Syracuse Personal Injury Law Blog

Women bitten by cat files medical malpractice lawsuit

Published on: December 17, 2015 | By Jeff DeFrancisco

Most of the time when someone goes into a New York hospital with a minor issue, it stays a minor issue. The doctors at the hospital are able to treat the ailment and send the patient home with follow up instructions. But once in a while, for one reason or another, a seemingly minor injury can snowball into something that is very debilitating or even disabling.

A recent lawsuit filed in another state concerns just this very scenario. A woman came into the hospital after a cat bit her. She was apparently taking care of her sister-in-law’s cat when the feline got into a fight with a stray cat. The 41-year-old woman got in the middle of it and was bitten on the forearm, hand and thumb.

The woman initially cleaned the wounds but eventually noticed an infection. She went to a local hospital after she noticed abscesses on her wrist. She returned to the hospital several times after that and doctors referred her to a hand surgeon and gave her antibiotics.

Lawsuit: woman riding in ambulance suffers spinal cord injury

Published on: December 15, 2015 | By Jeff DeFrancisco

Spinal cord injuries can lead to devastating outcomes. In some cases, this type of injury can leave someone permanently paralyzed and in the worst case scenario, it can even lead to death.

A really sad story has recently come out about an elderly couple from another state. The husband was being transported in an ambulance to a hospice care facility back in 2012. During the transfer, his 85-year-old wife was in the ambulance with him. Suddenly, the driver of the ambulance stopped to avoid hitting a vehicle in front of him, according to the report. The sudden stop caused the elderly woman to pitch forward and strike her head on the inside of the ambulance.

The woman was taken to a hospital and died the next day. She had reportedly suffered a severe spinal cord injury that led to severe pain before her death. She was hoping to spend time with her husband at the hospice care facility before he died. Her husband died from cancer hours after she passed away at the hospital from her injuries.

Women claim defective birth control packaging led to pregnancies

Published on: December 14, 2015 | By Jeff DeFrancisco

An old product recall case has sparked a lawsuit brought by nearly 120 women against a pharmaceutical company. The recall happened back in 2011 and involved birth control pills. The pills were apparently packaged out of order, which potentially left women vulnerable to pregnancy. More than half a million blister packs were recalled after one customer noticed the pills were out of order.

Of the women involved in the lawsuit, more than 100 became pregnant and 94 of them carried the child to term. They are suing the company, as well as other companies that were involved in making and distributing the pills under other brand names, seeking damages for medical costs, lost income and for some, the cost of raising a child.

A similar lawsuit was recently rejected class-action status by a U.S. district judge. The judge said he considers each woman’s case unique and that each one should be weighed individually based on its specific and circumstances.

Survey asks physicians why they got sued

Published on: December 13, 2015 | By Jeff DeFrancisco

We constantly discuss a variety of medical malpractice cases on our blog, but sometimes it’s hard to see the bigger picture. Looking at the issue as a whole can sometimes help the medical field understand where they are lacking and what they can do better in order to not cause injury to their patients.

A recent survey asked some 4,000 physicians about their experience with being sued for malpractice. According to the survey, by the time the respondents were 60 years of age and older, 80 percent of them had been sued at least once.

While there are many reasons that may be brought up in a medical malpractice suit, the physicians who responded indicated three top reasons. Failure to diagnose and a patient suffering abnormal injury both came in at 31 percent. Those two were followed by failure to treat at 12 percent.

Cosmetic surgery: what questions should I ask?

Published on: December 12, 2015 | By Jeff DeFrancisco

In our last post we started discussing cosmetic surgery. This type of surgery has a large range of risks that come with it, just as other surgeries do. Although there are risks involved, many people still make the decision to go through with the surgery. One of the best ways to prepare for such a surgery is to make sure you find a surgeon you are comfortable with and to ask the right questions.

It’s good to learn about the qualifications of your surgeon. Is he or she board-certified? How many procedures has he or she done? What kind of results should you expect? You should also discuss any kinds of complications that could happen, especially if you have an extensive medical history. Beyond that, it’s important to know what the recovery will be like and how long you may need to take off work.

The doctor should also discuss things like scarring, cost and possible discomfort due to the surgery. Going into this type of surgery with these questions answered can help you feel confident in your decision. If your surgeon is avoiding discussing any of these topics, you may want to consider working with a different surgeon.

Syracuse University suffers brain injury after boxing incident

Published on: December 12, 2015 | By Jeff DeFrancisco

When someone experiences an injury, it can be temporary or permanent. Many types of injuries are immediately noticed and medical care is provided. One of the more difficult types of injuries to diagnose and cure is a brain injury. It may happen during a car accident, work accident or during a fall or athletic event. Brain injuries can come in many forms and in many severities. They can lead to memory loss, nausea, headaches, dizziness and sensory problems, among others.

