Sacramento, California Personal Injury Blog

Since the 1970s, doctors have been using surgical mesh for conditions such as pelvic organ prolapse (POP). For women suffering from POP, the mesh products were Food and Drug Administration-approved surgical devices designed to alleviate problems of muscle support and pain, as well as bowel- and bladder-related problems. However, urogynecologic mesh makers, such as Johnson & Johnson and Bard, are facing mounting litigation and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has again come under scrutiny.

Prolapses occur when supporting pelvic muscles weaken or stretch, causing associated organs to slide out of place. When traditional treatments-including pessaries-fail, surgery may be necessary. Surgical mesh reinforcement, performed abdominally or transvaginally, is a common treatment option and has been known to help some patients. In July 2011, the FDA warned that transvaginal placement of mesh devices increases the risk for patient complications and injury.

When we think of dangerous nights to drive, everyone typically thinks of New Years Eve, which has practically become a national excuse to go out and get drunk. Nevertheless, it is not the most dangerous holiday for driving, as reported by Forbes.

Forbes examined factors including the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) report of fatalities for three- or four-day holidays and data from AAA on traffic congestion and the number of drunk driving accidents. Based on findings, Thanksgiving was the most dangerous holiday for driving.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recently recommended a cell phone ban for all commercial truck drivers after a tractor semi-trailer collision with a passenger van killed 11 people in Kentucky. The NTSB recommended ban would forbid all commercial truck drivers from using cell phones, including hand-held and hands free cell phones, except in emergencies.

The fatal Kentucky crash occurred in March 2010 when a truck driver going southbound on Interstate 65, crossed the median and entered the northbound lane. The semitrailer then struck a 15-passenger van, killing himself and 11 other passengers in the van. Investigators found that the driver used his cell phone for text messages and phone calls a total of 69 times during the 24 hour period, including four calls minutes before the accident occurred.

A new report by a transportation-safety organization places a few California cities among the most dangerous in the nation for pedestrians. Because many roads are not designed to include pedestrian traffic, walkers and bikers must be careful to avoid pedestrian accidents.

A report on American transportation safety was recently released by Transportation for America, a non-profit organization that advocates for transportation reform, based on information gathered in the 2010 U.S. Census. According to ABC News, the report states that nearly 50,000 people were killed and almost 700,000 were injured in crashes between pedestrians and motor vehicles from 2000 to 2009. These statistics reveal that, on average, a pedestrian is hit by a car every seven minutes in the U.S.

A spate of fatal motorcycle accidents on one California highway highlights the importance of putting safety first while on the road. On June 17, a 35-year-old Fontana man failed to navigate a left-hand curve in the road while operating his 2007 Honda motorcycle. The rider, who was traveling eastbound on State Route 2, ran off of the road and onto the asphalt shoulder. From there, he was ejected from the bike. The man and the motorcycle fell down a steep embankment, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The incident marked the fourth time in a three-week period this summer that a motorcyclist was involved in a serious accident on the Angeles Crest Highway, which was recently reopened. On the same day that the Fontana man was killed, another motorcyclist was seriously injured in an accident near mile marker 47. Two other fatal injuries have taken place on that freeway since it reopened; both of them occurred on June 10.

Imagine having to go through the pain and rehabilitation associated with hip replacement surgery only to have the device fail within five years. That's what thousands of recipients of Johnson and Johnson's Depuy ASR hip implant are facing. The manufacturer's own studies have shown that up to 13 percent of the devices will fail within the first five years after surgery.

About the Depuy Recall

Faced with this information, Johnson and Johnson has recalled the Depuy ASR hip implant device. An estimated 90,000 of these devices are in circulation. Recalling a hip implant device is not as easy as recalling an automobile part or a stroller. Most of these devices have been used on patients, who now face revision surgery or a lifetime of possible side effects. Johnson and Johnson's estimates could be minimizing the scope of the problem. An independent study found that up to half of these implants show some loosening within the first six years. This loosening is not only painful, but can result in metal poisoning and soft tissue inflammation, among other health issues.

The avoidable death of a toddler after a fall from a skybox at an L.A. Lakers game last year has resulted in a wrongful death claim by the family. The two-year-old boy suffered severe head trauma after tumbling from the third-level luxury box, and died soon afterwards in a nearby hospital.

The family is seeking an injunction to require the arena to increase the height of the barriers from a mere 26 inches, as well as damages for the tragic loss of their child's life. The highest skyboxes at Staples Center sit directly above the lower two levels, and the distance to the hard steps and seats below is as much as 50 feet.

California driving laws grant motorcyclists two unique driving privileges: lane sharing and lane splitting. Because these privileges are neither always safe nor always allowed, it is important to understand the rules as well as the possibilities that follow a motorcycle accident.

Lane Sharing

Lane sharing entails two vehicles traveling in the same direction, side-by-side in the same lane at the same time. Lane sharing is only allowed on roads with at least two lanes going the same direction. Also, it is only permitted for either two motorcycles at a time or one motorcycle and a passenger vehicle.