Washington Injury Attorney Blog

A former Massachusetts dentist has been indicted on multiple charges including dental malpractice for allegedly using paper clips instead of stainless steel posts while doing root canals. He allegedly used the paper clips to save money.

The grand jury indictment claims that Dr. Michael Clair, 51, formerly of Fall River, has also been charged with making false Medicaid claims and illegally prescribing drugs for himself and his staff members including Combunox, Hydrocondone and Percocet.

Clair was investigated by the Massachusetts state attorney general's office for nearly four years before the indictment.

Clair has had a history of malpractice and drug complaints before his Massachusetts dental license expired. Previously, he had his dentistry licenses taken away in Maryland and Florida after complaints of performing unnecessary dental procedures and irregularities in billing.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured due to medical malpractice including surgical malpractice and hospital errors. We have more than 30 years experience representing medical malpractice victims and their families.

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: The Herald News
Former Fall River dentist accused of using paper clips in root canals
Posted Mar 16, 2010

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 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.

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.

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.

The Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) recognizes March as Brain Injury Awareness Month and they are educating people that concussions are brain injuries.

The BIAA is working to educate coaches of athletic teams to recognize the signs and symptoms of brain injuries including concussions and second impact syndrome.

In Washington State, the "Zackery Lystedt" law requires coaches to receive concussion education and to remove a student athlete from the field of play if the athlete exhibits signs of a concussion. The player is not allowed to return to the field of play unless he or she has a release from a doctor.

Concussions are the most common type of traumatic brain injury. To diagnose a concussion usually requires a physical and neurological exam. Symptoms can include headaches, seizures, vomiting or unequal or unreactive pupils, and excessive drowsiness.

Of course sports injuries are not the only place that people can sustain a concussion. A fall, a car accident or even minor mishaps like running into a door jam can cause a concussion.

For more information about brain injuries and the work of the Brain Injury Association of America, click here:

If you or a loved one has received a brain injury due to a sports injury, car accident, fall or due to the negligence of another, you should contact a personal injury attorney with expertise in the area of brain injuries. The Farber Law Group has more than 30 years experience representing brain injury victims and their families.

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 lawsuit has been filed against Sky High Sports, a Bellevue company that offers trampoline recreation, alleging that the company is grossly negligent after patrons suffered serious injury.

According to a consumer investigation by KIRO 7 TV, trampoline jumpers have been taken to Overlake Medical Center from Sky High Sports more than a dozen times since Sky High opened last September for injuries including multiple incidences of broken tibia, fibula, ankle, and foot. The report also said there was an incidence of a neck injury, a back injury and a knee injury.

One physician at Overlake Medical Center says that in general, injuries could be reduced if only one person was allowed to jump at a time and if there is netting or protection over springs and grounds.

Since 1996, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that approximately 83,000 people have been injured on trampolines. Three-quarters of these patients were under the age of 15. In a report published in the Pediatrics journal, a recommendation was made that trampolines be banned for recreational, school and competitive use for children due to the likelihood of serious injury including spinal injuries and fractures.

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 slip, trip and fall accidents and the family of those killed.

A 2-year-old girl was seriously injured along with her 30-year-old mother and the driver of a van when a man appeared to deliberately run his Chevy Astro van ran into an Aberdeen 7-Eleven store around 3:40pm on Friday reports KOMO News.com.

The girl suffered possible internal injuries and a fractured femur. She was taken to Grays Harbor Community Hospital and ten transferred to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

The 57-year-old van driver, Calvin Kinney of Hoquaim, reportedly had a previous run-in with a building last year and was cited for negligent driving at that time. In that car accident, the driver reportedly veered to the left before plowing into the building. Apparently Kinney has emotional problems.

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 pedestrian accidents caused by the negligence of another person. With our help, you may 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.

Safeway stores in the west have issued a voluntary recall of potato salad because of possible salmonella contamination reports The Seattle Times.

Safeway asks that consumers discard the product or return them for a refund. The potato salad is manufactured by Reser's Fine Foods.

