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Bikes accounted for 43,000 injuries and nearly 100 deaths in 2007, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. At the onset, you may think that a bike injury is the cause of a swift reactive turn in response to a vehicle or some other obstruction. However, bikers maybe at risk of injury because of their bike helmet that can turn into a weapon or the bike mechanisms may malfunction.

Bike risks relate to both children and adults. Twelve thousand children and twenty six thousand people between the ages of 16 and 54 were injured on bikes in 2007. One of the problems associated with the risk of a bike injury is that people may not be aware of such risks. Bike helmet companies tout the benefits of strong lightweight fiberglass or carbon fiber shells, UV protection, ventilation systems, and antibacterial fabric, but the risk of injury from a hard hit may not be disclosed. Bicycle companies offer heavy duty light weight frames, top end rims and axles, street and dirt worthy tires as well as cranks and rotors for power, speed and high performance. Yet, the risks such as the bicycle’s quick release mechanism inadvertently discharging, should support every biker being more aware of the risks associated with a bicycle.

Laws About Bicycles and Bike Helmets

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Food borne illnesses can be traced to manufacturing plants that do not meet regulations for safety. Red flags went up for the risk of a food borne illness at Meyer’s Seafood Processing Facility recently. In October of 2009, inspectors uncovered violations of the seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulation, Title 21, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 123 (21 CFR 123).

The Wisconsin based seafood plant has received a warning letter because of several failures to meet regulations including:

•    Meyer’s vacuum-packed cold-smoked salmon, bonito, mahi-mahi, tuna, wahoo, mackerel, jobfish, jack or crevalle, trevally, escolar, clams, cockles, mussels, oysters, scallops, and air packed, hot-smoked salmon have been deemed adulterated because they have been prepared, packed, or held in unsanitary conditions and rendered injurious to health.

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Millions of Becton, Dickinson and Company catheter systems are involved in a recall because of a defect in the product that may result in injury or death to a user. The direct flaw of the catheter system involves the risk of an air embolism and leakage of blood or therapeutic fluids. These risks pose an additional risk of serious injury or death.

Becton Dickson received reports that air was entering through the septum disk. Catheter system failures were reported on units that were distributed from November 2009 to November 2009.

Catheters are used in hospitals to treat a variety of medical conditions, including, but not limited to:

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Cardiac defibrillators can be faulty at times and such is the case with Cardiac Science’s automated external defibrillator. The manufacturer of the medical device has discovered a flaw in the design of the defibrillator which can lead to the inability to resuscitate an individual in need. Over 12,000 of the defibrillators have been recalled due to the defect in design. People using the defibrillator may feel protected from harm because they are using the medical device, but this is a false impression in light of the defect. The defective models include:

  • Powerheart 9300A, 9300E, 9300P, 9390A, 9390E
  • CardioVive 92532
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Toyota owners that have not been injured and those that have may be entitled to financial compensation because of the defects associated with Toyota cars. Toyota recalls have totaled approximately 8 million autos over the past several months, including several models:

  • 2009-2010 RAV4 Crossover
  • 2009-2010 Corolla
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NSF, also known as nephrogenic systemic fibrosis or nephrogenic fibrosing dermopathy, has been linked to a gadolinium-based contrast agent that has been used in 200 million MRI procedures. Dating back to 2006, investigative authorities and Omniscan, the manufacturer, had begun to receive reports of nephrogenic systemic fibrosis in people that were given the gadolinium-based contrast agent during their MRI. Later, studies have documented that gadodiamide intoxication can build in years over time. The studies also noted that loss of renal function increases the severity of NSF. Researchers have not been able to fully identify the clinical, biochemical and pharmacological factors that relate to NSF and gadolinium contrast dye. However, it is clear that the key ingredient, namely gadodiamide, is responsible for producing NSF in patients that used this contrast dye for their MRI.

NSF is a painful debilitating disease that cannot be easily treated and may result in a slow painful progression to death. People with NSF are known to suffer from skin death that may encompass the body including: fibrosis of the diaphragm, muscles, abdomen and lungs. The skin may thicken as well. People with NSF may suffer from joint dysfunction and connective tissue disorders which can limit their mobility. People with NSF may also suffer from kidney impairment.

The manufacturers Bayer Healthcare, Bracco, Covidien, GE Healthcare and Mallinckrodt have all produced gadolinium contrast dye. It is not known how many of the 200 million people that have been administered the contrast dye is affected by NSF. However, there are a high number of reports of serious injury and death due to gadolinium related NSF.

