Wrongful Death

April 28, 2010

Fire Trainee’s Family Sues For Her Wrongful Death

The family of a firefighter trainee killed during a training exercise has sued the city of Baltimore for her suffering and death.

The mother and two children of Racheal Wilson, 29, who had been with the fire department three months, allege in their $35 million lawsuit that the exercise was conducted in violation of dozens of federal requirements.

In February 2007, Wilson was sent with other cadets into a burning rowhouse in which instructors had set seven fires, although national guidelines allow only one. The cadets weren’t properly prepared, nor was an evacuation plan drawn up, the lawsuit alleges. Wilson was given inadequate breathing equipment and clothing that didn’t protect her from the extreme heat, the suit maintains, with allegations based on an independent investigation of incident.

Read full story here.

April 26, 2010

Texas NuvaRing Blood Clot Lawsuits Filed Over DVT and Pulmonary Embolism

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Three women from Texas have filed Nuvaring blood clot lawsuits against Organon and Merck & Co., the drug makers, alleging that the popular birth control ring caused them to suffer from a deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism and other injuries.

The Nuvaring lawsuits were filed on March 26 in the Marshall division of the Eastern District of Texas by Stephanie Huckabee, Amber Dawn Morgan and Christina Renee Pritchard. The women allege that the manufacturers failed to warn consumers about the risk of blood clots from side effects of NuvaRing.

Read full story here.

April 25, 2010

Jury Awards $15M Asbestos Verdict : Dallas Texas Mesothelioma Attorney

by Dr. Shezad Malik

A Mississippi jury has awarded $15 million to a 71 year-old oil industry worker who developed asbestosis after years of handling bags of product containing 99 percent asbestos.

Plaintiff Troy Lofton, who testified at trial with tubes in his nose and ears and holding an oxygen bottle that assists his breathing 24 hours a day, alleged that ConocoPhillips manufactured a dangerous product while knowing of its dangers.

The case is only the third to go to trial of over 700 pending cases involving oilfield workers who developed lung cancer, asbestosis or mesothelioma after handling products made by ConocoPhillips or its subsidiaries.

Among the evidence at trial was a handwritten document indicating that the company had weighed the cost of personal injury lawsuits against the profits of continuing to sell asbestos.

Read full story here.

April 24, 2010

Bayer Insists That Yaz and Yasmin Are Safe: Dallas Yaz Lawyer

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Bayer releases two studies it commissioned as proof that the drugs are safe, but other studies have found that contraceptives like Yaz and Yasmin increase the risk of blood clots more than other types of birth control pills.

Yasmin, first marketed in 2001, and Yaz, introduced in 2006, are made with a synthetic progestin called drospirenone. Two 2009 studies published in The British Medical Journal have called drospirenone’s safety into question.

One study, which looked at blood clot risks in healthy Danish women ages 15 to 49, found that of 4,213 cases of various kinds of blood clots reported between 1995 and 2005, more than 2,000 occurred in women who used oral contraceptives. Contraceptive pills made with the synthetic progestins desogestrel, gestodone and drospirenone all had a higher risk of blood clots compared to those made with an older form of progestin called levonorgestrel.

April 24, 2010

Burleson Texas Cracks Down on Illegal Train Crossings After Wrongful Deaths

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Don’t ignore flashing lights, bells and other warnings when approaching railroad crossings.

And in Burleson, officials were working to get that message across.

After three fatalities at railroad crossings in about a year, the Burleson Police Department, along with the Union Pacific Railroad, conducted an enforcement operation at the Alsbury Boulevard and Renfro Street crossings in Burleson. Nine drivers were cited for ignoring the warning signals, receiving a ticket that carries a $176 fine.

Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/04/15/2118783/burleson-cracks-down-on-illegal.html#ixzz0lKdK2ch5

April 23, 2010

Suspected DWI Crash Results in Murder Indictment in Denton County Texas

by Dr. Shezad Malik

A Denton County grand jury returned a murder indictment against a chronic drunken driver on charges that he drove drunk again on Easter and caused a wreck, killing two members of an Argyle family and seriously injuring three others.

John Patrick Barton, 30, is accused of causing the wreck on Interstate 35E in Lewisville that killed Kandace Hull, 33, and her 13-year-old daughter, Autumn Caudle.

Critically injured were Hull’s husband, Anthony Hull, and their two other children, ages 12 and 16.

Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/04/15/2118917/suspected-dwi-crash-on-easter.html#storylink=omni_popular#ixzz0lKRIIzys

April 22, 2010

Crowley Texas High School Mourns Death of Student in Car Crash

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Students at Crowley High School mourned the loss of sophomore Germain Harris II, who died in a car wreck.

Harris, 16, died after his car struck a sign pole in front of an Arby’s restaurant in the 3800 block of Altamesa Boulevard in southwest Fort Worth. The wreck happened at about 10:20 p.m.

The 1992 Lexus coupe was traveling at a “high rate of speed,” said Sgt. Pedro Criado, a Fort Worth police spokesman.

Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/04/16/2121090/crowley-high-school-mourns-death.html#ixzz0lKGU8DSm

April 21, 2010

Life Time Fitness Company Sues Mother of Drowned Boy

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Two years ago, 4-year-old Colin Holst drowned in a Life Time Fitness swimming pool surrounded by adults and lifeguards.

After being hit with a $25 million wrongful death lawsuit by Colin’s parents, Life Time is suing Colin’s mother and two of her friends, accusing them of trespassing, fraud and breach of contract. The company claims that Jana Holst, Jennie Stafford and Deborah Stack did not follow the gym’s guest policy and that the women should pay damages, court costs and all other expenses related to the lawsuits surrounding Colin’s death.

Read full story here.

April 20, 2010

NUVARING® Manufacturers and Distributors Sued for Wrongful Death

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Many lawsuits have been filed against the pharmaceutical companies associated with the birth control product NUVARING® in the United States.

NUVARING® is a birth control product that releases two synthetic hormones, etonogestrel (a progestin) and ethinyl estradiol (an estrogen), into the woman’s body.

The lawsuit complaints allege that the parties named as defendants, which includes Organon USA, Inc., Organon Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc., Organon International, Inc., Akzo Nobel NV, Organon Biosciences, N.V., and Schering-Plough Corporation, not only knew about the potential side effects associated with NUVARING®, but concealed those risks from the public, including the FDA during the approval process.

April 20, 2010

Settlement Reached in Cintas Wrongful Death Case

by Dr. Shezad Malik

The widow of a Cintas Corp. worker who died after falling into an industrial dryer in Tulsa has settled her wrongful death lawsuit against the nation’s largest uniform supplier, according to federal court records.

The settlement with the Cincinnati-based company came four days before a federal trial was to begin in Tulsa, details of the settlement were confidential.

Read full AP story here.