Alarming Number of Head Injury Cases from Bumbo Baby Seats in Infants

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is urging parents to never leave infants unattended in a Bumbo baby seat. Placing the same in uncertain places like countertops and other raised surfaces may also cause accidents to infants.

Statistics shows that infants aged from 3 to 10 months old have fallen out of the Bumbo baby seat and suffered serious head injuries.

Bumbo baby seats are created to help infants to sit in an upright position as soon as they can b support their head. However, a 3-month-old infant can easily fall or escape from the said baby seat through leaning backward, sideways and worst - when the baby gets excited or upset and rocked the seat.

Despite the product recall and safety precautions done by the CPSC and Bumbo International Trust of South Africa, the numbers of head injuries arising from Bumbo seat falls significantly increased to 14 from 46.

The CPSC and the Bumbo International Trust of South Africa after being alarmed by the growing number of head injures caused by the Bumbo baby seat, is encouraging parents to follow strict product warnings for the safety of their children.

Since 2003, about 3.85 million Bumbo seats have been sold in US. Therefore, the CPSC had seen a huge possibility of receiving more reports of head injury incidents resulting from Bumbo baby seat fall.

If an infant suffered from an unpleasant accident caused by the negligence of other people or more particularly failed to comply with the proper safety standards, parents have the right to demand and file for a personal injury claim. However, it is still best to take safety precautions than seeing children get hurt.

NY Assembly Speaker Hospitalized After a Bike Accident

Assembly State Speaker, Sheldon Silver has been hospitalized after his bike accident which occurred in San Juan last November 10.

In an interview, the speaker stated that he was in Puerto Rico to meet with other lawmakers at the annual political conference – Somos El Futuro, meaning we are the future, when the accident happened. On his excitement upon arriving at the event venue, he rented a bike and went riding alone along the rough path by sea side which is several miles away. As he was about to get back, he passed through an open hole on the ground which caused him to be thrown on the ground. 

He was found seriously injured and bleeding by a Puerto Rican couple walking nearby. The couple brought him to Ashford Presbyterian Community Hospital in Candado, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Speaker Silver sustained a dozen of stitches above his right eye and a couple on his knee.  Bruises and scabs are all over his face. His hands are also scraped.

Sheldon Silver is an American lawyer from New York. A democrat, he was officially appointed as New York State Assembly Speaker since 1994. He plays golf and bikes occasionally with his family.

Several days after the accident, knowing that he was feeling well enough, he flew back to Washington with the New York congressional delegation but days after, the cut on his knees became infected and he was hospitalized again in Stamford Hospital in Connecticut where he will undergo a surgery to be performed by his nephew Dr. Marc D. Silver, a surgeon in the field of orthopedic and sports medicine.

According to the speaker’s representative, Mr. Silver is working in his hospital room and is expecting to be back in the office soon.

Apparently, due to the said bike accident, Speaker Silver might probably lose his biking career. Though the speaker is not complaining of pain, the personal injuries he had sustained are obviously serious.

Wrongful Death Claims Against a Mining Company in West Virginia Finally Settled

Way back in January 2, 2006, the Sago Mine in Upshur County, West Virginia experienced an unforgettable disaster when the mining site exploded and collapsed, leaving 13 miners dead and only one survivor.

It was the worst mining explosion in the United States since the 2001 mining company disaster in Alabama and the 1968 mining explosion in West Virginia. The explosion received worldwide news coverage then.

According to investigations, miners were killed after a powerful explosion of a methane gas that ripped through the underground mine. Of the 13 miner trapped in the explosion, only one had survived.

The families of the miners killed in the said mining explosion filed a wrongful death claim in 2006 and finally, their lawsuits have been already settled now. However, terms of the settlements were undisclosed according to reports.

The coal mine was formerly operated by Wolf Run Mining Company and owned by International Coal Group. The mine was sold to St. Louis – based Arch Coal early this year.

Well, at least surviving families of the decedents have got their late family member’s due compensation and claims. In some cases, it took longer than expected and worst is that they haven’t receive any of their claims.

Hopefully, with the new owner of the coal mine, such accidents will be avoided. Said site explosion can be classified as a premises liability. In such event, people who sustained injuries from the accident may file a personal injury claim and worst, premises owner may also possibly face such wrongful death lawsuit. 

