Archive for April, 2010

Join Oprah’s NO PHONE ZONE

hfstaff April 30th, 2010

HensonFuerst Attorneys support Oprah’s No Phone Zone–a pledge to help end distracted driving by committing to drive as responsibly as possible. This means:

1) NO TEXTING while driving, which is illegal in North Carolina anyway. As of December 1, 2009, it is unlawful to text while operating a vehicle, or to send or receive email.

2) Avoid using the phone while driving. It is illegal for all school bus drivers and all people under age 18 to use cell phone while operating a vehicle–no cell phone use at all.

3) If you must use a cell phone (and you are not under 18), safety guidelines suggest pulling over to the side of the road, OR use only a hands-free device.

Remember that when you use a cell phone, your brain becomes distracted. So even if you have both hands on the wheel, you may run into situations where your reaction time is slowed (or you make poor driving decisions) because you are using the phone.

To sign Oprah’s No Phone Zone pledge, visit her website here: Oprah’s NO PHONE ZONE!

HensonFuerst supports safe driving. As personal injury lawyers who deal with the aftermath of car wrecks, we know that even a split second of distraction can lead to tragedy. Make the safe driving pledge today!

Popularity: 22% [?]

Two Raleigh emergency vehicles collide

admin April 29th, 2010

Two Raleigh emergency vehicles collided on their way to the scene of a North Carolina shooting.

According to NewsObserver.com, the Raleigh emergency vehicles crashed into each other at Creech Road and Slippery Elm Drive. The drivers of each emergency vehicle were taken to WakeMed in Raleigh and treated for minor injuries.

The Raleigh shooting victim was also taken to WakeMed with a gunshot wound to his leg.

Read more.

What precautions should Raleigh emergency vehicles have to take to avoid accidents to keep everyone safe? Do you think emergency responders have enough training?

If you or someone you know has been involved in a Raleigh auto accident, the Raleigh auto accident lawyers at HensonFuerst Attorneys can help.

Popularity: 15% [?]

URGENT: Graco Crib Recall

hfstaff April 29th, 2010

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has announced a voluntary recall of 217,000 Graco-brand cribs due to risk of infant suffocation, strangulation, and brain injury.

The cribs involved are LaJobi-manufactured Graco wood full-sized, “drop-side” cribs. A full list of model names and numbers can be found on the CPSC website here:  Graco Crib Recall Information (http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10212.html).

The cribs were sold in retail stores nationwide between February 2007 and March 2010.

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled cribs and contact LaJobi to receive a free hardware retrofit kit that will immobilize the drop side. CPSC urges parents and caregivers to find an alternative, safe sleeping environment for their baby.

For additional information, contact LaJobi toll-free at (888) 842-2215 anytime, or visit LaJobi’s Web site.

There have been reports of at least six children falling when the drop side failed, and at least one child suffered a mild traumatic brain injury (concussion). If your child was injured by a Graco crib and you have questions about your options, call the compassionate lawyers of HensonFuerst. If you have questions, we have answers. Let us help you protect your child.

Popularity: 23% [?]

Does Toyota Enjoy Lingering Consumer Pain?

hfstaff April 28th, 2010

Yes, it has happened again. Toyota has recalled another car: the 2003 Sequoia SUV is being recalled for a problem with its vehicle stability control system. This recall comes a week after Toyota recalled 2010 models of the Lexus GX 460 because it also had stability control issues.

If your model Lexus or Toyota has not yet been recalled, consider yourself lucky. Chances are, you (like me) are unable to relax because you are waiting for the next trickle of bad news.

Come on, Toyota–tell us all the bad news right up front. Don’t you know that it is less painful to rip the bandage off in one fast tug?

If you have been injured in a car wreck due to a Toyota malfunction, call the lawyers at HensonFuerst. We’re here to help.

To read Toyota’s recall information, click here:  Toyota recall page.

Popularity: 22% [?]

