Indiana Injury Lawyer Blog

Every year, approximately 80,000 people contract central line-associated bloodstream infections. That's just the number of people who contract infections in ICUs. When you take entire hospitals into consideration, the actual number of people who contract central line-associated bloodstream infections is close to 250,000 people annually. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health have now released new guidelines for the control and management of these deadly infections.

Among other things, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advocate the following measures for the prevention of bloodstream infections.

Healthcare personnel must be educated about the indications of intravascular infections and the proper procedures for the maintenance and insertion of catheters. The hospital must also undertake a periodic assessment of adherence to these guidelines, and must take care to designate only trained personnel for these activities. Most importantly, several central line-associated bloodstream infections can be traced to staffing shortages in ICUs. Hospitals must take care to address this issue.

Continue reading "CDC Releases New Guidelines for Prevention of Bloodstream Infections" »

MARSHAL COUNTY – Two died as a result of a tragic accident at a busy intersection of just northwest of Bremen this week.

An 80-year-old and his wife were killed after being hit by a semi-truck. The man, driving an SUV, was killed instantly while his wife died later due to the injuries she sustained. The driver of the semi-truck was not hurt.

The incident occurred on Thursday. Police report that the driver of the SUV failed to stop at the intersection, crossing the path of the oncoming semi.

This event is another terrible example of the power of semi-trucks and the importance of caution when traveling the roadways. Police believe that the SUV driver was not paying attention because he was close to his home and familiar with the area, feeling more comfortable driving near his home. “Most accidents happen within a certain mileage of your home area,” reported Lt. James Strong of the Indiana State Police.

The investigation concerning the details of the collision is on-going.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration this week announced a series of new measures that the agency believes will keep bus passengers safer, and prevent the multiple fatalities and dozens of injuries that occur in accidents in Indiana and around the country every year.

The new rules will change the current CDL laws, and will require that persons applying for commercial drivers’ licenses apply for a commercial driver’s learner’s permit first. Currently, there are no such requirements in place. The new rules would also impose a national standard for CDL testing, that'll be uniform around the country. Right now, states are free to have their own testing standards.

Continue reading "FMCSA Announces New Measures to Improve Bus Safety " »

A jury has awarded a total of $212 million in damages to a man who claims that he was left with a permanent brain injury as a result of using Botox injections. The lawsuit is a massive verdict against Allergan, the maker of Botox.

The 67-year-old man had started receiving Botox injections in order to treat writer’s cramp and hand tremors. He soon developed an autoimmune reaction to the drug, which left him with a massive brain injury. Since the brain damage, the man can no longer perform any routine activities or take care of himself. He's totally dependent on help from caregivers. He filed a lawsuit against Allergan, claiming that the company was aware of the side effects of Botox injections, but failed to warn patients.

Continue reading "Brain Injury Victim Wins $200M in Botox-Related Injury Lawsuit " »