Hartford Personal Injury Lawyer

Dick’s Sporting Goods Recalls Camp Stoves Due To Burn Hazard

Chrissie Cole — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 10:02:00 GMT

Dick’s Sporting Goods, in conjunction with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), announced a voluntary recall of “Field & Stream” Dual Burner Camp Stoves because the gas could produce higher than expected flames which pose a burn hazard to consumers.

Also, if rainwater is collected in the burners, it can prevent proper ignition allowing gas to build-up and ignite unexpectedly.

To date, the company has not received any reports of injury.

The agency advises consumers to stop using the recalled camp stoves and contact Dick’s Sporting Goods for a free repair kit.

Involved in the recall are “Field & Stream” dual burner camp stoves – style number (#CEH00475).

The items were sold nationwide at Dick’s Sporting Good stores and on the company’s Web site from January to October 2008.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Dick’s Sporting Goods toll-free at (888) 837-1380 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday; e-mail the firm at CampStove@rankam.com; or visit the firm’s Web site at www.dickssportinggoods.com

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Chrissie Cole

Connecticut Motorcycle Accident - Helmet Law Review

James Sabatini — Wed, 14 May 2008 12:12:55 GMT

A 43-year-old motorcyclist who collided with a truck Tuesday afternoon on Route 159 is recovering at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield. The collision occured at the Hickory Street intersection around 3:31 p.m. Tuesday in Suffield, Connecticut. The truck driver informed police that he stopped at the intersection anf thought that the road was clear. According to witnesses, the truck driver failed to obey the stop sign. The news reports have not dislcosed the nature and extent of the motorcyclist's injuries nor whether he was wearing a helmet. Connecticut does not have an universal helmet law for motorcycle riders. Helmets are only legally required under Connecticut law for riders 17 and younger. Here is a list of motorcycle helmet laws in each state.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by James Sabatini

Connecticut DMV Setting Safe Driving Program For Teens

James Sabatini — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 20:00:25 GMT

The Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles is setting up a safe driving program for teenagers in response to several fatal car accidents in Connecticut over the past year.
The center will promote tougher driving laws, coordinate enforcement campaigns for those laws, collect data on teen driver violations and recommend policy changes. The state House of Representatives has approved a bill that would increase restrictions on passengers teen drivers may have in their cars and move up the teen driver curfew to 11 p.m. from midnight. The proposal would also increase the number of hours of on-the-road training for teens from 20 hours to 40 hours and impose a reckless driving charge if a teen drives 20 mph or more over the speed limit. The bill now goes to the Senate.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by James Sabatini

AMA Corrects Impairment Ratings Guide

James Sabatini — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 19:31:50 GMT

When the AMA published the Sixth Edition of its Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment, it contained new language that restricted chiropractic evaluations to the spine only. The restriction drew sharp criticism from the American Chiropractic Association. In a letter to the AMA, the ACA questioned the legality of restrictive language related to evaluations by doctors of chiropractic and accused the AMA of violating the permanent Wilk injuction.

The AMA responded by issuing a correction. The Guide will state in relevant part that: "Impairment evaluation requires medical knowledge. Physicians duly recognized by an appropriate jurisdiction should perform such assessments within their applicable scope of practice and field of expertise." AMA will be mailing out the correction and future publication of the Guide will contain the corrective language. For all plaintiff's attorneys, any attempt by a defense lawyer during cross examination of a treating chiropractor who has testified as to a whole person impairment should do one of two things: 1) object to the cross examination on the grounds that the langauge being cited by the defense attorney from the Guide has been retracted and corrected; or 2) allow the questioning and then on re-direct present the fact that such language was subsequently corrected by the AMA. It is my opinion that the former is the better strategy.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by James Sabatini

Connecticut Proposing Tougher Laws On Teen Drivers

James Sabatini — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 21:34:56 GMT

The Connecticut legislature is considering tougher penalties on teen drivers that violate the law. The proposed bill aims to place tougher penalties on teen drivers who break the law. Under the bill, if a teen driver is convicted of driving while under the influence of liquor, they would lose their license until they are 21 years old. In addition, if a teen driver gets a speeding ticket, there would be an automatic license suspension. The first ticket would result in losing his or her license for 45 days. The bill also calls for more training hours and parental supervision of teenage drivers.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by James Sabatini

Shiloh Farms Recalls Shiloh Farms Organic Unhulled Sesame Seeds

Jenny Albano — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 16:16:24 GMT

Shiloh Farms, in conjunction with the FDA, is recalling Shiloh Farms Organic Unhulled Sesame Seeds, 12-oz., because it may be contaminated with Salmonella.

Salmonella is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstance, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis. Consumers with the above symptoms should consult their physician.

