Two unrelated Central Florida auto accidents yesterday resulted in the deaths of two men, ages 27 and 51.

In Lake County a 27 year-old hit a pickup when he veered into the path of on-coming traffic. The impact turned his Camaro around, facing the opposite direction. It was reported that the driver of the Camaro was not wearing his seatbelt and was pronounced dead at the scene. The two victims in the pickup, who were wearing their seatbelts, were taken to a local hospital with serious injuries.

A 51 year-old man from Kissimmee died when he turned left in front of a truck. The truck crashed into the driver's side of the vehicle, killing the driver. It was reported he was wearing his seatbelt but died from the injuries sustained in the accident.

While these accidents show that seatbelts cannot protect you in all car crashes, you give yourself a much better chance if you buckle up every time you into a vehicle, either as a driver or a passenger.

Labels: Auto Accident

The National Traffic Safety Board (NTSB) issued a press release today asking state legislatures to remember the drunk driving auto accident that occurred May 14, 1998. This will be the 20th anniversary of this horrific accident in Kentucky in which 24 youths and 3 adults died and 34 others were injured by a habitual drunk driver.

It was this fatal car crash that was the impetus of the NTSB's focus on hard core drunk drivers and put the issue on their "Most Wanted List of Safety Improvements." NTSB put together a model program which included 11 elements they thought would address the issues. They had hoped all states would adopt the model program to reduce the number of alcohol-related deaths each year.

The adoption of these measures has had limited success. According to NTSB Chairman Mark V. Rosenker, "While we have seen some progress in all the states, not enough has been done. If more of the elements of our model program were implemented by the states, there would be far fewer tragedies caused by drunk drivers."

Labels: Auto Accident

The warm weather comes early in the South and when it does, many people enjoy cooking on an outdoor grill. Whether it's a gas or charcoal grill, the food tastes better when it's cooked outside, but with that great taste comes a greater risk of injury from the grilling. Often times these injuries are due to improper use but they can also be due to a defective product.

According to the National Fire Protection Agency, there were approximately 8300 grill-related fires caused by gas grills, charcoal grills or hibachis in 2005 of which 3,400 involved some type of structure fire.

Of those fires involving a gas grill (81%), the source was either a broken or leaking gas line or the gas grill ignited some other flammable liquid. The charcoal grill fires were usually the result of something being too close to the grill, or part of the structure caught fire first.

The Consumer Products Safety Commission (CSPC) has a list of Grill Safety Tips that you may want to review before you pull that grill out of storage. For gas grills, this includes but is not limited to checking all connectors for breaks or cracks, removing all spider webs, and cleaning any grease out of the burner.

Charcoal grills should be checked for rusty bottoms that may cause the coals to drop to the ground. They also produce carbon monoxide (CO) which is toxic and can build up in confined spaces. The CPCS stresses the importance of not grilling in any type of confined space, even if there appears to be plenty of ventilation.

Several brands of gas grills have been recalled in recent years. So if you do not use your grill frequently and it is several years old, you may want to visit the CPSC's website for grills that have been recalled due to defective parts. Just type "recalled gas grills" in the search box and several will appear. Then you can check to see if the grill you currently use has any defective parts that should be replaced.

If you or someone you know has been injured by a defective grill, you should call one of our Board Certified Civil Trial Attorneys for a free consultation. We can review the situation for a possible product liability claim.

Labels: Defective products

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today issue a press release for Actavis Totowa LLC. The manufacturer located in Morristown, NJ has issued a Class 1 recall of all strengths of their digitalis tablets manufactured under the name Digitek. Distribution of the defective products is by Mylan Pharmaceuticals using their Bertek label, and by UDL Laboratories using their UDL label.

The digitalis tablets came out of manufacturing with a double thickness of the tablet, meaning each tablet is a double-dose of the medication. Since Digitek is taken to correct abnormal heart rates and for heart failure, the double-dose poses quite a risk as well digitalis toxicity which can cause renal failure. The symptoms of excess Digitek in the system can be nausea, vomiting, dizziness, low blood pressure, cardiac instablity and bradycardia (abnormally slow heart rate).

