Baton Rouge Personal Injury Lawyer

FDA Found Concerns at Merck Vaccine Plant

Jenny Albano — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 16:10:11 GMT

The FDA found contaminated children's vaccines and other problems at a Merck & Co. plant in Philadelphia that was combed.

According to an unpublished FDA report acquired by the Philadelphia Inquirer, inspectors found 49 areas of concern, including unwanted fibers found on vaccine vial stoppers, failure to follow good management practices, and contamination of bulk lots of vaccine.

Inspectors visited the plant on 30 separate days from November to January. In December the company recalled 1.2 million doses of an influenza vaccine made at the Philadelphia plant due to sterility problems and the plant also quarantined near a yeas worth of other suspect doses.

A Merck executive, John McCubbins stated that none of the finished vaccines were contaminated and the company is fixing the problems. The FDA has not ordered Merck to stop production and is reviewing how the company responds to the report.

Also Thursday, Deutsche Bank pharmaceuticals analyst Barbara Ryan wrote in a note to investors that the "deficiencies have been addressed and remediated with no consequences in terms of delays or shortages for any vaccine products." Meanwhile, a CDC spokesman said Thursday that the agency is not aware of problems with vaccines at the plant and so is not taking action.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jenny Albano

Teen Dead After Being Run Over by Float

Jenny Albano — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 20:05:19 GMT

A driver towing a float in a Carnival parade accidentally ran over and killed his 16-year-old brother.

Clay Michael Sayer was standing between Kain N. Sayer's pickup truck and the float behind it, talking to riders on the float during a brief stop around 5 p.m. Saturday, Trooper Scott Moreau said. The teen was pinned by the float when the truck started moving again, Moreau said.

Kain Sayer, 21, was charged with vehicular homicide, drunken driving and careless driving. A deputy at the jail where Sayer was located said that he posted bail, but was unsure what the amount was and whether Sayer had an attorney.

The accident occurred just north of Marksville, Louisina, a town of 5,800 which is about 75 miles northwest of Baton Rouge.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jenny Albano

Cribs Recalled Due to Suffocation Risk

Shannon Weidemann — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 16:58:29 GMT

Two children died after being suffocated in their cribs and now over one million cribs have been recalled due to a design flaw. The recalled cribs were made in China and are sold under the name Simplicity and Graco. They are drop side cribs that were sold in stores from January 1998 through May 2007. The retail price for the cribs was from $100 to $300.

Two infants, a 9-month-old and a 6-month-old, died after the drop-rail sides of their cribs were installed upside down, the agency said. It is investigating the death of a third child in a newer-style crib that is not part of the recall.
Ken Waldman, the president of Simplicity for Children, was not available for comment, according to a receptionist at the company's headquarters. A company spokesman did not immediately return calls.

The company is asking parents to make sure their cribs have been installed correctly to minimize risk. They are also offering a repair kit to fix the defective cribs.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Defective and Dangerous Products.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann

Pedestrian Hit by Louisiana State Representative

Shannon Weidemann — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 13:47:30 GMT

A Louisiana State Representative hit a pedestrian in Terrebonne Parish with her car on Sunday. The pedestrian's arm was broken in the car accident. State Representative Carla Dartez was driving the car. The accident took place on Bayou Black Road.

Dartez failed parts of the field sobriety test but passed a breathalyzer test administered soon afterward with a "0.00" score, said Trooper Gilbert Dardar Jr., State Police Troop C spokesman.
"I was not drinking," Dartez said. "It was just an accident."

Dartez was issued a ticket for improper lane usage. This was not her first driving offense. She claims that she did not see the pedestrian.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann

Metz Fresh Recalls Spinach

Shannon Weidemann — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 14:56:46 GMT

Salmonella is responsible for the latest spinach recall. California based Metz Fresh has issued a bagged spinach recall after testing uncovered Salmonella contamination. It is unknown how the spinach was contaminated with Salmonella.

There have been no reports of illness or problems related to this spinach.
The positive test came during independent lab testing Metz Fresh conducts on all of its products.
The company's president said testing has changed in the last year. He said his primary concern is for the consumer.

Over 8100 cases of spinach are involved in the recall. Salmonella can cause food poisoning and is sometimes fatal. If you purchased the recalled spinach do not use it and return it to the store for a refund. Last summer there was a large recall of spinach due to E. coli.