HensonFuerst PSA Contest Ready for Your Vote!

hfstaff April 26th, 2010

The 2010 HensonFuerst PSA (Public Service Announcement) Contest received a bunch of truly outstanding entries from local high school students. The theme of the year is Bicycle Safety.

We have 18 talented finalists. Please go to our voting page (http://www.lawmed.com/contest/vote.php) and submit your vote for the best. All entries are about 28 seconds long, so it will take less than 9 minutes to watch them all.

The winning PSA will be aired on local television, and the winner can choose a prize of a new Mac laptop with movie-making software or a $1,500.00 gift card to a local electronics store. The winner’s school will also receive a donation from HensonFuerst.

So, you can see that the stakes are high! You could help shape the career of a budding director. Vote today!

http://www.lawmed.com/contest/vote.php

Popularity: 14% [?]

A Truly Appalling Outcome for Drunk Driver

hfstaff April 26th, 2010

Quick Multiple Choice Quiz: What is the penalty if you are caught driving “extremely drunk” in Raleigh, NC?

  • A. You are arrested and your car is impounded.
  • B. Your license is suspended for at least one year.
  • C. You pay a fine, your insurance rates go up, and you could do time in jail.
  • D. The friendly police officer drives you to a hotel so you can sleep it off peacefully.

    • If it were you or me, the answer would be A and B and C.  But according to an article in the Raleigh News & Observer, when an off-duty captain (captain!) with the N.C. Highway Patrol was stopped and found to be “extremely drunk,” he was given a ride to a local Best Western motel.

    Awww. Wonder if he was tucked in, as well. They must have been BFFs, those two officers of the law. Or is it that everyone who is “on the job” is a BFF with everyone else in law enforcement? How many times has this happened in the past, but without recordings to back up the allegations?

    Since this was discovered, Captain James Williams (the one caught driving drunk) had to surrender his badge, vehicle, and uniform while under investigation, which could take “a couple of weeks.”

    What on earth could take “a couple weeks”… other than hoping that the public will forget about it? Why can’t this couldn’t be resolved in a day or two?  There are telephone and radio traffic recordings, possibly breathalyzer tests, and a Best Western desk clerk to interview. Frankly, the act of driving the captain to the motel seems to be all the evidence needed–why else would that have happened?

    At HensonFuerst, we fight hard against drunk drivers every day. We represent people whose lives have been shattered by people who drink and drive and crash. Now, we have to deal with buddy-buddy police officers who protect the drunk cop and put the public at risk. Being a police officer doesn’t convey special powers that allow someone to maneuver a 2000-lb weapon down our highways even while intoxicated.

    We ask that there be swift resolution to this investigation, and that the details and outcome be made public. If the story is true, this type of preferential treatment is shameful, appalling, and chilling.  We stand on the side of innocent people injured by drunk drivers.  Where do the police stand?

    Popularity: 21% [?]

    Hospira Recall Involves Two NC Manufacturing Sites

    hfstaff April 22nd, 2010

    It’s a case of twos: Two pharmaceuticals manufactured in two North Carolina plants have been recalled for a second time in six months due to contamination after equipment failure.

    The products (both by Hospira, Inc.) are a numbing agent called Propofol, and an intravenous nutritional product called Liposyn–both sold only to doctors and hospitals. The drugs, which are manufactured in Rocky Mount and Clayton, NC, were recalled on November, 6, 2009… and again on April 16, 2010.

    The problem in both recalls is the same:  Stainless steel particulates made their way into the pharmaceuticals during the manufacturing process. According to a Hospira press release from the first recall (made available by the FDA):

    “Since these particulate contaminants do not dissolve in blood they could potentially act as emboli and impede blood flow.  Particulates may also cause mechanical damage to the body and may escalate damage through the Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS).  Restriction in blood supply to tissues could lead to stroke, respiratory failure, kidney failure, liver failure, heart attack and/or death.” [emphasis added]

    After two inspections by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in early 2010, the FDA issued a warning letter to Hospira citing several inspection violations, with the conclusion that the manufacturing problems continued. This prompted the April 16, 2010, national recall.