Salmonella is a foodborne illness which can cause serious illness. People can be infected by salmonella through consumption of unclean food, excretions from sick or infected people and animals, polluted or standing water, thawed fowl and through reptiles. Salmonella can be found in poultry, cattle, sheep and food including meats and raw eggs.

Foodborne illness can be especially serious to the elderly, young children, pregnant women and those with compromised immune symptoms.

Symptoms can include dehydration, bloody diarrhea, fatigue, fever, headache, nausea, vomiting and severe abdominal pain.

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 foodborne illness and the family of those killed. With our help, you may recover compensation for your damages including medical costs.

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 study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and reported by Moises Mendoza in the Houston Chronicle found that 40 percent of police officers killed in car accidents while on duty were not wearing seat belts at the time. A 2006 study in Journal of Trauma, which analyzed the COPS series, found that police officers use seat belts less than 40 percent of the time.

The Chronicle article said that in Texas alone, five of the 13 officers killed in motor vehicle accidents since 2007 were not wearing seat belts.

The article says that police culture is one reason that police officers due to not wear safety belts. The say that some officers fear that the belts will impede them when they want to get out of their car quickly or that the belts become entangled on a holster.

Hopefully, these studies will convince officers that they are in serious danger of being injured in a car accident and they need to buckle up.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously in car 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.

Roy Messenger, age 50, was killed on Friday when he urinated on a downed power line and was electrocuted in Montesano, Washington.

According a report in The Seattle Times, Messenger was involved in a single car accident in which he ran into a power pole. He was not seriously injured in the car accident but apparently he urinated in a ditch while he waited for a ride and there was a live wire which Messenger did not see.

An autopsy will be performed on Messenger's body but preliminary examination shows burn injuries that indicate that electricity went through Messenger's body.

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 car 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.

The owner of two pit bull dogs that attacked Amber Hart of Vancouver, Washington has not come forward after the attack.

Hart tried to help a neighbor when two pit bull dogs were chasing cattle in the 14100 block of Northeast 18th Street. When Hart came to help, the dogs turned on her and she was bitten in the thigh and foot and required stitches at Southwest Washington Medical Center.

The dogs were captured and are being quarantined at the Humane Society for Southwest Washington. No owner has stepped to claim ownership of the dogs.

According to a report by Bob Albrecht in The Columbian, the two dogs had been running wild for at least an hour before Hart was bitten.

Because Hart has no health insurance a medical fund has been established at U.S. Bank Branches in the name of "Amber Hart."

Dog bites can cause serious injuries including disfigurement, permanent nerve damage, psychological damage including post-traumatic stress and severe pain. Every year, approximately 1,000 people are bitten in Seattle and King County. In 2006, there were 26 fatal dog bites in the United States.

If you are a loved one is bitten by a dog, you should seek immediate medical treatment. The animal control or police should be called to document the attack and to make a record of the attack. You should also photograph and document your wounds. If your injuries are serious, you should contact a knowledgeable and experienced personal injury attorney who can insure your rights are protected and will help you obtain compensation for your damages.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent dog bite victims and their families.

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.

Police are investigating a Florida nursing home for possible abuse or neglect after the death of an patient who suffered multiple fractures after a fall fron her bed as her bedding was being changed. The patient laid in pain in her bed all day but an ambulance was not summoned for 12 hours. The patient subsequently died.

Barbara Fasold, age 76, was a resident at Ridgecrest Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Deland, Flordia. Fasold fell from her bed around 5am. A caregiver, who was in the room at the time of the fall, placed her back into bed but did not summon any medical services for the patient. An ambulance was not called until 4:42 pm when the nursing shift changed.

When Fasold was taken to the hospital, doctors discovered that she had a broken shoulder and two broken legs. Police are investigating whether nursing home abuse or neglect contributed to her death.

Signs of nursing home abuse or neglect can include bedsores, falls, dehydration, bruises, frequent bladder infections, malnutrition or medication errors.

This information is provided by Washignton Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been severely injured in nursing home falls and those who have been seriously injured by abuse or neglect.

