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New Guideline for Treating Concussions
The personal injury attorneys in Los Angeles at the Law Offices of Reneé J. Nordstrand have found that the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) recently released a new guideline to deal with the 1 million athletes who suffer from concussions, and potentially debilitating brain injuries every year in the United States.
New evidence has found that it does not take much for permanent brain damage to occur if a concussion is not properly cared for on and/or off the playing field. Researchers have found that younger brains can be especially vulnerable to long-term damage.
The co-lead author of the new guideline said that the new standards replace the older 1997 guidelines released by the AAN. One of the most important recommendations the new guideline stresses is that any athlete who is suspected of having experienced a concussion should be removed from the field of play immediately.
He went on to say, “We’ve moved away from the concussion grading systems we first established in 1997 and are now recommending concussion and return to play be assessed in each athlete individually. There is no set timeline for safe return to play.”
Not surprisingly, the guideline states that for men, the sports that offered the greatest risk for sustaining a concussion were football, soccer, and hockey. For women, the greatest potential risks for concussion and traumatic brain Injury were in soccer and basketball. The guideline also states that the period of greatest risk for potential brain damage is within the first 10 days of a concussion.
If you or a loved one has suffered a traumatic brain injury due to the negligence of another party, whether on the playing field or off, contact the Law Offices of Reneé J. Nordstrand. Traumatic brain injuries can lead to lifetime of expensive medical care and rehabilitation costs, and can place immense stress on the families of victims. If you believe you have a case, we can be reached online or call us at our Santa Barbara office at (805) 962-2022, or at our Encino office at (818) 981-3530.
Two Friends Stand Trial in Deadly Motorcycle Crash
Two Santa Barbara motorcyclists have been ordered to stand trial for vehicular manslaughter and reckless driving in connection with the death of a friend who was killed on Foothill Road, while allegedly racing them on his motorcycle.
According to Noozhawk.com, the three had been accused of racing at a high rate of speed when the accident occurred. The victim crossed over a double-yellow line on a blind curve and crashed into an oncoming SUV. After striking the SUV, the motorcyclist went down a steep embankment. One of his friends skidded off the road and another continued on, until he realized the other two were not following him.
The friend came back, but fled allegedly because he was afraid that police would discover he had neither motorcycle insurance nor a motorcycle license. He initially ran from police when they came to his home. He later denied that the three had been racing. The two survivors are currently being held in Santa Barbara County Jail.
A Santa Barbara Superior Court Judge determined that the 24-year-old victim of the fatal motorcycle accident might not have crashed if he had not gone out to ride with his two friends. The judge felt there was enough evidence presented at the preliminary hearing to hold a trial.
Both men have been charged with felony vehicular manslaughter, reckless driving, and participating in a speed contest causing injury. Arraignment has been scheduled for April 4.
When seeking to prove liability in a wrongful death motorcycle accident, it is important that you seek a law firm that has a proven track record of winning judgments for its clients. Sometimes, determining the responsible party for a deadly motorcycle crash is not cut and dry, so having the experienced and knowledgeable legal representation that the Law Offices of Reneé J. Nordstrand can provide makes sense for your family. We can be reached online or call us at our Santa Barbara office at (805) 962-2022 for a free and confidential review of your case.
Corvette Smashes into Back of Truck in Sepulveda Pass
A man was hospitalized when his Corvette crashed into the back of a box truck near Getty Center Drive on the San Diego (405) Freeway. The Corvette had to be pulled out from beneath the truck by the Los Angeles Fire Department.
The top of the vehicle was completely crushed, but luckily the accident victim was reportedly conscious throughout the whole ordeal and was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
After viewing photographs of the accident, it is a wonder that the driver was not more seriously injured or even killed in the underride truck accident. The risks of passenger vehicles sliding underneath large trucks in rear-end accidents was recently addressed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), which petitioned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to strengthen its underride guard standards for semi trucks and other large vehicles.
Currently, some large trucks, such as dump trucks, are not even required to have underride guards.
While IIHS stated that most modern semitrailers have guards that do an adequate job of preventing potentially catastrophic underride, in tests the institute performed in 2010 and 2011, the guards manufactured to meet minimum NHTSA standard for underride protection did a poor job of preventing it.
IIHS pointed out that Canada has a much more stringent underride standard for guard strength and size, and that vehicles that had guards meeting those standards did a much better job of preventing underrides.
While IIHS stated the Canadian standard is not perfect, it is a good start towards strengthening overall guard standards. IIHS’s chief research officer stated on the institute’s website, “While we’re counting on NHTSA to come up with a more effective regulation, we hope that in the meantime trailer buyers take note of our findings and insist on stronger guards.”
Have you or a loved one been injured in a crash with a truck? Contact the Law Office of Reneé J. Nordstrand. You may be entitled to compensation for medical bills, pain and suffering, and other damages. If you believe you have a case, call our Santa Barbara office at (805) 962-2022 or our Encino office at (818) 981-3530 for a free consultation. We can also be reached online.
Dogs on a Bus: Is It Legal Even If It is a Pit Bull?
The dog bite attorneys in Santa Barbara at the Law Offices of Reneé J. Nordstrand recently ran into an interesting story involving a man who brought his pit bull onto a San Luis Obispo city bus.
According to KSBY.com, several passengers on the bus admitted to being on edge when the public transport patron walked to the back of the bus with dog in tow and sat down. One man who talked to KSBY said, “Everybody was nervous and nobody came [to the back of the bus] and sat next to that dog.” He went on to claim that the man with the pit bull stayed on the bus for 10 stops before he got off.
Although the passengers on that bus probably weren’t aware that pit bulls were responsible for 61 percent of all fatal dog attacks in 2012, the breed’s reputation certainly precedes it, and being nervous around them in a crowded public setting seems justified.
But, was it illegal?
When KSBY posed that question to the transit manager of the City of San Luis Obispo, he said that their hands are somewhat tied by Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations. The driver of a bus can only ask a patron if his or her dog is a pet or if it is a service animal. If the patron answers that it is a service animal, then the driver has to make a judgment call.
Reportedly, the driver of the bus did ask the patron with the pit bull that question, and the patron told him it was a service dog. Since people with service animals are not required to carry proof, many bus drivers are nervous to even question patrons with dogs for fear of a possible ADA lawsuit.
While nothing happened while the dog was on that bus, attorney Reneé J. Nordstrand has handled enough dog bite cases to know that even seemingly friendly dogs have the potential to be dangerous and destructive. If you’ve suffered a dog bite injury, seek medical help and then contact us online or call us at (805) 962-2022 for Santa Barbara or at (818) 981-3530 for Encino. Find out what your legal options might be through a free consultation with our team.
J&J Hip Trial Testimony Alleges Company Knew of Defects Years before Recall
The J&J ASR hip replacement defect attorneys at the Law Offices of Reneé J. Nordstrand have been following the first Johnson & Johnson hip device trial that is currently being conducted in Los Angeles. We have learned that J&J may have known about the defects for years, but did nothing to address them.
A J&J DePuy unit bioengineer testified via videotape that he spent three years studying a redesign of the ASR hips to address the known high failure rate of the devices. However, the project (dubbed Project Alpha) went nowhere and no changes to the defective device were made. The project was terminated in 2008. J&J recalled the ASR hip implants in 2010.
Bloomberg News reports that the attorney for the plaintiff seeking damages against J&J pointed to an email the engineer sent to his superiors in April, 2008. In it he wrote, “a small improvement to geometry could represent a large improvement for many patients.” He then wrote that by simply removing a groove, wear on the cup of the device “is approximately threefold less than the original design with the groove.”
That same day he wrote an email to his superiors complaining that he was receiving “absolutely no direction” from them concerning his findings.
The plaintiff’s attorney claims his client was sickened by metal ions that had been released into his bloodstream due to the defective design of the ASR metal-on-metal hip replacement. Other patients have complained of pain, joint dislocations, bone fractures, and infections. Currently, there are some 10,000 lawsuits that have been filed concerning the recalled hip implants.
The Law Offices of Reneé J. Nordstrand will be keeping a close eye on the outcome of this bellwether trial. If you believe you’ve suffered an injury due to a defective J&J ASR metal-on-metal hip replacement, call our Santa Barbara office at (805) 962-2022 or our Encino office at (818) 981-3530. We can also be contacted online. Arrange for your free consultation today.
Santa Barbara Doctor Faces Wrongful Death Lawsuits for Overprescribing Drugs
After a lengthy investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), the Santa Barbara Police and the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department, a Santa Barbara doctor was arrested last year and is facing federal charges for overprescribing pain medications.
But that could be just the beginning of the physician’s problems. The doctor, who had his medical license revoked 10 months after his arrest last year, is now facing four lawsuits — three of them for wrongful death.
The various lawsuits contend that the doctor overprescribed pain medications, which led to addiction and death. Incredibly, one suit alleges that a 24-year-old had been prescribed an average of 63 prescription pills a day in the six weeks before his death.
The doctor allegedly prescribed so many pain pills that some patients had to be taken to hospital emergency rooms shortly after visiting his office. Noozhawk reports that the doctor, who is currently out on bail and resides in Goleta, has been linked to the deaths of 11 patients. Allegedly, his activities became so over the top that some pharmacies blacklisted him and refused to fill out his prescriptions.
The lawsuits claim the doctor was negligent for his alleged zeal in prescribing pain medications. The attorney defending the doctor against the federal charges told Noozhawk that he feels his client was well within the parameters of his medical discretion when prescribing the drugs. He is not defending him in the civil litigation, but expects those cases won’t go to court until after the criminal proceedings are complete.
If you believe you’ve lost a loved, due to the negligence of another person, you have a legal right to file a wrongful death lawsuit. If you have questions about your legal options, contact the Santa Barbara wrongful death lawyers at the Law Office of Reneé J. Nordstrand at (805) 962-2022 or our Encino office at (818) 981-3530. We can also be contacted online. Your case review will be free.
Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed for Arroyo Grande Man Killed in Construction Accident
The construction accident attorneys at the Law Office of Reneé J. Nordstrand have learned that the son of a man killed in a construction accident on Highway 135 in the Santa Maria Valley in 2010 has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the driver of the truck that struck him and the driver’s employer.
According to a California Highway Patrol (CHP) report, the victim was working at the site when the tire of a trailer that was being pulled by a dump truck ran over him. At the time of the accident, CHP reported that the dump truck was reversing and the driver didn’t see the worker until he spotted him on the ground. The worker was rushed to Marian Regional Medical Center, where he died of his injuries.
The family’s attorney claims that the driver of the truck, who was employed by V&J Rock Transport, reversed without warning. Additionally, the backup alarm on the truck didn’t sound while it was reversing.
“We think the truck negligently ran over him,” the attorney told the Santa Maria Times.
The attorney went on to allege that CalPortland Company, which was supervising the construction at the time, was also negligent and that all the defendants had a “duty to exercise reasonable care conducting their own activities, when hiring and training employees, and when operating motor vehicles.”
The lawsuit is asking for an unspecified amount above $25,000.
If you have any questions regarding your legal options following a construction accident that has resulted in an injury or death, the Law Offices of Reneé J. Nordstrand have experienced attorneys who will work with you every step of the way to provide the personalized and professional legal representation you deserve.
If you believe you have a case, call our Santa Barbara office at (805) 962-2022 or our Encino office at (818) 981-3530. We also have an online contact option available. There is no obligation on your part and your consultation will be free.
Los Angeles Experiencing an “Epidemic” of Hit-And-Run Crashes
20,000.
Incredibly, that is the number of hit-and-run crashes that occur in Los Angeles in a single year. Those hit-and-runs vary in severity — from simple fender-benders to multiple fatality accidents. According to L.A. Weekly, the national average for hit-and-run crashes is about 11 percent. Amazingly, in 2009 that rate was 48 percent in Los Angeles. Of those, 4,000 hit-and-runs within L.A. city limits resulted in injuries or deaths.
And the hit-and-run rate in Los Angeles has hovered near the 50 percent rate since 2001.
One man, whose 16-year-old son was killed by a hit-and run driver while he was jogging in the San Fernando Valley two years ago, told the Weekly “it’s like a war zone out there.” The 18-year-old driver who hit his son eventually turned herself in and did no jail time.
Safety experts surmise there are many reasons why people hit-and run: they may be drunk; they might not have insurance; they might not have a driver’s license; or they might simply think that dealing with an injury or fatality accident is going to cost too much. Regardless of the reasoning, hit-and-run drivers leave a long trail of pain, loss and suffering in their wake.
The Weekly focused on a young woman who was struck in a crosswalk so hard that her bottom teeth were knocked out, her kneecaps were shattered and her legs were broken into pieces. She currently has $10,000 in medical bills, with the likelihood that total will at least double.
The driver of the car still hasn’t been found.
To anonymously report a hit-and-run, you can call WeTip at (800) 644-8678. Or you can make a report directly on their website at wetip.com.
If you have any questions about your legal options after you have been injured in a pedestrian or automobile accident, contact The Law Office of Renée J. Nordstrand. We will fight to protect your rights. Call our Santa Barbara office at (805) 962-2022 or our Encino office at (818) 981-3530. We can also be contacted online. Your consultation will be free and confidential.
First J&J Hip Implant Trial Begins in Los Angeles
Opening arguments have been heard in the first Johnson & Johnson metal-on-metal ASR hip implant case to go to trial. The ASR hips, which were manufactured by J&J’s DePuy unit, were recalled in 2010 when it was found that the devices were failing at higher-than expected rates.
The ASR hip recall attorneys at the Law Office of Renée J. Nordstrand have been following the developments in defective metal-on-metal hips and have found that failures have led to loosening of the hip implant, pain, swelling, joint weakness, tumors, heavy metal poisoning and soft tissue damage around the joint in patients who were implanted with the devices.
According to Reuters, the plaintiff’s attorney claims that J&J knew of the product’s defects in 2004 before it started selling the ASR device — but decided to market it anyway. His 66-year-old client contends that the hip implant made him ill when it released metal ions into his blood, which elevated the levels of cobalt and chromium in his system.
The plaintiff’s attorney claimed that DePuy failed to warn patients and doctors about the defects in the all-metal ASR hip implants. “Doctors relied 100 percent on DePuy and patients relied 100 percent on doctors and information was kept from them,” he told the jury.
A J&J attorney countered that the evidence would show that the man had many health issues before the implant; and regardless of that, the level of metal in his blood was not high enough to make him ill. The attorney stated that DePuy is a “good and conscientious company.”
There are currently over 10,000 lawsuits that have been filed against J&J over its metal-on-metal hip replacements.
If you have been injured as a result of DePuy implant failure, you have the right to hold them liable for losses and damages you suffered as a result of their negligence. To learn more about your legal rights and ongoing litigation, contact The Law Office of Renée J. Nordstrand. Call our Santa Barbara office at (805) 962-2022 or our Encino office at (818) 981-3530. We can also be contacted online. Your consultation will be free and confidential.
Toyota Settles Wrongful Death Suit, Still Hundreds More In The Wings
Toyota has settled with the family members of two people who were killed when the Toyota Camry they driving in inexplicably accelerated and slammed into a wall near Wendover, Utah in 2010. The wrongful death lawsuit was scheduled to go to court next month and was to serve as a bellwether case for similar, consolidated cases that have been brought against Toyota.
The product liability attorneys at the Law Office of Renée J. Nordstrand urge those who have been the victims of defective or defectively designed products to seek the help of our experienced and knowledgeable product liability team. Solid legal representation is essential, especially when bringing litigation against large companies and corporations.
Neither a spokeswoman for Toyota, nor the attorney for the plaintiffs, would disclose the amount of the settlement. Last month, Toyota agreed to pay out more than $1 billion to resolve hundreds of lawsuits that claimed Toyota owners suffered economic damages due to Toyota vehicles suddenly accelerating. Toyota had issued a massive recall of vehicles to address the problem.
This settlement does not affect pending cases. According to the Christian Science Monitor, Toyota released a statement that said the company may settle some of the suits, but “will have a number of other opportunities to defend [their] product at trial.”
The Los Angeles Times reports that Toyota recently settled another case brought by a retired Los Angeles police officer. In 2010, the giant automaker settled a wrongful death suit for $10 million before the cases were consolidated.
Have you been injured, or have you lost a loved one due to a defective automotive product? The Law Office of Renée J. Nordstrand can explain your legal options and will fight for your rights. Call our Santa Barbara office at (805) 962-2022 or our Encino office at (818) 981-3530. We can also be contacted online. As always, your consultation will be free.