California Injury Blog

An animal control officer will have to undergo surgery after he suffered injuries to his legs and arm, mauled by a pit-bull at a Lakewood home. The 28-year-old officer, who has not been identified, reportedly went to the home to speak to the resident about having too many pit-bulls and address certain dog violations at that residence, according to an article in the Daily Breeze.

The dog owner, who had five pit-bulls, agreed to let go of three. But when the officer tried to take the dogs, one of the pit-bulls attacked him, biting him in his legs and arm. The officer has a break in his knuckle, deep cuts and tears. Officials are concerned about possible nerve damage and infection.

There is no question that this dog bit victim will be entitled to workers compensation from his employer as well as from the dog owner. It is outrageous that this dog owner had five pit-bulls and tragic that this animal control officer got brutally attacked when he was trying to do his job.

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Posted In: Dog Bites

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A Palm Desert nursing home is facing a $100,000 state fine and the severest AA citation after a patient reportedly died from an infection caused by a perforated colon. According to the Riverside Press-Enterprise, California Department of Public Health investigators issued the citation against The Springs at the Calotta, a 59-bed facility, for failing to identify and monitor the medical needs of an 87-year-old woman who suffered from a severe case of constipation for 24 days.

The woman died in June 2006, but it took investigators about a year and a half to obtain all the documentation and conduct internal investigations, the news report said. The victim was admitted into the nursing home on June 5 to recover from a broken pelvis. Apparently, nursing home administrators knew that she was constipated when she came in, but did nothing to relieve her problems. She eventually died June 29, less than a month after she was brought to the nursing home.

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Posted In: Nursing Home Abuse/Neglect

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A woman suffered critical injuries in a Pico Rivera big rig accident after the tractor of the big rig slammed into her compact car sending the vehicle into a telephone pole. The driver of the big rig reportedly took off and officials are still looking for this person, according to a CBS News report. The big rig accident reportedly occurred at the intersection of Telegraph Road and Paramount Boulevard.

According to reports, the truck traveling without a trailer, hit the woman’s compact car at the intersection. The car was so badly mangled that firefighters had to use the Jaws of Life to cut the woman free. The victim has not yet been identified by officials, who say she was lucky that her injuries were not worse or fatal. Anyone with information about the accident or the hit-and-run driver is asked to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Pico Rivera Station at 562-949-2421.

This is obviously a horrible accident. We can only imagine what this victim’s loved ones must be going through at this time. We sincerely hope and pray that she gets justice and that can only happen when this heartless truck driver who hit her and left her on the road gets apprehended and is held accountable for his actions. The news report says that this driver was only driving the tractor portion of a tractor trailer. But if he was on the job and driving the big rig – which he most likely was -- his employer could also be held liable for the accident along with the driver.

It is also interesting to think about why this driver fled the scene. Did he simply panic? Did he have other violations or priors that he did not want the cops to find out about? Or were alcohol and/or drugs involved in the accident? These questions may be answered once police catch the driver, who will and should face felony hit-and-run charges.

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Posted In: Truck Accidents

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Toyota is recalling 90,189 Highlander and Highlander hybrids because apparently the third row passenger seatbelts are defective when it comes to securing a child restraint system. According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), the flaw in the restraint systems in these sport utility vehicles could result in injuries to children in the case of an auto accident.

So if you own one of these SUVs, please watch the mail for your recall notice. Toyota is promising to fix the problem for free. According to an article in the watchdog Web site Consumeraffairs.com, the seat belt webbing in the third row of the recalled Highlanders is not properly secured by the automatic retractor. This makes the seatbelt webbing prone to spooling out during normal driving.

How does the loose belt affect the stability of a child restraint? It could cause major injuries or even death in a high-speed crash or rollover accident. Such a defective seatbelt will do nothing to protect children from injuries during auto accidents. Toyota dealers will install a newer, better-designed seatbelt free of charge when the recall gets underway. If you own one of these vehicles and would like to know more about the recall, please call Toyota Motor Co. at 800-331-4331 or NHTSA at 800-327-4236.

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Posted In: Defective Auto Products

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Two Buena Park men are recovering after they were bitten by a pit-bull while taking a walk in the gated community of College Park, according to a news article in The Orange County Register. Larry Zimmerman, 43, and his Siberian husky were the first to be attacked by the pit-bull. Then the dog attacked Zimmerman’s neighbor James Kim, 59 and his wife who were taking an evening walk down the street, the newspaper reported.

Zimmerman suffered bites on both of his legs and his left arm while Kim got five stitches in his chest. Zimmerman told the newspaper that he is a dog-lover himself but cannot understand why dog owners cannot control their dogs. As personal injury attorneys who have represented victims of dog attacks, we understand Mr. Zimmerman’s point of view.

We are ardent supporters of cities and county agencies holding dog owners responsible for their negligence. In this case, this pit-bull and another boxer which was apparently not involved in the attacks, were running loose attacking these unsuspecting residents who were doing nothing more than taking a relaxing evening stroll. What a rude shock for them!

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Posted In: Dog Bites

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A Costa Mesa couple in their late 60s died after the driver lost control of his 2005 Chevy Malibu, a news article in The Orange County Register reports. The auto accident, which killed 69-year-old Jack Henderson and his wife, Carolyn Henderson, 65, occurred on Newport Boulevard after the husband exited the 55 Freeway near Fair Drive and merged on to Newport, the article said.