With the help of The Farber Law Group, a law firm with more than 30 years experience in representing nursing home neglect cases, we may help recover compensation for 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.

See our Nursing Home & Elder Abuse Resources.

Source: WESH.com, Orlando, Florida
Posted 10:56 am EST February 26, 2010

The Seattle Times reports that a Federal Way family was taken to Virginia Medical Center in Seattle for treatment of possible carbon monoxide poisoning.

According to the report, the electricity to their apartment building was out and the family was using a charcoal grill on their deck and the probably blew the gas from the grill into the apartment through an open door.

Carbon monoxide is a toxic gas but because it is colorless and odorless and it is very difficult to detect. For these reasons, it is called "the silent killer." Every year, approximately 300 people are killed by carbon monoxide poisoning in the United States according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include headache, dizziness and flu-like symptoms. Too much exposure can cause central nervous system and heart complications and can cause death.

It is recommended that people install carbon monoxide alarms in their homes and test the alarms once a month.

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

Every year, approximately half a million people are treated for burn injuries in the United States and Canada. In Washington state, more than 400 people are treated for scald injuries.

Scald injuries are a type of burn injury caused by hot liquids or gases. Steam is often the cause of a scald injury but hot bath water, showers and spilled hot drinks are often common causes of scald injuries. According to information released by the Washington State Fire Marshal, Paul Perz, scald burn injuries are the second leading cause of death of children four years of age and younger.

To prevent scald injuries:

• Set water heater thermometers to 120 degrees F or less and mix hot water with cold water when filling a bath tub.
  
• Keep children away from the path between stove and sink.
  
• Use oven mitts and turn pot lids outward when removing and turn pot handles inwards.
  
• Do not head baby bottles in the microwave.
  
• Test and stir microwave-heated foods before serving.

Click here for more information about Burn Awareness Week.

This information is provided as a service by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who are the victims of serious burn injuries due to car accidents, dangerous or defective products and negligence.

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 parents of a 10-year-old Joel Diaz, of Kennewick, are waiting for autopsy results to find out why their son died.

Peter and Julie Diaz brought their son Joel to Urgent Care after he was injured in a bicycle accident and complained of stomach pain. In the bicycle accident, Joel was jabbed in the side with his bicycle handle bars.

The Urgent Care sent Joel to Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland where the boy underwent an ultrasound and when no serious injury was detected, Joel was given pain medication and sent home. The Diaz's say they stayed by their son's side all night even phoning the doctor when they thought his condition had changed. When they realized he had stopped breathing, they called 911 and paramedics rushed the boy back to Kadlec where he died.

Joel was the middle children in a family of six kids.

Hopefully, the autopsy report will give these parents answers as to what caused their son's death.

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.

Kenneth Schiedel, an 83-year-old man, returned to his room in his Milwaukie, Oregon retirement community, leaving his car perched over the 2nd story wall of a parking garage. Schiedel said that he accidentally pressed the gas pedal instead of the brake causing his car to crash through a wall and once he extricated himself from his predicament, he went back to his room.

Luckily, Schiedel was not injured in the car accident. Last week, however, a 70-year-old man from Kelso, Washington crashed his car through a Nevada casino, killing two people and injuring eight others.

Both of these cases highlight the aging population in America and the potential for serious car accidents. It is important that senior citizens who continue driving at advanced age have the cognitive processing speed to handle the task. Currently, there are no standardized tests that screen the elderly for their ability to drive.

Elderly drivers actually have fewer motor vehicle accidents than teenage drivers but they driver fewer miles. Many elderly start limiting their driving to compensate for their eyesight and other physical factors. They might stop driving at night, on the freeway or out of familiar surroundings.

While giving up driving is a difficult decision for many elderly, the family and the person's physician can help in making the decision. Usually, a threshold is reached in which the senior can no longer compensate for deficiencies in eyesight, cognitive processing and reflexes. The family can help by watching for warning signs of unsafe driving and helping their loved ones refresh their driving skills.

In Washington State, the AARP and other organizations offer driver safety programs for senior citizens. For more information, click here.

