Product Liability Lawsuit & News Blog

Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed by Parents of Son Who Died from Taser Gun

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 07:46:55 -0500

The parents of a 19-year-old man who died after police shocked him with a Taser stun gun have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the town of Gilbert, Arizona. (see: http://www.abc15.com /news/local/story.aspx? content_id=7253ff76-1b6e-44fc-88ae-106e7c71bd8d) The parents say that the Gilbert police department was negligent when they used the taser gun on their son who died 11 hours later.

Police say that the 19 year old hit a woman in the chest and stole her keys before he was found nearby. The police asked the man to stop but he continued walking toward them and did not heed their commands. At that point, an officer tased the man, knocking him to the ground then fired the stun gun three more times within 30 seconds because the man would not stay on the ground. By the fourth shock, the man was unresponsive, coughing up green phlegm, moaning, and unable to speak.

According to an autopsy the man died from excited delirium and had meth in his system.

Botulism May Lead to Paralysis

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 09:44:22 -0500

According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), four people, two in Texas and two in Indiana, were stricken with botulism, a severe form of food poisoning. The four people all consumed Castleberry's brand Hot Dog Chili Sauce Original. Botulinum toxin was identified in leftover chili sauce collected from a patient's refrigerator.

Symptoms of botulism include double vision, blurred vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth, and muscle weakness. If untreated, the illness may progress from head to toe, with paralysis of the face, arms, breathing muscles, trunk, and legs. Paralysis of the breathing muscles can lead to death without medical care.

Lately, botulism appears to be at the top of the food chain. Have you or a family member suffered paralysis from the ravages of botulism? This is cause for serious concern. Contact the Pennsylvania law firm of Anapol Schwartz to see how we can help you with a class action or individual lawsuit.

http://www.herald-review.com/articles/2007/07/22/news/local_news/1025130.txt

High Blood Pressure Drugs in Clinical Trials Cause Paralysis

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 09:38:58 -0500

Leave it to big pharma to create two drugs that they say work together to lower high blood pressure; as if one prescription isn't already costly enough. The combination of aliskiren and valsartan at maximum recommended doses provides significantly greater reductions in blood pressure than does mono-therapy with either agent alone in patients with high blood pressure and the tolerability profile of the combined treatment is similar to the two-single agent treatments.

The findings are reported in an article in The Lancet. However an accompanying comment warns that the potentially life-threatening side effect of high blood potassium makes the treatment unlikely to make it to general practice or even primary prevention in specialist care. The University of Birmingham, Alabama study had 1,797 patients with hypertension, who were divided into four groups. The first group received once-daily aliskiren 150mg, the second once daily valsartan 160mg, the third a combination of aliskiren 150mg and valsartan 160mg once daily, and the fourth a placebo. The treatment was given for four weeks, followed by four weeks of double doses in each of the four groups, which represented the maximum recommended dose.

A total of 196 patients, spread across the four groups, discontinued treatment before the end of the trial, with lack of therapeutic effect being the most common reason for discontinuation for placebo-treated patients and the least common for combination-treated patients. The researchers found that the group receiving the maximum doses of aliskiren and valsartan combined experienced a mean drop in their sitting diastolic blood pressure but that it could also cause severe complications such as paralysis, arrhythmias, and cardiac arrest.

Because of potential life-threatening side effects, which require biochemical monitoring, this concept of treatment is unlikely to make to general practice or even to primary prevention in specialist care.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070722204216.htm

Pfizer Drug Causes Paralysis in Clinical Trials

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 09:36:08 -0500

Two separate lawsuits filed in Nigeria claim that Pfizer administered a test antibiotic called Trovan without authorization or parental consent at a field hospital during an outbreak of meningitis, measles, and cholera. Of the 211 affected, 11 died while 181 suffered from deafness, paralysis, brain damage, and blindness.

Pfizer denies the charges and said they received the go ahead from Nigerian authorities prior to administering the drug in 1996. This is the second time a lawsuit has been filed. The first was withdrawn. The paralysis lawsuits claim $7 billion.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/070720/world/nigeria_us_health_pfizer_16

Faulty equipment at work killed a family member? Do you need a PA law firm?

Fri, 27 Jul 2007 14:48:12 -0500

Has poorly maintained equipment hurt you or a loved one? A workplace should be safe from injury. Too often companies cut corners and then employers suffer or die. If the company didn't care enough to fix the equipment, they don't care enough to protect you. What can you do? Contact a PA lawyer to find out what your legal options are. We can help. Start with a free legal consultation or call Anapol Schwartz toll-free at 1-866-735-2792.

Keep Your Home Safe from Mattress Fires

Fri, 22 Jun 2007 13:53:48 -0500

Bedrooms are the second most common place for a home fire; the kitchen is first. Mattresses and bedding cause almost 21,000 fires annually.

It might not be a coincidence that the fatal fire earlier this week in Charlestown, S.C. occurred at a furniture warehouse. Furniture, especially beds, is a serious fire hazard.

Last week the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) announced a new federal mattress standard in an effort to make homes safer.

The change is designed to reduce the number of mattress fires from open-flame sources such as candles and lighters. The agency estimates the new rule could prevent as many as 270 deaths a year. About 360 people die each year from residential mattress fires.

