Kline & Specter Personal Injury Blog

A chain reaction of mishaps left a worker at a construction site seriously injured. Kevin M. King was on a ladder installing vent piping when a drill bit he was using jammed, the drill bucked, struck him in the face and knocked him off the ladder onto a concrete floor 18 feet below. King suffered a spinal injury which necessitated fusion surgery and left him unable to continue working as a plumber. He later filed a lawsuit claiming that the work site near Buffalo, NY, lacked safety equipment such as netting or railings that are required by state labor law. King, 53, recently accepted a $2.7 million settlement from the owner of the property and the jobsite's general contractor. Get more information about construction injury lawsuits or contact a spinal cord injury attorney.

Labels: Construction Injuries

Police officers are the protectors of the citizenry, but there are times when their actions place people in jeopardy. Such a case occurred in Milford, Conn., in the early morning hours of June 13, 2009 when an officer allegedly driving a squad car at 94 m.p.h. crashed into a passenger vehicle, killing two teenagers. A lawsuit filed by the family of the 19 year old who was driving claimed that the officer was not responding to an emergency but "racing" cars with another officer. The city recently agreed to settle that claim for $2.5 million. A lawsuit filed by the passenger in the car is still pending. In a similar case years ago, Kline & Specter sued the City of Philadelphia on behalf of a man and his infant son who were struck and killed by a speeding police car as they stood on a street corner. That case also settled for $2.5 million and the firm took matters a step further in securing a pledge from the police department to institute a series of reforms to improve police driver training, deter reckless driving and heighten safety. Read more about that case.

Labels: Auto Accidents

Some seven years after the incident, a federal appeals court has upheld a $900,000 medical malpractice judgment for a Virginia woman who suffered brain damage after an apparently botched C-section. In February 2005, Latarsha Creekmore was admitted to Maryview Hospital, now Bon Secours Maryview Medical Center, for a planned Caesarean birth. Because of a history of pregnancy-induced high blood pressure, nurses were ordered to closely monitor her blood pressure after the delivery. But they failed to act for six hours until an alarm sounded from Creekmore's monitor signaling that her blood pressure had become dangerously low and she had gone into shock. When she was lifted from her bed, her sheets were soaked with blood. In emergency surgery doctors found that Creekmore had lost half her blood. They managed to save her life but she suffered brain damage. It was later reported that the doctor who performed the delivery had previously botched a similar delivery and had had a series of medical malpractice lawsuits filed against him over six years. He eventually surrendered his medical license amid an investigation by the Virginia Board of Medicine. Get more information about medical malpractice lawsuits.

Labels: Birth Injuries

The University of Memphis had rented space at a private art gallery for students to show their work. The exhibit went fine, but a day later as the exhibit was being dismantled, graphic arts student Austin T. Wells was found moaning at the bottom of an open elevator shaft in the building. He had fallen 15 feet from the first floor and suffered severe brain damage that to this day finds him struggling to find and complete work. A jury recently returned a $4.1 million judgment in the premises liability case for Wells, now 30, for his injuries suffered in the 2005 mishap at The Second Floor Contemporary Gallery. Jurors found the university, which had rented the space for $350 for the school-sponsored event, 65 percent at fault and the gallery's owner 30 percent liable. The school and the owner had blamed each other for lack of supervision at the site. The owner had been cited for city code violations and not having a certificate of occupancy for the building. The jury assigned Wells 5 percent liability, which will reduce the award slightly, even though he had no memory of his fall. Learn more about premises liability lawsuits.

Labels: Premises Liability

Among the latest product recalls announced by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) are the following products:

• Worthington Cylinders Wisconsin, LLC, Map Pro, Propylene and MAPP Gas Cylinders. (fire hazard - 29,026,000)
• FoodService Products, food service beverage cups and mugs (burn hazard - 111,000)
• ECHO Inc., gas powered backpack blowers (fire hazard - 16,000)
• Kelty, single and double jogging strollers (posing a fall and injury hazard - 3,000)
• American Honda Motor Company (laceration hazard - 14,000)
• Papa Bear Loungeabouts, LLC, plus children's pajamas and sleepwear. (burn hazard - 10,000)
• Greenlee Textron Inc., folding pocket utility knives (laceration hazard - 1,800)
• Twin Oaks, of Louisa, Standard and Economy hammock stands (fall hazard - 2,300)
• Suntech America Inc., installations of SolarBlend Roof Tiles (fire hazard – 300)

Click here to find an attorney to handle a Product Liability lawsuit or a Dangerous Toy lawsuit in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and nationwide.

Labels: Product Liability

A Missouri employer who drafted a truck driver to fill in and operate a chop saw blade lost a $400,000 verdict in a recent workplace injury verdict. Kevin Allen sued Great Western Timber after four of his fingers were severed in an accident he suffered working the blade in 2005. The blade bounced out of its guard and caught Allen's glove, pulling his hand into the blade. His attorney alleged that the company was aware the blade had a tendency to bounce but failed to fix the dangerous machinery. Allen claimed he had not been properly trained to operate the blade and that he had been required to wear gloves, which made the job even more hazardous. The trial lasted four days and the jury deliberated three hours before delivering its verdict for the worker. Get more information about workplace injury lawsuits.

Labels: Workplace Injuries

Among the latest product recalls announced by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) are the following products:

• 2GIG Technologies Inc., GSM Radio Modules Used in Go Control Panels (fire or burn hazard - 40,000)
• International Playthings LLC, Tumblekins toys (posing choking and lacerations hazards -31,000)
• American Honda Motor Company, All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) (crash hazard - 2,900)
• Ganz U.S.A. LLC, dancing teapots (burn hazard - 2,100)
• Meijer Inc., forced air heaters (fire and electrical shock hazards - 6,102)
• LSI Products Inc. latches for utility vehicle doors (risk of ejection of an unrestrained rider and impact or laceration hazards - 5,200)
• Landscape Structures Inc., Slalom Glider (fall hazard – 900)
  
  

Click here to find an attorney to handle a Product Liability lawsuit or a Dangerous Toy lawsuit in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and nationwide.

Labels: Product Liability