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A recent report from the Associated Press has revealed some worrisome data regarding one of the nation’s most common types of rail tankers. An increase in the demand for ethanol, which is a highly-flammable fuel, has led to more tankers being put into service and an accompanying increase in the number of accidents. Many of these accidents also result in the release of dangerous chemicals, explosions, and even fires. According to AP, transportation officials were aware of the issues with the tanker’s design for the past two decades but declined to take it out of use.

The rail car, the so-called DOT-111, has been in heavy use on railroads around the U.S. for many years. The National Transportation Safety Board has brought to light several troubling factors in these accidents, which were reported as early as 1991 when the board released a safety study noting the problems. The tankers were found to be especially prone to puncture or tearing due to a thin steel shell, and the couplers at the ends can also tear off and potentially fly up when separated from between the cars. The AP, after analyzing over twenty years’ worth of data outlining federal rail accidents, found that the number of tankers breached increased from two between the years of 1990 and 2000 to 40 in the years since 2000.
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A new report by Bloomberg News has brought to light a troubling trend in complaints received by federal regulators at the FDA. In tracking those involving metal-on-metal hip replacement systems since 2000, it became apparent that there were about 16,800 total filed and that the majority occurred over the last couple of years. The report, which comes before next week’s advisory committee meeting scheduled by the FDA to review the metal-on-metal replacement systems, points to some concerning data.

In comparing the number of adverse event reports for each year, the FDA saw 682 filed in 2008-four times as many as the previous year-but 12,137 filed last year. In addition, more than 14,000 of those complaints filed in the last decade involved people who required surgery to remove the implant. Perhaps most worrisome is the fact that many see these complaints as reflecting only 1% to 10% of all issues actually experienced in the United States.

Much of the concern surrounding the metal-on-metal hip replacement systems has surfaced in recent years due to reports suggesting that they may be prone to early failure, as well as a DuPuy ASR hip recall issued in August 2010 which impacted more than 93,000 systems sold internationally. The early failures are largely a result of the metal parts rubbing against each other, which can cause microscopic shavings of metal to be released in the body.
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Severe thunderstorms on Sunday affected much of southern New England and especially parts of Rhode Island, causing minor flooding and knocking down trees. Police also reported hail the size of golf balls in areas. The strong storms left about 1,200 National Grid customers without power due to outages Sunday evening. However, more than half had their power restored by Monday morning.

In addition, several children were apparently struck indirectly by lightening Sunday evening while playing outside. According to WBZ-TV, the three-ages 5, 13, and 14-were hospitalized at nearby Hasbro Children’s Hospital after being shocked just after 4 p.m. The three said they felt a “tingling sensation,” which is a sign of an indirect hit, according to police.
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A toddler who wandered off from his parents’ campsite in Farmington, N.H. Thursday night is safe and back with his parents today. Liam Davis wandered off from the area, which was described by police as “hilly, heavily wooded with rivers and streams,” at some point last night. Emergency crews were called shortly thereafter, at about 8:15 p.m., on reports of a missing child.

Several departments from around the area were called to respond, including a DHART helicopter, New Hampshire Fish and Game, 75 searchers, all-terrain vehicles and K-9 units. After hours of searching, he was found sleeping at the bottom of a tree. He sustained only scratches and some poison ivy blisters in the incident and is now reunited with his family.
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The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services and the state’s Medicaid agency have consented to pay $1.7 million to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to settle possible violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 Security Rule. The state’s DHSS has also agreed to take steps to better safeguard the health information of Alaska Medicaid beneficiaries.

The HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) started its probe after receiving a privacy breach report by Alaska DHSS. The report noted that a UBS hard drive that possibly contained electronic protected health information was stolen from a DHSS employee’s vehicle.

During the probe, OCR discovered evidence that DHSS had not implemented the adequate procedures and policies to guard this information. Also, it did not appear as if DHSS had completed risk analysis, put into place enough risk management measures, finished security training for workforce members, implemented device and media controls, or taken care of device and media encryption, per HIPAA Security Rule requirements.

On the one-year anniversary of the tornadoes that ripped through a 39-mile track of western Massachusetts-residents of Springfield say that their city, the third-largest in the state-is still feeling the effects of the damage. The disaster killed four and injured many others, but its physical effects have affected residents indiscriminately by bringing down

The tornado left significant damage in a number of towns and cities across Western Mass., but Springfield, its residents note, is not recovering as well as some of the more suburban towns. Housing specialists say that this is particularly true for its lower-income neighborhoods as they are unable to provide the funds necessary for rebuilding. Many were already abandoned before the tornado struck, which has only exacerbated the problem as it has rendered many areas virtually abandoned.