Woman Who Underwent Mastectomies Received $198,000 for Medical Malpractice

Mastectomy is the medical term for removal of one or both breast though a surgical operation. Removal could either be partially or completely. It is usually done to treat breast cancer. Cancer cells are being removed from the breast in this procedure.

Generally, mastectomy is advisable for patients with cancer or with a high risk of cancer only. And this had led a woman from California to file for a medical malpractice lawsuit against a Los Angeles county hospital.

Ana Jimenez – Salgado filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against a hospital in Los Angeles where she had her mastectomy after she found out that she never had a breast cancer.

Jimenez – Salgado underwent a mastectomy on 2007 after she learned from an outside pathologist that the cells obtained from her biopsy were cancerous. She only found out that she never had breast cancer when she later underwent a reconstructive surgery after the hospital’s pathologists concluded that she never had such illness. 

In the lawsuit, Jimenez Salgado claimed that the hospital has been negligent in relying on the outside pathologists and that her reconstruction was carelessly performed. The county hospital admitted that they failed to review her biopsy specimen before heading on her mastectomy.

The said medical malpractice lawsuit had awarded her a $198,000. That’s a somewhat good consolation for losing her breast. She may now have her prefect reconstructive surgery now using her medical malpractice compensation.

Hopefully, the county hospital learned their lesson from this personal injury case to prevent such mistakes from happening again.

Garbage Truck Driver Trapped in a Truck Accident in a Landfill

A garbage truck driver was trapped in a dump truck after a second dump truck unloaded its trailer causing it to fall over.

Thirty one– year old Charlie Martinez of Birdsboro, Pennsylvania was unloading the garbage he collected at the Pioneer Crossing Landfill in the 700 block of Red Lane Road early morning of November 14, 2011.

The truck accident occurred when another dump truck also unloading garbage next to the first truck accidentally shifted its trailer causing it to fall atop of Martinez truck. According to police, the weight of the trailer smashed the first truck causing Martinez to get trapped. It took almost a couple of hours before the rescuers were able to free Martinez from the crushed truck.

During the difficulty of pulling him out of the truck, Martinez was fully conscious. He was immediately sent to Reading Hospital and Medical Center through a helicopter after he was pulled out.

It seems hard to determine who is at fault in this accident. It is either Martinez or the other truck driver missed to take proper precautions or signals and committed negligence or could also be a pure accident. However, engine or truck malfunction could also be another angle into this incident.

Trucks are huge and under the laws of physics, trucks will tend to gain force of movement or the so called “momentum” much more than any other vehicle. Over speeding is the most common cause of truck accidents, but definitely not for this incident. Probably, there’s either a manual or a technical malfunction involved here that’s why its trailer fell down.

In rare cases like this, you can consult a personal injury lawyer to further understand every detail concerning the accident.

2 Motorcycle Accidents Occur During Fund Raising Motorcade

A motorcade that was organized to raise funds and support autism research in Los Angeles was unfortunately marred by two motorcycle accidents in the area.

Before, motorcades are conducted as a form of protest action but now, they are being used for publicity, for launching and introduction of businesses, products, and even people, particularly politicians. It could also be done for the purpose of raising funds to support charity institutions. It is usually done in busy streets at a very low speed rate of course.

It was supposedly a successful fund raising motorcade but all turned into a tragic incident when two consecutive motorcycle accidents occur right at the place where motorcade is being conducted.

The first accident occurred at around 10:24 in the morning at the Golden State Freeway near San Fernando Valley, involving two motorcycles and few cars. The second accident occurred at around 11:12 in the late morning. Another motorcycle crashed into a truck. Both the driver and the passenger of the motorcycle died on the spot.

According to reports, the victims were not yet identified and investigation is still being conducted. Authorities were still unsure if the individuals involved in those motorcycle accidents were part of the motorcade.

Who would ever expect that a motorcade for a good cause will result in the death of two individuals? The first accident definitely contributed to the second accident since it caused a heavy traffic and eventually after the second accident, three northbound lanes were closed for several hours.

The lesson learned here is that before conducting a motorcade, the safety of the participants and the inconvenience that it might bring to others should also be taken into consideration first before getting into the action.

Anti – Depressant Drug During Pregnancy May Cause Birth Injury

It is common for mothers to experience pre – natal or post natal depression, that’s why they seek treatment and use anti-depressant drug to relieve them of their depressions. Far from their knowledge is that anti – depressant drugs could cause birth injury when taken during pregnancy.

