Antelope Valley Personal Injury Lawyer

Los Angeles Toddler Struck in Hit-and-run

Rick Patterson — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 10:51:03 GMT

A 17-month-old boy was struck in a hit-and-run on Wednesday as his father pushed him in a stroller across the street in Canoga Park. The toddler was airlifted to Children's Hospital and was in stable condition Wednesday night.

The boy's mother was also crossing the street but was not hit.

According to Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Devin Gales, the accident occured in the 21100 block of Saticoy Street near Variel Avenue at around 9:05 p.m. The suspect vehicle was described as a black 1990s sedan, said Officer Jason Lee of the Los Angeles Police Department's Media Relations Section.

Please contact the LAPD at 1-877-LAPD 24- 7 with any information.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Rick Patterson

Actor, ABC Named in Sexual Harrassment Suit

Rick Patterson — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 12:00:00 GMT

A woman who had worked for ABC since 1997 claims she was sexually harassed then fired from the TV show "Lost." The woman is suing ABC and actor Henry Ian Cusick.

The lawsuit alleges that in October 2007 Cusick, who plays Desmond Hume on the show, fondled the woman's buttocks and breasts and kissed her on the lips. According to the woman, she reported the incident to her supervisor, but was simply told to avoid the actor. She states she was fired 12 days later in retaliation for reporting the alleged abuse.

The woman is seeking unspecified damages.

Cusick's rep had no comment.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Rick Patterson

FDA Medical Device Division Under Intense Scrutiny

Rick Patterson — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 08:00:00 GMT

In the 1970's Congress asked the FDA to classify devices according to a risk profile. The classes ranged from non-risky Class I bandages to very-risky Class III pacemakers.

Some Class III devices that were on the market before 1976 were allowed to go through a less stringent evaluation, while the FDA developed regulations to address them or decided they were less risky.

Last year, in Riegel vs. Medtronic Inc., 2008 WL 440744 (Feb. 20, 2008 the Supreme Court ruled that a patient may not sue the manufacturer of a device to which FDA has given "premarket approval". The approval simply reflects the determination that the product is reasonable safe and effective for human use. The decision essentially protects device manufacturers from liability after being deemed "reasonably safe."

In January, nine agency scientists authored a letter to then-President-elect Obama in which they accused the FDA of mismanagement, lack of accountability, and even possible corruption. Also in January, the Government Accountability Office released a report criticizing the FDA for incomplete and inadequate regulation of Class III medical devices. Scientists who wrote the report say that the FDA is "fundamentally broken."

Hopefully, the meeting called on Wednesday by the FDA took a serious and critical look at the medical device division and the approval process.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Rick Patterson

Plane Crash Kills Burbank Couple

Rick Patterson — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 21:26:42 GMT

A small plane crashed about 5.5 miles from the Miramar Marine Corps Air Station, killing the owner-pilot and his wife. On April 11th, Friedrich Leo Weber, 51, and his wife, Mary, 58, departed Whiteman Airport in Los Angeles heading for Brown Municipal Airport in San Diego.

According to a report released Monday by the National Transportation Safety Board, the single-engine Piper Comanche broke apart while making an uncontrolled descent, crashed into a hillside and caught fire.

It was cloudy in the area but the pilot did not report any problems in flight.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Rick Patterson

Dog Attacks 2-year-old Long Beach Girl

Rick Patterson — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 21:38:24 GMT

A 2-year-old Long Beach girl is in the hospital being treated for dog bite injuries caused by the family dog on Monday night.

The dog, a cocker spaniel, is now in the custody of Long Beach Animal Control. The animal will be held for 10 days and checked for signs of rabies. If no signs of rabies surface, the dog may be returned to the owner.

At this time, the mother did not request to have the dog returned.

The cause of the attack is not known.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Rick Patterson

Recall on Pediatric Tracheostomy Tubes

Rick Patterson — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 06:00:00 GMT

According to the FDA, a class 1 recall is being issued on pediatric tracheostomy tubes manufactured from July 7, 2008, through December 9, 2008, and distributed from July 24, 2008, through December 23, 2008. The tubes are manufactured by Covidien Inc.

