Syracuse Personal Injury Law Blog

Three ways a patient can protect themselves from malpractice

Published on: May 6, 2015 | By Jeff DeFrancisco

In a number of our posts, we have noted how medical malpractice is one of the leading causes of death in hospitals. Indeed, there is much that can be done on the physician’s side that can prevent such deaths (especially through misdiagnoses), but patients can also protect themselves from doctors who deviate from established protocols or who do not take adequate time to properly diagnose a condition.

This post will identify a few steps patients can take to stand up for themselves and avoid the potential for medical malpractice.

Educate yourself – In the past, knowledge on medical conditions used to be scarce. Only a trip to the library or having a personal relationship with a doctor would help in learning about your condition. Now, a quick search on the Internet can bring you enough knowledge to help you understand what you need to know.

NHTSA administrator concerned about higher truck speed limits

Published on: May 5, 2015 | By Jeff DeFrancisco

With a number of states raising speed limits in rural areas, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is becoming concerned with the speeds that semi trucks may be travelling. Mark Rosekind, who took over as administrator of the agency in December 2014, believes that the new laws could be a recipe for disaster.

He believes that many tires used on semi trucks and trailers were not designed to travel at speeds higher than 75 miles per hour. He fears that if such tires are used at these speeds for extended periods of time, a substantial amount of heat could build up and cause them to fail. He believes that tire manufacturers never intended for tires to be driven at such high speeds, and that a blown out tire could lead to a horrific accident.

The concerns are ostensibly linked to aninvestigation into an accident in rural New Mexico where a truck travelling above the 75 mile-per-hour speed limit blew a tire and rolled onto its side. Fortunately, no one was injured. Investigators blamed the crash on the truck owners (and not the tire manufacturers) because the tires were found to be under-inflated. However, the investigator on the matter noted that it was likely that the speed limit for the region was higher than what the tires were designed to travel.

GoPro camera captures motorcycle rider’s crash

Published on: May 4, 2015 | By Jeff DeFrancisco

It should go without saying that motorcycle accidents are scary experiences. Imagine speeding down the road at more than 70 miles per hour when something goes wrong. You may not have any options as you lose control and you crash.

It may be difficult to fathom the horror and despair that comes with being in such an accident, but a recent HuffingtonPost.com report may give some perspective. A motorcycle rider in California had his helmet camera rolling as he rode through the Los Angeles Crest Highway when he swerved to avoid an oncoming rider.

Thankfully the motorcycles did not crash into each other, but the rider lost control and crashed; his GoPro camera catching everything as it happened. The rider injured his ankle, foot and knee; but it is the quest to find the offending rider that is newsworthy.

Why some brain injuries are assessed and treated differently

Published on: April 30, 2015 | By Jeff DeFrancisco

In a number of our posts, we have noted that not all brain injuries are the same and that different treatments may be necessary depending on the injury. Through this post, we will briefly explain why that is.

Essentially, the brain is made up of neurons that form nerve tracts that carry messages from certain parts of the brain to the body. These messages help in carrying out a number of bodily functions, including, but not limited to, body movements, balance, personality, memory and heart rate. For all of these functions to work in concert, the brain has to be fully functional. If a part of the brain is injured, one or a few functions may not work properly.

Additionally, the brain is divided into several sections, called lobes. Each lobe is responsible for carrying messages to regulate a particular body function. For instance, the frontal lobe carries messages regulating attention, concentration, awareness, inhibition and emotions. Similarly, the parietal lobe manages sense of touch, differentiation of colors, vision and depth perception. Further, the cerebellum lobe controls, balance and motor skills.

Close call with waiting school kids causes anger, concerns

Published on: April 29, 2015 | By Jeff DeFrancisco

The images of three school children near Seattle, Washington nearly being hit by a car made national news this week, as it served as a poignant reminder that drivers must be aware of their surroundings and obey traffic laws pertaining to school buses.

The security video from the bus driver showed the bus doors opening as normal, and the children getting ready to step out into the road and on to the bus; when out of nowhere, a car zips by; nearly hitting the startled children. This is not the only instance of a close call involving inattentive drivers and children waiting to board school buses. In Minnesota, video of a semi-truck driver bypassing a stopped school bus likely made parents angry as it nearly plowed over a child who was waiting for the bus.

In fact, according to an ABC News.com report, school bus drivers across 29 states, including New York, indicated that they saw more than 70,000 violations. While no statistics were given regarding the number of children injured by inattentive drivers, it is a concern that should raise an alarm with parents and drivers alike.

