A jury in Florida took less than two hours to reach a verdict that gave a multi-million award to the family of a woman struck by a driver using a cell phone. The inattentive driver rear-ended the victim. The impact sent the victim’s car hurtling across the median into on-coming traffic where it was struck by two vehicles. The victim died at the scene. The jury determined that the cell phone driver’s negligence was the sole reason for the accident. Learn why it’s so dangerous to use a cell phone while driving. The Adler Network has the story at www.jimadler.com with Adler personal injury attorney Andy Wilbur.
December 20, 2007
Cell Phone Driver Case Nets Victim $21.6 million:
December 19, 2007
Old Recalls Affect Second Hand Toys:
You may not know it, but those toys could be contaminated. Safe Kids World Wide says second hand toys could be subject to a recall that parents don’t know about. This year, millions of new toys were recalled because authorities found they contained toxic levels of lead or other features that were dangerous for small children. Parents need to watch them too. Some are still on toy store shelves. www.safekidsgreaterhouston has a comprehensive list of recalled toys and e-mail alerts to keep you up on new recalls.
December 18, 2007
A Powerful Poison in Soft Drinks:
It’s benzene. And it can cause acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) – a fast growing cancer of the blood and bone marrow that gets worse quickly. The EPA labels benzene a Group A carcinogen. But the FDA and manufacturers have done nothing about removing it from soft drinks although both have known about its presence in popular sodas for 15 years. Find that story at www.lawyersandsettlements.com. It broke last year when an editor on BeverageDaily.com and DairyReporter.com reported that that benzene levels in soft drinks “were…79 times the legal limit for tap water” and that “class action law were being filed against makers of soft drinks in states all across the country.” CFO Magazine reports that corporate executives expect “a flood…of benzene lawsuits, including cases that have nothing to do with occupational exposure,” prompting some legal analysts to say that benzene lawsuits are starting to look like “the early days of tobacco and asbestos litigation.” Benzene is most often associated with industrial sites. Workers who inhale vapors of petroleum based solvents are at high risk for AML because they contain benzene. The list includes chemical workers, refinery workers and rubber workers, among others.
New Recall affects Cars:
Ford has just announced a recall of more than one million trucks, sport utility vehicles and vans manufactured between 1997 and 2003. The car company says an engine sensor could make the vehicles stall and cause an accident. The recalled vehicles include the Ford E-series van, the Excursion full-size sport utility vehicle and the F-450 Super Duty and F-550 Super Duty Trucks.
December 17, 2007
Can a New Anti-Smoking Pill Lead to Suicide?
According to a British newspaper, it can. One of its editors slashed his wrists after using Chantix to quit smoking. But the paper is not the only news agency warning against the drug. In September,
December 16, 2007
Dallas Judge Knocks Uninsured Motorists:
He’s about to tear his hair out with frustration, according to The Dallas Morning News. Municipal Judge Jay Robinson is sick of people driving without insurance. As he told a repeat violator who appeared before him, “This is ridiculous. I have no sympathy for you whatsoever.” And then, he threw as much of the book at her as he could.
