Personal Injury News

Amusement Park Ride Operator Has Permit Renewed Even in Light of Dangerous Practices Which Led to Injury of Several Children

The amusement ride operator whose faulty Ferris wheel injured three Tennessee girls last week has lost its contract with that county — but it has still been approved for another county fair this summer. The state has renewed its permit for the Georgia-based Family Attractions Amusements Co., ... Read More

Amusement Park Company Gets New Contract After Ferris Wheel Accident Injures 3

The amusement ride operator whose faulty Ferris wheel injured three Tennessee girls last week has lost its contract with that county — but it has still been approved for another county fair this summer. The state has renewed its permit for the Georgia-based Family Attractions Amusements Co., even ... Read More

Boy Jumps to his Death Taking First Skydive With Uncertified Instructor

Tyler Turner was really looking forward to his 18th birthday adventure; his first jump out of a plane. However, what he did not know was that the skydiving instructor who was training him and doing the jump in tandem with Tyler was not certified by the United States Parachute Association-- which is... Read More

Anton Yelchin dies after being pinned between 2015 Jeep Cherokee and brick wall

27-year old actor Anton Yelchin, best known for his latest role in Star Trek, recently died after the 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee he was driving mysteriously reversed and pinned him to a brick wall surrounding his house. In April, Fiat Chrysler announced 1.1 million 2015 Jeep Cherokees like the one Yel... Read More

Illinois man says teen’s games of “ding-dong-ditch” caused emotional distress, weight loss, financial problems: lawsuit

This ding dong ditch was damn near deadly, a new lawsuit says. An Illinois insurance agent has filed a $50,000 lawsuit against the family of a teen neighbor who allegedly rang his doorbell and ran away so many times the man suffered financial and health problems. The suit from Shorewood reside... Read More

Civil Case Arising out of Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting May Be Coming to Settlement

It's been roughly two years since the terrible massacre and shooting of numerous children who were students attending Sandy Hook Elementary in Newton, CT.  Two families of first-graders killed in the attack brought wrongful-death claims against the town and the school district arguing that sec... Read More

Former Ohio State Football Players Sue Big Ten Over Head Trauma

As reported in the Columbia Dispatch, Former Ohio State football player Ray Griffin is one of four former college players who had lawsuits filed on their behalf Wednesday alleging they suffer from the effects of concussions suffered during their college careers. Griffin’s suit named the NCAA a... Read More

The Effect of a Pre-Existing Condition on Your Car Accident Claim

Insurance companies are businesses that make money by taking in more from premiums than they pay out in claims. There have been many occasions when insurance companies have seized upon the existence of a pre-existing condition to reduce liability for a personal injury claim arising from a car ... Read More

Johnson & Johnson Has Been Lying to You for 40 Years about Cancer and Talcum Powder

When you use talcum powder, you think of the clean, classic scent and the silky smooth feeling it gives to your skin. You don’t think about it causing cancer, which is exactly what Johnson & Johnson wants you to ... Read More

J&J Appeals $127 Million in Awards in Talc Cancer Cases

Johnson & Johnson is appealing two recent jury verdicts awarding a total of $127 million to women who blame their ovarian cancer on talc in the company's iconic baby powder. The monetary awards have raised the specter that women's use of talcum powder may be to blame for some cases of Read Mo... Read More

Medical errors may be third leading cause of death in the U.S.

In a new study from Drs. Makary and Daniel at Johns Hopkins, suggest medical errors may kill more people than lower respiratory disease like emphysema and bronchitis do. That would make these medical mistakes the third leading cause of death in the U.S. That would place it right behind heart dise... Read More

A Study Finds that Medical Errors Are Leading Killer After Heart Disease and Cancer