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Diabetics taking Avandia may not be aware of the risk of heart attack and emacular edema. However some Avandia users have suffered the injury of cardiac arrest and emacular edema due to the use of the drug.   Avandia is also sold as Avandaryl (rosiglitazone maleate and glimepiride), and Avandamet (rosiglitazone maleate and metformin hydrochloride), which all contain rosiglitazone, and Actos (pioglitazone hydrochloride), Duetact (pioglitazone hydrochloride and glimepride) and Actoplus met, which all contain pioglitazone. The manufacturers have strengthened the warnings about the drugs on the drug labels, but this does not improve the outlook for those who are injured or will be injured by Avandia. There have been reports of death following cardiac arrest with a link to Avandia. There have been reports of diabetics suffering from emacular edema of which has been successfully treated.

Symptoms that display the risk of heart failure include:

  • Rapid weight gain
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Many veterans from the Iraqi and Afghanistan War suffered from post traumatic stress disorder. Many were treated. However, many were not found eligible for long term benefits.  This has been unfortunate for these vets particularly when the symptoms associated with post traumatic stress can present themselves at many times over the course of a lifetime. Consequently, last quarter of 2008 a class action lawsuit was filed. Now a federal judge is allowing a court authorized mailing to go out to roughly 4,300 vets which will permit them to participate in the class action lawsuit if they qualify.

The National Veterans Legal Services is the advocacy group that initiated the class action lawsuit involving seven injured vets. If the lawsuit is won, many vets with post traumatic stress would potentially receive long term financial compensation and healthcare benefits. Veterans most likely affected in this class action received disability discharges between December 2003 and November 2008.

The diagnosis for post traumatic stress may involve both a physiatrist and psychologist. The symptoms associated with post traumatic stress are numerous, including:

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When you go to a physician and they prescribe a medication, do they review drug side effects with you? Maybe, maybe not. Physicians are dedicated to protecting your health. Yet, this does not mean that they fully educate you about the drugs that you are taking. They are there to diagnose medical conditions, offer treatment options and alternatives to treatment. They are obligated to tell you about any complications you may experience from proposed treatments. However, they may not fully prepare you for the list of side effects that are associated with proposed medications. It’s often the pharmacist that reviews drug side effect risks and reviews your history to ensure that the drug you are supposed to take will not adversely interact with the drugs that you are currently taking. Some may say that the pharmacist has become part of the check and balance system in healthcare.

For this reason, lawsuits involving drug side effects are not usually considered medical mal practice. Lawsuits involving drug side effects are often considered defective drug liability cases. The validation of legal cases involving drug liability is determined by several factors. One factor relates to the informed consent process. Information about the drug’s side effects is presented in the package insert of the drug, on the manufacturer’s website and in advertisements that appear on television, radio or in print.

It is important to note that new drug side effects may be uncovered after a new drug filters through the mainstream population. Manufacturers gather reports from individuals that have suffered from new side effects. The FDA may receive reports from people that have suffered new side effects. At this time, the manufacturer and the FDA attempt to educate the public about the newly discovered side effect. The manufacturer also alters the package insert and advertisements in order to disclose the new drug side effects. A drug recall occurs when the number of reports becomes exceedingly high. At this time, the drug is recalled from the consumer market. People using recalled drugs may not be aware of the recall so warning letters are sent to those individuals about the recall. In the end, people should not ignore side effects associated with drugs. They should read package inserts and become fully educated about the drugs they are taking. People should report any side effects they experience to their doctor as soon as possible.

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Fire hazards in products can be some of the most dangerous types of hazards. Fires that erupt from products can cause burns to individuals and the spread of the fire to surrounding areas. On January 21, 2010, BSH Home Appliances Corp. of Huntington Beach California, in conjunction with The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, announced a recall of the Thermador® Built-In Oven following reports from individuals of fires due to the oven.

Insulation gaps in the oven are the cause for concern in the recalled Thermador® oven. These insulation gaps can overheat when in use or in the self cleaning mode. The overheating can create a fire that reaches surrounding cabinetry and ultimately places users at risk of serious injury or death. Two of the three reports received by Thermador® involve fires that reached surrounding cabinetry. In the past, BSH Home Appliances Corp. had recalled 42,000 built in ovens. The latest recall involves 37,000 built in ovens. This recall is limited to the Thermador® built in double oven model numbers C272B, C302B, SEC272, SEC302, SECD272 and SECD302 and serial numbers between FD8403 through FD8701. People can check the serial number by viewing the underside of the control panel. People affected by the recall should stop using the oven and call the manufacturer at (800) 701-5230.

Fire hazards can be created many ways. Failure to maintain a gas oven is a fire hazard. Heating of toxic fumes can cause a fire hazard. Misuse of a product can cause a fire hazard. Manufacturer defects are one of the leading causes of fire hazards each year.

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