- Chrissie Cole | June 30, 2007 5:32 PM |
Category:
Defective & Dangerous ProductsThe FDA is advising consumers to discard any Veggie Booty Snacks, marketed by Robert's American Gourmet, due to possible contamination of Salmonella Wandsworth, a bacterium that causes gastrointestinal illness.Parents who are aware that their children have eaten Veggie Booty Snacks should watch for symptoms and seek medical attention immediately if signs of illness appear.Anyone who has eaten...
- Chrissie Cole | June 28, 2007 6:04 PM |
Category:
Automobile AccidentsAfter being struck by a car Tuesday night in a car accident, a Tampa woman and two children are recovering. Police say the woman, 24, was crossing the street when they were hit by a car just after 9:00 p.m. Her boyfriend's two children, an 8-year-old and 13-year-old were also struck by the car. Several witnesses say the car that hit them had a green light when the accident happened....
- Chrissie Cole | June 24, 2007 3:05 PM |
Category:
Automobile AccidentsA 10-year-old boy suffered serious injury in a car accident, when the crowded minivan he was traveling in, with 10 other people, blew a tire and spun into a guardrail.The 2002 Chrysler Town & Country minivan transporting eleven children and adults, required more than 12 ambulances and fire trucks to show up on the scene of the accident.The accident left the vehicle resting in the emergency lane....
- Shannon Weidemann | June 24, 2007 2:13 PM |
Category:
Automobile AccidentsA woman was out walking on an overpass for the Florida Turnpike in Pompano Beach when she was struck by a car. She fell onto the freeway and was hit by another car. The pedestrian accident happened on Saturday morning. The impact sent the woman over a barrier wall and onto the inside northbound lane of the Turnpike where she was struck again by another car.Neither motorist stopped, the...
- Shannon Weidemann | June 22, 2007 1:40 PM |
Category:
Automobile AccidentsA two car accident on Martin Luther King Boulevard in Seffner has ended with two people with serious injuries. They are both being treated at a local hospital. The accident was early on Friday morning around 3:00 a.m. Early indications from authorities are that a car that was traveling west on MLK Boulevard struck a car that was headed south on CR 579. Witnesses to the crash told...
- Chrissie Cole | June 20, 2007 3:28 PM |
Category:
MiscellaneousA former Lee County Sheriff deputy was given two years probation and banned from being a law enforcement now or in the future, after stealing money from a group of men he stopped last fall.The deputy was charged with two counts of grand theft and one count of official police misconduct last October when he pulled over a car of men and stole their money. The men reported it, and the deputy was...
- Christina Cole | June 16, 2007 12:57 AM |
Category:
Defective & Dangerous ProductsApproximately 1,800 pairs of children's jeweled sandals are recalled by Nordstrom's. The jewels can detach from the sandal, posing a choking hazard to small children.The recall involves Nordstrom brand sandals sold in toddler and little girl sizes. The shoes are tan and white with gold straps that have three jeweled flowers across the top. The name "Nordstrom" and a flower pattern are embossed...
- Christina Cole | June 15, 2007 12:32 AM |
Category:
Automobile AccidentsCounty Line Road was shut down for several hours, Thursday, while Florida Highway Patrol investigated a four-vehicle car accident.The four vehicles were traveling east on County Line Road when a Mitsubishi in the front, stopped to make a left turnt. Two cars behind the Mitsubishi also stopped, but a Ford F350 pickup crashed into the last vehicle setting off a chain reaction of rear-end...
- Staff Writer | June 14, 2007 5:47 PM |
Category:
FDA & Prescription DrugsThe test case of Michelle Cedillo, argued in a special Federal "vaccine court" this week, explores autism's potential link to the preservative thimerosal in vaccines administered to young children. The first few test cases of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims in Washington will decide the fate of some 5,000 other families, all of whom maintain that the mercury content of thimerosal, a...
