Injuryboard Regional Blogs

UPDATE: 3 Dead, 2 Injured in Tragic Fireworks Explosion

Pierce Egerton — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 23:42:18 GMT

The Virginian-Pilot is reporting that two more workers have died from injuries sustained when a truck loaded with fireworks exploded on Ocracoke Island in North Carolina’s Outer Banks. The workers were apparently employed by Melrose South Pyrotechnics of Catawba, S.C. Melrose was going to provide the island’s annual Independence Day fireworks display.

www.youtube.com/watch

WAVY video.

One worker died at the scene. Of the other four injured workers, two were apparently airlifted to the Jaycee Burn Unit at UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill and two were airlifted to Pitt County Memorial Hospital in Greenville, N.C.

One of the workers taken to the burn center and one of the workers taken to Pitt Memorial subsequently died according to reports.

Several government agencies are investigating the explosion including the FBI; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the SBI. Ferry service to the island was closed to the public for several hours.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Pierce Egerton

Fort Bragg Soldier Gets 8 years for Manslaughter After Killing 3 While Driving Intoxicated

Jim Lewis — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 22:59:00 GMT

A Fort Bragg soldier has been sentenced to eight years in prison after pleading guilty driving while intoxicated and three counts of involuntary manslaughter in a wreck that killed three others.

Receiving his sentence from a military judge, Spc. Kern Barrow also had a reduction in rank to private and given a bad conduct discharge. Barrow also pleaded guilty to charges of absence without leave, battery, aggravated assault and escape from custody.

Prosecutors said Barrow was driving when the single-car wreck occurred Sept. 14 on the post. Another soldier was injured. Barrow was a member of the 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade. He was confined 170 days awaiting trial and received credit against the sentence.

Military law is a distinct legal system to which members of armed forces are subject. Most countries have special additional laws, and often a legal system, which are applicable to members of their military but not usually to civilians. Military law deals with issues such as; procedures for military discipline, what is or what is not a lawful command, and obligations for service personnel.

About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper,Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm is based in Virginia (VA), near the NE North Carolina (NC) border and handles car, truck, railroad, and medical negligence cases and more. Our lawyers proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard, and Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard as a pro bono public information service. Lawyers licensed in: VA, NC, SC, WV, DC, KY.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jim Lewis

Two Killed in a Two Vehicle Collision in Wayne County

Emily Mapp Brannon — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 22:10:00 GMT

A tragic vehicle accident in Fremont, North Carolina has killed two people and another individual is seriously injured. The two car wreck was at the intersection of NC highways 581 and 222 in Wayne County and happened Saturday morning, the state Highway Patrol said.

According to the accident report a 1997 Chevy Blazer was traveling west on NC-222 when the driver failed to stop at a stop sign. The Blazer struck a 2000 Pontiac car that was driving south on NC-581.

The collision’s impact caused the Blazer to hit a ditch, overturn and land in a field. The Pontiac vehicle also struck a ditch and landed in a field. The wreck killed Agnes Byrd, 71, of Beaufort, and Donna Karen Capps, 49, of Henderson, troopers said. Byrd was a passenger in the Blazer and Capps was the driver of the Pontiac.

The driver of the Blazer, Michael Eugene Sowers, 61, of Beaufort, was transported to Wayne County Memorial Hospital. There was no information on his current condition. Authorities said charges are pending.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Emily Mapp Brannon

One Dead, Four Wounded in Fireworks Blast

Pierce Egerton — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 18:15:58 GMT

One worker was killed and four others seriously injured when a truck filled with fireworks exploded this morning on Ocracoke Island, NC. WFMY is reporting that one of the injured suffered serious burns and was airlifted to UNC’s burn center in Chapel Hill.

According to a story by ABC11 the fireworks were for an annual Independence Day celebration on the remote island. Jane Hodges, Hyde County interim emergency manager, said, "There was an immediate response from Hyde County Sheriff's Department, the National Park Service, NC DOT Ferry Division, Marine Fisheries, and volunteers to handle the crowds and assess the situation. Fortunately, there were three doctors including a medical examiner and volunteer nurses who responded immediately along with the staff of the Ocracoke Health Center and Hyde County EMS."

Ferry service to Ocracoke was closed to the public for most of the day as use of the ferry was dedicated to emergency traffic.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Pierce Egerton

Toxic Air Pollutants Assessed By The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Wayne Parsons — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 17:22:42 GMT

The Environmental Protection Agency may be shaking off the dust of inaction during 8 years of Bush/Chaney rule and looking out for our environment again. Air pollution is a major health problem in the major metropolitan areas. Diseases from these pollutants drive up the cost of health care, sap taxpayer dollars for health care and, saving the worst for last, cause serious injury or death to real people. According to a just released EPA news story:

The EPA released the latest version of a state-of-the-science tool that estimates health risks from breathing air toxics in the United States. The National Air Toxics Assessment (NATA), based on 2002 air emissions data, helps federal, state, local and tribal governments identify areas and specific pollutants for further evaluation to better understand risks they may pose.

