- IB Contributor | January 31, 2007 11:33 AM |
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Defective & Dangerous Products11,000 Food-borne Illnesses Associated With Schools Some school districts and governments are not inspecting school cafeterias frequently enough or are using out-of-date food safety standards, according to a report by the Center for Science in the Public Interest released Tuesday. According to this report, conditions in America's school cafeterias could trigger potentially disastrous outbreaks...
- IB Contributor | January 31, 2007 12:26 AM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsIt's never pretty.The Orange County Health Care Agency constantly investigates the source of food-borne illnesses. They receive hundreds of reports every year of suspicious foods sold and served in Orange County.This is how agency officials work. First, they identify the foods responsible for the reported illness. Then, they collect accurate and complete information from the victims. They also...
- IB Contributor | January 30, 2007 8:18 PM |
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Mass Transit (Airline, Cruise Ship, Train, Bus)The Federal Railroad Administration on Friday issued a safety advisory to railroad industry owners and operators urging them to ensure that specialized maintenance equipment is only operated by fully qualified individuals and is properly inspected.Last week's warning came in response to a deadly derailment in November 2006 involving a rail grinder train, according to a press release posted on...
- IB Contributor | January 30, 2007 7:41 PM |
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Automobile AccidentsA Teen Driver Safety ProgramInexperienced teen drivers are at a heightened risk of having an accident. One day after receiving his driver's license, a 16-year-old Lodi boy rolled his Ford Explorer when he lost control, while speeding, and crossed over the double yellow line. Officer Steve Bailey of the Tracy Police department indicated that the fact that the teen was not only an inexperienced...
- IB Contributor | January 30, 2007 11:04 AM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsIt's never pretty. And often it comes without warning, like an unwelcome guest who elbows his way to your dinner table.When it's all done, you feel miserable. Abdominal cramping, diarrhea, vomiting, fever, headache, severe exhaustion - these are but some of the horrible symptoms of food poisoning whose very mention is enough to make you shudder. For me personally, I discovered what it was like...
- IB Contributor | January 29, 2007 7:45 PM |
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Automobile AccidentsHow can we prevent the carnage?Car accidents are the number one killer of teenagers in the United States. Promising and precious lives can be lost, or forever changed, when our teenagers take the wheel. Speeding while distracted seems to be more common among teenage drivers, and this behavior often results in permanent disfigurement, or even worse, a fatal car crash. Consider the case of...
- IB Contributor | January 28, 2007 6:36 PM |
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Automobile AccidentsThe parents of a 15-year-old girl, who was killed while riding an all-terrain vehicle on a Florida ranch, are suing the ranching family with a claim of wrongful death, according to a news report in the Orlando Sentinel.Taylor Rae Bronson, also 15, was driving the ATV on the ranch on Nov. 29 when she lost control of the vehicle and her passenger, Analisa DelSonno, was thrown off the vehicle....
- IB Contributor | January 27, 2007 12:05 AM |
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Automobile AccidentsAn 88-year-old man was struck and killed by a vehicle as he crossed South Harbor Boulevard in Anaheim Wednesday night, according to a news report in the Orange County Register. The driver of a dark-blue Toyota Prius, who reportedly hit the elderly man failed to stop, police officials said. The victim, Du Whang Kim of Santa Ana, was taken to UCI Medical Center in Orange and was pronounced dead,...
- IB Contributor | January 26, 2007 9:40 PM |
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Automobile AccidentsThe Center for Auto Safety, a nonprofit group, has filed a petition with the National Highway Traffic Safety Association, asking the government agency to restrict the use of interactive systems carmakers are building into vehicles so motorists can't make phone calls and check e-mails while driving, according to a Bloomberg Business News report. The petition, which can be viewed on the group's...
- IB Contributor | January 25, 2007 1:18 AM |
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Mass Transit (Airline, Cruise Ship, Train, Bus)The Transportation Security Administration for the first time, will start a nationwide tracking system to determine how long rail cars filled with toxic chemicals are stopped on tracks or sit in unsecured storage yards in urban areas, according to an article in USA Today by Thomas Frank. TSA officials say unguarded rail cars filled with toxic chemicals such as chlorine in cities are the single...
- IB Contributor | January 24, 2007 1:03 AM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsFood safety advocates and scientists are now saying that packaging greens might contribute to the spread of a lethal strain of E.Coli bacteria, according to an article published last week in the Los Angeles Times.Several recent outbreaks of food-borne illnesses were traced to bagged spinach or lettuce from California. The article quotes Dr. David W.K. Acheson, chief medical officer at the U.S....
- IB Contributor | January 23, 2007 12:41 AM |
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Automobile AccidentsAn Indiana jury on Tuesday ruled that Ford Motor Co. wasn't responsible for the death of a youth pastor in the 2001 rollover of an Explorer sport utility vehicle, according to a Bloomberg Business News report and the Detroit News.Richard Bourke, 20, died in a horrific accident when he drifted off the road and lost control when attempting to steer back onto the highway, according to the report....
