This time last year, Depuy Orthopaedics, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, had no idea that they would be on trial for one of this decade’s biggest products liability cases. A hearing has been scheduled in Louisville, Kentucky to determine whether to consolidate all federal Depuy Pinnacle cases to help in the discovery process. The number of victims who have had to undergo, in some cases, multiple revision surgeries has continued to steadily climb, and victims who were initially subdued with false data are now coming forward since the release of updated studies.

Product Manufacturer Negligence

Many Depuy defective product victims are just now finding out that their life-threatening injuries may be due to Johnson & Johnson’s negligence. Before the recalls, the makers of the defective hip replacement device released data collected from The British Orthopedic Association saying that an estimated thirteen percent of patients receiving a total hip replacement and twelve percent of patients receiving the hip resurfacing device would need to undergo revision surgery. These studies were questioned since their release, and have now been revised after a full collection of data was analyzed.
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A 54-year-old man was injured in a Los Angeles car accident when the horse he was riding was struck by a car. According to a news report in The San Gabriel Valley Tribune, the injury car accident occurred at Glendora Mountain Road and Big Dalton Road in Glendora the afternoon of April 27, 2011. Two people were riding horses on the shoulder of the roadway in an equestrian area when a Lexus, driven by a 17-year-old boy, veered off the roadway and struck one of the horses. The horse was killed and the 54-year-old rider was flown by helicopter to a nearby hospital with injuries. The second horse and rider were not injured in the crash. An investigation is underway to determine the cause of this collision.

My thoughts and prayers are with the man injured in this Los Angeles County car accident. I wish him a complete and speedy recovery from his injuries.

Car Accident Statistics

According to California Highway Patrol’s 2008 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), four people were killed and 252 were injured in Glendora car accidents. During that same year, Los Angeles County car accidents claimed 667 lives and injured 52,229 people.
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Toyota Motor Corporation has issued an auto defect recall for about 50,000 2011 Toyota Tundra pickup trucks because of a driveshaft flaw. According to a news report on Inside Line, Toyota officials have said that the rear driveshaft in an estimated 0.05 percent of the vehicles may include “a slip yoke that could break due to improper casting in the foundry process.”

Toyota said it is aware of one driveshaft slip yoke failure in a customer-owner vehicle. So far, there have been no reports of accidents or injuries associated with this vehicle defect. No other Toyota or Lexus models are involved in this recall. When the recall begins in May, Toyota dealers will inspect the pickup trucks and replace the rear driveshaft where necessary.

Toyota Vehicle Recalls

Toyota led auto makers last year when it came to auto defect recalls. The Japanese auto maker recalled millions of vehicles for problems associated with sudden or unintended acceleration. The auto maker also paid about $32 million in fines for failing to recall defective vehicles in time. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimated that about 100 people died over the last decade due to sudden acceleration in Toyota vehicles.
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Joel Duenas, 22, sustained major injuries in a Riverside car accident after the driver of a big rig lost control and struck two parked cars on the shoulder of a freeway the morning of April 25, 2011. According to a news report in The Press-Enterprise, the truck driver, a 37-year-old La Habra man identified as Greg Scott Etienne, was killed in the accident. The truck accident occurred on the Interstate 15 near Lake Street in Lake Elsinore. California Highway Patrol officials say Duenas had parked his Honda Civic on the shoulder to help his friend, 22-year-old Johnathan Winsor whose Dodge Durango had a blown tire.

At the time, a 1997 Freightliner tractor trailer driven by Etienne drifted onto the shoulder of the roadway and struck the Civic. The Freightliner overturned and caught fire trapping the truck driver inside. The truck driver was killed and Duenas sustained major injuries. Winsor was uninjured. An investigation is ongoing.

My heartfelt condolences go out to the family and friends of Greg Scott Etienne for their tragic and heartbreaking loss. My thoughts and prayers are also with Joel Duenas, who has sustained major injuries. I wish him the very best for a complete and speedy recovery.
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Nissan Motor Company has issued an auto defect recall for about 200,000 Pathfinder and Infiniti QX4 vehicles sold in the United States because of a problem that could cause the steering column to break and the vehicle to go out of control. The recall involves certain model year 1996 to 2004 Pathfinder and 1997 to 2003 Infiniti QX4 SUVs that have the steering problem. Officials say the problem can be caused by snow and salt entering a hole in the car’s strut housing and causing corrosion. Over time, this corrosion could cause the steering column to break.

Recent Vehicle Defect Recalls

So fat the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has received 35 reports of problems with the vehicles. Of those, 18 complaints reported steering failure and five alleged that the steering column broke and resulted in loss of steering control. Nissan has recalled millions of vehicles over the last year of so. In October, the Japanese auto maker recalled more than 2 million vehicles for an ignition problem that may cause engine stalling. In November, Nissan recalled 600,000 vehicles due to steering or battery cable issues.

