According to a report, federal safety officials ordered General Motors to provide information explaining why it took so long to recall 1.37 million cars in the US for a faulty ignition switch. The faulty ignition switch had the potential to shut off the engine and disable safety systems, like the air bag. The order listed 107 specific questions the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration required to be answered, under oath, by April 3. The faulty switches have been linked to 31 crashes and 13 deaths. GM should be punished for this – that’s a given. But how will they be punished? It’s quite possible the government will punish GM with a fine, but that doesn’t help the injured people. None
Debunking common medical malpractice myths There are a lot of myths out there about medical malpractice, and they come from both sides of the issue. For example, a lot of doctors and insurance companies complain the only reason health care costs are so high is because malpractice lawsuits make it expensive. They claim they have to perform a ton of extra tests to cover their bases so they won’t get sued, which makes the system more pricey and inefficient for everyone. As a result, some lawmakers have tried to cap the liability doctors and hospitals could have to pay for medical malpractice. In 2011, Tennessee set caps at $750,000 on non-economic damages like pain and emotional suffering and $500,000 cap
Last week, I informed you we’re investigating cases involving temporary IVC filters, which are used to stop blood clots. These devices have been connected to severe side affects, like organ damage, the need for open heart surgery, and even death. In September, NBC ran an in-depth investigation on IVC filters. In installment one they talk about how the device is injuring people, and then in their follow-up report, they discuss how manufacturer CR Bard may have covered up the dangers. They tell the story of Dodi Froehlich, who had the device implanted and four months later returned to the hospital with a headache. The doctors realized part of the device had broken and traveled through her veins to her heart. She ended
Delta Airlines and the food company Gate Gourmet in Amsterdam are trying to figure out how needles got into sandwiches served on in-flight meals from The Netherlands to the US. The needles, which showed up in turkey sandwiches on 4 different flights, appeared to be sewing tools. The FBI is investigating the incident. One passenger was injured on a flight from Amsterdam to Minneapolis. However, she declined to receive medical treatment. Since our Memphis personal injury attorneys look at liability cases like this all the time, we have a few thoughts on this strange situation. First, while we don’t know the person who was injured or how bad those injuries were, it seems strange not to receive any medical attention
A Santa Monica dog walker was charged with child endangerment after the dog she was monitoring attacked and bit a four year old girl in the leg. The dog was a Staffordshire terrier. The dog walker was Rebecca McGroerty. McGroerty was with the dog inside the dog owner’s home when the girl was bit. The girl was stitched up by medical personnel and released to her parents. According to police, the dog’s owner gave the dog walker, McGroerty, instructions to keep the dog muzzled and on a leash. However, the dog was both off the leash and not muzzled at the time of the attack. The owner also informed the walker that the dog was afraid of and aggressive towards
When you make a recorded statement without your attorney, you will hurt your case By: Darrell Castle If you’ve been injured and it was someone else’s fault, please call me today at (901) 327-1212 to schedule a FREE consultation with one of our experienced Memphis personal injury attorneys, or fill out one of the contact forms on this page. Video Transcript Hello, I’m Darrell Castle. I’m an attorney licensed to practice law in the state of Tennessee and on this video today, I am asking you to never give a recorded statement to a person who has injured you, a business who injured you or an insurance representative of that person or company without your own lawyer present. Always have your own
By: Darrell Castle Recently an undercover story from ABC News uncovered a New Jersey dealership selling a vehicle without fixing an open recall that allowed the vehicle to roll away while in neutral. It is currently against federal law for a dealership to sell a vehicle with a potential safety defect — including those under recall — until they have remedied the problem. However, this is happening across the nation as the dealerships face increasing pressure to liquidate inventories and move sales numbers. In fact, the ABC News investigation reached out only to discover and confirm that several hundred vehicles from various automakers were sold with open recalls at over 100 dealerships across the United States. The National Highway Traffic Safety
Have you been injured by an IVC filter? Our firm is investigating temporary blood filters, which are tiny devices implanted temporarily in the veins. Over time, these devices can fracture and migrate through the body to the heart and other organs. In fact, recent studies show approximately 40% of these devices will fail within 5 years! Temporary IVC filters have been connected to: serious heart problems internal bleeding need for open heart surgery need for surgery on blood vessels permanent injury to vital organs and even death What’s worse, it appears the manufacturers likely knew about these issues and didn’t report them. If you or a loved one has had a temporary IVC filter implanted and it led to heart,
The federal government recently caused quite a stir when it passed new regulations for the trucking industry. The Tennessean has a good article outlining the different points of view in this controversy. Basically, the rules require drivers to take more time off than they used to, leaving them with 70 hours/week to drive rather than the previous 82. Some drivers don’t see what the big problem is with the new rules. They feel like the limits make the road safer and protect truckers from getting taken advantage of by their companies. But many other drivers see the regulations as an unnecessary burden that might cost them time and money. They worry they’ll be threatened with high fines, just for doing
Happy New Year! When you wished away 2011 this past weekend, did you sigh with a little relief that the year was over? You’re not alone. A lot of people seem to feel that this past year was particularly trying, especially financially. Unstable stock markets, housing trends, and cost of living expenses meant a tough year for everyone. Now that the parties are over, perhaps you are looking at a pile of bills or a mortgage you are having trouble paying. You may be wondering what will happen to the car you bought when things were better or the credit cards you’ve had to use to cover day-to-day expenses. One option you may want to consider is bankruptcy. While this