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• Playing Fair: Discovering Facts About Medical Malpractice Injuries

  Alison Mynick, RN, Esq. | June 02, 2007 3:04 PM | 0 CommentsBangor & Augusta, ME

  How do you prove your medical malpractice case? What do you do if a defendant hospital doesn't "play fair" ? In Charleston, South Carolina the Court ordered a hospital to pay $1.3 million as a sanction to the plaintiff in a medical malpractice. The reason: The hospital was found to have given inaccurate answers to questions, inaccurate testmony and to have engaged in other "misconduct" . See:...

• Humanitarian Program Founder Killed in Car Crash

  Christina Cole | January 20, 2007 2:36 AM | 0 CommentsBangor & Augusta, ME

  Hanley Denning, a Maine woman who founded an organization that helps destitute children who live in the dumps of Guatemala, has died in a car crash.Denning, founded the Safe Passage Organization in 1999, when she was only 29, to provide assistance to the children of Guatemalan families who are so poor they make their living rummaging through the Guatemala City dump.According to the Safe Passage...

• Family To File Wrongful Death Suit Against Radio Station

  Christina Cole | January 18, 2007 2:48 AM | 0 CommentsBangor & Augusta, ME

  The family of a Sacramento woman who died after taking part in a water drinking contest is suing the radio station that sponsored the contest.On Thursday, an attorney representing the family said that a wrongful death suit will be filed on behalf of Jennifer Strange's husband and children, accusing the station of acting irresponsibly.The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department is investigating...

• Mainers Sickened By Cereal

  Anne Fennessey | April 15, 2008 10:47 AM | 0 CommentsBangor & Augusta, ME

  The Portland Press Herald has reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration released a statement on April 12, 2008 detailing the most recent information regarding consumer illnesses that were...

• Maine Icy Hot Heat Therapy Products Recalled

  Anne Fennessey | February 29, 2008 2:42 PM | 0 CommentsBangor & Augusta, ME

  Icy Hot Heat Therapy Products RecalledIcy Hot Therapy products, sold in many stores in Maine, have been recalled recently as a result of numerous reports by consumers that the self-heating patches caused skin irritations and serious burns when used to relieve muscle and joint pain. See http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23116830/from/ET/The leading manufacturer, Chattem, Inc., offers a variety of...

• Starbucks Recalls Kids' Cups for Choking Hazard

  Courtney Mills | October 10, 2007 11:17 AM | 0 CommentsBangor & Augusta, ME

  Starbucks Corp., the world's largest coffee chain, is recalling approximately 250,000 kids' cups made in China because of choking and laceration hazards that the cups pose to children.The kids' cups when dropped tend to break on their colorful face (see above link for photo), leaving shards of plastic exposed on the face of the cup that may harm children. The company thus far has received seven...

• FDA Cannot Promise Safety of Imported Drugs

  Jenny Albano | July 13, 2007 1:59 PM | 0 CommentsBangor & Augusta, ME

  According to Peter Pitts, president of the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest and a founding member of FDA's Counterfeit Drug Task Force, it is almost impossible for the FDA to guarantee the safety of imported drugs. This is because there are so many counterfeiters from all over the world. Pitts continues that "simply mandating safety by legislative fiat will not make imported drugs...

• Hazardous Lead In Children's Jewelry

  Corinne Tozier | April 20, 2007 2:49 PM | 0 CommentsBangor & Augusta, ME

  Children's jewelry contains lead? Yes, some jewelry does contain lead. This should be a huge concern for parents, grandparents and families in general. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has been urged to ban the lead from children's metal jewelry.With an overwhelming number of toy recalls recently, the CPSC should be focused on keeping dangerous toys off the market, not weakening...

• Safety Problem with Weakened Car Doors

  Corinne Tozier | April 04, 2007 2:19 PM | 0 CommentsBangor & Augusta, ME

  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been asked to reconsider the wording of a regulation on car door locks that might affect state tort laws. The regulation in itself is good as it makes sure that car doors, including sliding side doors, remain closed in the event of a crash.However, the language is problematic.The regulation, scheduled to take effect on September 1, 2008,...

• Hormone Therapy On Trial: Product Liability Lawsuit Won Against Wyeth.

  Alison Mynick, RN, Esq. | February 06, 2007 6:13 PM | 0 CommentsBangor & Augusta, ME

  Mary Daniel of Arkansas took on the Pennsylvania drug company Wyeth Pharmaceutical. Wyeth manufactures estrogen pills prescribed by doctors to replace a loss of estrogen. Ms. Daniel claimed that Wyeth's "Prempro" hormone pills caused her breast cancer. However, a key question in her case was: How specific does a drug company need to be about warning consumers of a possible side effect such as...