According to the Boston Globe, the tornado was the most destructive to hit New England in 60 years. Although there is government aid being provided to the areas affected by the disaster, much of it has been slow to come in. Residents of Springfield now say that this has left abandoned areas prone to an increasing number of risks, such as drug dealers, vandals and other types of crime. Others have also noted that there are potentially dangerous consequences if they are not properly demolished, such as homes that may fall and damage the neighboring properties. Each house costs between $30,000 and 35,000 just to tear down, which has resulted in a gridlock between aid agencies over the payment of these bills.
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The uses of the iPhone and its myriad apps-aiding travel, entertainment, and even weight loss-are countless. Yesterday, however, the iPhone served a particularly noble cause: helping arrest a suspect in a robbery at an MBTA station. According to news reports, on Tuesday, a woman reported that around 9:30pm she was at the Beaconsfield T station on the MBTA’s D Line when she was pushed from behind and had her face pressed against the wall. The woman gave up her purse upon the robber’s demand-turning over her money, checkbook, keys, iPod, and iPhone.

Thanks to the iPhone’s “MobileMe App,” however, the police were able to track down a suspect in the robbery within a few hours. This application apparently permits the iPhone’s user to track the phone-as long as it’s turned on-in real time. After initially reporting the incident to the police, the woman began to track the movement of her phone (and thus the suspect) using this app. She reported the phone’s movements to the police, who used this information to spot a teenager matching the woman’s description of the robber and who was carrying a phone. Indeed, the teen was carrying the woman’s iPhone. Since the teenager is considered a juvenile, his name has not been released.

Similar incidents of iPhone apps-including the “Find my iPhone” app and the iPhone’s GPS-aiding law enforcement in catching burglars and felons have been reported in other states. Along with these tracking devices, specific iPhone apps have been designed to aid law enforcement, including the Miranda Warning, Vehicle Identification System, “Spanish for Police,” and DUI Warning and Test Instructions.

According to media reports, firefighters removed a mother and three children-suffering the effects of carbon monoxide poisoning-from their Hyde Park home on Monday morning, and transported them to a local hospital. Apparently, the family had contacted the Boston fire department on Sunday night because the family’s carbon monoxide detector had gone off. Upon reaching the house, however, the fire department’s meter did not read any levels of carbon monoxide inside, so the department advised the family to replace the battery in its detector.

On Monday morning, however, the mother and her three children all felt sick, and were removed from the house and taken to the hospital. The four individuals are expected to return home from Mass General Hospital on Monday night. An investigation into whether the fire department’s detector was faulty or malfunctioning is being conducted.

According the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), carbon monoxide can kill people before they are even aware of its presence, since it is a colorless and odorless gas. At low concentrations, the gas can cause dizziness, chest pain, fatigue, nausea, headaches, and flu-like symptoms. At higher levels, it can cause loss of consciousness, impaired vision, angina, and death. However, symptoms vary not only upon level of concentration, but also upon length of exposure to the gas as well as a person’s age and health.

According to media reports, a 49-year-old Plymouth man is facing his eighth charge of drunk driving-also referred to in Massachusetts as Operating Under the Influence (OUI). A habitual traffic offender, Edward Wright was arrested last night and charged with an OUI, a marked lanes violation, and operating with a revoked license. Reports indicate that his license had been revoked for 10 years due to consistent traffic offenses. Fortunately, no one appears to have been injured as a result of Wright’s alleged conduct.

Massachusetts courts view drunk driving and drunk driving accidents very seriously, as do we. If you have been injured by a drunk driver, an experienced Boston and Cambridge OUI accident attorney can help you through the process of filing a claim and seeking financial recovery. Although we hope that state and federal crackdowns on drunk driving will limit the number of accidents caused by OUI, our Boston personal injury lawyers are here to represent victims and their families injured by a drunk driver.

Plymouth man faces eighth drunk driving charge after arrest last night, Boston.com, January 18, 2012.

According to media reports, this week another child has fallen from a ski lift in Massachusetts. The seven-year-old girl was skiing at Nashoba Valley in Westford as part of an after-school program. She fell approximately 17 feet from the ski lift, but was wearing a helmet and did not lose consciousness or suffer any broken bones. There were no reported problems with the ski lift, as the girl apparently lost her balance and fell off the lift. Thankfully, the girl was released from the hospital with minimal injuries.

This is the second time within a week that a child has fallen from a ski lift in Massachusetts. Unfortunately, the 18-year-old boy from Upton, who attended Nipmuc Regional High School, did not survive his fall to the icy ground and was pronounced dead at UMASS Medical Center in Worcester.

Skiing is an incredibly popular New England sport. Despite safety precautions, ski accidents are bound to occur. In this week’s incident at Nashoba Valley, it does not appear that the girl has any viable claim of recklessness or negligence against the ski area owner, and there has been no talk that any charges would be filed. However, if you or a loved one was injured in a ski area accident, you should contact an experienced Boston personal injury lawyer to explore the possibility of filing a claim.
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