 The new estimate, published today, draws on four studies of deaths due to errors that have come out since the 1999 report. The authors extrapolate from those findings to reach their estimate of 251,000 annual deaths. Even that figure, they say, probably underestimates the actual toll, because it includes only deaths in hospitals, not in out-patient surgery centers, nursing homes, or other health care settings.
That doesn't mean deaths from medical errors have increased since the 1990s. Because different methodologies were used to come up with the numbers, it's hard to say what the trend looks like. More from Bloomberg.com: China's Improbable Commodities Frenzy Leaves Stocks in the Dust But the problem may well be undercounting, as the researchers warn, not overcounting. Public health authorities routinely tally deaths from diseases such as lung cancer and injuries such as auto crashes and drownings. They use that data to craft interventions—policies to discourage smoking or safety standards for cars and pools. There is no equivalent data for deaths from medical errors. Researchers can try to estimate the incidence, but they don't have precise tallies that show trends over time. As a means of recording reliable data, the authors of the BMJ study call for a space on death certificates where doctors can indicate that a medical error contributed to the death. It may seem far-fetched to ask doctors to report their own mistakes, but at least one attempt to collect that information had high response rates and found that 5 percent of deaths may have been preventable. At Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, staff are even blogging about case studies of medical mistakes and the hospital's attempts to prevent them from happening again. Perhaps because doctors and hospitals would worry that admitting errors might invite lawsuits, the Johns Hopkins authors alternatively suggest a system in which hospitals can investigate whether errors contributed to a death, assured that "data acquired for quality improvement is not discoverable" in court. The need for better data is clear. "Measuring the consequences of medical care on patient outcomes is an important prerequisite to creating a culture of learning from our mistakes," the authors write.

After heart disease and cancer, medical errors kill more Americans than anything else, claiming a quarter of a million lives a year, according to a study by researchers at Johns Hopkins University.If bungles and safety lapses in the hospital were accounted for as deaths from disease and injury are... Read More

NCAA to Face Lawsuit Over Death of Frostburg State Football Player

A judge in Maryland has stated that the NCAA will face a lawsuit over the death of a football player from Frostburg State University. The player died of head injuries he suffered in 2011 during football practice. The parents of the player filed the wrongful death lawsuit and contend that NCAA downplayed the risks of repeated head injuries and did not stress the risks of suffering a head injury before a previous one had healed. The NCAA alleges that the player knew the risks prior to the incident. Montgomery County Circuit Judge David Boynton denied the motion for a summary judgment and set a trial date for June 20. Staff Report, The Baltimore Sun 04/08/2016
Read Article: The Baltimore Sun

A judge in Maryland has stated that the NCAA will face a lawsuit over the death of a football player from Frostburg State University. The player died of head injuries he suffered in 2011 during football practice. The parents of the player filed the wrongful death lawsuit and contend that NCAA ... Read More

Fisher-Price Infant Cradles Recalled for Fall Hazard

Fisher-Price has issued a recall on their infant "Cradle 'n Swings" due to a risk of falling. The recall states that "when the seat peg is not fully engaged the seat can fall unexpectedly, posing a risk of injury to the child." Fisher-Price has received two reports of a seat peg coming out from the seat, causing the seat to fall. However, no injuries have been reported to the company. The recall applies to about 34,000 of the infant cradles which were sold from November 2015 through March 2016 at buybuyBaby, Target and other stores nationwide and online at Amazon and other websites. Staff Report, PR Newswire 04/14/2016
Read Article: PR Newswire

Fisher-Price has issued a recall on their infant "Cradle 'n Swings" due to a risk of falling. The recall states that "when the seat peg is not fully engaged the seat can fall unexpectedly, posing a risk of injury to the child." Fisher-Price has received two reports of a seat peg coming out fro... Read More

UC Berkeley Students File Complaints with State Over Sexual Harassment

Two students from the University of California at Berkeley have filed a complaint with the state alleging that the school failed to discipline a professor for sexually harassing them. The two female graduate students allege that the school did nothing last year when the women reported they had been sexually harassed by the professor. Even after an investigation found the professor violated the school’s anti-sexual harassment policies, the women allege that UC officials did nothing. Official complaints have been filed with the state’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing against the University of California, Berkeley, and the professor. Meg Wagner, New York Daily News 04/12/2016
Read Article: New York Daily News

Two students from the University of California at Berkeley have filed a complaint with the state alleging that the school failed to discipline a professor for sexually harassing them. The two female graduate students allege that the school did nothing last year when the women reported they had... Read More

A staggering number of retired NFL players have shown signs of traumatic brain injury

In a paper released Monday, researchers at the Florida Center for Headache and Sports Neurology and Florida State University College of Medicine found that more than 40% of retired NFL players showed signs of traumatic brain injury.