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 car accidents and the family of those killed. With our help, you may recover compensation for you damages including pain and suffering.

Source: KOMO News.com - Elderly Driver leaves his car teetering on the edge, Feb. 8, 2010

An announcement for the Zackery Lystedt Project will be made at the Super Bowl this Sunday. The Zackery Lystedt Project is an initiative to convince all states to enact legislation like Washington state did which says that student athletes under the age of 18 who have symptoms of a concussion cannot return to play without approval by a physician or other health provider. The Lystedt initiative is sponsored by the Sarah Jane Brain project whose goal is to educate and prevent pediatric traumatic brain injury caused by trauma including car accidents, falls, violence, a blow to the head, sports incidents, gunshots, bicycle accidents and other traumas to the brain.

The law in Washington State is named for Zackery Lystedt who suffered a brain injury in a middle school football game. Washington's law requires coaches to receive concussion education and requires coaches to remove to remove a student athlete from the playing field if there is a possibility the athlete suffered a concussion. In addition, it requires the coach not to allow the player to return to play until examined.

A concussion is the most common type of mild traumatic brain injury and it can cause various systems including cognitive, physical and emotional. Diagnosis of concussion usually requires a physical and neurological exam. Symptoms can include persistent vomiting, headache, seizures and unequal or unreactive pupils. Treatment for concussions usually includes monitoring and rest. Concussion symptoms are usually gone approximately three weeks after the trauma.

Some studies suggest that concussions are under-diagnosed and that often student athletes cover up their injuries so they can remain at play.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have suffered a traumatic brain injury.

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.

For more information about initiatives to restrict student athletes returning to play, you might want to read All Clear? Head injuries get attention from states in The Seattle Times.

A 2-year-old boy was killed after a television that was sitting on top of a chest-of-drawers fell on him reports James Queally for The Star-Ledger. The toddler was apparently watching TV with his brother when he opened one of the dresser drawers causing the dresser and the TV to become unbalanced and fall on him.

Unfortunately, this not an uncommon home accident. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission warns parents and daycare providers about the danger of appliances -- and especially TV sets -- tipping and falling on small children and seriously injuring and killing them. The CPSC published a report in 2008 entitled Instability and Tipover of Appliances, Furniture and Televisions: Estimated Injuries and Reported Fatalities. According to the report, in one year alone -- 2006 -- 16,3000 children ages five and younger were injured due to TVs or other pieces of furniture or appliances falling on them.

Tipover injuries typically when children climb onto furniture or appliances or when a heavy appliance like a TV is perched on a piece of furniture that was not designed for it. The CPSC recommends using straps to secure TVs and furniture to the wall so they can not tipover. Children injured in these types of accidents often suffocate or suffer severe brain injuries.

Education and prevention are certainly the keys to avoiding this type of injury.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured due to dangerous or defective products and the families of those killed. With our help, you may 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.

At least one patient has filed a medical malpractice lawsuit and a federal investigation has been launched into a physician and hospital due to findings that a doctor performed hundreds of unnecessary medical procedures.

According to a report on WBAL TV.com from Baltimore, Maryland, the medical malpractice lawsuit against Dr. Mark Midei claims that Midei placed stents in two arteries of the patient's heart when only one was medically necessary or indicated.

A cardiac stent is a wire metal mesh tube which props open an artery of the heart allowing normal blood flow through. Some stents are metal with a polymer coating which releases drugs into the opened artery for a period of time.

The investigation into hundreds of patient records showed that Dr. Midei placed stents into hundreds of patients at St. Joseph's hospital in Towson when they were not medically indicated. The investigation is trying to determine whether St. Joseph's hospital was complicit in a scheme to financially benefit the hospital.

The unnamed patient alleges "medical malpractice, fraud, negligent hiring and retention and negligent supervision by the hospital."

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 medical malpractice and the family of those killed. Medical malpractice can include surgical malpractice, hospital-acquired infections, hospital falls, medical errors, failure to diagnose and anesthesia errors.

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.