Personal Injury Lawyer

Severe Hypersensitivity Reactions More than 100 drugs have been associated with severe, life-threatening hypersensitivity reactions, including Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS) and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TENS) . Erythema Multiforme is a milder hypersensitivity reaction, less closely associated with use of particular drugs than SJS and TENS.  Hypersensitivity reactions are immune-mediated reactions to drugs that range from relatively mild, (with only a rash or skin involvement), to deadly (with skin rashes that lead to massive loss of skin requiring painful treatments in a burn unit, ulcerations in mucous membranes, tissue death or necrosi, respiratory failure, kidney failure, and arrhythmia). Speak To Experienced Drug Reaction Lawyers  The Florida Stevens-Johnson Syndrome lawyers at Searcy Denney note that allergic drug reactions are one of the leading causes of death in the United States.  More than 100,000 patients are hospitalized each year due to adverse reac...

Oregon, Washington State and Vermont say the slogans for 5-Hour Energy drink are hype that is misleading. Last week the Attorneys General of all three states filed lawsuits against the drink’s maker , Living Essentials LLC and Innovation Ventures LLC of Farmington Hills, Michigan. They are seeking civil penalties against the companies for the marketing which they claim is deceptive. Claims about 5-Hour energy promise consumers it is a special blend that delivers the potent energy that lasts and lasts and does not result in an energy crash.  The truth is that 5-Hour Energy is concentrated caffeine. Calories provide energy and the drink is low calorie. Five-Hour energy also comes with a variety of B vitamins – B3, B6 and B12, but any way you slice it, it’s caffeine and many users report they have the side effects of too much caffeine.  The amount of caffeine is roughly three times the amount in a coffee or cola. The three states join 33 other states that are already investiga...

The Mass Tort Unit of Searcy Denney has filed two more individual lawsuits this week against DePuy, a division of Johnson & Johnson, over the medical device manufacturer’s recalled DePuy ASR hip implants.  The firm represents several dozen plaintiffs from Florida as well as other parts of the country who have suffered serious injuries due to premature failure of the hip implant devices as well as metallosis. A lawsuit was filed on behalf of a St. Cloud, Florida resident who was implanted with bilateral DePuy ASR hip implants, the first surgery in late 2007 and the second one nearly a year later in December of 2008. This plaintiff had suffered with significant pain stemming from osteoarthritis in his hips for several years prior to undergoing the total hip arthroplasty surgeries. Like so many patients, he was hopeful that the joint replacement surgeries would alleviate his pain and allow him to continue to be active. For the first year or two after the hip replacement surgeri...

Almost half a million pacemakers implanted in patients with heart disease have been recalled because of a scary and shocking scenario: The life-saving devices could be tampered with remotely by computer hackers - pacemaker hacking is becoming a possibility.  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration released a safety alert in August of 2017 about potential pacemaker hacking, stating the potential for personal harm. The safety alert, titled “Implantable Cardiac Pacemakers by Abbott (formerly St. Jude Medical): Safety Communication – Firmware Update to Address Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities,” immediately grabbed headlines. Pacemaker Hacking Fears Stoked by FDA “White hat hackers have previously pointed out the risks with connected medical devices,” according to an article in Fortune titled “465,000 Pacemakers Recalled on Hacking Fears.”   “In its announcement, the FDA noted that this vulnerability could allow third parties to rapidly drain the pacemaker's battery or adjust the ope...

Protecting Consumers from Mercury in Seafood Imagine shopping for seafood at a fish counter and seeing a display on the mercury levels contained within the varieties of fish sold.  In an ideal world, that disclosure would be transparent for pregnant women and for all consumers, so they could eat the recommended two to three servings of fish a week and avoid consuming excess levels of the neurotoxin. But that will not happen.   Stopping just short of that, the Food and Drug Administration plans to update its general guidance on the amount of the metal in varieties of seafood. This comes after pressure from consumer groups who complained the FDA was not acting fast enough to educate the public on the dangers of mercury in seafood.   The agency is caught in a bind – it wants to up its recommendation for fish consumption while at the same time not offend the food industry. It is suggested most people benefit from eating seafood because it contains omega-3 which is goo...