- IB Contributor | January 22, 2007 9:50 PM |
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Defective & Dangerous Products$300,000 Civil Penalty Paid. Nexgrill Industries Inc., based in the City of Industry, has agreed to pay a $300,000 civil penalty to settle allegations that the company failed to report a hazard with its gas grills, according to a Consumer Product Safety Commission report last week. CPSC alleged that the firm failed to report a defect with Nexgrill Gas Grill Model 720-0025 in a timely manner,...
- IB Contributor | January 21, 2007 7:18 PM |
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Property Owner's Liability (Slip & Fall)A 9-year-old boy is in hospital and in need of plastic surgery after being attacked by three of his neighbor's Rottweilers, that chased him into his home, according to a BBC News report. The dogs, a neighbor's pets, were supposed to be secured in the neighbor's kitchen, but somehow escaped from the house and attacked the boy. The child, who suffered more than a dozen bite wounds to his face,...
- IB Contributor | January 20, 2007 2:48 PM |
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Automobile AccidentsRecall Ordered By NHTSAOn Wednesday, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ordered the recall of 81,000 2004 and 2005 model year Honda Accords because of a potentially unsafe driver's side airbag seat positioning sensor. On Thursday, Toyota Motor Corp. said it was recalling 533,000 Tundra pickup trucks and Sequoia sport utility vehicles because of potential steering problems....
- IB Contributor | January 19, 2007 12:18 AM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsConsumer Reports magazine is now saying that the study it released earlier this month stating that most infant car seats failed when tested in high-speed vehicle crashes, is actually flawed.The magazine posted the retraction on its Web site, www.consumerreports.com, after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration officials pointed out that the side-impact tests were actually conducted...
- IB Contributor | January 18, 2007 1:13 AM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsEmail inquiry I received regarding an adultrated food product, followed by my answer:I found piece of flesh with hair in my prego spaghetti sauce. I'm working with the company but what type of lawyer would be used for that?My Answer:Unless you have suffered injury, in my opinion you are wasting your time if you are seeking to recover money. Campbell Soup Company is not likely to provide much in...
- IB Contributor | January 18, 2007 12:51 AM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsThis is an email inquiry that I received about food poisoning followed by my answer:In the late evening of 10/18/06 my son Nicholas ate a hamburger at a Carl's Jr. in Orange County, California and within a few hours he became ill with severe abdominal cramps,vomiting, diarrhea, nausea and fever throughout the night. In the morning we took him to his Doctor who after a short examination asked...
- IB Contributor | January 18, 2007 12:17 AM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsAre you carrying a bomb around with you?On Saturday night, Luis Picaso, a 59-year-old man from Vallejo, Calif. Was in critical condition at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento after a cell phone caught fire in his pants, according to a report in consumeraffairs.com.The phone ignited Picaso's clothes as he was sleeping in a hotel room and he reportedly suffered burns on 50 percent of his body....
- IB Contributor | January 17, 2007 12:05 AM |
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Mass Transit (Airline, Cruise Ship, Train, Bus)An 80-car freight train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed in Kentucky Tuesday and caught on fire. The incident sickened 11 people, who inhaled the toxic fumes, according to several news reports. Among the chemicals carried by the derailed cars was butadiene, a potential carcinogen used to produce synthetic rubber, chlorine residue and methyl ethyl ketone, an industrial solvent that can...
- IB Contributor | January 16, 2007 8:51 PM |
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Tractor-Trailer AccidentsLast week, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration proposed a rule that truck and bus companies with a history of hours-of-service violations may be required to install electronic on-board recorders for at least two years.Such a violation essentially means that these trucking companies have been caught working their drivers beyond the maximum number of hours, putting the rest of us in...
- IB Contributor | January 15, 2007 8:21 PM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsThe Western Growers Association, an Irvine-based trade group that represents California and Arizona farmers, is pushing state regulators to enforce mandatory food safety guidelines for green, leafy produce, according to an article written by Nancy Luna for The Orange County Register last week.This proposal comes in the wake of bad publicity for these farmers after a series of E.coli outbreaks...
- IB Contributor | January 14, 2007 9:10 PM |
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MiscellaneousBisnar|Chase partner sworn in as President.Last night, at a gala event in Newport Beach, attended by hundreds, including many Orange County judges, political figures and some of the most prominent personal injury attorneys in California, Brian Chase, took the oath of office as President of the Orange County Trial Lawyers Association. In 2004, Brian was named the "Trial Lawyer of the Year" by...
- IB Contributor | January 13, 2007 8:10 PM |
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Automobile AccidentsAll Terrain Vehicles are not for kids, periodA two year old boy died this week as a result of crash while riding on an ATV. That model of ATV, reportedly, was meant for kids between the ages of 6 and 12. According to an ABC7 news report, the vehicle flipped and landed on top of the toddler as he was playing with it in his front yard. The boy's mother apparently had to use a remote control...
- IB Contributor | January 12, 2007 10:04 AM |
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Automobile AccidentsStereo Systems Are Standard Features, Why Aren't Safety Features Standard? An interesting article by Ken Thomas of the Associated Press talks about the different things automakers are trying to make vehicles safer for drivers, passengers and pedestrians. According to a telephone poll cited in the article: Safety remains a competitive issue for manufacturers and a major selling point at...