There is no question that these are serious defects that could cause major injury car accidents. Recently Hyundai and Toyota also recalled vehicles for steering defects. Hyundai Sonata vehicles manufactured from December 11, 2009 through September 10, 2010 were recalled because the steering column intermediate shaft universal joint connections may have been either improperly assembled or insufficiently tightened. In August, Toyota issued a recall for more than 400,000 Avalon cars because of improper casting of the steering lock bar.
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A man in his 40s sustained fatal job injuries after he fell from the roof of a building in Monterey Park. According to a news report in The San Gabriel Valley Tribune, the fatal workplace accident occurred at the Southern California Gas Company warehouse on Atlantic Boulevard in Monterey Park the afternoon of April 21, 2011. The Eberhard Roofing employee was vacuuming rocks off the roof when he fell through a Plexiglas skylight and onto a concrete floor. The man was transported to a nearby hospital where he died from his injuries. An investigation is underway by the California Division of Occupational Safety and Heath to determine the cause of the accident.

My heartfelt condolences go out to the family and friends of the man killed in this tragic workplace accident. My thoughts and prayers are with them during this difficult time.

Fall-Related Accidents

According to The 2009 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Summary, 617 people were killed in United States fall-related accidents on the job. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that about half of all fatal falls involve construction accidents.
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Not long ago, victims claiming to experience Prempro health problems were being ignored. No one wanted to believe that a pharmaceutical company distributing countless medications designed to help people were actually responsible for life-threatening conditions. Unfortunately, the allegations are being substantiated with cold, hard facts, and we are starting to see that there were countless people whose lives have been forever altered by the negligence of this company’s defective product. We as a society hope that those providing us with our every-day products are keeping us in mind, but year after year we come to find another company who has placed profit over safety. As more and more Prempro lawsuits begin to develop, consumers are starting to demand a higher degree of control and safety in protecting them from future product defects.

Prempro, a Hormone replacement therapy (HRT), uses progestins and hormones to increase hormone levels in women during menopause. It was designed to provide relief from symptoms associated with menopause to hopefully make a woman’s transition more bearable. Although it was successful for many patients, far too many developed conditions that were later found to be associated with their participation in HRT.
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Cassaundra Olivarria, 23, and an unidentified victim were both killed in a San Diego car accident involving a head-on collision the early morning of April 16, 2011. According to a news report in The San Diego Union-Tribune, the fatal car accident occurred on the 5 Freeway near Route 163 in San Diego. An investigation is underway to determine why a Nissan Altima, driven by Olivarria, and a Honda Civic collided head-on. Both drivers were killed in the crash. An investigation is ongoing.

My heart felt condolences go out to the family and friends of Cassaundra Olivarria and the second motorist killed in this San Diego car accident. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by this tragic accident.

San Diego Car Accident Statistics

According to California Highway Patrol’s 2008 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), 81 people were killed and 6,123 were injured in San Diego car accidents. During that same year, San Diego County car accidents claimed 246 lives and injured 13,527 people.
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Toyota Motor Corporation has announced that it will issue an auto defect recall for about 308,000 of its RAV4 SUVs for possible airbag defects. According to a Detroit News report, Toyota wants to replace the airbag assembly sensor on about 214,000 of the 2007 and 2008 model RAV4 SUVs sold in the United States as well as 94,000 of its Highlander SUVs.

According to the auto maker, the problem involves two sensors in the airbag assembly, which are designed to detect vehicle roll angle. If one sensor does not function properly, the airbag warning light will illuminate and the roll detection system will be suspended. If both sensors fail, it could trigger the airbag and seatbelt pretensioners and cause inadvertent airbag deployment.
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Roque Valdez, 48, sustained fatal job injuries after he was electrocuted while trimming a tree in Duarte the afternoon of April 19, 2011. According to a news report in The San Gabriel Valley tribune, the fatal accident occurred when Valdez, a resident of Monrovia, was trimming trees in the 2100 block of South Goodall Avenue. Officials say he sawed off a branch that fell and hit an electrical wire. The wire then bounced back in his direction and electrocuted him. Cal-OSHA is investigating the incident.

My heartfelt sympathies go out to the family members and friends of Roque Valdez for their tragic and devastating loss. They will be in my thoughts and prayers.

The Dangers of Trimming Trees

There is always the possibility of catastrophic injury or death when it comes to tree trimming or removal. Tree trimmers suffer serious injuries from falls, electrocutions or loss of limbs as a result of faulty or malfunctioning equipment. They could also be crushed by falling branches, trees or debris. According to the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, from 1992 to 2007, a total of 1,285 people were killed in tree-trimming accidents nationwide. Of these deaths, 42 percent occurred when a person was hit by a falling tree or branch. Another 34 percent were killed by a fall from a tree and 14 percent were killed by electrocution.
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