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PERSONAL INJURY LAWYER DALLAS, TEXAS |
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| OVER FOURTEEN YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN PERSONAL INJURY LITIGATION IN TEXAS __________________________________ DESIGNATED A "SUPERLAWYER" IN TEXAS MONTHLY MAGAZINE |




| PERSONAL INJURY NEWS FDA Recommends Avandia Be Recalled Due to Heart Attack Injury Hundreds of people taking Avandia, a controversial diabetes medicine, needlessly suffer heart attacks and heart failure each month, according to confidential government reports that recommend the drug be removed from the market.The reports, obtained by The New York Times, say that if every diabetic now taking Avandia were instead given a similar pill named Actos, about 500 heart attacks and 300 cases of heart failure would be averted every month because Avandia can hurt the heart. Avandia, intended to treat Type 2 diabetes, is known as rosiglitazone and was linked to 304 deaths during the third quarter of 2009. Rosiglitazone should be removed from the market,” one report, by Dr. David Graham and Dr. Kate Gelperin of the Food and Drug Administration, concludes. Both authors recommended that Avandia be withdrawn. The internal F.D.A. reports are part of a fierce debate within the agency over what to do about Avandia, manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline. Some agency officials want the drug withdrawn because they believe there is a safer alternative; others insist that studies of the drug provide contradictory information and that Avandia should continue to be an option for doctors and patients. GlaxoSmithKline said that it had studied Avandia extensively and that “scientific evidence simply does not establish that Avandia increases” the risk of heart attacks. The battle has been brewing for years but has been brought to a head by disagreement over a new clinical trial and a Senate investigation that concluded that GlaxoSmithKline should have warned patients earlier of the drug’s potential risks. Avandia was once one of the biggest-selling drugs in the world. Driven in part by a multimillion- dollar advertising campaign, sales were $3.2 billion in 2006. But a 2007 study by a Cleveland Clinic cardiologist suggesting that the drug harmed the heart prompted the F.D.A. to issue a warning, and sales plunged. A committee of independent experts found in 2007 that Avandia might increase the risk of heart attack but recommended that it remain on the market, and an F.D.A. oversight board voted 8 to 7 to accept that advice. Hundreds of thousands still take the medicine, although some top endocrinologists say they have sworn off the drug. Construction Accident Leads To Serious Injury and Settlement A jury awarded $1.72 million to a worker who was seriously injured when a load lifted by a crane swung into him at an oil refinery. In 2005, Ernesto Tamez, then 59, attached an oil burner to the boom of the crane while working for a turnaround contractor at a BP America Inc. refinery in Texas City. When the crane operator lifted the boom, it swung like a pendulum into Tamez and pinned him against a handrail. He sustained a torn rotator cuff and herniated discs in his neck and back, all of which required surgery. Tamez claimed that the crane operator worked for Maxim Crane Works LP and he was to blame. Defense counsel denied that the crane operator was at fault and argued that Tamez didn't prove that he worked for Maxim. Woman Injured In Car Crash With City Bus Wins At Trial A jury awarded $155,353 to a woman who said she was injured in a collision with a San Antonio city bus. In 2004, Ariadna Ramirez-Saenz, then 25, was a passenger in a suburban driven by Rosa Maria Ramirez when it was struck by a VIA Metropolitan Transit Authority bus at a busy intersection. Ramirez-Saenz, who sustained a torn rotator cuff in the incident, claimed the bus was at fault for going straight in a turn-only lane. She sought $280,600 in damages in her lawsuit against VIA; her suit against Ramirez settled before trial. The bus driver disputed Ramirez-Saenz's story, arguing that Ramirez caused the accident when she made a right turn from a straight-only lane. The defense also contended that the collision was minor and didn't cause the alleged injuries. Car Accident Victim Settles Lawsuit Alleging Defective Car Seat The Ford Motor Co. agreed to pay $1,925,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by the family of a police officer who died from injuries sustained in a car accident. In 2005, Officer Mark Simmons Jr. was a passenger in a 2000 Ford Crown Victoria police car when it was rear-ended by a pickup truck. His family alleged the support and anchor mechanisms on Simmons' seat failed due to design and manufacturing defects, causing him to be violently thrown to the back of the car. Simmons, a father of two young children, sustained severe brain damage and died in 2008 at age 31. Ford argued the seat, which met all government safety standards, was safe. It contended Simmons' injuries were caused by the severe nature of the accident and his failure to wear a seat belt, but it ultimately agreed to the settlement. Toyota Recalls More Dangerous Cars That Could Lead to Injury Toyota's recall troubles continue to grow, with the total number of vehicles affected by two recalls involving gas pedals growing to at least 5.3 million. The latest addition to the recalls was announced Wednesday, with 1.1 million vehicles added to the 4.2 million recalled in November to fix a problem in which the gas pedal can become caught on the edge of the removable floormat. That problem can cause the vehicle to accelerate uncontrollably. A separate recall of 2.3 million vehicles announced last week -- involving accelerator pedals that can stick on their own -- is being expanded to include an undisclosed number of vehicles in Europe. In most cases, the same vehicles are involved in both recalls. It was not immediately clear how many different vehicles, in total, are part of the two actions. Motorcyclist Hit By 18-Wheeler In Accident Settles Lawsuit A motorcyclist injured in a collision with a tractor-trailer received a $1 million settlement. In 2008, trucker Nicholas Robles was hauling a flatbed trailer when he made a right turn and collided with motorcyclist Gerri Dorsett. Dorsett, then 47, sustained arm and knee fractures. She also suffered a concussion, which she claimed wiped out her memory of the crash. Due to her injuries, she has been unable to work since the accident. She sued Robles and the owner of the truck, Juan Robles (doing business as Robles Trucking), alleging the trucker made an unsafe wide right turn. The defense argued Dorsett was speeding and shouldn't have tried to pass on the right. The case ultimately settled for the limit on the defendants' insurance policy. Patient Paralyzed After Spinal Tap Wins At Trial A man who is paralyzed from the waist down after receiving a spinal tap recovered $10.9 million. Thomas Colombrito developed a hematoma at the lumbar puncture site, which compressed his spinal cord, causing paralysis. Two days later he underwent emergency surgical decompression to no avail. Colombrito claimed that Dr. Sireesha Janga failed to discontinue anticoagulants before the spinal tap. Colombrito also sued Dr. Richard Torres for failing to follow up on an MRI. The jury found Janga 51 percent liable and Torres 4 percent liable. The hospital and neurologist who delivered the spinal tap were found 45 percent liable, but they settled before trial. Due to settlement credits and award caps under Texas law, the jury's $22.5 million award was reduced. Tire Maker To Pay for Wrongful Death of Car Crash Victims A jury awarded $11.9 million for a head- on crash that killed six children and injured three others because a Michelin tire allegedly detreaded. In 2006, Jesus Guzman Reyes was driving his pickup truck with his wife and three children. He lost control and struck an oncoming sport utility vehicle that was carrying the six children. The plaintiffs claimed that a leaky roof at a Michelin plant allowed water to enter the tires during manufacturing, which caused air bubbles to form and weaken the tire. Michelin denied that the tire was defective, claiming that the tire damage occurred during the crash, not before it. Defense counsel argued that Reyes was to blame for the crash, but the jury found otherwise. See More Personal Injury Attorney News |