area you are mowing.
  • Pick up stones, toys, and debris from the lawn to prevent injuries from flying objects.
  • Always wear eye and hearing protection.

The Maryland Personal Injury Lawyers with ChasenBoscolo Injury Lawyers hope that these tips help keep you and your family safe while in the yard of your home this spring and summer.

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13
Mar

Automakers Meet With DOT To Discuss Reducing Distracted Driving Risks

March 13, 2012

The National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration estimates that 20 percent of all vehicle crashes resulting in injuries and 16 percent of all fatal crashes were attributed to distractions, such as GPS devices or cellphones. These estimates rose six percent over a four year time period.

In an effort to help curb these numbers, four major automakers met with Department of Transportation officials Monday to discuss new technologies that may help prevent drivers from becoming distracted. ABC 7 News reports that executives from BMW, Mercedes, Nissan, and General Motors were all in attendance at the meeting.

The hot topic of discussion at the meeting was new and improved guidelines for in-car devices that would eliminate a driver’s need to type an address into a GPS unit as well as block a driver from browsing the Internet.

Currently, most in-dash devices require an average of 10 glances, each averaging around two seconds, to process the information. Automakers are hoping to reduce that average to six glances.

“We need to take steps to prevent them from doing something that would take their mind, their eyes, and their hands off the task,” said Tom Bologa, a spokesman for BMW of North America.

The Washington DC Car Accident Lawyers with ChasenBoscolo Injury Lawyers would like to remind motorists that texting while driving is illegal within the district and is never worth the fines and risk for potential accidents and injuries.

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6
Mar

CPSC Website Works To Educate Consumers Of Unsafe Products

March 6, 2012

In today’s age of technology, the Internet has allowed people to access information faster than ever. Now, that technology is being utilized by a website called SaferProducts.gov, which is run by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), to spread the word about unsafe products.

The website relies on the public to post information about defective products they have purchased and the dangers they pose. The information is then sent to the product’s manufacturer and is also evaluated by the CPSC to determine if a recall is needed. The website allows consumers to research products before buying and gives them a chance to look at other consumers’ product experiences.

In the website’s first year, approximately 6,300 posts have been made warning others of dangerous products. The site was also responsible for prompting two recalls, one for a pogo stick that caused children to suffer serious lacerations, and one for an ice cream scooper that had an exploding cap.

CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum stated in a recent interview with NBC 4 News that the site also allows manufacturers to “get notice very quickly if their product is not performing right and if there is a danger and they can act quickly.”

The Washington Defective Product Attorneys with ChasenBoscolo Injury Lawyers believe that this kind of transparency into unsafe products will help keep the public safe from the dangers these products may pose and will help hold manufacturers to a high standard of safety.

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28
Feb

Study Shows Sleep Medications May Increase Risk Of Cancer and Death

February 28, 2012

Sleep medications can be beneficial on nights when you can’t fall asleep, but new research shows that consistent use of these drugs can increase patients’ risks for certain health problems. Reports from FOX DC News indicate that a new study shows that taking sleep aids on a regular basis can more than quadruple patients’ risk of death while also increasing their risk of cancer.

Researchers from the Scripps Clinic Viterbi Family Sleep Center in San Diego, California, and the Jackson Hole Center for Preventive Medicine in Jackson, Wyoming, examined 10,500 cases of adults taking sleep medications for two and a half years. These patients were matched with a control group of 23,600 participants based on age, gender, lifestyle, and health. They discovered that patients who took 18 to 132 doses of sleep medications per year were 4.6 times more likely to die than those who were in the control group.

The study was also able to help researchers determine that those taking the highest doses of sleep medications were 35% more likely to develop cancer than members of the control group who did not take the medications.

Estimates show that six out of 10 adults in the United States were prescribed sleep medications in the past year.

The Washington, DC Drug Injury Attorneys with ChasenBoscolo Injury Lawyers are here to help you if you have been harmed by a medication prescribed to you by a doctor.

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21
Feb

Maryland Cement Plant Worker Run Over By Fork Lift

February 21, 2012

An on-the-job accident at a cement plant in Union Bridge, Maryland, yesterday has left a 46-year-old worker seriously injured. According to reports from ABC 2 News, the incident took place around 2:00 p.m. at the Lehigh Portland Cement Company located on Quaker Hill Road.

Reports from deputies with the Carroll County Sheriff’s Department indicate that the victim was lying on the ground, fixing a piece of monitoring equipment underneath a conveyor belt in the yard of the plant. That is when a forklift backed over the man, causing serious injuries to his legs and lower torso.

The victim was transported by Maryland State Police Medvac helicopter to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore where he remains in serious condition.

“While our first priority is the well-being and recovery of our employee, we are working closely with authorities to investigate the accident and determine what happened.” said plant manager Kent Martin.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Carroll County Deputies both have investigations into the incident that remain ongoing.

The National Safety Council estimates that the cost of the average work-related injury to be around $53,000, while a work-related death will have a total bill of around $1,330,000.

These high costs are why the Maryland Workers’ Compensation Lawyers with ChasenBoscolo work with accident victims to help them get what they need in order to move forward with life following a serious injury.

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14
Feb

New Survey Shows Doctors Aren’t Always Honest

February 14, 2012

While most doctors have their patient’s best interests in mind, a new study shows that they may not always be completely honest with their patients. An article released by NBC-Washington says that a new survey of doctors across the country shows many admitting to lying to patients.

The survey was conducted by Harvard Medical School researcher, Dr. Lisa Lezzoni, and was published in this past month’s Health Affairs. She and her team compiled data pulled from 1,891 doctors who were surveyed and had some startling discoveries.

