Finch McCranie, LLP

Food Poisoning Danger – Recall Due To E. coli

Our firm was recently retained to represent a gentleman who almost died after he consumed a meal at a restaurant in south Georgia. It seems like our food supply is not as safe as it used to be. Time and time again we hear and read about horrific food poisoning injury cases, some resulting in death.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported this week that a New Jersey-based meat processor has voluntarily recalled 331,582 pounds of frozen ground beef products that may be contaminated with
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Effort to Control Hospital Infections

In an analysis made public this week, Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports Magazine, compared data compiled by the Federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services showing compliance with infection control measures for hospitals in Maryland and Virginia.
Consumers Union is advocating a bill before Congress that will require hospitals to publish their infection rates. The analysis determined that the hospitals in both states generally performed about as well as hospitals nationwide. But, according to the study, the hospitals in each state varied greatly
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Gadolinium Contrast Agent – A Dangerous Drug Under Investigation

Many of us who have handled serious personal injury cases, including those involving brain injury have seen MRI’s performed using various contrast agents for years. One of those agents does not appear to be as safe as once thought. Gadolinium, or gadodiamide, is a contrast agent which allows an MRI to define normal tissue from abnormal tissue in the brain and body. The FDA declared Gadolinium safe for use in contrast MRI’s in 1988.
In June 2006, the FDA first notified health care professionals and
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Avandia – A Dangerous Diabetes Drug

Avandia was approved by the FDA in May 1999 for use in improving control of blood sugar levels in Type 2 diabetics. Since its approval, Avandia, which is manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline, has been used by more than seven million people worldwide and is, today, being used by over one million Americans.
According to a study on Avandia conducted by the Cleveland Clinic which was published on May 21, 2007, by the New England Journal of Medicine, the popular drug is linked to a greater risk
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Defective Hernia Repair Mesh Patch Recalled

The Composix® Kugel Mesh Patch is used to repair inguinal, ventral and laparoscopic hernias. The purpose of the patch is to keep the intestines in the abdominal cavity. The patch is typically placed behind the hernia defect by means of an incision. The patch is then held open by a memory recoil ring.
The Composix® Kugel Mesh Patch was recently recalled by its manufacturer, Davol, Inc., a subsidiary of C.R. Bard, Inc., after it was discovered that the memory recoil ring can break under stress
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Serious Injury Settlements–Are They Taxable?

Many people we have represented in serious personal injury cases whether they workplace accidents, trucking accidents, automobile accidents or dangerous products have asked whether settlement proceeds or payments made to an injured party as aresult of a jury verdict are taxable. The general rule is that those payments are not taxable.
The Internal Revenue Code provides, “Except as otherwise provided”, gross income for the purpose of calculating Federal income tax includes “all income from whatever source derived”. Sec. 61(a). This definition is sweeping in scope,
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If You Are Injured In A Motor Vehicle Collision – Do’s and Don’ts

In Georgia, the driver of a vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to or death of any person or property damage to an apparent extent of $500.00 or more shall immediately, by the quickest means of communication, give notice of such accident to the local police department if such accident occurs within a municipality. If such accident occurs outside a municipality, such notice shall be given to the office of the county sheriff or to the nearest office of the state patrol.
In
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Report Underscores Dangers of Medicines

A recent study reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine has concluded that reports to the Food and Drug Administration of dangerous side effects and deaths from widely used medicines almost tripled between 1998 and 2005. The number of deaths and serious injuries from prescription and over-the-counter drugs climbed from 34,966 to 89,842 during the time period.
Powerful narcotic painkillers such as Oxycontin, were among 15 drugs most often linked with deaths in the study. Other drugs such as insulin, the arthritis drugs Vioxx and
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Closed Head Injuries and Brain Damage

Any trial lawyer who has ever handled a closed head injury case knows that brain damage can occur even if there is no direct blow to the head. Quite literally, the brain is like a bowl of Jell-O. If the head is shaken, the brain moves within the skull and due to acceleration and rotational forces, not necessarily direct blows, the brain can be damaged. Nor does an injury have to be severe to cause lasting brain injury. In short, a closed head injury without
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Consumer Drugs and Serious Injuries: A Growing Problem

According to an article that appeared in the U. S. News and World Report on September 10, 2007, the number of serious “adverse” drug events more than doubled between 1998 and 2005 in the United States as did a number of related deaths. Adverse event reports are filed when a doctor or hospital realizes that a patient has suffered a serious drug event that has resulted in death, hospitalization and/or other life threatening complications which requires medical intervention to prevent harm. Between 1998 and 2005,
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Unnecessary Use Of Tasers Banned By Federal Court

