Washington Injury Attorney Blog

The Journal of Pediatrics just published a study conducted by the Environmental Health Center at Children's Hospital in Boston which links lead poisoning in four children to Indian spices and ceremonial powders.

Lead is a dangerous toxin that acts on nerve cells. In children, neurotoxins such as lead, can cause blood and brain disorders. It can accumulate in bone and soft tissues over time. In children, symptoms of lead poisoning can include loss of appetite, weight loss, anemia, learning disabilities, abdominal pain, kidney failure and behavior problems. With more prolonged exposure, it can cause delayed growth, hearing loss and delay the acquisition of abilities, like speech and affect the nervous system.

The Boston study found that approximately 25% of Indian spices and other foodstuffs contained detectable traces of lead. Infants do not necessarily have to consume the spices but they can be exposed topically through the hands and skin of their parents, in utero, through breastfeeding and through inhalation.

The Pediatrics article concludes that physicians working with the South Asian community screen new immigrants for lead-exposure and that the FDA should carefully monitor Indian food products and religious products and provide warning labels.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We are a personal injury attorney firm that represents people who have been seriously injured by defective and dangerous products.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

Source:
ABC News/Health
Indian Spices, Powders Linked to Lead Poisoning
Written by Susan Donaldson James
March 15, 2010

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in cooperation with Hitachi Koki Co. have voluntarily recalled Coil Nailers - an automatic nail gun -- after reports of 15 nail gun injury accidents including five reports of partial blindness.

In all, Hitachi Koki has received 37 reports of nails being ejected sideways. The guns pose a serious injury hazard to their users or to people nearby.

The nail gun in question is model number NV83A2 and was manufactured between October 2002 and September 2005. The guns were sold at Lowe's, Home Depot and other home improvement and building supply stores at through Amazon.com

For more information about how to get your nail gun repaired, see the manufactured web-site: www.hitachipowertools.com.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a construction accident through the course of your employment, you should be aware that Washington state worker's compensation benefits may be in effect in addition to product defect and liability laws. While worker's compensation and third party liability law can be complex, the knowledgeable and experienced personal injury attorneys at The Farber Law Group can help you obtain the compensation you deserve for your medical costs and loss of wages.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

The number of bicycles fatalities have gone up over the past couple of years and there are now about 900 bicycle accident deaths each year.

According to an article in Consumer Reports, there were approximately 51,600 bicycle-related injuries treated in emergency rooms in 2008.

Bicycle helmets save lives but many fatalities are associated with people not wearing a helmet. Wearing a bicycle helmet decreases the chance of a fatality by 85%.

Consumer Reports reminds bicyclists of these safety tips:

• Wear a helmet that meets the CPSC Bicycle Helmet standard
  
• Insure the bicycle helmet is properly fitted
  
• Ride three-to-four feet to the left of parked cars in case a car door is opened
  
• Use reflectors, blinking lights and reflective clothing when riding is low light and at night

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We are a personal injury attorney firm and represent victims of bicycle accidents and their families. With our help, you may recover compensation for your damages, including pain and suffering.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

Car makers are starting to design and include crash avoidance systems into vehicles to warn drivers when they are not paying attention or when they are drowsy.

Increasingly, technology is being created to warn us about the technology that distracts us. Some of the new technologies coming to a car you might purchase in the future are:

• Lane departure warnings - warn you when you drift into another lane
  
• Forward-collision warnings - warn you when you are approaching too closely the car in front of you

Cell phone blockers

Cell phone blocking software can block your cell phone while you are driving or block the ability to text message. Cell phone blocking software is available for GPS-capable smart phones including Androids and BlackBerrys right now. Software is currently being developed for iPhones.

Parents and employers might want to check out some of the software available now. Following is a short list of products:

• iZup & ZoomSafer- blocks outgoing calls and text messages and holds all incoming calls and text messages.
  
• CellControl, Guardian Angel MP - uses Bluetooth to transmit a driver's speed and other data to a phone. It can also be customized to block calls, texts and e-mails.
  
• Some apps include Textecution, DriveSafe.ly, TXTBlocker

This information is provided by Seattle Car Accident Lawyer blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in car accidents and the family of those killed.

Read "What if my car accident was caused by someone using a cell phone?"

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

The Washington State Patrol (WSP) says there has been an increase in the number of driving under the influence (DUI) arrests they have made during daytime hours so far this year.

Already, the WSP has arrested 45 DUI drivers by March 12 as compared with 49 through April of last year reports King5.com.

The WSP has added troopers to areas where they see the most DUI arrests.

Typically, there are more DUI arrests between the hours of 11pm and 3am though people can and do consume alcohol and drive at all hours of the day; the problem of daytime DUI is more common than one might think. During daytime hours, however, drunk drivers may be more difficult to detect because of the traffic flow.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a series of The Farber Law Group. We represent victims of drunken drivers and their families. With our help, you may be able to recover compensation for your damages due to a car accident caused by a drunken driver.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued an advisory to parents and caregivers of young and fragile infants about the correct use of infant slings for babies under four months of the age. The warning comes after reports indicating that there may have been at least 14 deaths in the past twenty years due to the incorrect positioning of babies in the sling, including three deaths in 2009.

Parents who use the slings should consult the CPSC web-site to view directions about the correct positioning of babies in the sling. If babies are positioned incorrectly, their breathing can be obstructed.

According the CPSC's warning many of the babies who died were low birth weight, born prematurely or had breathing difficulties due to colds.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured by defective or dangerous products or because of the negligence of others. With our help, you may be able to recover compensation for your damages.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

Two young men from Washington state were killed and a young man and woman were injured when the Chevy Aveo they were riding in apparently went around a railroad crossing arm and were involved in a train vs. car accident in Utah.