A recent story out of Syracuse University highlights yet another incident of a brain injury causing devastating symptoms. The brain injury victim, a student at the university, has filed a lawsuit after he suffered a brain injury as part of a boxing session.

The student said he joined the boxing club during his senior year so he could exercise. During an exercise drill last year, the instructor repeatedly and unexpectedly punched him in the head. The student did not have any protective gear to cover his head. The drill was supposed to be a non-contact drill, reportedly. During the exercise, the coach, who has been named in the lawsuit, did nothing to stop the incident.

Burn injuries can be severe and very painful

Published on: December 11, 2015 | By Jeff DeFrancisco

When an accident happens, there is a wide variety of injuries that can occur, from broken bones to scrapes to concussions. One of the more painful injuries that may occur during a car accident or from a defective product is a burn injury.

Burns can be caused by boiling water, explosions, fires, chemicals, sun exposure, and electrical equipment, among other things. This type of injury may happen just about anywhere. An employee may be working with flammable chemicals at an automotive shop and experience a severe burn. A homemaker may get burned while cooking. No matter the scenario, these burns can be extremely painful and can cause long-term or even permanent damage.

In general, there are three degrees of burns. First-degree burns are the least severe. The symptoms usually include redness at the burn area and non-blistering skin. The skin may peel as it heals and may swell a bit. A second-degree burn is the type that causes blistering and possible thickening of the skin where the injury occurred. Finally, you can also get a third-degree burn. In this case the thickness of the skin becomes white and leathery in appearance. There is also technically such a thing as a fourth-degree burn, where the burn goes down into the bones and tendons.

Cosmetic surgery: what are the risks?

Published on: December 11, 2015 | By Jeff DeFrancisco

Many people go under the knife daily throughout the country as surgeons perform routine and life-saving surgeries. While there are many types of surgeries performed on a daily basis, one of the more controversial types is cosmetic surgery. In most cases cosmetic surgery is an elective surgery meaning the person who is having it done has scheduled it in advance and it doesn’t involve a medical emergency situation.

Cosmetic surgery, like most surgeries, carries a handful of risks. Those include complications such as blood clots, pneumonia, anesthesia-related complications, and even death. Surgery can also lead to infections, which may at some point lead to even more surgery. Besides that, there may be bleeding, scarring, skin breakdown and fluid buildup under the skin. Some people end up experiencing numbness and tingling that is caused by nerve damage. These symptoms may or may not be permanent.

It’s also important to remember that these risks may increase for those who have preexisting health conditions such as lung disease, cardiovascular disease, obesity or diabetes.

Man dies in crash after other driver fails to stop at stop sign

Published on: December 10, 2015 | By Jeff DeFrancisco

Car accidents happen throughout Syracuse and the state of New York every day. While they are unfortunate, many of them are merely fender-benders that take up time and bring stress to the day. But for the truly unlucky, these accidents can bring severe injuries or even death.

Recently, a man driving a pickup truck in the town of Hannibal was killed when another driver failed to stop at a stop sign. The other driver, age 71, was headed down Route 7 just before 11p.m. on a recent Tuesday when he failed to stop. After the two vehicles collided, the situation was made even worse by an oncoming fuel tanker.

The tanker, being driven by a 31-year-old man from Weedsport, crashed into both vehicles and caused a fire. The pickup truck driver died at the scene of the accident. The 71-year-old man was seriously injured and taken to a hospital in Syracuse. The tanker driver got off with only minor injuries and was treated at the scene of the crash.

What to do if a holiday gift causes you injury

Published on: December 9, 2015 | By Jeff DeFrancisco

During the holiday season, a lot of new products will enter the home. Kids will receive new toys and parents will receive new long-awaited gadgets. It is a time of year that many are very excited about. Once the presents are unwrapped, the new products will usually get their fair share of use, especially in the months to come. The hope, of course, is that these products bring joy to those that receive them, but unfortunately, that is not always the case.

Across the country, someone may inevitably encounter a dangerous product. It may be a toy that causes a child to get hurt or a kitchen gadget that malfunctions and causes a severe burn. Initially, the injured individual may blame themselves or chalk it up to a freak accident, but as more information comes out about the product nationwide, they might realize that this was truly not their fault.

Some individuals may be hesitant to discuss their case with a lawyer, feeling they don’t have a strong enough case. Others may feel their injury is not substantial enough to warrant a lawsuit. No matter the situation, it may be in your best interest to at least discuss your case with a product liability attorney. While an injury may seem minimal at first, that injury may lead to substantial financial loss over the long term. Similarly, you may not be the only person who experienced injury due to this product and it may be important to hold those who made and distributed the product accountable.