The use of unnecessary force by law enforcement officers is a common and inexcusable problem. Many of the attorneys at Finch McCranie LLP have law enforcement backgrounds and recognize the inherent dangers of police work and the need at times to use force. However, this does not justify the use of unnecessary force.
The United States Court of Appeals for Ninth Circuit has recently issued an opinion addressing this issue in the context of Taser use. The Court, headquartered in California has sent a strong
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Polaris Recalls Potentially Dangerous ATV Model

The product liability lawyers at Finch McCranie, LLP pay close attention to the recall of dangerous products that can lead to the wrongful death of innocent people. This week, in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Polaris Industries has issued a voluntary recall of approximately 8,500 all-terrain vehicles because of a potentially dangerous steering problem, caused by a defective and dangerous front-end component. The recall applies to 2009-2010 models of the Polaris Sportsman ATV. Although there have been no reported
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Vicious Dogs Can Be Serious Liability Risk

Georgia injury lawyers know that dog bite incidents often result in very serious injuries and in some cases, death. We have had a number of these cases over the years. The most recent case involved a real estate agent who was attacked by a large dog. Although the dog was tied up at its owners home, it was inadequately restrained by a collar which was itself a defective product. As a result, the dog got loose and literally bit off the entire calf
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Dangerous Dehumidifiers Recalled

The Georgia injury lawyers at Finch McCranie, LLP handled a wrongful death case several years ago wherein we represented the family of a young boy who died in a house fire caused by a defective humidifier.
This week it was announced that Home Depot is recalling Chinese manufacture dehumidifiers because they pose a fire hazard according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The recall involves approximately 2,000 Hampton Bay model HB-50 dehumidifiers. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says that an
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Georgia Teenager Struck By Car

As Georgia injury lawyers we have represented many pedestrians who have been struck and seriously injured in automobiles accidents. Just this year we represented a young mother who was crossing a roadway with her two young children when they were struck by a motorist who admitted that she never saw them prior to impact. Unfortunately one of the children died and she sustained serious injuries.
Today it was reported that a car hit an 18-year old pregnant girl and her 4-year old brother
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Suing The Government: Pre-Suit Notice Requirements

It is a sad reality that innocent citizens are oftentimes injured by their own government. City and county employees and/or state employees operate vehicles on a day-to-day basis and like other drivers sometimes are guilty of negligence which cause considerable damage to innocent third parties. Because of the expansive conduct of governmental entities in virtually every aspect of our lives, there are many other real life scenarios whereby innocent third party citizens cam be and are injured by the acts of government employees. In such
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Important Victim’s Rights Statute Under Review

The Georgia Court of Appeals has recently accepted an Application for Interlocutory Review of a very important victim’s rights statute in this state. Here we refer to a case in which we represent the Plaintiff involving a tolling provision for the statute of limitations for victims of crime. O.C.G.A. § 9-3-99 was enacted as part of the Crime Victims Restitution Act of 2005 and will now be interpreted by the Court of Appals after a ruling in this appeal. Its tolling provision reads as follows:

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Two Infant Deaths Lead To Recall Of Amby Baby Motion Bed

The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced that about 24,000 Amby Baby Motion Beds – hammocklike beds have been recalled. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission the side-to-side shifting or tilting of the hammock can cause an infant to roll and become trapped or wedged against the hammock’s fabric or mattress pad, posing a suffocation risk.. The CPSC has instructed customers to stop using the products immediately.
The beds, made by Amby Baby USA of Minneapolis, Minnesota, were sold online through Ambybaby.com and other retailers
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Georgia Bicycle And Pedestrian Accidents

Of all the possible traffic accidents in Atlanta, cases in which vehicles collide with a bicycle or a pedestrian can have the most tragic results. When walking or riding a bike, you do not have the same structural protection against impacts that you do while driving, so you are more likely to be the injured party, and you are more likely to be hurt badly.
If you are severely injured or if a loved one was killed in a bike or pedestrian accident due to
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Head-On Automobile Accident In North Atlanta Results In Death

Georgia injury lawyers know that any head-on collision between two vehicles is usually a serious matter. A head-on collision occurred today in Johns Creek on State Bridge Road which resulted in the death of one of the drivers and serious injuries to the two occupants of the other vehicle. Both individuals were airlifted to different metro Atlanta hospitals.
Automobile accidents are a leading killer of Americans. If you have been injured or lost a loved one due to an automobile accident,
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