This recalled sesame seeds came in a 12 oz blue and white 5" x 8" plastic bag with the company's logo and USDA organic symbol printed on the bag. The UPC bar code number is 047593303545 and Shiloh Farms and the address appear on the back of the bag. The organic seeds were sold from November 1, 2007 to January 25, 2008. The products with the lot code numbers 17503 and 17133 are the only ones being recalled.

So far the company has not received any reports of illness from the product. The problem was discovered when FDA testing found salmonella in a sample of the organic sesame seeds from one of the Shiloh Farms suppliers.

The recall affected 98 health food stores in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Arkansas.

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

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jenny Albano

Vermont Hospitals Will Not Seek Payment For Certain Medical Errors

James Sabatini — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 16:38:08 GMT

Vermont hospitals recently adopted a policy not to seek payment from patients or insurance companies if certain rare errors are made that result in serious harm. The 14 Vermont hospitals will follow a uniform system that officials said will make the hospitals more accountable. The policy will cover eight, serious medical errors including surgery performed on a wrong body part or on the wrong patient, incorrect surgery, artificial insemination with the wrong donor or injury caused by a medication error. Vermont is he third state to adopt the voluntary policy. It is unclear what if any effect this new policy may have on the rate of errors committed by hospitals. It will certainly have a positive effect on uninsured patients who suffered injuries due to a medical error. These patients will no longer have the added misery of paying medical bills resulting from certain serious medical errors.

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

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by James Sabatini

Avoiding Car Accidents In Bad Winter Weather

James Sabatini — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 17:09:32 GMT

Bad winter weather is all too common for drivers in Connecticut and throughout the Northeast. Obviously, the best safety tip in avoiding a car accident in bad winter weather is to stay off the roads. But, this is not always a viable option. Many of us need to get to work or reach an important destination such as a pharmacy or hospital, so if you are out driving in winter weather keep these practical safety tips in mind.

1. Watch out for shaded areas on the road. Due to the lack of sun exposure, these shaded areas typically will have snow and ice where the rest of the sunlight roadway is clear of snow and ice.
2. For older cars, check your battery, cable connections, alternator and drive belts. Check your cooling system to make sure that you have the right mix of fresh antifreeze and water. Check hoses for cracks or leaky connections. These checks can prevent an engine from dying on the roadway leaving you stranded in bad weather.
3. Make sure the tires on the car are winter tires or all-season tires. Furthermore, make sure the tires still have good tread. Worn tires will not grip the roadway causing the car to slip and slide.
4. Keep a half a tank of gas in the tank. If you get caught in traffic or in a snowbank, you want sufficient gas to keep the car running and heated.
5. Keep a safety kit in your car that includes a bottle of water, candy bar, flashlight, gloves, jumper cables, and flares.
6. Keep a bag of sand and shovel in the trunk. If you get stuck in snow, you can use the shovel for the snow and then lay down the sand to give your tires traction when getting out of the snow.
Following these safety tips will hopefully prevent a car accident or car breakdown during bad winter weather, but if a car accident does happen, these tips will make the accident a lot more manageable.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by James Sabatini

Construction Worker Injured by Nail Gun Awarded $3.4 Million

Jenny Albano — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 17:31:56 GMT

A construction worker who was severely injured when a nail from a nail gun became embedded in his head was awarded $3.4 million from a Hartford, Connecticut jury.

Jerry Crutchfield, 51, of Hartford had sued toolmaker Stanley Works and Home Depot, which sold the nail gun, claiming they were partly liable for the injuries he sustained Feb. 3, 2003.

The jury stated that Crutchfield was 55% liable for his injuries because he was the one to fire the nail gun into metal instead of a wood surface. This action caused the nail to backfire at him. But nevertheless, the jury ordered Stanley Works and Home Depot to pay $3.4 million for their percentage of the liability. The two companies have not decided if they will appeal the verdict yet.

The assistant general counsel for Stanley disagrees with the verdict. He stated that the nail gun met industry standards and is used every day without injuries. Also, the case for the nail gun warns consumers to follow all instructions.

Crutchfield was doing carpentry in a church when the incident occurred. The 3 in. nail went through his cheek and into his brain, which has partially paralyzed him and causes him to have seizures.

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

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jenny Albano

More Lawsuits Filed Against St. Francis Hospital For Failing Protect Patients From Sexual Abuse By Dr. Reardon

James Sabatini — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 13:06:27 GMT

In the latest lawsuit filed against St. Francis Hospital, the victims allege that the doctor accused of sexually abusing his child patients used a gun to threaten the children and raped some of the victims. The lawsuits accuse St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford of failing to protect them from Dr. George Reardon. He was a chief of endocrinology at the hospital and practiced medicine there for 30 years.

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

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by James Sabatini