JBS Ground Beef Recall Expands to 12 Million Pounds

Since October 4, 2018, JBS Tolleson Inc. has expanded its ground beef recall twice due to a Salmonella outbreak that has made almost 250 people sick since August. More illnesses are expected because it can take four or more weeks for a person exposed to the bacteria to become sick, be diagnosed, confirmed and reported to the CDC. The latest expansion – announced on December 4, 2018 – brings the total nationwide recall to more than 12 million pounds. The recall notice said: “The scope of this recall expansion now includes an additional 5,156,076 pounds of raw beef products, which were produced and packed from July 26, 2018, to Sept. 7, 2018. FSIS is concerned that some product may be frozen and in consumers’ freezers…”

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The National Weather Service Introduces Snow Squall Warning

According to a report by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), more than 1,300 people die each year in car accidents on slushy, snowy or icy roads and an additional 116,800 people are injured in car accidents that happen in snowy-icy conditions. About one quarter (24 percent) of car accidents that happen in poor weather conditions are a result of slush, snow or ice. Many snow-related car accidents happen after the snow fall has ended. Recognizing the additional dangers posed to drivers during a particular type of snow storm, the National Weather Service (NWS) has created a new type of weather warning to be used nationwide this year – the snow squall warning.

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2018 Car and Booster Seat Recall Updates Released

On November 23, 2018, The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration updated information for multiple existing recalls of booster and child car seats, affecting thousands of products from different manufacturers.

If your child was injured because of a defective car or booster seat, contact a personal injury lawyer with experience in product liability claims in your area. He or she can discuss your legal rights and may be able to fight on your behalf for an appropriate settlement.

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Family of Dead Bellingham Man Who Was Intubated Without Consent Files Personal Injury Claims for more than $15 million

The body of a man who died on the way to the hospital was used for training purposes by 11 Bellingham firefighters on July 31, 2018. Now the family is suing for more than $15.5 million in damages in three separate personal injury claims.

The Bellingham Fire Department employees, including two office workers, admitted to performing “tube checks” (endotracheal intubations) on the body of Bradley Ginn Sr. while he was on the floor of Station 1 waiting to be picked up and taken to a funeral home.

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Assault and Battery: Downtown Bellingham Fight Ends with Finger Bitten Off

A fight between two men who knew each other happened downtown Bellingham on November 7; it ended with one of the men having the index finger of his right hand bitten off. The plaintiff, 28-year old Terrence Uriah Erickson, was booked into Whatcom County Jail Monday on suspicion of first-degree assault, and held on $20,000 bail.

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Car Crash Deaths Decreased in 2017: SUV is Most Deadly Vehicle

The annual report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released last month showed that 2017 had a slight decrease in traffic fatalities over 2016 but it was small comfort when crash deaths were up 6.5 percent in 2016 and 8.4 percent in 2015. In addition, evidence keeps mounting that the SUV, which is America’s most popular vehicle, is becoming more and more deadly on the roads. Traffic deaths decreased by 1.8 percent in 2017; the first drop since 2013. The one type of vehicle that saw an increase in fatalities was SUVs.

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Prevent an SUV Accident with Top 8 SUV Safety Tips

There is a learning curve for drivers switching from a car to an SUV. With SUVs now representing 60 percent of new vehicle sales in the US and making up 12 percent of all vehicles on the road, it’s time to acknowledge the jump in SUVs involved in deadly motor vehicle accidents and help prepare drivers to drive safely in an SUV.

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WA State Supreme Court: State is Liable for Safety of Foster Kids

In a 5-4 decision, the Washington State Supreme court ruled that the state is liable for safety and welfare of the more than 10,000 foster children in the state’s foster system. Specifically, the majority opinion says that the state Department of Social and Health Services – now the Department of Children, Youth and Families “owes a duty of reasonable care to protect foster children from abuse at the hands of their foster parents…the foster children produced sufficient evidence from which a jury could find that DSHS breached its protective duty, and that the breach of that duty caused their injuries.” In the dissenting opinion, Justice Barbara Madsen disagreed that “a special relationship exists between foster children and DSHS and that, therefore, the state shouldn’t be held responsible for child abuse that occurs after custody is transferred to the foster parent.”

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How to Drive Safely through a Flash Flood

The U.S. National Weather Service looked at a 30-year national average in 2005 and found that about 127 people die every year in floods in the United States; much more than the number who die in tornadoes, hurricanes or by lightening. A Zevin 1994 report found that 80 to 90 percent of flood deaths are caused by flash floods. About 40 percent of flash flood fatalities were pedestrian accidents or motor vehicle accidents as the person or vehicle attempted to cross the flooded area.

What is a flash flood?

A flash flood is an intense flooding of low-lying areas over a period of six or less hours. In the Pacific Northwest flash floods are generally caused by a severe rain or thunderstorm.

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Bus Accident Injury Claims Can Involve Unique Procedural Rules

According to a study by the University of Michigan, buses are involved in 63,000 motor vehicle accidents every year. People who are injured in or property that is damaged by a government owned bus will need to follow specific procedural rules unique to filing bus accident injury claims.

Bus accident injuries

Like for all types of motor vehicle accidents, bus accident injuries vary from minor to severe and most commonly involve whiplash-related soft tissue injuries, traumatic brain injury / head trauma, broken bones, cuts and bruises. While risk of a bus accident is smaller than the risk of a standard motor vehicle accident, buses do carry a higher danger of a rollover or tip-over accident. When a bus does tip or rollover, injuries tend to be more severe because passengers are not wearing seat belts. When buses hit a regular passenger vehicle the damage and injuries are more prone to being serious because of the enormous size difference of the vehicles.

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