Over the course of a lifetime, most people will need to have some kind of surgery at least once. In fact, according to the CDC, in 2010 Americans underwent 51.4 million inpatient hospital procedures.  Most of these types of operations go as intended, but what happens if you’re one of the few who’ve suffered an adverse outcome? While not all complications of medical treatment are the result of medical malpractice, they can mean you’ve been the victim of negligence . What you do in the face of such an unfortunate event can seriously impact your ability to hold your physician accountable.  Whether or not medical malpractice has occurred is determined by whether or not your treatment met the accepted standard of medical care and if it caused harm to you. That can include both things the doctor did, whether taking an unreasonable action or administering care incompetently, and things the doctor failed to do. How to prove a Medical Malpractice? However, proving that your treatment w...

Most people carry several different forms of insurance to protect themselves in case of injury, accident, or other calamity. You expect your car insurance, health insurance, and homeowner’s or renter’s insurance to be there when you need it. So what do you do if your insurance company rejects a claim? Your insurance company may be acting in bad faith if it refuses to honor your policy, and it’s essential for you to be informed in order to ensure that you receive the benefits to which you are entitled. A denial of your claim may not necessarily indicate bad faith; to prove that bad faith occurred, you must be able to show that the insurance company improperly denied your claim and knew that they had no basis for the denial.  How to sue an Insurance Company? However, some common warning signs may be a red flag that your insurance company is acting in bad faith: dragging their feet in dealing with your claim, offering to settle the claim for an unreasonable amount, failing to adequat...

Medical Malpractice Lawsuit Medical malpractice lawsuits typically take time to resolve and are more likely to go to trial. This is because healthcare providers have sophisticated and well-developed legal teams to help protect their interests. It takes an experienced lawyer to understand how to navigate these types of cases. Here are a few helpful points to consider when filing a medical negligence claim. Statute of Limitations If you believe you were injured as a result of doctor or hospital negligence, there is a time limit during which you are able to seek damages. Under  Virginia law , the deadline to file a medical malpractice lawsuit is within  two years from the date the injury occurred . This is known in the legal realm as the statute of limitations. There are certain exceptions to this, though they apply in special circumstances, such as when a patient could not reasonably detect an injury.  When a medical malpractice case to go to trial, the plaintiff must provi...

Medical Malpractice Heart Attack Heart attacks are the leading cause of death in the United States. However, many are preventable with timely diagnosis and treatment. Sadly, thousands of heart attacks are missed by medical professionals or improperly diagnosed. Not all heart attacks are survivable.  However, the failure to diagnose a heart attack or a delay is a factor in about 10,000 cases a year. Contrary to common belief, the symptoms of a heart attack are not obvious each time. Rather than extreme chest pain, the patient suffers diverse symptoms that can be confused with something else.  Medical Malpractice Lawyer in Virginia Heart attacks are often missed for the following reasons:  Incorrect Diagnosis Minor heart attack symptoms often mimic other health conditions like heartburn, acid reflux, or even  anxiety  attacks. A medical professional may not realize you are having a heart attack. Few Symptoms Heart attacks can also have minimal symptoms such as nau...

 How to Sue a Trucking Company? Your Right to Compensation Filing a claim is a way to seek justice for the injuries you have sustained as a result of a trucking accident. A successful judgment can result in compensation that can help pay for: Medical expenses, including emergency room visits and post-accident care Property damage Wages you lost because you were unable to work Pain and suffering This may alleviate financial stress as you fully recover from your injuries. Truck and Claim Preparation Step 1: Note all relevant contact information from the driver of the other vehicle or vehicles involved in the accident, including truck company and insurance information. Take photos of the accident and damage to your vehicle. Step 2: Request the police report and keep all medical records, as well as receipts of any expenses associated with your injuries. Step 3: Contact a truck accident attorney to help guide you through the process. Our law firm’s investigative team will retrieve the ...

The Insurance Company Delays or Doesn’t Pay after a hurricane If an insurance company delays or fails to pay out on your claim, you may be entitled to additional compensation. Follow-up action on a claim typically requires the assistance of a lawyer. A typical state code for hurricane claims might involve the following requirements and consequences for insurance companies in their adjustment of home damage claims: Insurance companies have 30 days to address your damages following a catastrophic hurricane They then have 30 days to pay once they determine you are due money for your damages If they don’t pay within this deadline, they can be liable for up to 50% of the amount of your damages, as well as standard attorney fees If the insurance company fails to pay within 60 days, they may be liable for up to two times the amount of your damages, plus attorney fees hurricane laura insurance claims Many people might not be aware of their rights when it comes to hurricane damage insurance cla...