Number of Hepatitis C Cases Linked to NH Hospital Rises to 33
Yet another patient was infected with hepatitis C after receiving treatment at an Exeter, New Hampshire, Hospital, according to state health officials, bringing the total number of cases to 33.
The infections occurred at Exeter Hospital's Cardiac Catheritization Lab from October 1, 2010 to May 25, 2012, when an employee of the hospital, David Kwiatkowski, used hospital syringes to inject himself with stolen fentanyl and replaced the dirty syringes, which were used on patients.
The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health Services announced the additional case of hepatitis C this week, bring the total confirmed cases to 33.
Exeter Hospital has reportedly set up a meeting with at least one lawyer representing clients who were infected with hepatitis C at the hospital.
|
Florida University Seeks Mediation in Hazing Lawsuit
A motion was approved by Florida A&M University trustees on Thursday to enter into mediation proceedings in a case involving the hazing death of a marching band member, according to a statement by a lawyer representing the school.
The case involves the death of Robert Champion, who was a drum major and a member of the university's "Marching 100" band. Champion died on a band bus on November 19, 2011, after an alleged hazing ritual committed by other band members.
Champion's parents filed the wrongful death suit against the university, the bus company and the bus driver, claiming the defendants "failed to supervise, train, discipline and control the FAMU Band."
Eleven FAMU band members are facing felony hazing charges, while two others have been charged with misdemeanor counts in connection with Champion's death.
|
New Crash Test Reveals Industry-Wide Weaknesses
A new crash test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reveals industry-wide weaknesses in luxury passenger cars.
According to test results, only three of the eleven 2012 mid-size luxury and near-luxury cars tested received a good or acceptable rating in the new frontal crash test. Rather than the head-on crashes conducted in other tests, the new frontal overlap crash test sends only 25 percent of a car's front end into a 5-foot barrier at 40 mph, with a crash test dummy seat belted into the driver's seat.
The new test is designed to better replicate what occurs in most front-end crashes, where only the front corner of the vehicle collides with another vehicle or a stationary object.
The test results reveal an industry-wide weakness in luxury and near-luxury automobiles, in which the outer edges of the front end of the cars aren't well protected by crush-zone structures. Two luxury models - the Acura TL and Volvo S60 - received good ratings, and the Infiniti G earned an acceptable rating.
The Acura TSX, BMW 3 series, Lincoln MKZ and Volkswagen CC earned only marginal ratings in the test, while the Mercedes Benz C-Class, Lexus IS 250/350, Audi A4 and Lexus ES350 all received poor ratings.
|
Minnesota Deck Collapse Injures 7
A new crash test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reveals industry-wide weaknesses in luxury passenger cars.
Seven people were injured on Saturday when a deck crowded with nearly 20 people collapsed in Forest Lake, Minnesota, according to police reports.
The collapse occurred at around 8 p.m. Saturday night, when 19-20 family members gathered together on the 23-year-old deck to pose for a photo during a going-away party for two relatives who were leaving the country.
The occupants of the deck, ranging in age from 4-48, fell about 12 feet to the ground.
Three of the seven people injured in the collapse were still in the hospital on Monday, two of them suffering from broken ankles and one requiring surgery. All three are listed in fair condition.
|
Tainted Cantaloupes Recalled by FDA
A new crash test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reveals industry-wide weaknesses in luxury passenger cars.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced a recall this week of cantaloupes from an Indiana farm that may be one source of an outbreak of salmonellosis.
The tainted cantaloupes were grown at Chamberlain Farms in Owensville, Indiana, and are believed to have been shipped to seven Midwestern states in the U.S., according to the FDA's announcement on Wednesday. The melons were shipped to distributors and retailers in the following states: Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, Ohio, Illinois and Wisconsin.
Consumers are warned against eating any cantaloupes that may have been grown at Chamberlain.
Symptoms of salmonella include diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps, which typically begin within 12 to 72 hours after infection. Although most people recover without treatment, children, pregnant women and the elderly are at risk of hospitalization or even death.
Nearly 178 people in 21 states have become ill from the outbreak strain, according to a statement by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The outbreak is responsible for two deaths and 62 hospitalizations thus far.
Chamberlain Farms announced that it will cease distribution of the cantaloupes for the remainder of the growing season.
|
Chicago Settles Final Suit Over Aggressive DUI Arrests
The City of Chicago announced this week that it has agreed to a settlement in a suit brought by a man falsely charged of DUI, the last of several lawsuits related to a former police officer's aggressive DUI arrests.
More than 130 DUI arrests made by officer Richard Fiorito have resulted in dismissal after allegations by a number of people that Fiorito was arresting drivers who were not in fact above the legal BAC limit.
Several lawsuits were filed against the city and the officer, charging 63-year-old Fiorito, who resigned in December, with false arrest and malicious prosecution.
The city has awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars to plaintiffs in the lawsuits, but never admitted that Fiorito was responsible for any wrongdoing.
Claims that Fiorito was arresting drivers who weren't drunk began cropping up in 2003, according to one plaintiff's attorney.
Fiorito was never prosecuted in connection with the allegations.
|
|
|
