2008 October | www.newyorkinjuries.com

The Tri-State Region’s Most Dangerous Roads for Pedestrians

October 31, 2008

The tri-state region’s most dangerous road for pedestrians is Hempstead Turnpike in Nassau County, according to a new analysis by Tri-State Transportation Campaign, a policy watchdog organization. Between 2005 and 2007, 15 pedestrians were killed along the 15-mile stretch of roadway, with most of those fatalities occurring as the road passes through Elmont, Franklin Square and Hempstead. The TSTC analyzed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System, years 2005, 2006 and 2007. (more…)

Court Rejects Medical Malpractice Defendants’ Attempt to Allow Jury to Find Plaintiff’s Father and Cousin, Both Physicians, Liable for Plaintiff’s Injuries

October 28, 2008

The plaintiff in Antaki v. Lerman sued North Shore University Hospital Plainview and Craig C. Lerman, MD alleging that he was the victim of medical malpractice in the hospital’s emergency room for failure to diagnose the presence of the bacteria C-difficile in his colon, which failure ultimately led to undergo surgery including a subtotal colonoscopy for the removal of the mega colon. The defendants requested that the trial court permit the jury to consider allocating total liability not only among the defendants, but also against the plaintiff’s father and his uncle, both of whom are physicians. (more…)

Posted under: Civil Practice, Medical Malpractice Comments Off

Relatively Simple and Quick Exercise Program Found to Help Prevent Noncontact Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury in Female Collegiate Soccer Players

October 24, 2008

Injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) often require surgery and months of rehabilitation. Such injuries have been a particular concern for female soccer players. Strengthening and flexibility programs that have been found to reduce injuries to the ligament often require special equipment. Researchers looking for a program that could be easily incorporated into regular team practices have found a simple on-field alternative warm-up program that can reduce noncontact ACL injuries in female soccer players, especially those with a history of anterior cruciate ligament injury, according to a study published recently in The American Journal of Sports Medicine. (more…)

Posted under: Sports Safety Comments Off

OSHA Random Inspections Reveal That Fall Hazards Are The Biggest Safety Problem at New York City Construction Sites

October 21, 2008

The federal government says that the hazards of falling are the biggest safety problem at New York City construction sites after random inspections during a two-week enhanced enforcement effort this past summer. As part of its New York City construction safety task force, OSHA detailed 12 inspectors to conduct 96 safety inspections at 46 construction sites throughout the city from June 23 to July 3. The sites were randomly selected to encompass a cross-section of high-risk construction activities including tower cranes, high-rise construction, poured-in-place concrete operations, steel erection, gut-rehab and other high-risk construction activities. (more…)

Posted under: Construction Accidents, Personal Injury Comments Off

New Medicare/Medicaid Guidelines for Nursing Home Nutrition and Sanitary Conditions

October 19, 2008

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released new Interpretive Guidelines for nutrition and sanitary conditions in nursing homes effective September1, 2008. The changes clarify areas such as assessment, care planning, and interventions for LTC residents. This guideline is significant as it contains detailed instructions for acceptable parameters of nutritional status, details on required nutritional assessment, food and fluid intake, care planning, and weight-related interventions. There are also added sections on wound healing and feeding tubes which were not in the previous Interpretive Guidelines. (more…)

Posted under: Nursing Home Neglect/Abuse, Personal Injury | Comments (0)

Indictments and Repercussions Flowing From the Two Fatal Crane Collapses In New York City Earlier This Year

October 13, 2008

The safety of New Yorkers working at or living near construction sites has remained paramount following the crane collapses this past March and May that killed a total of 9 people. Stemming partly from corruption allegations that were first disclosed in the summer when the city’s acting chief crane inspector was arrested on charges of receiving bribes, the New York City Buildings Department announced on October 6, 2008, that it was overhauling its procedures on how the city issues licenses to some crane operators. The city said that the written and practical tests for lower-level mobile crane operator’s licenses (called Class C Hoist Machine Operator licenses) will be given by a nationally accredited nonprofit group, the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators, instead of the Buildings Department. (more…)

Posted under: Construction Accidents, Personal Injury | Comments (0)

Ovarian Cancer Test OvaSure Being Marketed Without Necessary FDA Approval

October 10, 2008

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned clinical test giant Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings that it was marketing OvaSure, an ovarian cancer test, in violation of the law in that it did not have marketing clearance or approval from the FDA. OvaSure measures six proteins in blood samples and calculates the chances that the woman has ovarian cancer. LabCorp made the $220 test available in June, under a provision that exempts tests developed and offered by a single lab from the usual FDA review. Thus OvaSure did not go through an FDA review. But in a letter dated September 29 and released October 7, 2008, the FDA determined that because the test was developed at Yale School of Medicine but that parts of it were manufactured elsewhere, it must meet the agency’s usual premarketing approval requirements, which could take up to a year. (more…)

Posted under: Dangerous Products, Pharmaceuticals | Comments (0)

Danger: Unapproved Ophthalmic Balanced Salt Solution Drug Products and Topical Drug Products Containing Papain

October 6, 2008

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced that companies marketing unapproved ophthalmic balanced salt solutions (BSS) and unapproved topical drug products containing papain must stop manufacturing these products on or before November 24, 2008, and must stop shipping such unapproved products on or before January 21, 2009, or risk enforcement action. FDA is taking these actions because it has received reports of serious adverse events associated with their uses, including eye inflammation, cloudy vision, permanent loss of visual acuity, a serious drop in blood pressure and increased heart rate. Ophthalmic balanced salt solutions are used to irrigate the eye during surgery on the eye, including cataract and other ocular procedures. (more…)

Posted under: Consumer Issues, Dangerous Products, Medical Malpractice Comments Off

Texting While Driving Is More Dangerous Than Drunk-Driving; Is Jail-Time Warranted?

October 2, 2008

A study by the Transport Research Laboratory, a British center for transport research, has suggested that texting while driving is riskier than driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Texting adversely effects drivers’ reaction times, steering control (ie. drifting out of the lane), and maintaining a safe distance from the vehicle in front. Motorists who use their mobile phone to send text messages while on the road dramatically increase the likelihood of collision – their reaction times deteriorated by 35 per cent. In comparison, those who drank alcohol at the legal limit were 12 per cent slower, those under the influence of marijuana were 21 per cent slower. (more…)

Posted under: Motor vehicle accidents, Personal Injury Comments Off