Blog: Public Safety
- The History of Asbestos Litigation in the US
Jun 10, 2016
Asbestos appears naturally in the environment as bundles of fibers. Once considered a go-to insulation material, asbestos is now widely recognized as a dangerous cause of cancer. The shipbuilding industry is particularly well-known for using asbestos in its boilers, steam pipes, and hot water pipes, but it was also widely used in construction, the automotive industry, and more. Asbestos exposure generally= comes through inhalation, meaning that people working in asbestos industries and their families are...Read More - Do You Really Need Rental Car Insurance?
May 26, 2016
The optional loss damage waiver is often expensive when you rent a car, but it limits or eliminates your financial liability for damage to the vehicle you rent. While the decision might have once been more cut and dry, choosing whether to purchase this additional insurance coverage has become “… significantly complicated by the fact that many rental companies are now charging their customers for diminished value and administrative charges when they crash a rental...Read More - Automated Driving Technology Standards Needed
May 19, 2016
With the number of automated driving technologies on the rise, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has sought input regarding the development of guidelines for the safe deployment and operation of these technologies. The request comes at a critical juncture as millions of cars and trucks manufactured with automatic braking controls, obstacle detection and wheel slip assistance are already on the road. As a national leader in product liability and crashworthiness issues, Anapol Weiss Shareholder...Read More - 35 to 40 Million More Defective Airbags to be Recalled
May 11, 2016
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is expanding and accelerating the Takata air bag inflator recall. The expansion means that all Takata ammonium nitrate-based propellant frontal air bag inflators without a chemical drying agent will be recalled. Was your vehicle recalled? Ruptures of the Takata inflators have been tied to ten deaths and more than 100 injuries in the U.S., according to a press release by the NHTSA. The faulty airbags were reported to have shot shrapnel...Read More - Jobs that May Involve Asbestos Exposure
Apr 21, 2016
Asbestos exposure has been primarily associated with industrial occupations, namely the mining and milling of raw asbestos and the construction, manufacture and use of asbestos-containing products. Substantial asbestos exposure peaked during the 1960s and 1970s and then declined as regulations were put in place to protect workers. During exposure, tiny asbestos fibers can enter and remain in the lungs for life. The long latency period of asbestos side effects can be 40 years or more. As a...Read More - Preventing Accidents In and Around Swimming Pools
Apr 18, 2016
With the gradually warming weather comes an increase in outdoor activities for both adults and children. It is therefore very important that property owners – particularly those with a swimming pool –take precautions to prevent injury. Drowning ranks fifth among the leading causes of unintentional injury death in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Among children between the ages of one and four, most drowning incidents occur in home swimming...Read More - Second Study Shows More PPI Dangers
Apr 15, 2016
More research has linked popular stomach acid medications to an increased risk of developing deadly kidney problems. A study published on April 14 in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology comes on the heels of another study linking these drugs to acute interstitial nephritis as well as chronic kidney disease (CKD). Using data from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, researchers found that patients who took proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) had a 96 percent increased risk...Read More - Be Your Own Medical Advocate: Obtain and Read Diagnostic Test Results
Mar 18, 2016
The two stories below are real and illustrate the need for all patients to make sure that they obtain and read the interpretative reports for the diagnostic tests that their physicians have them undergo. Obtaining, reading and sharing reports with your regular doctors allows you to act as your own medical advocate and helps prevent medical negligence or even medical misdiagnosis. A person falls at home and injures his jaw and chest. He goes to the local...Read More - Few Adults Wear Seat Belts When Riding in the Back Seat
Mar 11, 2016
Research has shown that rear seat vehicle passengers are three times more likely to die in an automobile accident if they are not wearing a seat belt. Despite these dangers, only 78 percent of adult rear seat passengers nationwide buckle up. The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) has reported that hundreds of adult vehicle passengers who ride unbelted in rear seats are killed in car crashes each year, and hundreds more are seriously injured. In fact, there were...Read More - Sham Pricing Allegations at Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s Mirror Another Class Action
Jan 4, 2016
A proposed class action lawsuit involving Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s pricing highlights issues very similar to a lawsuit involving the clothing store Justice – a class action lawsuit that recently settled for $51 million. A complaint filed in California federal court this month claims that Macy’s and its owned affiliate Bloomingdale’s have falsely labeled items with prices well above the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP). When an item goes on sale, the lawsuit alleges, the sale price...Read More