By administering memory tests and brain scans on 40 retired players aged 27 to 56, the researchers found, on average, players got 8.1 concussions in their careers.

Twelve other former players said hits they took were just below the threshold of an official concussion, which seems like splitting hairs when we're talking about getting your head smashed.

"This is one of the largest studies to date in living retired NFL players and one of the first to demonstrate significant objective evidence for traumatic brain injury in these former players," Dr. Francis Conidi, the study's author, said in a statement. "The rate of traumatic brain injury was significantly higher in the players than that found in the general population."

Read the source article at Business Insider

If you've ever watched a football player get leveled on the field, you probably weren't surprised when the National Football League admitted a link between concussions and traumatic brain injury in March. But new research shows how bad the problem really is. In a paper released Monday, research... Read More

IKEA Floor and Table Lamps Recalled for Shock Hazard

IKEA has issued a recall on their Gothem floor and table lamps due to a shock hazard. "Cables damaged during manufacturing can come in contact with the metal body of the lamp, posing a shock hazard to consumers," the recall states. Included in the recall are about 30,600 of the lamps which were sold... Read More

Trash Bin Injury Lawsuit to Move Forward in Court

A lawsuit over a boy's injury when a trash bin fell on top of him will move forward in court. The lawsuit was filed by the boy's mother against Modern Waste Systems of Napoleon, Michigan. The incident took place while the 8-year-old boy "was doing pull-ups with a bar on the front of the bin." The bi... Read More

Lawsuit May Be Filed Over Officer-Involved Collision

A lawsuit may be filed in an officer-involved car crash that took place in Ypsilanti, Michigan in September 2015. According to an attorney, the man injured in the collision continues to suffer from his injuries. The crash took place when a police officer was driving 20 miles per hour over the posted... Read More

Pittsburgh Woman Hit by Foul Ball Files Suit Against MLB

A woman from Pittsburgh has filed a lawsuit against Major League Baseball over an incident in which she was injured by a foul ball at a Pirates baseball game. The woman was struck in the head by a foul ball at the Pirates baseball game last spring. According to the lawsuit, the defendants failed to provide protection for spectators when they allowed them to site behind a "flexible, lightweight screen" behind home plate. The plaintiff suffered a traumatic brain injury, concussion, and continues to have migraines, vertigo, sleep disorder and neck pain, along with several other injuries. The lawsuit names as defendants Major League Baseball, the team and the Sports & Exhibition Authority. Staff Report, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 03/15/2016
Read Article: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

A woman from Pittsburgh has filed a lawsuit against Major League Baseball over an incident in which she was injured by a foul ball at a Pirates baseball game. The woman was struck in the head by a foul ball at the Pirates baseball game last spring. According to the lawsuit, the defendants fail... Read More

Uber Faces Crash Lawsuit by Woman with Brain Injury

A lawsuit has been filed against Uber over a crash caused by one of its drivers in Florida which led to a passenger's brain injury. The lawsuit was filed by the woman, who sustained a brain injury, and her husband, whose leg was broken. The couple, both medical professionals, were in Miami for a med... Read More

Drug Makers Routinely Submit Incomplete Reports of Side Effects

When researchers analyzed the serious adverse event reports made to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2014, they found that reports filed by drug makers were incomplete more than half of the time, while more than 86% of those filed directly by health professional and consumers were comp... Read More