The car reportedly crashed into a chain link fence, clipped some trees and rolled down an embankment back onto the freeway. Carolyn Henderson died on the scene while her husband was transported to Hoag Hospital where he later died, the Register reports. The grandparents were on the way to babysit their grandchildren when the tragic accident occurred.

Eyewitnesses reportedly saw the Chevy Malibu veer off the 55 freeway, become airborne from Newport Boulevard and flip at least twice down the embankment before coming to rest on the freeway. This is no doubt a huge tragedy for the family and we offer our deepest condolences to them during this very tough time. Investigators have already started looking into possible causes for the crash. Witnesses report speeding and that Henderson merged onto Newport at a high rate of speed.

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Posted In: Auto & Car Accidents

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A driver from South Florida is in the hospital with severe injuries after a tractor trailer loaded with 2-liter Coca Cola bottles flipped onto his car in Miramar. According to an article on CBS News’ Web site, the big rig driver, for some reason, lost control of his vehicle, which toppled on to a Honda Civic, trapping and injuring driver Eduardo Ibarro.

According to fire department officials who carried out the rescue operation, Ibarro was significantly entrapped in the vehicle. The tractor trailer was actually on top of part of the passenger’s side of the Honda trapping the patient’s leg under the car’s dashboard. The Coca Cola bottles were reportedly strewn all over the roadway, which crews spent a good deal of time cleaning up. The driver of the big rig was reportedly unhurt. Ibarro is said to be recovering and suffered non-life threatening injuries.

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Posted In: Truck Accidents

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QVC is recalling about 28,000 defective SoleusAir space heaters that can overheat, posing a fire hazard to consumers. According to consumer watchdog Web site Consumeraffairs.com, no injuries have been reported as a result of the fire hazard, but the firm has received nine reports of flames inside or coming out of the heaters and 70 additional reports of smoking, overheating, sparking, melting and/or emitting burning odors.

The recalled heater is a 1,500 watt, black or charcoal-colored, canister-shaped space heater with three heat settings. The unit is about 25” high x 10” in diameter (not including the wheels). The words “SoleusAir 360 Micathermic Heater” are printed on a label located on the front of the unit. The heaters were reportedly made in China and sold through QVC’s shopping programs, its Web site and retail stores between December 2007 and March 2008. If you would like more information, please call QVC at 1-800-367-9444 or visit the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Web site.

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Posted In: Product Liability

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A Huntington Beach woman was killed and three people were taken to the hospital with injuries after a Honda Pilot sport utility vehicle with a wheelchair lift slammed into a sedan, The Orange County Register reports. The impact crushed the Lexus and led to a seven-car pileup at the intersection of Talbert and Magnolia avenues, the newspaper reports.

Killed in the crash was 69-year-old Anne Shirley Mailman. The condition of the man and woman in the Pilot are still not known. The Pilot reportedly had handicap license plates as well as a wheelchair lift. It is not clear how this chain reaction auto accident occurred, police told the Register. They are still investigating and no one has been charged or cited yet.

Auto accidents are a no-win situation. People are physically and emotionally scarred. This one was no different. One woman lost her life. In the end, it could be just that – an unfortunate accident with people in these seven cars being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

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Posted In: Auto & Car Accidents

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A 13-year-old boy in Martinez, Calif. was killed when be was struck by a teenage driver at a busy and apparently dangerous intersection as he was riding his bicycle. According to a news article in CBS News’ Web site, the boy, identified as Tommy Choi, sustained major injuries and was rushed to the hospital where he died an hour after the accident.

The boy was reportedly riding his bike back from school on the busy street, which had a speed limit of 35 mph. The driver who hit the boy was a 16-year-old. Drugs or alcohol don’t seem to be a factor but we don’t know yet if the driver was speeding or was distracted in some other way. The teen driver has not been cited or charged yet.

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Posted In: Bicycle Accidents

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Last week, pharmaceutical company Actavis Totowa LLC recalled all lots of its prescription heart drug, Digitek, because some of the drug’s tablets might contain twice the approved level of the active ingredient. According to an article in The Chicago Tribune, people have become sick or injured after taking the drug, which is used to treat heart failure and abnormal heart rhythms.

The defective Digitek tablets were manufactured with double the appropriate thickness, which means it may contain twice the approved level of active ingredients. Toxicity from this drug, because of the high dosage, may cause nausea, vomiting, dizziness, high blood pressure, cardiac instability or even death.

This apparently dangerous drug dosage was reportedly distributed by Myland Pharmaceuticals Inc. under a “Bertek” label and by UDL Laboratories Inc. under a “UDL” label.

It would be helpful to the Food and Drug Administration’s efforts for you to report any reactions to this drug to the FDA’s MedWatch adverse reporting program at www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm. Of course, contact the doctor that prescribed Digitek to you for his/her advise at your earliest opportunity.

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Posted In: Defective Drugs

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A Santa Ana police officer driving on the wrong side of the street with lights flashing and sirens blaring has suffered critical injuries after he lost control of his cruiser and struck a stopped tow truck during a pursuit. According to a news report in Fox News’ Web site, the officer, who has not been identified, was backing up another officer involved in pursuing a fleeing auto theft suspect.

The police officer reportedly lost control of his patrol car, went on the wrong side of the road and slammed into a tow truck that was stopped and waiting for the police car to pass. The officer was trapped in the vehicle and had to be extricated from his vehicle, the news report said. The auto accident was reportedly a broadside crash and not a head-on collision.

Continue reading "Police Officer Critically Injured In Orange County Crash" »

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Posted In: Auto & Car Accidents

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