According to a report in The Seattle Times, Alex Amundson, 21, of Fariview, and Donald Callison, 18, of Monroe were both killed in the motor vehicle accident. Amundson was driving the vehicle at the time of the accident. The train was estimated to be traveling at 45 mph and 55mph when it hit the Aveo.

Injured in the accident were an 18-year-old female from Salt Lake County and a 19-year-old male from Vernal. Their condition is unknown.

All four of the young people were employees of KFC and were in the Salt Lake area for a business seminar.

No one on the train was injured in the accident.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in motor vehicle accidents and the family of those killed.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

Matthew B. Sims of Port Angeles, was sentenced to three months in Clallam County jail for the February 3 incident in which his dog attacked his son and left him with serious dog bite injuries.

According a report in the Peninsula Daily News, Sims left his 11-year-old son alone with the dog -- a 50-pound Labrador retriever mix -- and it attacked the boy, biting him on his extremities and face. The boy was treated at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle and is now in foster care.

Sims was sentenced to three months on a dangerous dog charge and also a one month concurrent sentence for possession of a stolen vehicle.

According to Washington state legal code RCW 16.08.100, the owner of any dog that aggressively attacks and causes severe injury or death of any human, whether or not the dog has been declared potentially danger or dangerous, shall, upon conviction, be guilty of a class C felony punishable in accordance with RCW 9A.20.021. Sims' dog reportedly had bitten someone several years ago while it lived in Alaska.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured by dog bites and the family of those killed. Dog bites can often cause serious injuries which require multiple surgeries and sometimes leaves permanent scarring and nerve damage. With our help, you may be able to recover compensation for your damages including medical costs and for pain and suffering.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

A 10-year-old Marysville girl was critically injured in a bicycle accident reports The Seattle Times.

The bicycle accident occurred in the 7900 block of 80th Avenue around 4:30pm on Wednesday.

According to the report, the girl pulled out between parked cars and was hit by a motorist. She was not wearing a helmet and suffered head injuries.

The girl was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for treatment.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in bicycle accidents and the family of those killed.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

Thirty-six children were on board a Conway School District school bus when it went off the road and landed on its side in the ditch. Fortunately, the bus driver nor the children, ranging in ages between 5 to 14 years of age, were seriously injured.

According to the report on Seattle King5.com, the children were being driven home from school around 4pm when the bus accident occurred. The accident took place near the intersection of Buckland and Nelson Road, south of Mount Vernon in Skagit County. Apparently, the 41-year-old female substitute bus driver took her eyes off the road to check her route map.

Nearly 25% of all motor vehicle accidents are caused by distracted driving. Taking ones eyes off the road to adjust a radio, use a cell phone or to consult map are some of the examples of driver inattention. The proliferation of wireless communication and driver assistance systems has been escalating the number of distracted driving accidents. Driving is such a complex task that it requires a driver's full engagement.

In this bus accident, driver inexperience may have also been a factor as the driver had only been on the job for two days.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in motor vehicle accidents and the family of those killed. With our help, you may be able to recover compensation for your damages.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

An 8-year-old Lithonia, Georgia girl, Erin Ingraham, is in critical condition after two dogs viciously attacked her while she was playing in her family's yard Tuesday afternoon.

According to a report on CBS Atlanta.com, two dogs that "resembled pit bulls" seriously injured the girl in an attack that lasted four to five minutes. The girl was hospitalized with wounds to both arms.

A neighbor called 911 to report the attack and a police officer pulled the dogs off of the girl. When one of the dogs turned on the officer, he shot it. The other dog fled but was later captured; it will be put down.

The report said that the dogs had a history of attacking people. Charges against the dog owners are pending.

Dog bite victims can suffer severe and even life threatening injuries. Victims can suffer disfigurement, often of the face. Many dog bite viticms require between 2-5 surgeries to repair the damage. Victims often suffer permanent nerve damage, severe pain and psychological damage including post-traumatic stress syndrome.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber law Gruop. We represent dog bite victims and their families. Washington State civil law allows a dog bite victim to file a civil suit to seek compensation for their damages including medical costs and for pain and suffering.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

L. David Byers, 19 of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, died after inhaling super heated gases caused by a gas fire started by a static electricity charge at a gas pump.

While Byers' death is an extremely rare and freak accident, it is important that motorists realize that static electricity charges can build up on ones body which could potentially lead to a fire at a gas pump.

Static electricty is the build up of an electric charge on an object. The static charge will remain on the object or person until it is neutralized by a discharge. Static electricity charges have known to cause explosiions or fires in industrial settings and in hospitals

Electrostatic discharges can be a danger when a person is fueling their car at a gas station. In one report of gas fires at pumps, four of the five victims were women. This is often due to electrostatic charges building up on sweaters when women re-enter their car during fueling. Most victims suffered burn injuries.

To be safe, motorists should:

• never re-enter their automobile while fueling as this can increase an electrostic charge
• discharge static electricty -- grounding themselves -- by touching a metal object like their car before and after fueling
• never smoke at gas stations
• never remove the gas pump nozzle in the case of a fire and leave the immediate area

There have been numerous reports of cell phones causing gasoline pump fires, but testing -- including by the popular TV show MythBusters -- disproved this.

This information is provided by Washignton injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in motor vehicle accidents and those injured in accidents caused by negligence of another. With our help, you may recover compensation for your damages, including pain and suffering.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

Source: Philly.com
Static-sparked death raises gas-pump questions
By Peter Mucha
Inquirer Staff Writer
posted March 10, 2010