Big-Rig Explosion in Quemado, Texas and the Law
If you pay attention to the news at all, or you have an interest in feeling safe in your own car, you've probably heard the name "Takata" coming up occasionally over the past year or two. A truck accident and explosion this past week in Quemado, Texas, which killed 69-year-old Lucila Robles, has thrust Takata...
5th-Wheel Hatchbacks Trailers: Some Ideas Should Stay Dead
One of the more interesting parts of American history is that so much of what we take for granted started with someone saying, "Wouldn't it be neat if...?" Then that person either invents something that can do the task they were thinking of, or sparks an idea in another who solves that problem. Of course,...
Risperdal and Invega: Potential Side Effects and Personal Injury Lawsuits
What are Risperdal and Invega? Risperdal is the trade name attached to the medication risperidone, a powerful "atypical antipsychotic" medication designed primarily to treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and irritability caused by autism. Invega, a metabolite of Risperdal, is in the same family of medications. It is the brand name for paliperidone. Both drugs are manufactured...
Just How Drunk is a .26 BAC?
A few days ago, our firm was hired on a case wherein a young woman went to a Buffalo Wild Wings, was served an obscene quantity of alcohol, and then died in an accident after the bar sent her on her way. Unrelated, a few members of our staff were having a conversation about the...
Benzene: Its Effects and Legal Recourse for the Injured
History's progress has been fueled by some very dangerous chemicals. The chemicals that immediately come to mind are those that soak into people's bones and ruins their lives. So many are produced and used each year that safety testing for their human and environmental effects is often inadequate - or missing altogether. Unsurprisingly, some of...
How Are Texans Affected by Talcum Powder Injuries?
Even considering the hundreds of talcum powder claims that have so far been filed, the ubiquitous nature of this consumer product suggests that there are probably thousands more that are not yet reported. When a manufacturer is accused of the degree of negligence currently associated with Johnson & Johnson about its baby powder and other...
Compulsory Vaccinations: I Want My MMR
On July 1, California's state bill No. 277 went into action. This legislation effectively bans the admission of unvaccinated children to public schools for grades K-12. Children who have not been given the standard shots to help prevent serious diseases will not be allowed to attend school with their vaccinated peers. Laws like SB 277...
Merced Co., Ca Bus Crash and Bus Accident Law
On August 2nd, an Autobuses Coordinados USA bus travelling from Mexico to Seattle crashed near Livingston, California, in Merced County. The accident resulted in the deaths of 4 people, with as many as 21 more suffering significant injuries including amputations. According to media reports, rescue workers were literally bagging up body parts of injured people...
Sweat the Small Stuff: A Talk About Talc
Almost regardless of what we're doing, we perspire. Running, working, even on an evening stroll--at least in Texas--our bodies work hard to cool us off. If that's a problem for us now, try to picture the madness of strolling down the boardwalk in the middle of the summer a century ago, casually wearing a suit...
Pliva, Inc. v Mensing: Bad News for Generic Drug Takers
It can cost upwards of a billion dollars, start to finish, to put a new drug on the market. First, there's all the research and testing, tweaking the chemistry until it is demonstrably able to treat one or more health problems. Once that's done, the finished product has to go through clinical trials. It then...
Employee or Independent Contractor? The Excel Direct Case
News broke the other day of a settlement in the case of Villalpando v. Excel Direct Inc. et al. The case involves a group of truck drivers and Excel Direct a trucking company that claims the truckers were independent contractors. The truckers saw things differently, given the many hoops they had to jump through at...
Zofran and Birth Defects: The Hidden Cost of Keeping Lunch Down
A common prescription for mothers-to-be is a powerful antiemetic (a nausea control agent) called Zofran. It has been putting corks in people's urges to vomit since 1991, and was hailed for many years as a "godsend." More recently, however, research has shown that Zofran use can have extremely harmful effects on a developing fetus. Too...
Examining The Validity of Pokémon Go Injury Claims
"It's all fun until someone loses an eye." Lately, I hear those words echo in my head whenever I contemplate the current Pokémon Go fad. Whattymon What? Pokémon Go is a downloadable smartphone-based app where the user plays the part of a "trainer," moving around the real world and attempting to catch cartoon animals (Pokémon)...
Abilify and Compulsive Behavior: Betting Against the House
What is Abilify? Abilify is the brand name of the drug aripiprazole. Created by the Japanese company Otsuka Pharmaceutical, it is marketed in North America by Otsuka America and their partner company Bristol Myers-Squibb, an enormous biopharmaceutical manufacturer/marketer. In 2015 alone Abilify pulled in six billion dollars' worth of revenue for these companies. The medication's...
The Routine Job Defense and Foreseeability: Analysis
Worker's Compensation is, on the surface, a helpful institution. It's guaranteed recompense if you're hurt in the line of duty, from dish washing to long-haul trucking. And why not? It's not unreasonable to think that an employer should try to keep employees from getting injured on the job. They are, in fact, obligated by law...
Balloon Crash: A Texan Tragedy
Saturday, July 30 marked the most fatal recorded hot-air balloon crash in U.S. history. Honestly that's not something I thought I'd write in 2016 (or ever ) but it has already been a year of maddening tragedy, so why not? A craft owned by Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides crashed mid-flight, killing the...
Can I Sue for Injuries Sustained from Taking “Enhancement” Supplements?
All the product names used in this article are real. Truth is stranger than fiction. You see them at gas stations all the time and scoff at their ridiculous names--"Rhino 7." "Super Samurai-X." "Mojo Risen." The products often feature a passionate couple or some "powerful" animal on the packaging, though sometimes they go a little...