Boston Injury Lawyer Blog

June 6, 2011

Propecia Lawsuits: Plaintiffs Claim Hair Loss Drug May Cause Permanent Impotence

Propecia is one of the medications prescribed for male pattern baldness. However, recently there has been growing concern that use of Propecia may lead to permanent impotence in some men. Propecia is made by Merck & Co.

In their dangerous drug lawsuits, the plaintiffs are accusing the drug manufacture of failing to adequately warn of the potential sexual side effects. The risks shouldn’t come as a surprise to Merck, considering that Propecia belongs to a class of drug known as the 5-alpha-reductable inhibitors, which is linked to impotence, erectile dysfunction, depression, and a decrease in sexual desire.

A study recently published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine affirms these concerns. The researchers found that drugs often prescribed to treat hair loss (and also benign prostatic hyperplasia) and baldness that contain finasteride or dutasteride may cause irreversible sexual dysfunction and depression. Finasteride is the active ingredient in Propecia.

Boston University School of Medicine Professor Abdulmaged M. Traish, who is the study’s lead researcher, says that nearly everyone who takes these drugs usually experience some of the side effects-although some people more severely than others-and in some cases the effects are permanent even after the men have stopped taking the medication. The professor refers to this outcome as a “life sentence.”

Traish’s team also reports:
• 8% of men who used the drugs experienced erective dysfunction.
• 4.2% said their libido was reduced • Other side effects included depression, decreased semen volume, and reduced ejaculation
Although these side effects are not fatal, they can be physically and psychologically damaging.

Other side effects linked to Propecia:
• Memory loss • Anxiety attacks • Insomnia • Hyper tension • Breathing problems • Bipolar mood disorder • Hypersensitivty
• Lethargy • Cognitive dysfunction • Breast enlargement • Male breast cancer • Testicular pain • Social withdrawal • Amotivational sydrome
Our Boston products liability lawyers represent clients who have suffered injury, illness, or serious side effects from taking medication. Drug manufacturers must warn of possible side effects and make medicines that don’t cause serious harm.

Sexual Side Effects From Propecia, Avodart May Be Irreversible, Medicine.net, March 10, 2011
The Journal of Sexual Medicine

Finasteride

Propecia

More Blog Posts:
Massachusetts Dangerous Drug?: FDA Pulls Avandia Because of Cardiovascular Risks, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, May 23, 2011
Massachusetts Dangerous Drug?: Women Affected by Yaz Birth Control May Have Grounds for Lawsuit, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, March 26, 2011
Massachusetts Dangerous Drug Lawsuit Says Raptiva Caused Serious Infections, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, February 8, 2011 Continue reading

May 31, 2011

Fatal Haverhill Car Crash Was Caused by Teen Driver Who Was Allegedly Texting

by Altman & Altman

Police have charged teenager Aaron Deveau with texting while driving in the Haverhill car crash that claimed the life of 55-year-old Donald Bowley Jr. on February 20. The 17-year-old driver has pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges of motor vehicle homicide by negligent operation, negligent operation of a motor vehicle causing injury due to mobile phone use, and being a person under the age of 18 using a mobile phone while driving.

Bowley, who suffered a subdural hematoma and was admitted to Massachusetts General Hospital following the catastrophic Essex County traffic crash, died nearly three week later. Also severely injured in the Haverhill motor vehicle accident was Luz Selena Roman, who was riding with Bowley.

Deveau has admitted to using his cell phone when the collision happened.

Texting While Driving
Texting, which seems like a harmless activity, is actually a very dangerous habit to engage in while operating a motor vehicle. As our Boston injury lawyers have reported in the past, texting distracts the driver, requires the use of at least one (if not both) hand that should be on the steering wheel, and uses part of the brain that is also needed for driving.

It just takes just a few seconds for a catastrophic Boston car crash to happen-that’s much less time than it often takes to read, compose, and send a text message.

Texting, like talking on the phone, is distracted driving.

