Mississippi Injury Lawyer Blog

"According to the U.S. Surgeon General, about 5,000 kids under 21 die every year as a result of underage drinking - from car crashes, homicides, and suicides" and DUI car accidents continue to claim the lives and limbs of young people in Mississippi, according to the Clarion Ledger. Events like graduation and prom seem to create opportunities for intoxication. In fact, when the Mississippi SmartTrack Survey was administered in grades 6 through 11 during the 2007-2008 school year it found that alcohol is the most commonly used drug among Mississippi students. Across all grades surveyed, 34.8% reported past-90-day use and 26% reported 30-day use. For Mississippi car accident attorneys, these are incredibly alarming statistics.

Per The Century Council, there were 37 alcohol-impaired driving fatalities in Mississippi in 2009 alone, and 4.1 percent of accidents involved drivers under the age of 21. It's no wonder then, that there are several state-wide campaigns targeting youth. The Mississippi Underage Drinking Prevention Coalition of Hinds County (MUDPC-HC), founded in 2008, launched one of the most recent campaigns, designed to keep alcohol out of the hands of minors. With posters featuring messages like "Alcohol is not the only way to have fun" at the center of their movement, the organization professes to be a collaboration between three free-standing prevention programs: Jackson State University's Metro Jackson Community Prevention Coalition and Interdisciplinary Alcohol and Drugs Studies Center, and Alcohol Services Center, Inc. Metro Jackson Community Prevention Coalition. Its goal is to reduce alcohol usage and related consequences to include alcohol-related motor crashes, binge drinking and drinking among youth between the ages of 11-21 in Hinds County, Mississippi.

Continue reading "Mississippi Targets Underage Drinking: Hopes to Curb DUI Car Accidents and Highlight Gaping Loophole in State Law" »

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, more than 1.7 million Tassimo single cup coffee brewers and another 4 million Tassimo espresso coffee pads were recalled on Thursday, February 9, 2012, after reports that dozens of consumers were sprayed with hot liquid. Some consumers were severely burned and suffered extensive personal injury. As reported by USA Today Money and Reuters.com, among the more than 160 consumers injured was a 10-year-old girl from Minnesota, who was hospitalized with second-degree burns on her face and neck, and a 2-year-old girl from Canada with second-degree facial burns.

Tassimo has initiated two separate voluntary product recalls, and information regarding these recalls was posted on the consumer watchdog website early Thursday. This voluntary recall effort was likely initiated by Tassimo in an effort to not only protect consumers, but to also shield itself from further exposure to products liability claims. The first recalled 835,000 Tassimo Single-Cup Brewers in the United States and an additional 900,000 in Canada, and was issued by the manufacturer, BSH Home Appliance Corporation, of Irvine, California.

According to the statement on the consumer product safety website: "The plastic disc, or T Disc, that holds the coffee or tea can burst and spray hot liquid and coffee grounds or tea leaves onto consumers using the brewer and onto bystanders, posing a burn hazard,"

The specific items recalled were Tassimo brewers with the Bosch brand name, which have either "BOSCH" or "TASSIMO" printed on the front, with codes of FD8806 through FD9109. Also recalled were Tassimo Professional brewers, with "TASSIMO PROFESSIONAL" on the front and codes of FD8905 through FD9109. The brewers subject to the recall were sold in stores and online from June 2008 through February of this year.

Continue reading "Tassimo Coffee Brewers Recalled After Customers Report Burn Injuries" »

If we're to believe researchers, the economic downturn may just have some unforeseen benefits. A study in Florida purports to have found a potential link between a significant drop workers' compensation claims made by Tampa Bay construction workers and the loss of construction jobs. The study, which is to be released at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surfeons' annual meeting, finds that traumatic orthopedic injuries dropped by 16 percent, and, HealthDay reporter Randy Dotinga writes, this may confirm a trend that surgeons have reported over the years.

Workers' compensation attorneys know that orthopaedic trauma resulting from falls on construction sites are is among workers. Such incidents can cause fractured ankles, shinbones and heel bones, according to study author Dr. Daniel S. Chan, staff orthopedic surgeon at Florida Orthopedic Institute in Tampa. Chan and his co-authors found that cases of orthopedic trauma indeed underwent a decline: from 2,065 in 2007 to 1,743 in 2009, a drop of 16 percent. The unemployment rate in the county rose correspondingly, from 4 percent to 10.7 percent. During that time, construction worker employment also fell - by a whopping 36 percent between 2006 and 2009.

The researchers still couldn't confirm a direct correlation between job loss and a decrease in injury, writes Dotinga, but they closely examined the number of trauma cases treated at the Florida Orthopedic Institute from 2001-2009 and then looked for corresponding factors reflecting the rise and fall of the economy during that same time span.

Continue reading "Less Jobs Equals Fewer Worker's Compensation Claims: Economic Downturn To Blame" »

The mother of Todd Brown, a 14 year old middle school student who was shot and killed at school Feb. 5, 2010, has filed a lawsuit against the young man's accused shooter, the shooter's parents and various school officials. The complaint was filed earlier this month in the Madison County Circuit Court by the family's attorney, Birmingham attorney Erik Heninger.

At the time of the shooting, Todd was a student at discovery Middle School, in Madison County, Alabama. The wrongful death lawsuit filed by Towanda Moore, Todd's mother, seeks unspecified damages against the Madison County Board of Education, Madison Superintendent Dee Fowler, Hammad Memon, who has been charged with Brown's murder, Memon's parents, Iqbal and Safia Memon, and other unnamed defendants. The lawsuit also names current Discovery Middle School Principal Robbie Smith. Even though Smith was serving at another Madison school at the time of the shooting, the complaint filed my Todd's mother alleges that Smith's negligent actions lead to Todd's wrongful death. Sharon Willis, who is now the at-risk coordinator for Madison City Schools, was the Discovery principal at the time of the shooting.

The lawsuit alleges that school officials and Memon's parents knew he was a discipline problem and emotionally troubled. The lawsuit alleges that system officials were negligent in allowing Memon to make an out-of-zone transfer from Liberty Middle School to Discovery Middle School. The suit contends there are "several student accounts of Memon bringing a gun to Discovery Middle School campus several times prior to the gunning down of Todd Brown."

According to AL.com, Memon was also 14 at the time of Brown's shooting, now faces a murder charge and is scheduled to go on trial as an adult on June 18. Memon is being defended by attorney Bruce Gardner in the criminal case. Gardner said he will not be handling the civil case and does not know who the family will retain because he has not talked with them since the lawsuit was filed. Gardner did say he would expect the civil attorney to "not allow depositions to go forward until the criminal case is over."

Continue reading "Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed by Mother of Student Killed in Alabama School Shooting" »