- Staff Writer | June 14, 2007 4:53 PM |
Category:
Automobile AccidentsToday at 12:50 P.M. there was a tractor-trailer accident in the southbound lanes of I-275. The tractor-trailer hit the back of another truck and flipped over, spilling the contents of the truck, which was full of sand. There were no injuries reported in the accident.All but one lane of South I-275. remained closed until 2:50 P.M. today because crews had to clean the mess left by the...
- Shannon Weidemann | June 14, 2007 3:05 PM |
Category:
Automobile AccidentsIt is never a good idea to leave a child unattended in car and in the summer heat it could be deadly. The temperature inside of a closed car can easily rise 10 degrees in 5 minutes. The governor is about to sign a new law that makes leaving a child in a car a felony if the child dies or suffers injury. "Their body temperature starts going up. It's a massive effect. It gets to the point,...
- Staff Writer | June 14, 2007 10:14 AM |
Category:
Defective & Dangerous ProductsTubes of toothpaste found in discount stores in four states are being recalled by the FDA because they may contain the toxic chemical diethylene glycol, better known as DEG. This chemical is sometimes illegally used as a sweetener and thickening agent. DEG is also used as a solvent in antifreeze.Colgate-Palmolive says that the tubes of toothpaste are counterfeit and that they have never...
- Shannon Weidemann | June 13, 2007 2:57 PM |
Category:
Defective & Dangerous ProductsGold City Enterprise LLC has issued a product recall for their Shir brand of toothpaste. The toothpaste was manufactured in China and has been found to contain diethylene glycol. Diethylene glycol is found in antifreeze and can cause liver and kidney damage. The recalled toothpaste brands are Shir Fresh Mint Fluoride, Shir Fresh Ice Shir Mint Fluoride and Shir Fresh Cool Shir Mint Fluoride....
- Staff Writer | June 12, 2007 2:45 PM |
Category:
MiscellaneousThe Legislature decides October 1st, 2007 if the personal injury protection (PIP) part of the Florida no-fault auto insurance law will "sunset" after being in use for 36 years. If PIP is not renewed, drivers will no longer be required to buy the minimum $10,000 coverage for PIP and will be able to bring law suits against other drivers in auto accidents. The proponents of getting rid of PIP,...
- Christina Cole | June 10, 2007 11:47 PM |
Category:
Defective & Dangerous ProductsA lawsuit filed, Wednesday, against several tobacco companies, alleges the tobacco companies were targeting black consumers.The suit seeks over $1 billion in damages on behalf of Gloria Tucker of Coral Springs, a black woman whose mother and grandmother both died of health problems related to smoking.Citing marketing documents from the tobacco companies, the suit claims they used unflattering...
- Shannon Weidemann | June 09, 2007 3:36 PM |
Category:
Property Owner's Liability (Slip & Fall)A woman has filed a premises liability lawsuit against Wal-Mart due to the placement of a push/pull cart in the store. She alleges that she fell due to a push/pull cart that she could not see. According to the suit, Wal-Mart failed to keep its aisles clear of items that could cause a fall, and the cart in question was placed in an unsafe area "adjacent to or underneath a table of plants,"...
- Christina Cole | June 07, 2007 12:45 AM |
Category:
Defective & Dangerous ProductsApproximately 75,000 pounds of ground beef has been voluntarily recalled by United Food Group LLC of California, for possible E. coli bacteria contamination.The beef products were sold under the brand names of Moran's All Natural, Stater Bros., and Inter-American Products, Inc. They were available at Albertsons, Save-A-Lot, Grocery Outlet, Fry's, Save-Mart and Smart and Final in Arizona,...
- Staff Writer | June 06, 2007 3:56 PM |
Category:
FDA & Prescription DrugsThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration has advised consumers of the potential risks of using kava kava and has notified the public of this particular dietary supplement's potential toxic effects to the liver. Kava, an herbal dietary supplement authorized by the FDA for consumption in the U.S. for unspecified purposes, is indicated in the off-label treatment of generalized anxiety, insomnia, and...