Patients taking either of these medications should contact Stericycle, a pharmaceutical recall service company, at 1-888-276-6166 and contact their medical providers immediately.

Labels: Defective products

It has been reported that 81 deaths in the U.S. can be linked to a contaminated supply of the drug heparin, a blood thinner, imported from China. The deaths were centered around dialysis patients who use the defective products on a regular basis.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Chinese officials are at odds as to where the contamination occurred. Although the Chinese agreed that the heparin was contaminated, they said the deaths could not be attributed to the contaminant and they want to inspect the factory where the heparin was put into vials.

U.S. government officials are considering increased funding which will add more FDA inspection offices in China and increased inspections of the drug before it is exported. FDA director Dr. Janet Woodcock,

"assured patients, however, that all heparin supplies in the United States had
been tested with the most sensitive assays and had been found to be
uncontaminated."

Labels: Defective products

Everyone knows that the cost of prescription medications in the U.S. is extremely high and its taking a bigger and bigger piece of the family income, particularly that of senior citizens.

According to the About.com:Senior Health, one in four Americans has no prescription drug insurance. This often forces them to buy their prescription drugs on the Internet through online "pharmacies". The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) understands this need to search out the best price for your medications, but they want to make certain that you are getting safe drugs from Internet.

They caution consumers that not all online pharmacies are licensed to sell drugs in the U.S. You can't even be certain there is a licensed pharmacist on staff to help you. Therefore, any information you get may not be accurate or you may get the wrong medication. There is also no guarantee that they will keep your personal information private.

The FDA also warns that some of the medications bought online may not be medicine at all; they may be bogus pills. You also cannot be certain the the strength of the medication matches your prescription or even if they are out of date so may not work at all. Since you don't know where these pharmacies get their medications, you are not guaranteed that they don't include hazardous ingredients or that they are produced within our quality control standards.

The FDA is not in the business of trying to stop you from getting the best price for your presciptions by buying online. They just want you to do so safely and to protect yourself from unscupulous pharmacies.

For more complete information, please see their Consumer Safety Guide that has some very simple rules to follow before you make your online purchases.

If you or one of your family members has been injured by fake, expired or unsafe medications from an Internet purchase, contact one of our experienced attorneys for a free consultation.

Labels: Pharmacy Errors

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a notice of immediate recall of several defective dietary herbal supplements due to a risk of health problems.

Herbal Science International Inc. is recalling twelve of its supplements at the direction of the FDA due to the health hazard that they pose. Nine of the products being recalled contain the ingredient ephedra which has the botanical component ephedrine alkaloids. Ephedrine alkaloids are "adrenaline-like stimulants that can have potentially dangerous effects on the heart." They can cause blood pressure to go up and can have the same effects as a stroke or heart attack.

Two of the other products being recalled have the ingredient aristolochic acid. Arisitolica acid is a strong carcinogenic and nephrotoxic botanical chemical. Taking supplements containing these ingredients poses a risk for kidney failure.

The product containing human placenta is being recalled because the FDA has not approved human placenta for human consumption. It is illegal to sell it in the US as it can carry disease.

The products are being sold under the following labels:
Wu Yao Shun Qi San
Qing Bi Tang (Nasal Cleanser)
Zhong Fong Huo Luo Wan (Stroke Revito Formula)
Xiao Qing Long Tang (Little Green Dragon)
Ding Chuan Tang
Xiao Xu Ming Tang
Feng Shi Zhi Tong Wan (Joint Relief)
Guo Min Bi Yan Wan
Fang Feng Tong Sheng San

The FDA is asking consumers to discontinue using these defective products at once and return them to their retailer for a refund. If you have taken these products and have felt any adverse reactions, you should contact your physician immediately. If you have questions or are unsure of the products, you can call Herbal Science at 626-333-9998 or the FDA at 800-FDA-1088.