Lumber Liquidators Flooring Cancer Risk Higher Than Was Reported

It has been reported that the cancer risk from Lumber Liquidators flooring is higher than was previously believed. It was revealed last year in an episode of "60 Minutes" that flooring made by Lumber Liquidators contained toxic levels of formaldehyde, which can lead to cancer. However, a report was ... Read More

Maytag Cheese Recalled for Potential Listeria Contamination

Maytag has issued a recall on several lots of "Maytag Blue" blue cheese wedges and wheels and 15 batches of blue cheese crumbles due to potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination. According to reports, listeria monocytogenes is an organism which can be fatal to the young and the elderly. The org... Read More

UT Seeks Dismissal of Peyton Manning’s Name From Lawsuit

The University of Tennessee has asked that Peyton Manning's name be removed from a recently filed lawsuit. The lawsuit, filed over a locker room episode that took place 20 years ago, alleges that the school permitted a culture which coddled its student athletes. The lawsuit cites an incident in which Peyton Manning pulled down his pants in a school training facility. The lawsuit alleges that the incident violated the rights of the students who were present for the incident. According to the school, the addition of Peyton Manning was intended to inspire negative press coverage about the school. John North, 9NEWS - Colorado 02/23/2016

The University of Tennessee has asked that Peyton Manning's name be removed from a recently filed lawsuit. The lawsuit, filed over a locker room episode that took place 20 years ago, alleges that the school permitted a culture which coddled its student athletes. The lawsuit cites an incident i... Read More

Defective Bath Mat Leads To Lawsuit After S.D. Woman’s Fall

A South Dakota woman has filed a lawsuit against the makers of a now-recalled bath mat after a fall in the shower. The lawsuit alleges that the makers of the "AquaRug" bath mat marketed the product as slip-proof, when in fact it was prone to slippage. According to the complaint, by the time the plai... Read More

University of Delaware Faces Lawsuit Over Bike, Pedestrian Collision

A lawsuit has been filed in Delaware Superior Court by the family of a University of Delaware student who remains unconscious months after being struck by a bicyclist on campus. The lawsuit alleges that the student was injured because the school failed to create rules to keep bicycles off busy campus sidewalks. The incident took place at an outdoor campus event near the Trabant University Center on Oct. 23. The student was struck by a bicyclist, causing him to fall backward and hit his head. He has been unconscious since the accident. The lawsuit names the university and the student bicyclist as defendants. Jessica Masulli Reyes, Delaware Online 02/16/2016

A lawsuit has been filed in Delaware Superior Court by the family of a University of Delaware student who remains unconscious months after being struck by a bicyclist on campus. The lawsuit alleges that the student was injured because the school failed to create rules to keep bicycles off busy... Read More

Lawsuit Filed Over Cancer Misdiagnosis

A lawsuit has been filed over the death of Rex Morgan, a basketball legend from Jacksonville, Florida. Morgan died of cancer last month and his widow has filed a lawsuit alleging that his death could have been prevented. According to the complaint, a doctor at Quest Diagnostics misdiagnosed the plai... Read More

Recall on Macadamia Nuts, Butter for Salmonella Risk

Due to potential Salmonella contamination, a recall has been issued on Organic Macadamia Nuts and Organic Macadamia Butter produced by Living Tree Community Foods of Berkeley, California. The macadamia products were recalled after FDA testing done with Living Tree's supplier, Mahina Mele, of Captain... Read More

Uber’s Next Steps

Uber, a company that allows consumers with smartphones to submit a trip request which is then routed to Uber drivers who use their own cars.  Uber was founded as "UberCab"  in 2009 and the app was released the following June.  Beginning in 2012, Uber expanded internationally. As of May 28, 2015,... Read More

Traffic deaths in the U.S. up by 8% this year

After mostly decreasing for the past decade, traffic deaths spiked 8% in the first half of 2015, prompting a call from the nation's highway safety chief to find ways to prevent the human errors that cause most deadly accidents. The new estimate released yesterday by the National Highway Traffic S... Read More

Holding Dating Website Liable for Affairs?