Air toxics are things that cause cancer and other serious health problems, including birth defects. The EPA looked at 180 air toxics, diesel particulate matter from stationary sources and from cars, trucks, buses and construction equipment.

The 2002 NATA estimates that most people in the United States have an average cancer risk of 36 in 1 million if exposed to 2002 emissions levels over the course of their lifetime. In addition, 2 million people—less than one percent of the total U.S. population—have an increased cancer risk of greater than 100 in 1 million. Benzene was the largest contributor to the increased cancer risks.

Air toxic emissions have decreased by 40 percent since 1990 when the Clean Air Act was amended. NATA is intended to target where further improvements in air quality can be achieved.

In early 2009, EPA released the results of its 2002 national-scale assessment of air toxics emissions. The purpose of the national-scale assessment is to identify and prioritize air toxics, emission source types and locations which are of greatest potential concern in terms of contributing to population risk. EPA uses the results of these assessments in many ways, including:

To work with communities in designing their own local-scale assessments,
To set priorities for improving data in emissions inventories, and
To help direct priorities for expanding and improving the network of air toxics monitoring.

The national-scale assessment modeled 180 of the 187 Clean Air Act air toxics (PDF) (3pp, 15k) plus diesel particulate matter (diesel PM). The assessment includes four steps that focus on the year 2002:

Compiling a national emissions inventory of air toxics emissions from outdoor sources
Estimating ambient concentrations of air toxics across the United States
Estimating population exposures across the United States
Characterizing potential public health risk due to inhalation of air toxics including both cancer and noncancer effects

For information summarizing the 2002 assessment, see the Fact Sheet and Summary of Results pages. The Summary of Results page also provides national maps of cancer and noncancer effects.

The emissions used in the current assessment are from the 2002 emission inventory which is the most complete and up-to-date available. Working with the states, EPA updates air toxics emission inventories every 3 years. The next national-scale assessment will focus on 2005 emissions and will be available in late 2009 or early 2010.

As part of EPA's National Air Toxics Assessment activities, EPA conducted its first national-scale assessment for the year 1996. That assessment included 33 air pollutants (a subset of 32 air toxics on the Clean Air Act's list of 187 air toxics plus diesel particulate matter (diesel PM). In February of 2006, EPA released the second of its NATA assessments. This assessment was based on emissions from the 1999 National Emission Inventory and included the assessment of 177 hazardous air toxics plus diesel particulate matter.

More information on NATA: www.epa.gov/nata2002

Information on air toxics: www.epa.gov/oar/toxicair/newtoxics.html

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Wayne Parsons

Congress Considering Nursing Home Reform

Billy Cunningham — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 16:38:25 GMT

Both houses of Congress are considering legislation to improve nursing home care. There has been no new legislation regarding nursing homes since 1987. Statistics have demonstrated that care provided to our elderly is still not what it should be.

The National Citizens Coalition for Nursing Home Reform (“NCCNHR”) http://www.nccnhr.org/ is pushing Congress to act on the Nursing Home Transparency and Improvement Act which is a part of the draft health care reform bills that the House and Senate are considering. The bills would make nursing homes disclose their owners and operators. Several large chains have been bought out by global private equity investors;. Now a majority of nursing homes are owned by for-profit corporations. The way these companies structure themselves, even our state health regulators can't tell who the owners are. This can create a dangerous situation for the residents, because no one is truly accountable for what happens to them. The reform would also give families a lot more information about the nursing homes that are caring for their loved ones in, including whether they have adequate staff. It would help the federal government get better oversight over these multi-state chains.

The bills include these proposals:

Require nursing homes to disclose their owners and all the myriad related entities that own, finance, or operate them.
Require CMS to collect and report accurate information about the hours of nursing care facilities provide and their turnover and retention rates.
Report enforcement actions on Nursing Home Compare.
Require better state complaint handling and provide resident representatives and workers better protection from retaliation.
Require nursing homes to do more internal quality assurance.
Revise Nursing Home Compare to provide better information.
Pilot independent federal monitoring of nursing home chains.
Hold civil monetary penalties in escrow while nursing homes pursue lengthy and usually unsuccessful appeals. (The House bill would increase CMP amounts.)
Require 60 days notice of closures when nursing homes close voluntarily; prohibit new admissions, ensure appropriate relocation plans, and continue federal funding until residents are relocated.
Include dementia care and abuse prevention in nurse aide training.

To contact your Senator and Congressman you can use the following websiteshttp://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml. For Senators, click on http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Here is a draft letter NCCNHR proposes: I want to urge Senator _______ and Senator ________ and Representative ___________ to support nursing home transparency and improvement in health care reform. The elderly and people with disabilities in our state deserve nursing homes that are transparent and accountable, and families need information to make good choices when they choose a nursing home for someone.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Billy Cunningham

13News Weatherman Injured in Bicycle Accident, Has Strong Product Liability Case

John Cooper — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 16:33:00 GMT

Well-known 13News Weatherman Jeff Lawson was injured while riding his bicycle in Smithfield, Virginia (VA). The chain on Lawson’s bicycle slipped and Lawson was catapulted forward on the ground, according to The Virginian-Pilot. He endured a separated shoulder and broken neck requiring surgery.

As an injury lawyer practicing for over 20 years, I recommend Mr. Lawson speak with an attorney immediately. The bicycle he used needs to be examined and research should be conducted to verify if chain slips are common for that particular model.

Chain malfunctions are not uncommon. A perfect example was back in 2008 when the Amsterdam Bicycle series was recalled by the manufacturer, Electra Bicycles. The chain regularly derailed and posed a major risk to bicyclists.

Every year in the United States, over 500,000 people are treated in emergency departments due to bicycle accidents, and over 700 people die as a result, according to the CDC.

Some people’s injuries are due to not wearing a helmet or not properly following rules of the road. Mr. Lawson, however, was wearing a helmet and the accident was clearly caused by a malfunctioning component on his bicycle.

About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm is based in Virginia (VA), near the NE North Carolina (NC) border and handles car,truck,railroad, and medical negligence cases and more. Our lawyers proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard, and Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard as a pro bono public information service. Lawyers licensed in: VA, NC, SC, WV, DC, KY.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by John Cooper

NC Wheat Farmers may Have High Levels of Toxic Fungus in their Crops

Rick Shapiro — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 15:48:00 GMT

Agriculture leaders across North Carolina are urging farmers to have their wheat tested after officials found high levels of a toxin in wheat samples from parts of the state. This toxin could prove harmful to humans if ingested.

Steve Troxler, NC’s Agriculture Commissioner said that vomitoxin has been found in samples from central and northeastern North Carolina. The toxin is a byproduct of a fungus that has been found on the wheat.

Officials say that testing is urgent because farmers harvesting their wheat may not know the fungus is there, so it may continue contaminating wheat as it moves to storage bins. North Carolina will be providing free testing.

Dan Weathington of the North Carolina Small Grain Growers Association said he's confident there are enough protections in place to prevent harmful grain from entering the food supply. It is advisable to keep awareness levels high in regards to your wheat consumption until this is behind us.

One way to protect your family’s health when it comes to eating wheat would be to buy from organic sources and verify its date. If these pieces of information are not available then it is better to err on the side of caution and avoid wheat until further notified.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Rick Shapiro

North Carolina Man Killed in Charleston Car Wreck While his Dog Survives

Emily Mapp Brannon — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 15:42:00 GMT

Police in Charleston, SC say they are unsure what caused a North Carolina man to lose control of his vehicle in an accident that claimed his life. William Lee Howard (52) of Maiden, North Carolina died Thursday night when he lost control on Greenbrier Street and crashed over an embankment.

At the crash site Sgt. Shawn Williams said, "From what we can tell, it looks like he lost control and he flipped his car into a creek. The car was upside down when we arrived so we're not exactly sure what caused his death." A medical examiner will determine if the impact of the crash, or his landing in the water resulted in his death.

In Charleston visiting relatives, Howard may have not been familiar with the roads, but the cause of the crash may stay a mystery. He was alone in the vehicle, with the exception of his dog. Human officers took the dog to the animal shelter. "The dog was pretty shaken up and scared,” said Williams. Officers say they still are trying to figure out what caused him to lose control of the wheel.

About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper,Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm is based in Virginia (VA), near the NE North Carolina (NC) border and handles car, truck, railroad, and medical negligence cases and more. Our lawyers proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard, and Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard as a pro bono public information service. Lawyers licensed in: VA, NC, SC, WV, DC, KY.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Emily Mapp Brannon

Can Cycling Cause Loss of Bone Density?

Pierce Egerton — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 15:17:29 GMT

An article in the July 1, New York Times raises just that question. The article cites several scientific studies published over the past year and a half. These studies all show an alarming loss of bone density among cyclists.

These studies will likely spawn further research into the mechanism by which cyclists lose bone density, but for now the reasons are unknown. Some researchers speculate that cyclists lose too much calcium through sweat.

The good news is that, unless you are a racer, you don’t have to be very concerned about these findings. The studies all involved racers. At present there is no indication that recreational cyclists need to worry about bone density loss.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Pierce Egerton