Youth pleads not guilty in texting-while-driving death, Eagle-Tribune, May 26, 2011
Haverhill teen arraigned on charges he was texting in fatal crash, Boston.com, May 25, 2011

Related Web Resources:
OSHA Pushes for Safer Occupational Drivers, No Texting for Drivers on the Job, Massachusetts Workers Compensation Lawyer Blog, April 26, 2011
Hit-and-Run Driver in Lawrence Car Accident that Injured Toddler Was Scrolling Through Cell Phone, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, May 28, 2010
Preventing Massachusetts Car Accidents: Statewide Texting While Driving Ban Likely to be Implemented, Boston Injury Lawyer, June 22, 2010 Continue reading

May 30, 2011

Massachusetts Dental Malpractice Can Cause Serious Injuries

by Altman & Altman

Our Boston injury lawyers often report on different types of Massachusetts medical malpractice. In this blog entry, we will take a closer look at dental malpractice.

While a trip to the dentist may seem like an appointment where you are least likely to get hurt from medical mistakes, when dental errors do occur, the patient can be left with serious injuries, such as those involving:

• Anesthesia-related complications • Nerve damage • Teeth that shouldn’t have been removed • Infection • Tooth fractures • Loss of sensation • TMJ disorders • Tongue injuries • Root canal • Crowns • Defective dental tools • Wrong diagnosis • Delayed diagnosis
If you sustained dental injuries because a dentist, endodontist, orthodontist, periodontist, oral surgeon, or another dental care professional was negligent or reckless, you may have grounds for filing a Boston dental malpractice case. In some cases. There also may be other liable parties. For example, one man who was injured at an oral surgeon’s office recently received a $3 million settlement from a plumbing company that allegedly crossed nitrous and oxygen lines when it installed the medical gas lines at the oral surgeon’s office. The plaintiff, Austin Stone, is now legally blind and suffers from other health complications. Stone is suing several parties for his dental injuries.

Mediation in Lawrence dental injury lawsuit, KTKA/AP, February 13, 2011
Related Web Resources:
Medical Malpractice, Nolo
American Dental Association

More Blog Posts:
$7M Massachusetts Medical Malpractice Settlement Awarded to Parents Whose Child Was Born with a Genetic Defect, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, May 6, 2011
Boston Personal Injury?: Use of Psychotropic Drugs Can Prove Fatal for Some Elderly Patients, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, March 30, 2011
Medication Overdose: Boston Medical Malpractice Lawsuit Claims Massachusetts General Hospital Gave 76-Year-Old Woman the Wrong Blood Thinner, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, March 10, 2011 Continue reading

May 29, 2011

New Study Affirms that Driver Errors Increase With Age

by Altman & Altman

Over the years, our Boston injury lawyers have written about Massachusetts car crashes caused by elderly seniors, as well as reported on concerns that advanced age may make driver error more likely. While there are many elderly seniors that continue to be excellent drivers, statistics show that the traffic crash rate noticeably goes up among drivers ages 75 and over. Now, here is information about a new study by researchers in Australia that once again reports that the number of driver errors do go up with age. The study can be found in the journal Neuropsychology.

The study’s authors gave a battery of cognitive tests to 266 independent elderly seniors, ages 70 to 88.They also had them take a 12-mile drive through Brisbane in a dual break car. A professional driving teacher accompanied them, as did an occupational therapist.

Common driving mistakes made during the practical test:
• Failure to check blind spots • Attempting to turn from the wrong lane • Veering from their lane • Not signaling
There were points during the practical part of the study when the driving instructor had to step on the auxiliary brakes or grab the steering wheel to avoid crashing. Drivers over age 85 averaged nearly four critical mistakes during the drive, which lasted almost an hour. Reasons for such driving mistakes include slower reaction times, a decreased ability to multi-task, a harder time absorbing and processing complex data within a limited time, brain function decline, and the loss of some ability to know what to pay attention to and what to ignore.

Boston Car Accident Cases
Driver errors can occur at any age and the results for the motorist and others involved in a Boston car accident can prove catastrophic. Traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, internal bleeding, organ damage, and crushed bones are just some of the serious injuries that can occur. You may able to hold the negligent motorist liable.