Incredible though it sounds, there is a dating website that targets married individuals interested in having an affair. Ashley Madison is the website, and it was recently hacked. Cyber hackers claim to have obtained clients’ personal information, to include names and addresses. Over 30 million peo... Read More

Chrysler Accused of Neglect in 23 Recalls

The New York Times reported in early July that Federal regulators are investigating Fiat Chrysler Automobiles for “putting lives at risk by repeatedly failing to perform timely vehicle recalls and inform consumers of dangerous defects.” The National Highway Traffic Safety Commission (NHTSC) held... Read More

Vehicle Recall Search Tool Unveiled

Every year in the United States, millions of vehicles are recalled due to safety defects or noncompliance with federal standards. Unfortunately, a large number of consumers remain unaware of defect issues and fail to have their vehicles appropriately serviced. Defective vehicles on the road can turn... Read More

Car Accident Kills Relatives of Pope Francis

A fatal car accident near Cordoba, Argentina has claimed the lives of three relatives of Pope Francis. The accident occurred Tuesday morning when the Pope's nephew, Horacio Bergoglio Emanuel, struck the back of a truck carrying corn on a mountain road near the town of Villa Maria. Emanuel, 38,... Read More

Maryland Car Accident Causes Vehicle to Split in Half

Despite serious vehicle damage from a high-speed impact car accident in Anne Arundel County of Maryland that left one car split in half and another vehicle off-road in a nearby creek, both victims have survived the wreck with non-life threatening injuries. Police say the two-car collision occurre... Read More

Wrongful Death Suit Over Tough Mudder Death

Imagine a Saturday afternoon with friends running a fun muddy obstacle course with hundreds of others. Sounds like an exciting way to spend a weekend, however last April 2013, the event turned tragic for one participant who died during the event, due to the negligence of staff and organizers, accord... Read More

Man Paralyzed After Being Released from Hospital with Fractured Neck

In 2009, a 64-year-old man was involved in a car accident and treated at the Suburban Hospital in Bethesda. He had complained of weakness in his right arm and pain in his left shoulder and pain in his neck when he tried to move it. A nurse performed a "road test" and determined that the man was m... Read More

$55 Million Verdict Against Honda for Rollover Car Accident

A 57-year-old man was on his way to work in Baltimore when his tire blew out and caused him to lose control of his car. In the rollover accident, the seatbelt in his Acura Integra failed to keep his head from impacting the roof of the car. The man suffered severe injuries and was left paralyzed. ... Read More

Airbag Leaves Imprint on Passenger’s Eye

A teenage passenger in Michigan went to the emergency room with an unusual injury after a recent car accident. Although faulty airbags commonly cause serious injuries, this girl presented to doctors with pain and burning in her eyes. After examination with a special florescent dye to highlight sc... Read More

Is Uber Safe?

Do you need a ride to a downtown trendy restaurant?  It’s as easy as clicking on an Uber App on your phone, and you can have a private driver at your door in minutes. Uber is a private driver service that comes to you. Seems too good to be true?  You might be right. Uber has had several safety i... Read More

Judge Rejects Motion in CSX Crash Case

When an Alban Waste truck was struck by a CSX train in Rosedale in 2013, no one was killed, though several people were hurt. In April of 2014, a US District judge decided not to allow Alban's insurance company to combine its legal claim with the action CSX pursued after the incident. The company,... Read More

Stent Cases Settled

Cases brought against St. Joseph Medical Center and Catholic Health alleging the unnecessary placement of stents have been settled, the former owner of the two hospitals has confirmed. The Daily Record reports that the settlements, which put an end to two class-action suits, could reach $37 million.... Read More

Case Against Football Helmet Maker Can Move Forward

The parents of a Frostburg State University football player who died after a series of head injuries can move forward with their claim against the manufacturer of their son's helmet, a Montgomery County judge ruled. Derek Sheely was 22 and had taken place in four days of bruising practice activit... Read More

