Archives : 2009 : May
Army Doctor Falsified Medtronic Infuse Study on Injured Soldiers
An Army doctor, who was formerly at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center published a study that exaggerated the benefits of Medtronic’s Infuse bone growth product in treating severely injured soldiers. Dr. Timothy Kuklo, an Army investigation reveals, published the study that cited a far greater success in using Infuse for the treatment of injured soldiers at the facility than other doctors in the hospital. Dr. Kuklo is a paid consultant for Medtronic Inc., and the investigation has further fueled the already raging controversy over Medtronic’s promotion of unapproved use of its products.
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Premises Safety Issues at Orange County Hospitals
Two Orange County hospitals have been fined for several patient safety violations that include premises safety problems.
UC Irvine Medical Center and St. Jude Medical Center are among 13 medical facilities in California who have been penalized by the State Department of Public Health. The penalties relate to incidents that occurred in 2007 and 2008. The premises safety allegations relate to incidents of abuse of female patients by male nursing assistants. According to an investigative report, UC Irvine Medical Center was fined $50,000 for two separate premises safety violations. The first case relates to sexual abuse. According to state documents, the employee in question was allowed to continue work for three days before being placed on leave. When state investigators asked UCI staff why the employee was allowed to stay on, staff replied that there had never been complaints against him before the abuse was reported. The case has been referred to the DA’s office and the medical center has suspended the nurse.
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Four Dead in Soledad Car Accident
A car accident in Soledad has left four people dead and at least one injured. The accident involved a Honda Accord and a Chevrolet Silverado.
According to the California Highway Patrol, the Honda Accord driver was making a left turn from the Highway 101 off ramp, and trying to cross the southbound lane when the pickup crashed into the car. The four occupants of the Honda Accord were declared dead at the scene of the crash. Two of the rear passengers in the car were not wearing seatbelts, and were ejected from the vehicle. The pickup truck continued traveling south and then rolled over to land on its wheels. The pickup truck driver Chualar Resident, Juan Francisco D’ Anda, suffered minor injuries. According to the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office Coroners Division, they are waiting to identify the occupants of the Accord before releasing their names. The CHP says that the car occupants were between 18 and 35 years old, and on their way to work at the time of the accident.
The crash occurred six miles south of the site where a tour bus crashed into a wall last month, killing five people and leaving dozens of bus passengers with injuries. Investigations into that accident are continuing, but preliminary investigations seem to point to driver error. California Highway Patrol says that the highway is not a dangerous road, and that there are not an “unusual” number of accidents there.” According to the CHP, alcohol doesn’t seem to be a factor in the crash. Earlier in 2006, another accident on Highway 111 at Major Farms where Tuesday’s accident took place, left a 42-year-old man with injuries.
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Oceanside Grapples with Speed Related Accidents in School Zones
Oceanside police offices have been finding it quite a challenge to crack down on motorists who drive at more than 25 mph around school zones.
Traffic officers frequently get calls about speeding near some of these schools, and for now, officers are being dispatched to the school zone to enforce the lower speed limits when school is out. Besides, Oceanside has nine officers who patrol these school zones regularly. Some of these zones have speed limits of 40 mph or more, but motorists are required to slow down to 25 mph in the morning and afternoon when there is hectic activity around the school campus. These are the times that students are either entering the school campus or leaving in the afternoon. Besides, the recess period and lunch hour also tend to have hectic student activity. The problem is that many motorists are not aware that they are required by California law to slow down their speeds when they enter the school zone during these busy times. This means an increased possibility of a pedestrian accident as cars continue to drive at their normal 45 mph limit when they should actually drop down to 25 mph.
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Food Companies Leave Safety to Consumers
The New York Times has a report on the inability of corporations that manufacture processed foods, to guarantee the safety of their products. In many cases, companies are simply passing on the responsibility of guaranteeing the safety of frozen pies or pizza on the consumers themselves.
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Driver in La Canada Flintridge Truck Accident Faces New Charges
The driver of a truck that went out of control as it came down the Angeles Crest Highway and crashed into several vehicles at a La Canada Flintridge intersection is facing at least three new charges in the truck accident.
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Woman Injured in Trolley Accident Files Lawsuit Against Azusa, University
A 21-year-old woman, who was injured in an accident with a trolley car on her way to class, has filed a lawsuit against Azusa Pacific University, as well as the City of Azusa.
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Driver Error Could Have Caused Soledad Tour Bus Accident
Preliminary investigations into last month’s tour bus accident near Soledad have linked the cause of the accident to driver error. According to California Highway Patrol investigators, however, it’s not yet clear what caused the error that resulted in the fatal bus accident.
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Two Killed in Fullerton Car Accident
Two people were killed in a car accident when the driver of a pickup truck crashed his vehicle into a tree in Fullerton. Both passengers in the vehicle, a male and a female, were ejected from the car on impact. They were both declared dead at the scene. The driver of the car Jared Berggren was taken to the hospital, where he received treatment for head injuries. He was apparently driving at an excessive speed at the time of the car accident.
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New Federal Roof Crush Standards Will Minimize Injuries from Rollover Accidents
For years, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has had the same standards for the roofs of passenger vehicles to prevent injury to occupants during a rollover accident. Those standards could soon change.
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