The use of anti – depressant drug like Paxil and Zoloft may increase the risk of birth defects and other birth injuries when taken by a mother during pregnancy. Paxil and Zoloft are part of a type of anti – depressants identified as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which have been connected into several studies to an increased risk of defects and birth injuries.

Researches conducted found out that the use of Paxil during pregnancy can increase the risk of heart defects to baby, like atrial septal defects (ASD), ventral septal defects (VSD), persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN) and other birth defects. While the use of Zoloft can increase the risk of septal defects, ventricular outflow tract defects, PPHN, hypoplastic left syndrome (HLHS) and other types of birth defects.

Hundreds of mother whose children were born with birth defects and birth injuries caused by Zoloft, Paxil and other anti-depressant drugs during pregnancy have already filed lawsuits against the manufacturers of these drugs.

Despite warnings and clear traces of defects and birth injuries caused by anti – depressant drugs, still there is no product recall released by the FDA as of present.

Mothers should take proper precautions before taking any drug during pregnancy. They should be responsible enough for their parenthood. They should not rely too much on FDA and other related agencies for notices since most of the time, they are the last one to be informed when something irregular occurs. Mother should be more vigilant in such matters.

2 Gisborne Boy Found Dead Resulting from Drowning Accident

Two bodies of little boys were found floating by the teenager girl at the Taruheru river. It was the body of the 2 – year old boy and 3 - year old boy. As a prompt response to what she had seen, the girl run and yells to ask for help from the people nearby the area.

According to the mother of the 2 – year old boy, the two boys were cousins. She realized that the two boys were missing 15 minutes later, therefore, she started searching for them. But it was too late. The mother was surprised when her extended family gathered in their house to bring her the bad news as well as to support her.  The bad news is that the two boys were found face – down in the river.

Investigation revealed that at around 1 o’clock in the afternoon, the two boys went out their house, played at the reserve on Atkinson St. in Gisborne and then climbed down the bank to the Taruheru river.

When the rescuers found the body of the two boys, they first thought that the 3 – year old boy was already dead, but soon they realized that it was just unconscious, so, they performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to the boy.

Both boys were brought to the hospital in Auckland and doctors tried to survive the 2 – year old boy, unfortunately all their efforts was to no avail. The younger boy is already dead while the 3 – year old one is still in the intensive care and was expected to recover soon.

The mother of the 2 – year old boy is in deep sorrow and the father of the 3 – year old boy still remains in her son’s side while waiting for the boy to recover from the drowning accident.

It’s really a tragic accident involving the two poor boys. It’s absolutely a traumatic experience for the 3 – year old boy who survived from that drowning accident.

This year, 103 deaths resulting from drowning has been recorded for the whole. The local council is held liable for most drowning accidents. The family claims that if only a fence had been set up in proper place at the edge of the reserve to avoid children climbing down the river and to stop the increasing numbers of drowning accidents in the area. It was still last year when the Atkinson St. neighborhood has requested the local council to place a fence along the river side by the reserve but nothing happened.

Now, the Water Safety New Zealand is planning a new safety campaign aiming Pacific Islanders after the consecutive drowning accidents for the past two years.

Las Vegas Fatal Auto – Pedestrian Accident – The Pedestrian’s Fault

Despite the increasing number of pedestrian accidents, pedestrians still don’t mind the danger of crossing or walking down the street unmindfully. It seems that pedestrians aren’t aware that they too should have to observe traffic rules and road regulations.

Another fatal pedestrian accident occurred at La Vegas Boulevard and Cheyenne Avenue leaving one dead and one injured.

According to police, a couple walking across the street were not in a crosswalk when a car hit the female pedestrian and died right at the accident scene. The female is apparently about _ years old.

Investigations showed that Betty Parker, 69 years old can only be partly blamed since other pedestrians who witnessed the accident stated that the two were not in a crosswalk while crossing the street.

Hopefully, may this serve as a warning to others and a lesson as well. Whether you are a driver of a vehicle or a pedestrian, traffic rules and road regulations must be observed. No harm can be done to anyone if only people would obey rules and regulations.

Though, it may not be the car driver’s fault in this particular pedestrian accident, it’s still a horrible experience to hit and kill somebody. Whether it’s her fault or not, the driver may possibly feel guilty about the woman’s fate. Seeing how the woman died might bring nightmares to the driver’s life.

Currently, Metro staff members are already working with other government agencies and private institutions to finalize a plan on how to educate the public about pedestrian accidents to avoid the rash of the same.