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• Cell Phones and Driving

  Bruce Bierhans | February 11, 2008 2:58 PM | 0 CommentsCape Cod, MA

  See the entry on Cell Phones and Driving in my Southeastern Massachusetts blog.Bruce A. Bierhans

• Teenage Boy Killed in Somerset Crash

  Jenny Albano | February 10, 2008 6:44 PM | 0 CommentsCape Cod, MA

  An 18 year-old from Fall River was killed in a car accident on Saturday, February 9. Corey Leite was driving the car when he hit a tree and utility pole and was pronounced dead at Charlton Memorial Hospital at 10:39 P.M. One passenger in the 1983 Ford Mustang suffered minor injury, while two others were unhurt in the crash shortly after 10 p.m. The Mustang crashed through the fence of a...

• Snow and Soft Tissue Injuries

  Bruce Bierhans | January 16, 2008 2:56 PM | 0 CommentsCape Cod, MA

  It's that time of year on Cape Cod. You're stopped at a red light and your car gets hit in the rear end by another vehicle.Your car has some damage, but it's minimal. You get out of the vehicle a bit stunned, but tell everyone you feel ok. Two days later, your lower back and/or neck hurt and you feel fatigued with a mild headache. Sound familiar?You likely have what is known in our profession as...

• Nursing Homes and Caregivers

  Bruce Bierhans | January 06, 2008 11:43 AM | 0 CommentsCape Cod, MA

  A client comes into the office and says, "my 85 year old mother just died in the nursing home after falling out of her wheelchair 7 times."We hear this horrible story, and others like it, all the time. Residents die from infected bedsores. Residents that are clearly patients "at risk for falls" never have fall risk assesments and die after repeated falls. After falls, broken bones are neglected....

• Foreseeable Injuries

  Bruce Bierhans | December 19, 2007 12:59 PM | 0 CommentsCape Cod, MA

  The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court recently issued a very practical but controversial decision. The court held that the mother of a boy struck and killed by a car could sue the drivers doctor because the doctor failed to warn the driver of the risks associated with taking certain medications.This may appear harsh, but it is nothing more than a logical extension of the existing law of...

• FDA Warns Bed Wetting Drug May Cause Seizures

  Chrissie Cole | December 10, 2007 5:39 PM | 0 CommentsCape Cod, MA

  The FDA warns patients and physicians that desmopressin, a drug used to control bed-wetting in children, can increase the risk of seizures and death.The FDA has received 61 reports of seizures - including two fatalities - amongst patients taking desmopressin. Desmopressin is used to lower the amount of water eliminated in urine. In some cases the drug lowered the amount of sodium in the...

• Starbucks Coffee Cups Recalled for Burn Hazard

  Chrissie Cole | December 06, 2007 4:48 PM | 0 CommentsCape Cod, MA

  Starbucks, in cooperation with CPSC, announced a voluntary nationwide recall of 167,000 fusion coffee mugs. The plastic handles can detach from the body of the mug when filled with hot liquids, posing a burn hazard.23 injuries have been reported to Starbucks due to the handles detaching. Nine of the 23 people injured suffered minor burns.This recall involves two styles of Starbucks 14-ounce...

• Cape Cod Teenager Found Guilty of Motor Vehicle Homicide

  Chrissie Cole | September 26, 2007 1:17 AM | 0 CommentsCape Cod, MA

  A Cape Cod teenager was found guilty of causing the car accident that killed his best friend, in March 2006, and sentenced to 18 months in jail.The teen, 18, of Barnstable, was found guilty of motor vehicle homicide by negligent operation following a bench trial. The judge ruled he was the cause of the accident that led to the death of his best friend, 16-year-old Melissa Gifford.He will serve...

• Massachusetts Firefighters Respond to Rollover Car Accident

  Chrissie Cole | September 13, 2007 10:05 PM | 0 CommentsCape Cod, MA

  Massachusetts Firefighters, in Newton, responded to a horrible rollover car accident on Route 9 in the Chestnut Hill section of Newton on Wednesday.The assistant Fire Chief arrived on the scene and reported a two vehicle accident with a rollover. One car was traveling on either side of Route 9. A Volkswagen crashed with an SUV while traveling west on Route 9. The impact of the crash sent the...

• Couple Suing Over Slip-and-Fall at Grocery Store

  Chrissie Cole | August 28, 2007 9:17 AM | 0 CommentsCape Cod, MA

  A woman injured in a slip-and-fall accident at the local grocery store, has filed a personal injury lawsuit against the store. The lawsuit was filed on August 21, in Kanawha Circuit Court, against Save-A-Lot.The suit claims that on December 10, 2005, the woman was in the Cedar Grove store when she slipped and fell on a "wet, slippery substance which was not immediately visible to the naked eye...