Maryland lawmakers vote to increase penalties for drivers using cellphones

The Maryland General Assembly approved legislation Monday that will stiffen penalties for drivers who cause fatal or serious crashes while talking on a cellphone or texting. The legislation now goes to the governor to be signed. The Maryland House and Sentate had passed different versions of th... Read More

Jury Awards $1 Million in Wrongful Death Suit Against Long-Term Care Facility

Marie A. Brockmeyer died at the age of 86 after spending the last night of her life in a distressed state at the Hart Heritage of Forest Hill long-term care facility. Her children claimed the staff was liable for not providing the proper emergency care until it was too late. After six hours of jury ... Read More

Maryland Child Car Seat Requirements

  • Children under the age of 8 should ride in car seat or booster seat unless they are 4'9" or taller.
  • Children between the ages of 8 and 16 must be secured with a seat belt.
  • Children under 16 may not ride in an open pick-up truck bed.
As a driver, you are responsible for ensuring that these rules are complied with. These rules apply to both in-state and out-of-state vehicles. Ignorance of the law is no defense. If your child has suffered injuries in a car accident, please call 301-251-1286 today or contact the Law Offices of Stuart L. Plotnick, LLC for your consultation with an experienced Rockville injury attorney. Our office is conveniently located in Rockville, Maryland.

According to the CDC between 1400 to 1600 children between the ages 1-to-4 die each year in motor vehicle crashes.  In fact, this is the leading cause of death for children in this age group. Although this number is staggering to every parent, the number of deaths of children in car accidents ha... Read More

The Case of the Trespassing Toddler

A three-year-old crawled through a fence and almost drowned in a Burtonsville apartment complex in June 2010. The toddler had been playing with his older half-brother. When the brother ran for a ball down a hill, the toddler made his way through the holes in the six-foot fence that surrounded the po... Read More

Former Dallas Cowboy Sentenced to Six Months for Fatal Car Accident

Josh Brent, former player for the Dallas Cowboys received a 180-day jail sentence and 10 years of probation for the fatal car accident that took the life of his friend and teammate, Jerry Brown. He faced up to 20 years in prison for the intoxication manslaughter conviction. In December 2012, alth... Read More

Former Hockey Players Sue NHL for Concussions

In a class-action lawsuit against the National Hockey League, ten former players are alleging that the NHL has not acted to protect its players from the severe brain injuries associated with concussions. This action by the players, although the outcome is not yet known about this case, reiterates th... Read More

$1 Million Awarded to Man Who Lost an Eye

Michael and Amanda Spence were awarded 1 million dollars in a lawsuit against Mardela Springs-area farmer Thomas Edward Shockley and co-defendant John Thomas because of an auto collision with a semi-truck that was hauling farm equipment. The accident occurred in 2009 when the seeder-planter mach... Read More

Truck Driver Charged in Bay Bridge Accident

The tractor-trailer driver responsible for sending a passenger vehicle plummeting into the waters of Chesapeake Bay last month has been charged with exceeding a reasonable speed, failure to control his vehicle, negligent driving, and making an unsafe lane change. The Maryland Transportation Autho... Read More

Maryland Woman Swims for Her Life After Car Accident

If you've ever been in a car accident or imagined yourself having a car accident, it probably didn't include swimming in Chesapeake Bay. In July, Morgan Lake of Sunderland, Calvert County, found herself in just that position. Like many Maryland residents do every day, she was driving across the C... Read More

Road Rage Taken to Extremes—A Foreign Twist

In Maryland, we have all experienced aggressive drivers that speed and tailgate and put us all at risk for serious personal injury. As Maryland auto injury lawyers, we have seen the impact car accidents caused by road rage can have on families. But a German citizen seems to have taken his road rage ... Read More

Couple Suing Allstate for Bad Faith

Sheila and Dominic Traina lost their Staten Island home in superstorm Sandy last fall. When they filed a claim with Allstate, the insurance company offered them $10,000 instead of the $280,000 that their home was worth. The couple has wisely sought the advice of an insurance lawyer to fight against ... Read More