The new performance standard, approved in February 2006, limits the amount of heat released in a mattress fire. A typical mattress will burn in a matter of minutes. The new mattresses burn slower and less intensely, which will give consumers more time to escape a fire.

Safer mattresses will be available after July 1, 2007. Look for the specific label that indicates that the bed meets the new standard.

Now that a standard has been mandated for mattresses, the CPSC will begin to address issues with other furniture in the home.

Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/06/21/earlyshow/contributors/susankoeppen/main2961550.shtml

Stricter Flammability Restraints May Have Environmental Dangers

Fri, 15 Jun 2007 13:55:00 -0500

Last week, the federal government approved a new stricter flammability standard for mattresses, but some environmentalists say they believe the changes may expose consumers to dangerous chemicals.

Mattress fires can be deadly. Every year as many as 360 people die in fires caused by burning mattresses and hundreds more are injured. Standards for smoldering cigarettes have been in place for 30 years, but this new change is designed to reduce the number of mattress fires caused by open-flame sources such as candles and lighters.

However, the government doesn't specify how mattress makers must design these new mattresses or what materials they must use to meet the standard. That could lead to a hidden danger for consumers.

They can use flame-resistant barriers or they can use chemicals, which are flame-retardant, and the cheapest way to go is with chemicals. These chemicals are not good chemicals. They can cause cancer. They can cause health defects.

The chemicals are polybrominated diphenylethers, or PBDEs. These chemicals don't break down and can accumulate in a consumer's body. Saving lives is important, but there are hundreds of thousands of cancer deaths a year and environmental causes have a role. We live in this chemical mixture. I don't think we should be constantly throwing chemicals at the problems we have in our world. Look at the safety of these chemicals a little more carefully before allowing them to be put on beds.

Stores can sell their existing supplies of mattresses that don't meet the standard until those supplies are gone.

SOURCE: http://www.wpxi.com/consumer/13539811/detail.html

Here are a few fire prevention tips

Wed, 9 May 2007 14:09:59 -0500

Don't overload outlets: By overloading circuits a fire hazard may be created.
Broken outlets: Replace any outlet or switch that has broken parts or cracks, feels warm to the touch, or has plugs hanging loose.
Power and extension cords: Examine power and extension cords for fraying or cracking. Replace taped-over cords, or those showing wear. Never run cords or extensions under carpets, rugs, or furniture, where damage might be hidden.
Power tools: Even if they are properly grounded, don't use power tools in wet or damp spots.
Don't smoke in bed or around furniture; couches and beds are extremely flammable.

Mattress fire almost deadly and beware of bed warmers

Wed, 9 May 2007 14:07:05 -0500

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), all mattresses are extremely flammable. A mattress can get engulfed in flames in as little as three minutes. To illustrate the point, the CPSC put mattresses to an open flame test. Within three minutes, the high flames proved how flammable typical mattresses can be.

A Washington couple is lucky as they woke up when their bed was producing toxic smoke. Within hours it was completely burned even though the husband doused it with a couple of gallons of water. There's no stopping a burning bed.

In this case the couple had a memory foam mattress. The memory foam mattresses may not catch fire any easier than other mattresses, but industry sources say that because the material is so much denser, they may be harder to put out once it starts burning.

The likely culprit is the beanbags. When heated they provide pain relief for aching bones and joints. By micro-waving the beanbag over and over, the beans decompose, eventually enough to start a small smoldering fire inside the bag.

Once the fire started, the mattress likely insulated the heat from the bean bag and together with the beans and the mattress, the heat is kept in with no way to cool, so it's generating more and more heat.

These bed warmers are now so popular that most bedding stores carry several varieties, filled with everything from rice to flax seed. But they all carry warnings to follow the package directions and not to overheat them. Maureen heated her beanbags for five minutes every night.

If you use any warming device in your bed -- a heating pad, electric blanket, even a simple bag of rice or beans, know how to use it safely. Bottom line, if you use any of these bed warmers, either store bought or hand-made, use them with caution and, at a minimum, make sure you don't overheat them.

One bit of good news, because mattresses are so flammable, beginning in July, there are going to be some new protections in place for consumers. All new mattresses will have to meet new flammability standards, giving people more time to get out of the house safely.

Mattress fire almost deadly and beware of bed warmers - http://www.komotv.com/news/local/7362976.html

Elderly Maryland couple perishes in house fire caused by new refrigerator

Tue, 8 May 2007 14:11:43 -0500

Fire investigators believe a new refrigerator, three days out of the carton, might have sparked a blaze that claimed the life of a Maryland couple who were married 60 years. They died early on May 8 at the back door of their century-old Kensington home. She was 84 and used a wheelchair and walker to get around the house; he was 88.

It is believed that the father got out of the house through the back door and perished trying to return and rescue his wife, who had backed her wheelchair against the sink and was battling the fire as best she could.

His body was found just outside the back door, beneath the collapsed porch. Her body was recovered just inside the door, near her wheelchair and walker. The cause of death for both victims was unclear; the results are pending an autopsy.

Elderly Maryland couple perishes in house fire caused by new refrigerator - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/07/AR2007050700201.html