Glances away from the road could lead to accidents

Published on: April 28, 2015 | By Jeff DeFrancisco

Think about how often you glance away from the road while driving. Some glances may be innocuous and necessary, such as checking your blind spot before a lane change. Looking in the rear view mirror to see if someone is riding your bumper, or just checking out what is causing a stoppage in a particular lane.

But when we take our eyes off the road for things that are not imitable for driving safety, such as changing a radio station, checking or sending a text message or even entering numbers to dial a phone, this could lead to devastating accidents. This possibility is especially important given how drivers who look away from the road for two seconds while travelling at 70 miles per hour, for instance.

A car going at that speed will travel more than half the length of a football field in two seconds; which is why researchers at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration suggested publicly that glances away from the road should be two seconds or less.

Homeopathic medicines could see more scrutiny

Published on: April 27, 2015 | By Jeff DeFrancisco

With the use of marijuana as a medicinal alternative for pain medication growing, it is no wonder why the homeopathic medicine industry is experiencing a growth spurt as well. According to a recent CNN.com report, the industry experiences nearly $3 billion in annual revenue. This means that more Americans are purchasing and using creams for pain relief or certain liquids for male virility.

There are many promises behind these products that the work just as well compared to over-the-counter drugs. And since the consumers who purchase them have not fared well with Western medicine, homeopathic medicines appear to be smart and healthy alternatives.

However, concerns are growing over such medicines, as they commonly do not go through the scrutiny provided by the Food and Drug Administration. Because of this, some medical professionals believe that homeopathic drugs may not be as safe. In fact, an Australian medical council published a report suggesting that they were no more effective than placebo, and that there was not medical evidence indicating that they work at all.

Blue Bell announces reboot after listeria outbreak

Published on: April 25, 2015 | By Jeff DeFrancisco

While many of our posts have focused on defective products relating to automobiles (e.g. defective airbags) products liability cases can relate to many other items that consumers use every day. One of the more recent issues involves Blue Bell Ice Cream. According to a recent ABC News.com report, the century old ice cream company had recently shut down its operations after finding that a batch of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream had tested positive for listeria.

Fortunately, officials at Blue Bell were able to identify the tainted piece of equipment and were able to shut down their operation so that other listeria contaminated batches were sold. Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that additional listeria cases were tied to Blue Bell as far back as 2010.

Despite these issues, the company announced publicly that it intends to start fresh and bring customers the highest quality (and safest) ice cream. Specific steps to achieve this goal include intensive cleaning of equipment and enhanced training.

How off-label marketing can lead to products liability suits

Published on: April 24, 2015 | By Jeff DeFrancisco

If you have watched any of the NBA playoff games, or a golf tournament on a Sunday afternoon, it is hard to ignore the commercials for prescription drugs. From Lexipro to Propecia to Flonaze to Lipitor, drug manufacturers spend billions on television advertising each year. The same could be said about radio ads (even though radio time isn’t as expensive.)

The frequency of advertisements has put more of a focus on off-label marketing; which is defined as the promotion of pharmaceutical drugs outside of their original purpose, or the purpose of approved use by the Food and Drug Administration. Federal rules prohibit the marketing of drugs that have not been approved by the FDA, even though there may be an alternate use for them.

A perfect example is the early use of the drug, Viagra. It was originally approved for improving cardiovascular performance. However, once it was found that it could improve another type of “performance,” a new market was created for which approval was necessary. Viagra’s popularity ostensibly began because doctors may prescribe a medicine for off-label uses if they believe that it can safely be a benefit to a patient.

Beware of dangerous driving habits during prom season

Published on: April 23, 2015 | By Jeff DeFrancisco

There is nothing like the air of spring. It helps people escape from the icy tombs of winter, it brings back sports that we love (baseball) and it signals the coming end of another school year. But before graduations are held, prom season must begin. For teenagers, it is the night of glitz, glamour and fantasy that can make lifelong memories.

Most of these memories are positive, but given teen drivers’ propensity for reckless behavior, it could lead to tragedy when they do not use good judgment. As such, teen drivers and their parents must have honest and frank conversations about the consequences of drinking and driving as well as distracted driving.

Indeed, drinking and driving is universally frowned upon when it comes to teens. Young drivers universally know that they should not drink and drive, even though they may not know that any amount of alcohol in their systems can lead to a criminal charge. While a Mothers Against Drunk Drivers survey indicated that less than 10 percent of teen drivers admitted to drinking and driving, the reality is that more teens actually do so. After all, how many teens are ready to admit to doing something that could get them in trouble?