Elderly Drivers Fail a Test, The New York Times, May 27, 2011
Older people, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
Neuropsychology

Related Web Resources:
Senior Drivers in Massachusetts

Mature Drivers, Mass.gov

More Blog Posts:
Boston Personal Injury Lawsuit Accuses Police Motorcyclist of Assault and Battery in ’07 Marathon Pedestrian Accident, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, February 15, 2011
Boy On Bike Hit By Police Cruiser in Avon, Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog, May 24, 2011
Drunk Driver Causes Fatal Accident on Interstate 95, Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog, May 16, 2011 Continue reading

May 27, 2011

Massachusetts Personal Injury: Two Women Sue Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office Over Dog Attack by K-9

by Altman & Altman

Kourtney Lebon and Kimberley Frye are seeking Massachusetts injury damages from the Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office. The two women claim that the sheriff’s K-9 attacked them without provocation and they are claiming excessive use of police force. They also contend that Deputy Sheriff (Patrick) Martin and the two Falmouth cops who were with him did not act immediately to stop the dog attack.

The Massachusetts dog attack occurred on June 9, 2008 after Frye and Lebon and ran into the woods following a multiple stabbing incident occurred at a graduation party they had just attended. It was while they were in the woods that Frye says that the sheriff’s dog attacked her, biting her buttocks. Lebon, who had run away and climbed a tree to avoid getting bitten, claims she too was attacked by the police dog after the officers had persuaded her to come down. She was injured on her left leg.

Lebon and Frye were then handcuffed and held until an ambulance arrived. They were never charged in the stabbing.

Frye and Lebon, who are seeking at least $300,000 in Falmouth personal injury damages, say that their Massachusetts dog bite injuries has resulted in emotional damage and permanent scarring.

Excessive Use of Police Force
Excessive use of police force can be grounds for a Boston injury lawsuit. Police are never supposed to use more force than necessary when detaining or questioning anyone. This includes making sure that a K-9 doesn’t cause unnecessary injury to anyone. Dog bites can be painful, scarring and traumatic. It the responsibility of a dog’s owner/handler keep an animal in check so that it doesn’t hurt people. K-9 handlers are not exempt from this responsibility.

Suit alleges excessive force by sheriff’s K-9, Cape Cod Times, May 25, 2011

Related Web Resource:
Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office

Dog Bite Prevention, CDC

More Blog Posts:
Haverhill Dog Attack: Grandmother and Her Friend are Injured as Two German Shepherds Try to Charge 1-Year-Old in Stroller, Boston Injury Lawyer, May 4, 2011
Massachusetts Dog Attack Involving Two Bulldogs Injures 10-Year-Old Girl, Boston Injury Lawyer, June 10, 2011
Boston Personal Injury Lawsuit Accuses Police Motorcyclist of Assault and Battery in ’07 Marathon Pedestrian Accident, Boston Injury Lawyer, February 15, 2011 Continue reading

May 25, 2011

Salem Premises Liability: 93-Year-Od-Woman Seeks Damages for Burn Injuries from Scalding Bathwater

by Altman & Altman

A well-known artist, poet, and children’s book author is suing the management company of her condo complex for Salem personal injury. Frances Wosmek, 93, sustained “horrific burns” when she took a bath in scalding water. Her first-, second-, and third-degree burns were so severe that she has had to have surgery to remove some of the burned tissue.

The Massachusetts burn accident took place on the evening of March 28. It wasn’t until the following morning that an aide found the elderly woman with her back and legs covered with burns. She spent more than two weeks at Massachusetts General Hospital and another several weeks at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital.

The defendants of Wosmek’s Salem premises liability complaint are EP Management Corp. of Beverly, owner Ronda Ziner, and property manager Toni Curcuru. Wosmek contends that the management company should have corrected the fluctuating water temperatures in the unit, which she owns. According to her Marblehead injury attorney, prior to the accident other residents had complained about the water temperature, which at times was hotter than the 130-degree maximum that the state allows.