"Class 1 recalls are the most serious type of recall and involve situations in which there is a reasonable probability that use of these products will cause serious injury or death," the FDA notes in the recall notice.

The tubes recalled are said to be difficult to assemble as they require that one component be inserted into another. One component is used to place the tracheostomy tube into the windpipe and the other is a catheter suction tube.

The company issued an urgent alert letter to customers on January 14, 2009; a second letter issued on March 6, 2009, recommends that healthcare professionals remove all remaining affected products and return them to the manufacturer for replacement or credit. The manufacturer may be contacted by telephone at 1-800-635-5267.

Specific lot numbers affected are as follows: 0806000266, 0806000858, 0806000859, 0806001328, 0807000555, 0807001444, 0807002502, 0808000387, 0808000431, 0808002285, 0810000288, 0810000289, 0810000864, 0810000865, 0810001201, 0811000228, 0811000522, 0811000523, 0811000546, 0811000547, and 0811001875.

Problems associated with the use of these products should be communicated to the FDA's MedWatch reporting program by telephone at 1-800-FDA-1088, by fax at 1-800-FDA-0178, online at http://www.fda.gov/medwatch, or by mail to 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20852-9787.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Rick Patterson

Motorcycle Rider Killed in Crash at Southern California Raceway

Rick Patterson — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 14:23:28 GMT

A 37-year old man was killed Wednesday in a motorcycle crash at Perris Raceway, according to Sgt. Kevin Smith of the Perris Police Deaprtment.

The rider, Odin Dennis Daly, of Beacon, NY, crashed after attempting a jump during a motocross race when he crashed. As he attempted to retreive his bike, a second rider came over the jump and landed on Daly.

"It was just one of the split-second things," Smith said, explaining that the second rider couldn't see what had happened, and there wasn't enough time for workers to get a warning flag up before he came over the jump.

Smith also noted that Daly, an unexperienced rider, was wearing a helmet, but no other protective equipment above the waist. He died at the scene.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Rick Patterson

California Car Crash Kills 5 foreign students and 1 American

Rick Patterson — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 08:22:25 GMT

An accident on the 101 Freeway in Los Alamos, California killed six of the seven passengers involved. Three French women, one Russian woman, an American man, and a Turkish woman were all killed. The driver, 19-year-old Jeanne Ostrowski of France, is the only survivor but is in critical condition.

According to California Highway Patrol, the car crash occurred late last Thursday. "For an unknown reason the car drifted into the center median, overcorrected, lost control and drifted across both southbound lanes and down a decline before impacting with a tree," CHP spokeswoman Fran Clader said.

The man was identified by local media as a 30-year-old professional from San Francisco.

The students who were killed were all in their 20s.

Clader said the foreigners were studying English at a private school in San Francisco and one of the French women was attending ballet school.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Rick Patterson

Two-Vehicle Car Crash Leaves Woman Dead, Husband and Child Injured

Rick Patterson — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 16:07:44 GMT

A two-vehicle car crash at the intersection of 12100 W. Osborne St. in Pacoima left a mother dead and her husband and child critically injured. The mother died at the scene while the driver of the other vehicle declined transport. The child was airlifted to Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

The collision occured around 5 p.m. Thursday and appeared to be rain related.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Rick Patterson

Clif Bar and Co. Voluntary Recall of Bars Containing Peanut Butter

Rick Patterson — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 12:05:00 GMT

Clif Bar and Company has voluntarily recalled all products containing peanut butter that were manufactured by Peanut Corporation of America (PCA). The bars are under the brand names CLIF and LUNA and have the potential to be associated with the recent peanut butter salmonella outbreak. The recalled products, along with a list of others, are under investigation by the United Stated Food and Drug Administration.

For more info on specific Clif Bar products visit http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/clifbar01_09.html

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Rick Patterson