Sabatini and Associates, LLC

Carpal tunnel syndrome can result from acute injury, as indicated by a retrospective study. Symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome developed in 96 patients within 2 months after an automobile accident in a study conducted by Dr. Ames. Forty-four (44) of these ninety-six (96) patients underwent carpal tunnel release. It is believed that the mechanism of injury is blunt trauma from the steering wheel or dashboard. (see Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Motor Vehicle Accidents, Journal of American Osteopathic Association, Dr. Elliot L. Ames, 1996)

Dr. Ames is a clinical assistant professor of surgery, division of orthopedic surgery, School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, NJ. The carpal tunnel joint on the wrist are in close proximity as the hand grasps the steering wheel, and as a result, are vulnerable during impact. The injury can occur when the hand is braced on the steering wheel at the time of a front or rear-end collision. Because the base of the thumb can be injured by the steering wheel and the carpal tunnel is in close proximity, it is reasonable to calculate the carpal tunnel takes blunt trauma during impact. To learn more about this topic read: Acute Median Neuropathy After Wrist Trauma: The Role of Emergent Carpal Tunnel Release by Gregory Mack, M.D., Scott McPherson, M.D., and Bruce Lutz, M.D. This article was published by Clinical Orthopedics and Related Research, 1994.

According to the Triple A, 42,642 people died in car crashes in 2006. This equates to about 117 deaths per day and almost 5 per hour. This is the equivalent of two jumbo jets crashing every week. The AAA attributes many of the fatalities to excessive speed, drunk driving and the failure to wear a seat belt. Triple A also reports that the costs arising from car accidents have gone up with the largest cost increase being hospital costs.

The Connecticut�personal injury lawyers of Sabatini and Associates, LLC provide quality legal representation to clients in Hartford, Connecticut, and surrounding cities including: West Hartford, Newington, New Britain, Avon, Canton, Wethersfield, Glastonbury, East Hartford, Norwich, Granby, Rocky Hill, Bristol, Manchester, East Hartford, Plainville, Berlin, Farmington, Windsor, South Windsor, Bloomfield, Enfield and counties including New Haven County, Tolland County, Hartford County, New London County, Litchfield County and Fairfield County..

The FDA reports additional patient deaths are possibly linked to the blood thinner heparin so the company is mounting a recall of all of the drug.

Baxter International Inc. will recall the remaining lots of single and multi-dose injection and it will recall HEP-LOCK products.

Last month, Baxter recalled nine lots of heparin multi-dose after the drugs use was linked to four deaths and hundreds of mysterious allergic reactions.

Most of those adverse events were attributed to the multi-dose vial of heparin.

Now 17 other deaths are being investigated because of a link to heparin, although the FDA reminds reporters that those patients were already very sick so a definitive cause-effect at this time has not been established.

The Connecticut�personal injury lawyers of Sabatini and Associates, LLC provide quality legal representation to clients in Hartford, Connecticut, and surrounding cities including: West Hartford, Newington, New Britain, Avon, Canton, Wethersfield, Glastonbury, East Hartford, Norwich, Granby, Rocky Hill, Bristol, Manchester, East Hartford, Plainville, Berlin, Farmington, Windsor, South Windsor, Bloomfield, Enfield and counties including New Haven County, Tolland County, Hartford County, New London County, Litchfield County and Fairfield County..

The United States Supreme Court held 8-1 that Food and Drug Administration (FDA) pre-market approval of medical devices barred state court lawsuits by patients injured by such devices. The Medical Device Amendments of 1976 called for federal oversight of medical devices, and provided that states were not to establish or continue in effect any requirement “different from, or in addition to, any requirement” applicable to the device under federal law and which relates to, among other things, safety and effectiveness of the device. The Riegel court determined that common law negligence principles, as applied to medical device manufacture and design, constituted impermissible requirements under the statute.

Justice Ginsberg dissented, stating, “Congress, in my view, did not intend 360k(a) to effect a radical curtailment of state common-law suits seeking compensation for injuries caused by defectively designed or labeled medical devices.” However, the majority explicitly stated that this was precisely what the pre-emption, by its very terms, had done.

The Supreme Court’s decision has effectively terminated an injured person’s ability to recover compensation for injuries caused by unsafe and defective medical devices. It will take legislation from Congress to undo this damage to the rights of injured people.

Trees lining the Merritt Parkway make for a scenic commute but those same trees can make a ride dangerous and even deadly if they fall in the road. State of Connecticut crews have been trimming trees after a tree limb fell on a motorist’s car Sunday night near exit 50. The motorist remains in critical condition. Last June, a New York family crashed into a downed tree in Westport. The accident killed two parents and injured their two children. Governor Jodi Rell has called for crews to take a closer look at condition of trees along the state roadway.  Given the latest incident, it appears that more extensive tree inspections are required to ensure the safety of motorists driving on the Merritt Parkway.

The Connecticut�personal injury lawyers of Sabatini and Associates, LLC provide quality legal representation to clients in Hartford, Connecticut, and surrounding cities including: West Hartford, Newington, New Britain, Avon, Canton, Wethersfield, Glastonbury, East Hartford, Norwich, Granby, Rocky Hill, Bristol, Manchester, East Hartford, Plainville, Berlin, Farmington, Windsor, South Windsor, Bloomfield, Enfield and counties including New Haven County, Tolland County, Hartford County, New London County, Litchfield County and Fairfield County..