May 23, 2011

Massachusetts Dangerous Drug?: FDA Pulls Avandia Because of Cardiovascular Risks

by Altman & Altman

The US Food and Drug Administration says that starting November 18, Avandia will no longer be sold at retail pharmacies in the US because the diabetes drug poses too high a cardiovascular risk to patients. Instead, people allowed to take Avandia will be able to get the drug through mail-order pharmacies only. Avandia also will only be available to drug users that have been safely using the medication, those that don’t have a problem using other diabetes drugs to control their blood sugar, and diabetes patients that are opting to take the drug even though they know of the risks. If you believe that your health issues or your loved one’s death was caused by taking Avandia, do not hesitate to speak with an experienced Boston products liability law firm immediately.

Avandia is made by GlaxoSmithKline. According to a 2007 study, the risk of a type 2 diabetes patient suffering a heart attack went up 40% when that person started taking Avandia. Other studies have confirmed this higher risk.

Despite these findings from a few years ago, some cardiologists are wondering why the FDA waited until now to take action. Also, as our Boston dangerous drug lawyers have reported in past blog posts, drug manufactures are supposed to make sure that their medications are not dangerous for use. Yet, unfortunately, there are drugs out there that have been FDA-approved but continue to cause serious health complications for patients. For example, Avandia has, in rare instances, been linked to life-threatening liver complications. Other possible side effects from this diabetes drug include headaches, respiratory infections, bone fractures, edema, fluid retention, and abnormal ovulation.

FDA to Pull Diabetes Drug Avandia from Pharmacy Shelves, US News, May 19, 2011
FDA puts heavy restrictions on Avandia, McKnights’s, May 20, 2011

Related Web Resources:
Food and Drug Administration

Avandia, NIH
Glaxo Smith Kline

More Blog Posts:
Boston Personal Injury?: Use of Psychotropic Drugs Can Prove Fatal for Some Elderly Patients, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, March 30, 2011
Massachusetts Dangerous Drug?: Women Affected by Yaz Birth Control May Have Grounds for Lawsuit, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, March 26, 2011
Massachusetts Dangerous Drug Lawsuit Says Raptiva Caused Serious Infections, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, February 8, 2011 Continue reading

May 19, 2011

Does Taking Diuretics Increase the Risk of Massachusetts Fall Accidents at Boston Nursing Homes?

by Altman & Altman

According to data released at the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) 2011 Annual Scientific Meeting, nursing home patients who start taking a diuretic or that up their dose of this drug are at greater risk of becoming involved in a fall accident. Per the study, the chance of falling was upped by over 2-fold within a day of the new prescription or dosage change.

Dr. Sarah D. Berry, who teaches at Harvard Medical School and the Institute for Aging Research, Hebrew SeniorLife, and her colleagues conducted a study involving 1,181 long-term care residents at the Hebrew Rehabilitation Center. The patients had fallen for the first time at least 15 days that after they were admitted to the Boston nursing home. Patients under 60 were not part of the study.

Diuretics help remove fluids from the body through urination. Some side effects from taking diuretics include dehydration, potassium deficiencies, frequent urination, muscle cramps, severe weakness or tiredness, blurred vision, dizziness, increased perspiration, headaches, severe, ringing in the ears, skin rash, vomiting, electrolyte abnormalities, and unusual bleeding or bruising.

Unfortunately, many sick people and elderly seniors are already at risk of falling. If, in fact, this drug is increasing the chances of a Boston fall accident, then assisted living facilities and physicians must exercise caution as to who to administer the medication to while providing adequate supervision so that residents taking diuretics don’t fall. Failure to provide this type of care or supervision can be grounds for a Boston nursing home neglect case.