They discovered that approximately one-third of all physicians did not agree with fully disclosing serious medical mistakes to patients because of fear of having a medical malpractice lawsuit filed against them. Also, 40 percent of the physicians surveyed did not feel they needed to disclose their relationships and financial backing that comes from drug and medical device manufacturers.

Just over 10 percent of the doctors admitted to telling a patient something that wasn’t necessarily true in the past year.

The research team concluded that the findings raise concerns that patients may not be getting accurate information from their doctors in order to make an unbiased, educated decision on their healthcare.

The Washington, DC medical malpractice attorneys with ChasenBoscolo Injury Lawyers believe that doctors should be completely honest with their patients. If you have been injured as a result of a doctor’s dishonesty, contact an experienced attorney today.

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7
Feb

Family Of Five In Critical Condition From Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

February 7, 2012

A faulty furnace caused one family of five to be hospitalized early Tuesday morning in Fort Washington, Maryland. According to reports from MY FOX DC, the family is listed in critical condition after suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning in their home.

Doctors were already treating one of the children that morning at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, for what at that time was an unknown condition. They discovered high levels of carbon monoxide in the child’s blood and immediately called for police and rescue units to do a welfare check at the home.

There, police found the other four members of the family unconscious. Helicopters were able to transport the victims to a Baltimore Hospital where they remain under doctor’s care.

Furnaces can easily cause a home to fill with the poisonous gas when combustion gases–or the leftover waste gas from heating your home–does not get properly ventilated out of your home.

To reduce the chances of this happening, make sure flues and chimneys are not blocked, and check for rust and cracks. Soot could also be a sign of combustion leakage.

If a faulty product of some kind has injured you, or a loved one, the Maryland defective product lawyers with ChasenBoscolo Injury Lawyers are here to help you get what you need in order to get back on your feet again. Contact an experienced attorney today.

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19
Jan

Drunk Driver Hits And Kills Boy In Alexandria; Injures Mother

January 17, 2012

The man responsible for hitting and killing an 8-year-old boy in Alexandria, Virginia, Sunday afternoon, as well as severely injuring the boy’s mother, was due in court today to face charges of DUI Manslaughter and other crimes. Reports from ABC 7 News say the accident took place as the woman and boy walked westbound along Duke Street.

The Alexandria Police Department reported that the 22-year-old driver had a blood alcohol level of 0.15%, nearly double the legal limit, when he veered his 1994 Honda Accord of the right side of the road, just before the I-395 overpass. It was there that he struck the young boy and his mother. The child was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, while his mother suffered broken legs and a fractured pelvis. She was taken to INOVA Fairfax Hospital, where she was last listed in stable condition.

The driver remained at the scene of the crash and was arrested after failing field sobriety tests.

A judge ruled this morning that the driver would be held without bond until a trial can begin February 13. He will then face not only the DUI manslaughter charge, but also charges of DUI maiming, reckless driving and driving without a license following an investigation.

The Washington, D.C. Wrongful Death Attorneys with ChasenBoscolo Injury Lawyers understand the difficulties families face after losing a loved one to an untimely accident caused by another person’s negligence. We’re here to help.

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10
Jan

Swiss Drug Maker, Novartis, In The Midst Of Dangerous Dilemmas

January 10, 2012

In the past two months, the Swiss drug maker, Novartis, has been plagued with problems ranging from deadly side effects of new drugs to dangerous mix-ups in the manufacturing and packaging of medications.

The reports began in December of 2011 when a 59-year-old multiple sclerosis patient dropped dead after taking his first dose of a trial medication, Gilenya. An article by Reuters said that the patient was monitored for six hours after taking the medication with no incident. The drug company stated that the drug is known to slow the heartbeat, but returns to normal after several hours. The investigation into determining the cause of death in the patient is still ongoing.

Just as the media attention surrounding the patient’s death began to die off, the company was broadsided by another harmful mistake, this time in the manufacturing of old drugs. 9 News Now reported yesterday that the company had recalled certain drugs in response to a mix-up at a Lincoln, Nebraska, manufacturing facility that may have accidentally packaged prescription painkillers into bottles of several over-the-counter medications. Officials believe that opioid painkillers, such as Percocet, Endocet, Opana and Zydone may have accidentally been packaged in bottles of Excedrin, Gas-X, Bufferin and NoDoz.

The Maryland drug injury lawyers with ChasenBoscolo would like to pass on the advice given by the drug’s manufacturer to confirm that all medications recently purchased are correctly packaged by comparing the pills in the bottle to the picture on the outside label.

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3
Jan

Two Killed, Three Injured In Alcohol Related Maryland Crash

January 3, 2012

Alcohol is being blamed for an accident in Bethesda, Maryland, that took the lives of two young people and injured three others on New Years Day. According to WUSA 9 News, the car crash happened at around 3:00 AM Sunday along the westbound lanes of Jones Bridge Road.

Neighbors said they thought it was an explosion or a roof collapse that they heard when the driver of the 2007 White Chevy Trailblazer, driven by a 22-year-old man, left the road and went over a sidewalk and down an embankment. The SUV crashed through a fence before hitting a large tree head-on. A 20-year-old male in the front passenger seat was instantly killed in the crash, along with an 18-year-old girl who was in the rear passenger seat.

Two other passengers in the vehicle suffered non-life threatening injuries and were taken to nearby Suburban Hospital for treatment. The driver of the vehicle was critically injured in the crash and was airlifted to Shock Trauma in Baltimore to receive treatment. Charges are pending against the driver once he is released.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), motor vehicle accidents are the single leading cause of death for American teenagers. Of those accidents, they say that 60 percent were alcohol related.

The Maryland auto accident attorneys with ChasenBoscolo Injury Lawyers would like to urge parents to talk to their teens about the dangers of not only driving drunk, but also riding in a car with someone who has been drinking.

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