Unicef and the World Health Organization say that 830,000 children are killed around the world in accidents. Their report, the World Report on Child Injury Prevention, is the first report to gather all known information on child injuries and deaths around the globe. The report’s estimates are acknowledged to be…
The Boston widower and children of a woman that died in July 2006 when 26 tons of concrete fell from the Big Dig tunnel ceiling onto the car she was riding, will receive over $28 million for her wrongful death. The settlement resolves the family’s claim against all the defendants,…
While the Food and Drug Administration has done extensive study on psychiatric drugs to see whether they increase the risk of suicide, they are now taking a look at whether other medications, such as drugs to treat seizures, smoking, and asthma, also pose a similar risk. Drugs that experts are…
A bill banning lead and six kinds of phthalates has been sent to US President Bush. The bill, called the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, was passed by both the House and the Senate last week-both times by overwhelming majorities. Despite objections by the Bush Administration to parts of the…
The family of Fernando Vargas, an East Boston teenager who died after his ventilator turned off during a power shortage last week, wants to know if his death occurred because the medical device was defective. A preliminary police probe found that the ventilator’s backup battery failed during the two-hour power…
In Massachusetts, 38 elderly residents and eight workers at the Taunton Nursing Home complex were sent to local hospitals after high levels of carbon monoxide was found in the building. Firefighters had to removed approximately 80 people from the building, evacuating the home’s north and old wings. Fire Chief Leman…
A recent WCBV report discussed the possibility that there could be over 30 million defective tire valve stems on motor vehicles currently in use. A valve stem is a rubber part that is inserted into a tire so that air can be pumped into it. If there is a flaw…
In Norfolk Superior Court, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston filed a products liability lawsuit against Whirlpool seeking $10 million for compensation related to a seven-alarm refrigerator-caused fire that destroyed the Sacred Heart Church in Weymouth on June 9, 2005. The lawsuit accuses Whirlpool of negligence and knowing that it…
The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments this week in a case that could determine whether drug makers should receive a similar protection from lawsuits to the one the court granted to medical device makers last week. The main issue, according to Justice Stephen Breyer, is whether a drug, “on…
A Texas woman has filed a products liability lawsuit against Advanced Medical Optics Inc. for its contact lens disinfectant Complete Moisture Plus Multi-Purpose solution’s failure to properly disinfect her contact lenses. Kimlyn Cline, a contact lense wearer for 35 years, says she always cleans and disinfects her contact lenses properly…