For more information on this subject matter, please refer to the section on Defective and Dangerous Products.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann

Baton Rouge Car Accident Injures Secretary of State

Shannon Weidemann — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 20:54:49 GMT

A car accident on Interstate 12 in Baton Rouge left the Secretary of State injured and in need of surgery. He had injuries to his chest, back, and pelvis. The two car accident happened last week. The driver of the other car was not injured.

Dardenne was traveling in the center lane of Interstate-12 near its split with I-10 in Baton Rouge last Monday when his Infiniti veered to the right and brushed another car.
Police said Dardenne over-corrected for drifting right and yanked the steering week, causing his car to veer to the left and leave the highway and run on a median where he hit a drainage ditch.

He had surgery on Monday and is expected to be fine. He is being treated at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge.

For more information on this subject matter, please refer to the section on Car and Motorcycle Accidents.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann

Navy to Pay $2 Million in Wrongful Death

Shannon Weidemann — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 14:44:27 GMT

The Navy rented a bus that hit a car and killed a man in 2004. The bus did not have any power steering fluid. The wife of the man killed sued the Navy and the bus rental company for wrongful death. The jury found the Navy and Eddie's Bus Service responsible for his death and awarded the widow $3 Million in damages.

Peter Williams was stopped on River Road on Sept. 9, 2004 - waiting for a traffic light - when the bus turned left and struck his Pontiac Grand Am. The bus rolled onto the front of the Pontiac and crushed the front of the roof, pinning Williams and killing him, according to Daily Press reports.

The Navy is to pay $2 Million of the award and Eddie's Bus Service the remainder.

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Wrongful Death.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann

Pedestrian Killed by Car in Norco

Shannon Weidemann — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 17:36:22 GMT

A 25-year-old man from Laplace was killed in a pedestrian accident in Norco on July 15th. He was leaving a bar when he walked in front of a Mitsubishi Galant. The victim had been drinking alcohol before the accident.

The victim

was killed around 5 a.m. today when he walked out of the Spillway Bar, 15641 Airline Highway, in Norco, and directly into the southbound lanes of travel, said Senior Trooper Joseph Piglia of State Police Troop B.

The victim died at the scene. The rainy weather and alcohol use of the victim were contributers to the accident. The police are still investigating the accident.

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Car and Motorcycle Accidents.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann

Zyprexa Class Action Now Includes 8 States

Shannon Weidemann — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 09:46:06 GMT

There are now eight states that have filed a class action lawsuit against Eli Lilly, the maker of the drug Zyprexa. The lawsuits have been filed because Eli Lilly allegedly advertised the drug for uses that were not approved by the FDA. They also claim that the drug manufacturer did not properly warn of potential side effects.

A representative from Myers' office confirmed Tuesday that Oregon "is part of the leadership states (Executive Committee) for a multi-state case concerning Eli Lilly and Zyprexa", Dawdy reported. Myers would use in-house staff rather than private lawyers as Montana recently did, the official added.
Just over two years ago, Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly announced it had paid around $690 million to settle claims, including class-action lawsuits, over claims it minimized Zyprexa's side-effects. But Lilly also warned it would fight other legal claims against Zyprexa.

The states claim the price of Zyprexa was artificially inflated by the company so their Medicare and Medicaid programs had to pay out higher claims.

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Drugs, Medical Devices, and Implants.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann

Fake Toothpaste Found in More Stores

Shannon Weidemann — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 17:14:32 GMT

A counterfeit version of Colgate toothpaste that was marked "Made in South Africa" has been found in some Michigan discount stores. The toothpaste contains diethylene glycol, a harmful ingredient found in antifreeze. The FDA has issued a huge recall for all toothpaste made in China, as it may contain diethylene gylcol.

Some local dollar stores have been selling counterfeit Colgate toothpaste. Both dollar stores say they didn't know until now that the toothpaste was counterfeit and that it may be dangerous. Once they found out, store management immediately pulled the products from their shelves.

Colgate does not manufacture toothpaste in China or Africa. The FDA has asked anyone with the toothpaste to stop using it immediately and throw it away.

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Defective and Dengerous Products.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann