Blog

4 Ohio hospital patients contract Legionnaire’s Disease

Feb 22, 2012

When patients seeks treatment at a hospital, they are putting their trust not only in the doctors and the nurses but in the hands of the entire staff. A patient trusts that each person will act in their best interests and with safe standards to ensure that the patient receives the care that he or she deserves. Hospital negligence can occur at any level of the operation when even one person fails to pay attention or makes a careless error...

Nursing Students injured while trying to help car crash victim on I-79

Feb 22, 2012

Three good Samaritans from Waynesburg University were injured earlier in the week after stopping along I-79 to help a car crash victim who fell asleep at the wheel. It is reported that the three nursing students jumped off an overpass when they saw a tractor trailer barreling toward them. One of the students was able to hang on to the overpass and pull himself to safety. The two other female students fell at least 50...

Erie man faces trial for fatal DUI car accident

Feb 21, 2012

A man from Erie, Pennsylvania will go to trial to face charges stemming from a fatal car accident on Jan. 6, 2012. The man stands accused of a litany of charges for the car accident, including: aggravated assault by vehicle while DUI, accidents involving death or personal injury, driving under the influence, involuntary manslaughter, recklessly endangering another person and several other traffic violations. Police reported that the 25-year-old man was driving a 2000 Dodge Neon...

Fatal accident is tragic reminder of rural road’s dangers

Feb 19, 2012

Questions regarding road safety in Pennsylvania abound after several deaths along a rural route in the recent future. The tragic February 1, 2012 deaths of two men in an auto accident along Route 329, also known as Old Post Road, are under investigation, but here are the facts known up to this point. According to The Morning Call, one of the men involved in the fatal motor vehicle accident was driving eastbound when he lost...

NFL concussion-related suits on center stage in Philadelphia

Feb 18, 2012

Recently, it was announced that four separate lawsuits targeting the NFL for concussion, dementia and brain disease issues are to be combined in Philadelphia. At the beginning of February 2012, the NFL and plaintiffs' attorneys received approval from a U.S. judicial panel to consolidate these personal injury lawsuits to be heard in Pennsylvania. When consolidated, these personal injury lawsuits represent over 300 retired NFL players and/or spouses blaming the league for negligence treating concussions and...

Drug addiction among anesthetists hinders patient safety

Feb 18, 2012

Anesthetists in Pennsylvania have a very important job: these doctors are responsible for keeping you and your loved ones alive during surgery. Too much anesthesia causes the patient to slip away. Too little, and anesthesiologists condemn a patient to awareness during excruciatingly painful surgery – in addition to extreme anguish, this anesthesia error can cause shock and other serious complications. Anesthetists are masters of powerful drugs that hold sway over life and death. But, sometimes...

Toyota car fires prompt NHTSA investigation

Feb 17, 2012

Earlier this week the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced an investigation into fires occurring in two vehicles in Toyota's line of car models. Affected are the crossover RAV4 SUV and the popular Camry. Both vehicles are found throughout the state of Pennsylvania. This is certainly not the first time we have written a post having to do with a car catching on fire due to a product defect. Generally however, those fires are located...

Construction workers free Pennsylvania girl from submerged SUV

Feb 17, 2012

A young girl was seriously injured earlier this week when she was involved in a car accident. The 4-year-old was a passenger, secured in child safety seat, in a Ford Explorer driven by her father. The motor vehicle accident occurred on Sunken Valley Road shortly after noon. The SUV apparently landed in a creek, partially submerged, upside down after he lost control of it on a patch of ice on the road that was gravel...

Two-trial system found constitutional by Ohio court

Feb 17, 2012

A wrongful death and medical malpractice case involving nursing homes in northeast Ohio recently provided the opportunity for the Ohio Supreme Court to weigh in on the matter of the process by which compensation can be sought. The original wrongful death and medical malpractice case was brought against the nursing homes by the estate of a now deceased resident. Before dying, the resident had undergone surgery for ulcers. The issue being examined by the court...

Pennsylvania ethicist says it is okay for doctors to lie to patients

Feb 16, 2012

In a recent study, over 2000 doctors were asked whether they ever lie to patients. Many member of the public were shocked by doctors' self-reported rates of untruthfulness. Some 20 percent of doctors admitted they had not told patients the truth when a medical mistake occurred. Over 10 percent of doctors failed to disclose their own financial conflicts of interest. And, 15 percent had downplayed the seriousness of a patient's prognosis. Is this indifference to...