The fatal passenger-train crash in New York (NY) last weekend revived interest in automatic braking systems called Positive Train Control. This seems to be the case every time a major train derailment occurs. The National Transportation Safety Board, which investigates major crashes, has recommend
While most people have heard about how dangerous it can be to drink and drive, few are aware of the risks posed by eating while driving. Though drivers are not chemically impaired, the distraction involved in eating behind the wheel is enough to dramatically increase…
Speed is involved in about one out of three fatal crashes; to which more than 13,000 lives are lost each year, according to the NHTSA. One of the most important factors in road safety is driving speed. Not only does speed affect the severity of the…
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has gone on record stating that speed was a factor in the car crash that took the life of movie star Paul Walker, according to Newsday.com. Reports indicate that Walker was a passenger in a Porsche that traveling down…
Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen unit decided to plead guilty to charges by federal prosecutors that it illegally marketed its antipsychotic medication Risperdal for off-label uses. As part of the guilty plea, J&J has agreed to pay $2.2 billion to settle claims related to its mislabeling,…
In an alarming case that demonstrates the increasing dangers posed by personal electronic devices being used behind the wheel, a truck driver in Arizona has been charged after crashing his big rig into three cop cars. Not only did the distracted driver hit the three…
Recently, the American Association for Justice issued an important report outlining how often Americans are forced into arbitration agreements with companies that have attempted to stack the deck against consumers. Though many people are unaware, the vast majority of contracts signed by consumers no
Railroads cross many parts of our country and haul important goods. But what happens when these railroad tracks are already used to capacity and yet the railroad companies want to put even more trains on the tracks carrying hazardous materials? The result could be deadly. …
“No man is an island, Entire of itself, Every man is a piece of the continent, A part of the main.” This is an excerpt from a poem by John Donne. Though he was not describing the medical community in his poem, doctors would do well…
How many people die or are injured by medical malpractice and errors every year? It’s a pertinent question and the answer may surprise and scare you. The Journal of Patient Safety says that between 210,000 and 440,000 patients each year who go to the hospital…
A Supreme Court case in West Virginia will decide if the medical malpractice cap in that state applies to nursing homes as well as hospitals and doctors. Currently the state has a very low cap, only $500,000 on non-economic damages in medical malpractice cases. The issue came…
Many times we believe something simply because we have been told or heard it several times. An example would be that if you touch a baby bird its mother won’t take it back or maybe you’ve heard that the Great Wall of China is the…