4-Year-old Boy from Utah Killed in Rear-End Accident

A 4-year-old boy was killed Wednesday, January 30 in a rear-end accident in South Jordan, Utah. A Dodge Neon traveling east rear-ended another vehicle that had stopped because of traffic just after 4 p.m. The initial crash caused the car hit by the Neon to rear-end the car in front of it as well. The 4-year old boy – who was sitting in the passenger seat and not in a child restraint or booster but wearing a seatbelt – was critically injured when airbags deployed from the impact of the crash. He died shortly afterward in the hospital. All other people involved in the car accident were checked by medical responders at the scene and released.

As a result of the tragic crash, South Jordan police sent out a reminder to make sure children under age eight are properly restrained in car or booster seats, and that children under age 13 ride in back seats.

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Video Captures Man Clinging to Hood of SUV In Road-Rage Incident

You never know what a cellphone video camera is going to capture. On January 26, 2019 an onlooker filmed a 65-year old man named Richard Kamrowski clinging to the hood of an SUV as it was driven by 37-year-old Mark Fitzgerald at speeds of up to 70 miles an hour for three miles. The road-rage incident began after the men got into an argument over a minor side-swipe car accident on the Massachusetts Turnpike. Fitzgerald attempted to flee the scene of the accident when the argument began; Kamrowski then jumped on the hood of Fitzgerald’s SUV. According to Kamrowski, Fitzgerald drove fast and slowly, then fast again in an apparent attempt to get him to slide off the hood. It took other drivers – including one with a gun – to convince Fitzgerald to stop his vehicle. Both men were arrested by Massachusetts State Police. Fitzgerald was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, negligent driving and leaving the scene of an accident involving property damage and Kamrowski was charged with disorderly conduct. The man with the gun was not charged. Click here to see the video.

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WA State Ranks as the Worst State to Be a Driver in the Lower 48

Wallet Hub released a study on January 22 highlighting the best and worst states to drive in; data was gathered from agencies including the U.S. Census Bureau, Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of Energy, the Insurance Research Council and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Greater Seattle and Washington State overall, did not score well in the study with Washington ranking last among the lower 48 states. This placement drops Washington State from the 47^th worst state to drive in 2018.

The study looked at range of factors including gas prices, traffic and infrastructure, safety, parking, positive driving experience, and the cost of car ownership and maintenance. Another study found that congestion in the Puget Sound area ranked ninth worst in North America and 26^th worst in the world, almost certainly contributing to a low score in positive driving experience for Washington State drivers. The report points out that apart from the headache and lost time that it causes, congestion costs the average driver over $1,400 per year in the U.S.

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Medical Malpractice Lawsuits: Alleged Deadly Dosing by Mount Carmel Doctor

Medical Malpractice Attorney Gerald Leeseberg was hired by the family of Janet Kavanaugh who was 79 years old and near death when she was transferred from an assisted care facility to Mount Carmel West hospital in Columbus, Ohio. According to an article on WOSU Radio, her family asked that lifesaving measures be stopped, and that Kavanaugh be comfortable for her remaining time. Kavanaugh died Dec. 11, 2017. As Leeseberg began to review records from the assisted care facility and Mount Carmel he noticed a concerning pattern. Mount Carmel has now identified 25 patients under the care of William Husel – including Kavanaugh – who received an “excessive and potentially fatal” dose of the opioid fentanyl, which is used as a painkiller. All 27 patients later died, according to a statement by the hospital.

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Pedestrian Deaths Surge: Marijuana and Smartphone Usage Could be Factors

Pedestrians need to be more careful than ever as pedestrian death rates surge. The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) released a report in 2018 showing that just under 6,000 pedestrians were killed in accidents involving motor vehicles in the U.S. in 2017. While that is the same number of pedestrians killed in 2016, the death toll is the highest it has been in 25 years.

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Medical Malpractice: FDA Issues Warning that Certain Antibiotics May Cause Aortic Aneurism

On Thursday, December 20 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cautioned that the benefits of fluoroquinolone antibiotics do not outweigh the risks for certain patients. This warning came after a review of studies on patient problems published between 2015 and 2018 concluded that these antibiotics double the risk of a deadly aortic aneurysm for patients with certain symptoms or characteristics.

The patients with the highest risk of aortic aneurism from taking these antibiotics are the elderly, people with high blood pressure and/or who have a history of blockages of the aorta or other blood vessels, and patients who have certain genetic syndromes. The FDA advises physicians treating patients with these risk factors to consider an alternate source of treatment.

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Medical Malpractice: Study Finds Women Less Likely to Receive Life Saving Treatment for Heart Issues

New research published in the December issue of Women’s Health Issues reveals that sexism in healthcare is literally killing women. Researchers at George Washington University measured gender bias in emergency situations by analyzing data from the National Emergency Medical Services Information System (NEMSIS) database. The dataset included about 2.4 million people total; 1.2 million of them were women. Patients were spread across 46 states and focused on people over the age of 40 with a higher risk of heart disease and cardiac arrest. They found that women are less likely than men to be resuscitated (1.3 percent), given aspirin (2.8 percent), receive cardiac defibrillation (8.6 percent) or rushed to the hospital in ambulances using lights and sirens (4.6 percent). The bottom line is that women’s lives are more often put in danger than men in emergency health situations.

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Bellingham Police Department Renews Focus on Distracted Driving

On Friday, December 14 the Bellingham Police Department held a patrol for distracted driving on Bellingham roads between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. As a result of the patrol, Bellingham police made 43 traffic stops and issued 20 tickets; six tickets were for drivers using their cell phones. Other infractions included drivers applying makeup, eating breakfast, shaving and using an iPad while driving.

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Risk of Permanent Kidney Damage Causes Voluntary Product Recall of Liquid Infant Ibuprofen

A voluntary product recall for three liquid infant ibuprofens sold at Walmart, CVS and Family Dollar has been issued because of the possibility that they could cause permanent kidney damage. The issue with these three lots of infant’s Ibuprofen Concentrated Oral Suspension stems from potentially higher concentrations of ibuprofen. New Jersey based pharmaceutical manufacturer Tris Pharma Inc. stated there is a “remote possibility” infants, who are more susceptible to a higher potency level of the drug, may be more vulnerable to permanent nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)-associated kidney injury. Other potential reactions include headache, abdominal pain or diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, gastrointestinal bleeding and tinnitus. There are no reports of children sickened by the recalled products but parents and caretakers should return or dispose of any of the liquid infant ibuprofens on the recall list.

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Jimmy Dean Sausage Recalled after Pieces of Metal Found

CTI Foods LLC was forced to recall 29,028 pounds of Jimmy Dean frozen, ready-to-eat (RTE) pork and poultry sausage links products after five customers reported finding metal in their meals. Specifically, the contaminated meat is in the 23.4-oz. pouches of Jimmy Dean Heat ‘n Serve Original Sausage Links Made with Pork & Turkey. The product has a January 31 use-by date with case code A6382168 and establishment number EST. 19085. The meat was made on August 4 and sent to Tennessee.

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