- Staff Writer | June 06, 2007 12:56 PM |
Category:
MiscellaneousFrivolous litigation is a legal defense exercised when a plaintiff is trying to assert a claim that is legally baseless, without merit, and full of unsupported assertions. The goal of a frivolous lawsuit is to obstruct the adjudication of proceedings with no real colorable claims of law, forcing defendants to come up with legal reasoning to refute meritless claims. The definition of...
- Staff Writer | June 06, 2007 12:41 PM |
Category:
Medical MalpracticeA trial attorney recently published an article in the Arizona Republic calling the alleged doctor shortage a myth and backing his claims up with some interesting facts. Here is an exerpt. It's an interesting read.This deception is not an accident. It is part of a coordinated effort by industry giants to mislead and deceive the public. In 2003, what then was called the General Accounting Office...
- Staff Writer | June 06, 2007 11:41 AM |
Category:
Miscellaneous"Lawsuit abuse is costing your family $3500 per year" - this is the premise of ads from the US Chamber of Commerce being run on national cable stations. Well, the Chamber is basing their numbers on a Towers-Perrin Tillinghast analysis that examines the cost of ALL lawsuits, not just "abusive" ones. Is it the Chamber's job to decide what "lawsuit abuse" is anyway?Even the author of the study...
- Staff Writer | June 06, 2007 11:31 AM |
Category:
MiscellaneousBy now, the entire personal injury world is well aware of the infamous dry cleaning pants lawsuit. Things took an ugly turn last week when Judge Roy L. Pearson finally lowered his demand........to $54 million! Judge Pearson's lawsuit has put a black eye on the personal injury profession and knocked down a wall of defense that respectable trial attorneys and organizations such as InjuryBoard and...
- Staff Writer | June 06, 2007 11:26 AM |
Category:
MiscellaneousTort liability evolved as a generalization of specific types of injuries, some of which occur outside the context of economic activity. The U.S. tort system is designed to reduce the number of injuries by providing incentives to exercise the appropriate standard of care. Tort law's diverse origins are reflected by and large in a heterogeneous body of state case law. Given that the origins of...
- Staff Writer | June 06, 2007 10:57 AM |
Category:
MiscellaneousThe days of society branding personal injury lawyers as simply "ambulance chasers" is over.....at least it should be. The fact is that personal injury lawyers are helping more victims today than ever before. Tort reform has brought the profession into the national spotlight, allowing the country to see that so-called "ambulance chasers" are actually activists for victims' rights.Personal...
- Staff Writer | June 06, 2007 10:32 AM |
Category:
Defective & Dangerous ProductsI was in the Tampa International Airport last week waiting to board a flight, and I stopped in the terminal Starbucks to check my email and grab a cup of coffee.While I was sitting there, a woman who had just purchased one of those five-step drinks (triple, half, whip something or other) dropped her beverage on the floor as she was getting it off the counter. The piping-hot drink didn't get on...
- Shannon Weidemann | June 05, 2007 3:46 PM |
Category:
Motorcycle AccidentsMotorcyle accidents are on the rise in Tampa due to higher gas prices and more people riding motorcycles to save money. Florida repealed the mandatory helmut law seven years ago and there have been more fatalities related to motorcycle accidents as well. Motorcycle crashes are up all across the state especially in Hillsborough County. Authorities say more people are riding. "We see a great...
- Christina Cole | June 02, 2007 4:16 PM |
Category:
Defective & Dangerous ProductsThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a safety alert to avoid using tubes of toothpaste labeled "Made in China" while also issuing an import alert to prevent toothpaste that may contain a poisonous chemical diethylene glycol (DEG) from entering the United States. DEG is used in antifreeze and as a solvent.Consumers should examine their toothpaste products for labeling that...
- Christina Cole | June 01, 2007 12:59 PM |
Category:
Automobile AccidentsBeing the cause of a car accident in Tampa, may soon cost more. The city's fire department is trying to seek approval to charge drivers' insurance companies for rescue services.The fees range anywhere from $450 for a fender-bender to $1,200 for a crash that needs the assistance of a medical helicopter."If a driver causes a car wreck that causes additional expenses to the city taxpayer, the city...