- IB Contributor | January 11, 2007 10:44 PM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsElderly people, especially those over 80, who take the blood-thinning medicine warfarin to prevent heart attacks or strokes, may be at a greater risk for serious brain hemorrhage, according to a new study released this week in the Journal of Neurology.According to a Jan. 9 article written by Jamie Talan in Newsday, scientists at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine found that use of...
- IB Contributor | January 10, 2007 1:17 AM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsApparently, the Food and Drug Administration is getting very picky about the drugs it approves after the Vioxx debacle. As it should be. The nations health depends upon their expertise. According to a news report by George E. Jordan for Newhouse News Service, FDA has approved only 17 new drugs last year, which is a new low since the peak of 53 approvals a decade ago."That compares with 36...
- IB Contributor | January 09, 2007 8:31 PM |
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Automobile AccidentsHow about a real crash worthiness rating system?The U.S. Department of Transportation will be beefing up its requirements for the "five-star" safety rating (highest government rating), much coveted by automakers, according to an announcement made Monday by U. S. Secretary of Transportation, Mary Peters at the International Auto Show in Detroit.The department's proposals are outlined in the New...
- IB Contributor | January 08, 2007 12:29 AM |
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Automobile AccidentsThe Detroit Free Press on Sunday concluded that most of the big auto makers "slashed the number of cars and trucks recalled in the United States in 2006 by 38 percent, as General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. made good on pledges to reduce safety-related defects in their vehicles."The newspaper's analysis of federal data shows, according to the article, that auto manufacturers have gotten...
- IB Contributor | January 07, 2007 10:58 PM |
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Property Owner's Liability (Slip & Fall)Pit-Bull Terriers and Rottweilers should be treated like a loaded gun.On New Year's Day, a 5- year-old Ellie Lawrenson was mauled to death by her uncle's Pit-Bull Terrier while staying with her grandmother.Tragic and frightening as this death was, what's scarier is that the girl's uncle was warned by authorities about his dog's dangerous behavior six months earlier. Had he heeded that warning, a...
- IB Contributor | January 06, 2007 6:56 PM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsCheck How Your Child's Seat PerformedCar seats are safe little cocoons for your little ones where they will be snug and safe as you cruise down freeways and city streets - right?WRONG, say the experts at Consumer Reports magazine, who tested 12 infant seats, including many of the most popular and fast-selling name brands. They found the car seats we count on to protect our babies "failed...
- IB Contributor | January 05, 2007 10:56 PM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsAlzheimer's drugs may cause heart valve damage.Aging is a tough process and diseases such as Alzheimer's make that process even more challenging for millions of Americans, both sufferers and care givers.Two drugs used to treat Parkinson's disease may cause similar problems as the withdrawn fen-phen diet drugs, leading to heart valve damage in about one in four patients, according to two studies...
- IB Contributor | January 04, 2007 7:51 PM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsWrongful Death Lawsuits Filed - Recall DemandedJarden Corp's Coleman Co. unit, that manufactures outdoor recreation equipment, has been named in two lawsuits, which claim that the company's propane heaters were responsible for five deaths in Washington state, according to a Bloomberg News report. Victims' families say in the lawsuits that two people died while using the heater in a camper and...
- IB Contributor | January 03, 2007 9:30 AM |
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Automobile AccidentsIs It Safe To Cross The Street?Pedestrian dies after being hit by a car on Beach Blvd. in Midway City. Man, 25, hit by delivery truck, killed in Newport Beach. Grandfather dies and grandson hospitalized after being hit while crossing the street in Santa Ana. In Stanton, two pedestrians were killed by a hit-and-run driver suspected of driving while intoxicated. These stories were reported in the...
- IB Contributor | January 02, 2007 7:46 PM |
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Automobile AccidentsDid his seat belt fail him when he needed it most?Was the victim of a fatal auto accident, who was ejected from the vehicle he was riding in, wearing his seat belt at the time of the accident? Or was he another victim of a defectively designed seat belt that failed when he needed it most? Only an investigation by a team of experts before the evidence is contaminated will be able to tell. A...
- IB Contributor | January 01, 2007 6:28 PM |
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MiscellaneousExpert offers three key steps to achieving goals While doing research on defective drugs, I came across a very informative health website, Healthday. Being that this is New Year's day and I have my own New Year's resolutions, I took great interest in an article about keeping New Year's resolutions. I have posted it here in the hopes that it will be of some benefit to you.Keeping a New Year's...
- IB Contributor | January 01, 2007 6:04 PM |
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MiscellaneousPreviously undisclosed drug side effectsPeople who take powerful antacid drugs, also known as proton pump inhibitors, face an increased risk of hip fractures, according to a report released by University of Pennsylvania researchers according to Steven Reinberg, a writer for the website HealthDay.The study shows that common proton pump inhibitors that include drugs such as Aciphex, Nexium,...