    According to a report on Raleigh’s WRAL website, Hospira officials said the company is still manufacturing the drugs at the Clayton facility and are waiting for approval from the Food and Drug Administration before further shipments.

    If it’s true that they are continuing to manufacture the recalled products before receiving FDA approval, that’s pretty frightening. And potentially dangerous.

    Although there have not yet been any reports of patients being harmed by the recalled products, that doesn’t mean that we’re in the clear. If you were a patient and received either of these products while in a hospital or under a doctor’s care, you probably have a lot of questions. If you are worried that you may have suffered harm after receiving Propofol or Liposyn in the past 8 months or so, call HensonFuerst Attorneys.

    If you have questions, HensonFuerst has answers.

    Popularity: 25% [?]

    Middle school student dies in North Carolina accident

    admin April 22nd, 2010

    A North Carolina community is mourning the death of a middle school student involved in a Havelock car accident.

    The Havelock Middle School student and her 16-year-old sister were on their way to school when the 16-year-old driving a Dodge Journey pulled out into the path of a large turf truck, according to Havelock News.

    The turf truck driver did all he could to stop, even leaving skid marks on the road, and a North Carolina Highway Patrol trooper said he won’t be charged.

    Read more.

    Do you think North Carolina traffic is too heavy for teen drivers to drive in? How many hours behind the wheel should teen drivers have before they’re allowed to have their license?

    If you or someone you know has been involved in a Havelock auto accident, the North Carolina auto accident lawyers at Henson Fuerst can help.

    Popularity: 15% [?]

    Raleigh Bus Driver Pleads Guilty in Firefighter’s Death

    admin April 16th, 2010

    According to an article from WRAL.com, a former bus driver pleaded guilty after being charged with misdemeanor death by motor vehicle after a December wreck that killed a Raleigh firefighter.

    The article says the North Carolina State Highway Patrol said the former bus driver crossed the center line on Ligon Mill Road near Louisburg Road in Raleigh, collided with a westbound station wagon then struck a truck driven by the Raleigh firefighter.

    Do you feel safe sending your children to school on a school bus? Why or why not? How should bus drivers be screened before they’re allowed to take children to and from school?

    Read more.

    If your loved one or the loved one of someone you know has been wrongfully killed in Raleigh, the Raleigh wrongful death lawyers at Henson Fuerst can help.

    Popularity: 13% [?]

    Treatment Center Kills Man with Lethal Drug Overdose

    hfstaff April 14th, 2010

    The Raleigh News & Observer reports that a man being treated in a state-run drug treatment center in Butner, NC, after staff members gave him a lethal dose of methadone.

    The story took a frightening turn when we learned that there was no reason for the man to have been prescribed methadone in the first place. Methadone is used to treat heroin addiction…but the patient was not addicted to heroin.

    Apparently, he survived a low dose of methadone, but a physician increased his dosage. As the victim lay unconscious in his bed, a nurse assumed he was sleeping and ignored this blatant symptom of overdose. The man was found bleeding and unconscious in a bathroom after midnight by another patient.

    It raises so many questions:  Where was the hospital staff while this man was suffering? Is it common to have patients missing from their beds at midnight, and not be searched for? Are there no checks and balances for physicians and nurses who seem to be running on auto-pilot?  Do any of the staff of state-run hospitals care enough to give proper treatment to their patients?

    HensonFuerst is outraged by this type of treatment. We devote our lives to helping people who have been injured in this way… but we would be thrilled if these types injuries and deaths never happened in the first place.

    While the newspaper article said that it was unclear whether there would be any disciplinary action against the staff, it would be a travesty if no action were taken. Whatever happened to the oath of “do no harm”?

    If you or one of your loved ones have been injured while in any medical care facility, call us. HensonFuerst is on your side.

    Popularity: 26% [?]

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