Diuretics May Boost Fall Risk in Nursing Home Residents, Medscape, May 17, 2011

Related Web Resources:
Institute for Aging Research, Hebrew Senior Life

Diuretics, Mayo Clinic

More Blog Posts:
Preventing Massachusetts Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect: Are Assisted Living Facilities Doing Enough When Screening Employees Before Hiring Them?, Boston Injury Lawyer, April 28, 2011
Revere Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed by Family of Mental Health Counselor Allegedly Murdered by Patient at Massachusetts Group Home, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, April 21, 2011
Threat of a Massachusetts Nursing Home Neglect and Abuse Lawsuit May Not Be Enough to Improve Facility Care, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, March 31, 2011 Continue reading

May 17, 2011

Boston Wrongful Death Filed by Daughter of Immigration Detainee

by Altman & Altman

A woman whose father died at the Suffolk County House of Correction is suing the jail and its infirmary for Boston wrongful death. Pedro Tavarez, a 49-year-old immigration detainee, died in October 2009. He was in custody after he was ordered deported. Other defendants of the Massachusetts wrongful death lawsuit are Suffolk County Sheriff Andrea J. Cabral, Prison Health Services (now called PHS Correctional Healthcare), jail superintendent Gerard Horgan, and jail physician Colleen Collins.

In her complaint, which was filed as a federal case, Judith Tavarez is accusing the plaintiffs of gross negligence. She says that her dad died from a heart attack that was brought about by a major sepsis infection that the “defendants failed to properly treat.” She is also claiming civil rights violations and Boston medical malpractice.

Per a federal report from last year, because Suffolk officials did not take Tavarez to the hospital sooner his infection spread. Tavarez’s Boston attorney is calling the government’s failure to provide the detainee with “decent medical care” a “moral outrage.” Also, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Office of Professional Responsibility reports that in the case of Tavarez, there were language barriers, incomplete medical records, and the failure to complete basic tasks, including not checking his vitals regularly. Tavarez stayed at the jail infirmary for two days before he was transported to the first of three hospitals.

Even if you or your loved one has been arrested or detained, you are still entitled to a certain level of care and treatment. If failure to provide either causes serious injuries, or death, you may be entitled to recover Boston personal injury compensation. According to restorefairness.org, a 2009 inspector general report from the Department of Homeland Security noted that a lot of work still needs to be done to make sure that detention centers provide medial examinations. American Bar Association lawyers that interviewed detainees at Suffolk and a number of other county jails discovered that immigrants who had been detained were often forced to wait a long time to see a doctor.

Lawsuit filed in death, Boston Globe, May 16, 2011
Death of Pedro Tavarez raises questions around immigration detention reform, Restore Fairness, November 2009

Related Web Resources:
Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Tracking and Transfers of Detainees, US Department of Homeland Security, March 2009
Suffolk County Sheriff Andrea J. Cabral

PHS Correctional Healthcare

More Blog Posts:
Family to File Plymouth County Wrongful Death Lawsuit in Psychiatric Patient’s Homicide, Boston Injury Lawyer, March 11, 2010
Could Long Waits to Visit Boston Doctors Lead to Delayed Diagnosis?, Boston Injury Lawyer, May 15, 2009
Massachusetts Medical Malpractice Lawsuit To Be Filed By Family of Worcester Man Made to Walk Down Stairs by Paramedics, Boston Injury Lawyer, April 27, 2009 Continue reading

May 12, 2011

Another Boston Wrongful Death Lawsuit Seeks Damages Over Pickup Truck Crash in Big Dig Tunnels

by Altman & Altman

The family of Brian Hicks is suing the designers and builders of the Big Dig tunnels for his Boston wrongful death. The 39-year-old Salem man died last March when his pickup truck crashed in the Sumner Tunnel.

Hicks’ family contends that he could have survived the Boston motor vehicle crash were it not for the fact that when he was ejected from the pickup he struck a one of the handrails in the tunnel. Hicks is the eight person to have died after getting into an accident in the Big Dig tunnel and then hitting one of the sharp-edged rails that line the walkways that are there for maintenance workers to use. One person who did survived hitting a tunnel handrail lost an arm.

Last month, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation released a report calling for the removal of thousands of feet of railings. Chain-link mesh will be placed on railings that aren’t removed but are located at curves and other areas in the tunnel where a car crash has a higher risk of occurring. Because speed has been a factor in many of these collisions, current speed limits in the tunnel are being reassessed.