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Tag Archives: negligence lawsuit

January 01, 2022 News
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‎2021 Medical malpractice statistics :: New York has second highest incidence of lawsuits

New York – Statistics accumulated from a survey in 2021 show that medical malpractice and negligence ‎lawsuits are significant and concerning, especially for New Yorkers. The ‎survey was conducted by a professional medical information and education organization. The statistics ‎gathered showed that New York State had the second largest volume of medical malpractice lawsuits. ‎These included all types of malpractice claims, including failure to diagnose or delayed diagnosis, failure ‎to treat a disease or condition, medical or medication mistakes and surgical error. The category of ‎surgical mistakes has been known to include operating on the wrong patient or on the wrong limb or ‎organ. However, a well-known and described surgical malpractice situation is when the doctor forgets ‎or leaves a foreign object inside of the patient. Some of the healthcare malpractice cases described ‎have led to wrongful death and are also evaluated in this survey. Other cases can lead to paralysis, loss ‎of use of function of part of the body or organ as well as infections. These statistics and the volume of ‎health-related malpractice incidents have patient safety specialists concerned. They warn that ‎continued development and following of safety protocols and education are essential to protect ‎patients. You can check out more medical malpractice statistics here.

Photo for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit: Jennifer Morrow [License]

July 24, 2015 News
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Dangerous furniture falls, killing children

New York – Product safety specialists have long warned about the dangerous condition caused by tall furniture that isn’t properly secured. Reports show that two children were crushed to death under heavy dresser drawers from Ikea, a popular furnishings retailer. The store has now issued repair kits to allow consumers to secure their furniture to various types of walls, in case they have not done so thus far. The wall anchor set will be issued for specific pieces of furniture that meet the criteria set by the business, as they are likely to fall over and injure or kill an unsuspecting person. Experts say that all furniture should be checked for safety or a fall hazard by manufacturers and stores before being sold. They note that proper instructions and equipment should be included with all products to ensure secure installation of the furniture. Ikea has included wall anchors with some of their products for several years but it is unclear if the specific units that caused the deaths of these kids had them included. Safety activists warn that the concern is not just regarding these specific accidents or even this specific company. Rather, they note, there are some companies that are more negligent when it comes to consumer safety than others. Explicit warning labels, instructions and equipment as well as constant after-market research is necessary by manufacturers and stores to prevent accidents, injuries and wrongful death. Effort must also be made to prevent heavy, unstable objects, such as a television set, being kept on furniture without proper safety precautions that prevent the object from being pulled or falling onto a victim. Businesses that do not do this may face a negligence lawsuit for manufacturing or selling a hazardous product. Additional information on this topic and the fatally injured children is available here.

Illustrative photo by: BeckyF [License]

November 09, 2014 News
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Dangerous construction accidents in New York investigated

New York – Construction injuries have, unfortunately, become an expected reality in the industry, according to work safety advocates. They say that employers sometimes shirk their responsibilities by not following safety codes and create a hazardous condition for their workers. One hardhat construction worker suffered a fall injury in the World Trade Center site when he fell from a scaffold to the ground, nearly 20 feet below. Witnesses contend that the work accident occurred because the shoring equipment was unstable and no ladder was provided by the construction company. They note that the scaffold tipped over and collapsed, causing the worker to suffer a spinal injury with back pain, fractures and a permanent disability. The man’s injuries also included broken ribs and a head injury according to doctors. Accusations against various construction companies and contractors have since arisen, claiming that employers have tried to cover up accidents and injuries. Workers have reported that bosses have ordered the clean-up of the site of a construction injury in order to hide evidence of negligence. In addition, investigations have shown that employers have been known to avoid reporting workplace accidents, with as many as 34 serious on-the-job injuries going unreported to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the federal agency tasked with ensuring work safety. These accidents have been documented to have caused hips fractures, broken bones as well as neck and back injury. Worksite safety activists explain that these employers may have been trying to avoid negligence lawsuits and worker’s compensation injury claims while ignoring the damage they caused to the lives and families of the injured workers. Read details about the investigations into the unreported occupational worker’s comp injuries here.

Illustrative photo by Saberwolf116 at en.wikipedia [CC-BY-3.0], from Wikimedia Commons

November 02, 2014 News
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Dangerous chemicals and additives in Halloween supplies

Public safety activists are outraged at the latest findings of hazardous chemicals found in children’s holiday costumes and other Halloween products. Scientists were given over 100 holiday costumes, decorations and party favors to determine if they had been tainted by known toxic chemicals or additives. In fact, they even found products that come in contact with food, such as trick-or-treat bags, to be laced with bromine, a chemical with dangerous health consequences. Reports describe the various unhealthy chemicals that were tested for, including bromine, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, phthalates, lead and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Experts explain that the health hazards from these chemicals can range from brain damage, endocrine or hormone problems, cancer, asthma, learning disabilities and birth defects. The testing was performed on holiday items that were sold in major retail stores such as Target, Walgreens and Walmart. Even a major pharmacy chain, CVS, was found to be selling these dangerous products. Activists warn that stores, manufacturers and importers of these products maintain responsibility for their actions and face negligence lawsuits, personal injury claims and even wrongful death charges if they are found guilty of knowingly putting consumer health at risk. The public is advised to seek immediate medical attention if illness or injury is suspected from a hazardous product. They also have the right to consult with an injury lawyer to determine if they are entitled to compensation for their injury, disorder or a death. See this article for further information on the recent hazardous product investigation.

Illustrative photo by Lotues Wosheang (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

May 26, 2014 News
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Serious injury blamed on defective office chair

An office desk chair has been recalled after more than two dozen victims have fallen and been injured, including at least one serious injury. Office Depot, an office furniture and supply store, sold the desk chairs for approximately nine years and have received numerous complaints from injured workers. It is unclear as to how long the manufacturer and retail company have known about the dangers of the faulty product. It has now come to light that the welding on the bottom of the chair can break and cause a fall injury. Reports show that some of the injured victims suffered a head injury, neck and back injuries, broken hip, fractured bones as well as contusions and abrasions from falling off of the broken chair. Consumer protection specialists therefore triggered the product recall, hoping to prevent further accidents and injuries. An accident lawyer in New York explains that injuries arising from a product liability case such as this can lead to several different types of personal injury lawsuits. These may include a negligence lawsuit if the factory that produced the product, or store that sold it, knew that their product was breaking or poorly made. A workman’s compensation lawsuit may need to be filed if the injury occurred at work. In some circumstances the injured victim may need to file for long-term or even permanent disability. Find out more details on the current broken chair recall here.

March 21, 2014 News
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Electrical shock hazard concerns trigger product recall

The makers of a popular breast pump have issued a dangerous product recall this week. They explain that there is a concern of injuries being caused by an electrical shock from the faulty machines. The concern arises from loose connections between the adapter and the electrical source. Experts say that a poor product design can lead to this type of hazardous situation and needs to be addressed quickly. They note that safe electrical engineering is important when producing electrical machines of any kind. However, they note, breast pumps are considered medical devices since they are used by new mothers to extract supplemental breast milk for the baby. This means that the product recall needs to be coordinated by the Food and Drug Administration. Reports from the manufacturer show that no women or babies have been injured so far by these products. However, some product safety advocates warn that companies aren’t always fully forthcoming about details of possible injury caused by the use of one of their products. They sometimes blame outside causes for the injuries in order to avoid negligence lawsuits. Consumers who think that they may have been injured by a dangerous product are encouraged to seek legal counsel in order to determine their rights. Check out this article for details regarding the breast pump recall.

Illustrative photo by Wencke g (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons