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Our New Hampshire injury lawyers are here to help you. As a service to our community Van Dorn & Curtiss post accident related legal news here. We write about injuries relating to accidents that have occurred in Western New Hampshire and Eastern Vermont.

News Category: All CategoriesAutomobile AccidentsInsurance ClaimsPersonal InjuryWrongful DeathProduct LiabilityMedical MalpracticePremises LiabilityDog Bites/Pet AttacksIndustrial Accidents and Worker’s CompensationHealth CareGeneral

Wrongful Death

• Recent Death Due to Head Trauma Highlights Prevention in New Hampshire
  Mar 26, 2009

  Head trauma can range from a mild concussion to paralysis and death.   The recent death of actress Natasha Richardson has people across the country thinking about how to avoid a traumatic brain injury. 
  
  Unfortunately this was not an isolated incident.  According to The Krempels Brain Injury Foundation head trauma is the cause of death in over 3,000 accidents and leads to over 400,000 serious injuries. 
  
  In 2004, 4,323 people suffered a traumatic brain injury. 
  
  Traumatic brain injuries are most common in car, motorcycle and snowmobile accidents, falls and assaults.  Skiing and snowboarding accidents also add to the total, particularly in cold climates like that of New Hampshire and Vermont.
  
  Though head trauma can be a debilitating and even deadly injury there are ways to prevent serious harm.  According to Dr. Robert Williams, associate professor of anesthesia and pediatrics at Fletcher Allen Health Care, wearing a helmet decreases the likelihood of having a head injury anywhere from 40 to 60 percent.
  
  Improvements have been made in helmet use during skiing and snowboarding.  The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) has seen an increase in helmet use across the nation.  In the past two years skiers and snowboarders wore helmets about 50% of the time.  This is up 25% from five years ago.
  
  Though this may be a step in the right direction NSAA told the AP that the increase in helmet use has not reduced the number of ski fatalities.  Of the 45 fatalities reported during 2004-2005 half were wearing their helmets.

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Product Liability

• Millions of Blinds Recalled After Reports of Injury, Death
  Dec 27, 2009

  If you own roll up blinds or roman shades please check them to ensure that children cannot become entangled in their cords and drawstrings.  The CPSC has issued a massive recall of Roman and roll-up blinds.  The recall may affect upwards of eight million households. 

  Reports of five deaths and 16 near strangulations have been reported over the last three years.  The mounting injuries and deaths have prompted the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Window Covering Safety Council to recall millions of blinds.

  The two agencies have issues the following tips to homeowners.  If there are ever children in your home please use the following guidelines to protect them:

  • Examine all shades and blinds in the home. Make sure there are no accessible cords on the front, side or back. Cordless window coverings are best in all homes where children live or visit.
  • DO NOT place cribs, beds or furniture close to windows as children can climb on them and gain access to the cords.
  • Make loose cords inaccessible.
  • If the window shade has looped bead chains or nylon cords, install tension devices to keep the cord taut.

  If you believe that an injury or incident has injured your child please report the event by following this link or by calling CPSC's Hotline at 1.800.638.2772.  Remember that you can keep on top of all recalls by the CPSC.  Click here to learn more about receiving e-mail alerts.

   

  The attorneys at Van Dorn & Curtiss hope that you and your family can use this recall information and the automatic e-mail alerts to keep your family safe.

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• Recalls and Investigations Plague Toyota | Lexus
  Dec 20, 2009

  With recalls last month and various investigations this month Toyota could be in serious trouble.  Their image may be tarnished after the rash of accidents and incidents with their vehicles.  Though Toyota says that car sales are not lagging due to the safety issues it may be a matter of time.

  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched an investigation into Toyota's Matrix and Corolla cars.  The issue at hand is random stalling of the vehicles.  The NHTSA has received 26 complaints from drivers of 2006 Matrix and Corolla vehicles.  The car owners allege that their vehicles stall, "randomly while driving, including some on highways and some in intersections," the government agency said.

  Toyota is already in hot water over multiple recalls and investigations.

  In November Toyota announced a recall of over 4.2 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles.  The design of the vehicle makes it possible for the accelerator to stick, causing the vehicle to accelerate out of control.       

  The models that fall under the acceleration recall include the:

  • 2007-10 Camry
  • 2004-09 Prius
  • 2005-10 Avalon
  • 2005-10 Tacoma
  • 2007-10 Tundra
  • 2007-10 Lexus ES 350
  • 2006-10 Lexus IS 250 and IS 350

   

  The recall comes after a serious accident in San Diego County that claimed four lives.  Research shows that at least 19 people have died in Toyota vehicles due to the acceleration issue. 

  At Van Dorn & Curtiss our hearts go out to anyone who has been injured or killed in an accident caused by a defective product.  Together we can help prevent needless losses.

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• Crib Recall Affects Millions of Families | Injury Attorneys NH
  Nov 29, 2009

  If you have a drop-side crib you must check the brand and type immediately.  The Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced their largest crib recall in history. 

  2.1 million Stork Craft drop-down-side cribs have been recalled.  Four infants have died and at least 110 incidents have been reported.  The issue is that the side of the crib detaches and babies can become entrapped between the side and the crib frame or fall out of the crib onto the floor.

  Though the cribs were made by Stork Craft some have the Fisher-Price logo.  To determine if you your crib is part of the recall please visit the CPSC website.  You can also contact Stork Craft directly by calling their toll free number:

  (877) 274-0277

  In the last two years more than 5 million cribs have been recalled.  Some states and the CPSC have discussed banning the manufacture and sale of drop side cribs all together.

  If you have a drop side crib, or any crib, it is best to ensure that your crib is not part of the recall and that it has been properly assembled. 

  If you or your child has been injured while using a defective product there is something you can do.  Located in New Hampshire, Van Dorn & Curtiss passionately defends the injured and ensures that companies that produce dangerous and defective products are held accountable for their actions.  Please contact our experienced attorneys today for your free consultation. 

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• Defective Children’s Product Injured Many | VT NH Attorney
  Aug 20, 2009

  Unfortunately, defective children’s products are not new news.  Thousands of products, from toys to cribs, have been recalled due to high levels of lead, defective parts and choking hazards.   
  
  The latest recall involves almost one million play yards, also called playpens, manufactured by Kolcraft Enterprises.  The hazard that prompted the recall is the possibility of the play yard side collapsing.  This defect has injured at least 21 children and infants and has brought about over 350 reports of collapsing sides.

  Kolcraft has manufacturing operations in China, Spain and Italy.  China manufactures the bulk of their products. 

  The defective playpens were sold from January 2007 to January 2009.  The Consumer Product Safety Commission has ordered retailers to stop selling the play yards immediately and has asked consumers to stop using the play yards.

  Sadly, this recall is a reminder of a 2007 recall of Kolcraft's play yards.  This recall came only after a 10-month old baby died of strangulation on a Kolcraft play yard changing table.  The most recent recall includes 12 different play pens from Kolcraft's partners such as Eric Carle, Contours, Carter’s and Sesame Street.

  If you own a playpen and believe it is unsafe please contact your New Hampshire (NH) and Vermont (VT) product liability attorneys at Van Dorn & Curtiss today for your free consultation.    

   

   

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• Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Settlement Reached | Vermont Attorneys
  Jun 01, 2009

  In January 2005 a boiler backfired in a Vermont housing complex.  The backfire ruptured a now recalled plastic venting pipe, letting carbon monoxide into the building where Jeff Rodcliff and Ginger Aldridge lived. 

  Rodcliff lost his life and Aldridge was in a coma for weeks.  Aldridge can now sit up and talk, but the exposure has left her in need of assistance for the rest of her life. 

  Because of her lifelong disability a settlement was reached by attorneys for Ginger Aldridge.  The settlement will help her live more independently and will allow her to hire help when she needs it. 

  Though the settlement is private attorneys say that many people shared responsibility for the accident and therefore they are all paying some amount.

  Aldridge asked that New England Air System's contribute money each year to local fire departments.  The money is to be used for carbon monoxide education and prevention.

  A bill requiring carbon monoxide detectors in any building where people sleep has already been signed into law.  

  If you have been injured by a defective product please contact your New Hampshire and Vermont product liability attorneys at Van Dorn & Curtiss today for your free consultation.

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• CPSIA Will Keep Lead out of Children’s Items | Maine
  Jan 31, 2009

  Handmade toymakers are breathing a sigh of relief as the enactment of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) has been delayed one year.  The act had noble intentions: Keep dangerous lead and phthalates out of children's toys.  However, the legislation was far reaching and threatened second hand stores, libraries and small scale toy makers.
  
  The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) voted unanimously to a one year stay of enforcement on some of the acts provisions.  Even if some of the testing requirements have been postponed, some very important parts of the act are still in effect.  According to CPSC.gov the stay does not apply to:

  • Four requirements for third-party testing and certification of certain children's products subject to:
    • The ban on lead in paint and other surface coatings effective for products made after December 21, 2008;
    • The standards for full-size and non full-size cribs and pacifiers effective for products made after January 20, 2009;
    • The ban on small parts effective for products made after February 15, 2009; and
    • The limits on lead content of metal components of children's jewelry effective for products made after March 23, 2009.

  These requirements will go a long way to helping keep kids safe.  The recent rash of recalls, primarily on children's items made in China, had parents across the country up in arms.  The CPSIA makes it clear that lead paint is not to be used on children's products, a huge step toward protecting young children.
  
  "Lead is a neurotoxin.  We don't want lead in the toys and articles that our children are using," said Cindy Luppi, the New England Program Director for Clean Water Action.
  
  The CPSC also worked in more stringent requirements for pacifiers and cribs.  Cribs, both full-sized and bassinet styles were among the recently recalled items.
  
  Libraries across the country were troubled over the CPSIA's regulations regarding nearly all of the children's books on their shelves.  Public libraries run on very small budgets and librarians were very concerned about the cost of testing their children's book sections.  Donna Rasche, a librarian at the Brewer, Maine Public Library expressed her concerns.
  
  "The cost would be unbelievably high for them to test all of these books so we could keep them in the library, and how long would we go without them if every library in New England sends them to the same lab."
  
  Proponents of the act believe that no cost is too high to keep children safe.  Hopefully the enactment of the four requirements listed above and the stay on the remaining requirements will keep children safe without harming small businesses and libraries across the country.  This is a delicate balance where, hopefully, our children will come out the winner.

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• New Hampshire Health Inspectors Search Stores for Recalled Peanut Butter Products
  Jan 29, 2009

  With 11 confirmed cases of salmonella poisoning being reported in New Hampshire alone the New Hampshire Health Department is taking steps to ensure that no one else is sickened.  Food inspectors are searching local markets to check for recalled peanut butter products.
  
  "The State Health Department has asked local towns to visit a list of companies on the customer list for Kellogg products," Salem health inspector Brain Lockhart said.
  
  Health officials nationwide are working to stem the tide of salmonella related illnesses in the United States.  To date 501 people have become ill from eating contaminated peanut butter.  Of these 22 percent were hospitalized and eight deaths are being attributed to tainted peanut butter products. 
  
  New Hampshire is not immune to the illness and has had 11 confirmed cases.  The State Health Department has stepped in, asking local food inspectors to search local convenience stores and markets to ensure that all recalled products have been taken off the shelves.   
  
  Inspectors are most concerned with smaller convenience type stores.  These are more likely to miss recall alerts or not act as fast to check products.  Big supermarkets receive e-mail alerts and are on the watch for recall information.
  
  The source of the contamination was found in a plant owned by Peanut Corporation of America (PCA).  The plant services such popular brands as Keebler and Kellogg's.  Many of their products have been taken off of the shelves and destroyed.
  
  Keeping up with the recalls can be a challenge as over 200 items have been recalled.  The products range from snack crackers to cereal and cakes to dog biscuits.  If you have any questions about which products have been recalled click here to get the latest recall list from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

   

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• E. Coli Recall in 11 States - Health Risk High
  May 22, 2008

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Medical Malpractice

• FDA Alert: Dosing Errors with Tamiflu | NH Med Mal Attorney
  Oct 29, 2009

  With the number of swine flu cases rising everyday doctors are turning to Tamiflu, a prescription medication used to treat influenza, to shorten illness.  In the past the drug had been approved for use in adults and children over one year.  Those who were pregnant or nursing along with infants under 12 months were advised not to take the drug. However, in April 2009 the CDC approved Tamiflu for infants and pregnant or nursing mothers.

  The danger of H1N1 for young children has prompted more widespread use of Tamiflu.  This increase has, unfortunately, lead to dosing errors.  The errors have been occurring with the liquid form of the drug and therefore have been primarily affecting children.

  The errors have prompted the FDA to issue the following guidelines.  Please CLICK HERE to visit the official FDA website concerning the dosing errors.

  • Dosing should be prescribed in mg. This is important as the dosing errors have occurred over confusion between dosing instructions and the dosing dispenser.
  • Check to ensure that the dosing instructions match the dosing dispenser.
  • If the dose is in tsp ask your pharmacist to convert the volume and make sure that the dosing device matches the dose.
  • If you have ANY questions or concerns consult your doctor and the pharmacist.

   

  For a guide to avoiding prescription drug mix-ups and mistakes please click here.

   

  If you have been injured or have become sick because of a medical mistake or prescription drug error please contact us today.  Our experienced lawyers work tirelessly to defend the rights of the injured across New Hampshire (NH) and Vermont (VT).  As always the consultation is absolutely free. 

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