Chicago Injury Lawyer Blog

Yellowstone National Park officials say “rescue crews have recovered the bodies of two Montana men who died while trying to climb a frozen waterfall below the rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River.” (AP, 5/26). As a personal injury attorney, I always encourage those involved in extreme adventure activities to proceed with the caution. Friends of the two deceased men allerted park officials when the two had not returned from a weekend hike.

Rescuers found the climbers' bodies on a rock ledge several hundred feet below the canyon rim. Park officials say it appears an ice surge fell on the men as they were climbing the rock ledge.

Food and Drug Administration documents show Johnson & Johnson was aware of “problems with the potency of its Motrin formula in 2008, but did not recall the product until July the following year.” (Washington AP, 5/27).

In response, House lawmakers are investigating the company after last month's recall of upwards of 40 kinds of children's medicine. Some of the recalled medicines which contained miniscule particles of metal.

As a personal injury lawyer, I am disappointed by the reckless behavior of Johnson & Johnson. Awareness of risks should always lead to immediate action, especially when the risks involve small children, some of whom have underdeveloped immune systems.

It was just recently announced that “nearly 1 million General Electric coffee makers sold at Walmart are being recalled after dozens of reports of overheating, smoking, burning and fires. (AP Washington, 5/20). The Consumer Product Safety Commission stated Walmart has received upwards of 80 complaints about the coffee maker, including a few reports of minor burns.

In addition to bodily injuries, the accident reports include reports of property damage - a significant kitchen fire and damage to countertops, cabinets and a wall.

The recall involves GE 12-cup digital coffee makers sold exclusively at Walmart stores nationwide, and “consumers are advised to immediately stop using the recalled coffee makers and return the product to any Walmart for a full refund.” As a personal injury attorney in Chicago, I urge consumers to rid their kitchens of these coffee makers immediately.

A study recently indicated nighttime driving is becoming more hazardous for teen drivers, and the likely culprit is cell phone usage. As a personal injury lawyer in Chicago I am not at surprised by the study results, but hopeful that teens and parents alike will take the risks of cell phone usage while driving seriously.

In a report released Thursday, the Texas Transportation Institute says “the proportion of nighttime fatal crashes nationwide involving drivers aged 16 to 19 years increased 10 percent from 1999 to 2008.” (J. Vertuna, AP, 5/6). Data used by the duty came from the National Highway Safety Traffic Administration.

Senior research specialist Bernie Fette asserts that combining night time driving, which is already dangerous, with inexperienced teen drivers and cell phone usage, "and you've created a perfect storm."

The Consumer Product Safety Commission is “recalling thousands of Simplicity and Graco cribs, warning that babies could suffocate or strangle in them.” (Washington AP, 4/29).

The agency says the Simplicity recall has been implicated by at least one death, and involves thousands of cribs, though many may have been previously recalled for other defects. The Graco recall affects over 200,000 dropside cribs.

The problem with both types of cribs “stems from hardware failures in which a piece of the crib collapses or breaks - creating a dangerous gap between the mattress and crib where a baby can suffocate or strangle.” As a personal injury attorney, I strongly encourage all parents to ensure that their cribs are safe for us.

As a personal injury attorney in Chicago who has seen many incidents of the harm smoking can cause, I am pleased with the action taken by the Navy. Under new policy, “thousands of sailors who spend weeks underwater on Navy submarines will have to quit smoking now that the military plans to ban the habit on all subs.” (Ross Bynum, AP 5/2).

The Navy estimates just over 5,000 sailors smoke aboard subs, some smoke a pack a day, others just the occasional cigar. All will have to abandon the habit before the prohibition takes effect on Dec. 31, 2010.

This policy is consistent with much of the remainder of military units, as the military banned most indoor smoking in 1994. Submarines, however, were exempted because sailors serve long tours underwater with few creature comforts. The policy is in the best health interest of sailors, although it may initially be a challenging undertaking.