South Carolina Lawyer Blog

A Chilton County, Alabama jury has awarded $3.5 million to the family of a man killed when the van he was driving was crushed between two logging trucks, reports the Montgomery Advertiser.

Ken Gorum Trucking and Gary Fruge, the driver of the logging truck, were held responsible for the accident and have been ordered to pay the award. The jury found Fruge was speeding, and the truck had defective brakes, when it crashed into the victim’s van.

The victim's car was pushed into the logs on the truck in front of him, causing the logs to come through his windshield - one went through his head and killed him. Although the driver claims he was going only 45 miles per hour, evidence suggests he was traveling between 65 and 75 mph.

Progressive Insurance Co, the insurance for the defendants, had refused to settle the case before trial.

If you have been in an accident or have lost a loved one in an accident, it’s important to make sure you understand your legal rights. You may be able to recover money for medical bills, lost wages, funeral costs, as well as compensation for wrongful death or permanent disability. Contact the experienced car accident attorneys at the Louthian Law Firm for a free evaluation of your case at 1-866-410-5656 or fill out our confidential online consultation form.

Alabama Logging Truck Wrongful Death

According to the Philadelphia Daily News, the parents of a 2-year-old boy will sue Fairy Tales Daycare and its owners in the boy's death.

On July 1, 2009, the child died after being left in the back seat of a locked van with the windows rolled up and temperatures exceeding 80 degrees. The lawsuit alleges the boy's parents paid their neighbor and co-owner of the daycare center to take the child to the center at least three times a week.

On this day, however, the child was left in the van where he was not discovered until about 4:30pm in the afternoon. He was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead of heat stroke, also known as hyperthermia.

No criminal charges have been filed in the case.

A “wrongful death” is a death caused by the carelessness (negligence) or misconduct of another person or organization – including a workplace accident. The Louthian Law Firm has vast experience in pursuing wrongful death lawsuits. Call us today at 1-800-410-5656 for a free evaluation of your unique case.

Hyperthermia Wrongful Death

Colorado, Texas, and now New York are advising patients to get tested for hepatitis C while health officials investigate a technician addicted to pain killers, reports the Associated Press.

Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco has begun to notify 2,800 patients of their possible exposure to Hepatitis C because of a surgical technician’s drug dependency.

A surgical technician is accused of taking clean needles filled with Fentanyl, injecting herself with the drug, then placing the used syringes filled with saline onto the operating room carts. Fentanyl is a narcotic painkiller 80 to 100 times stronger than morphine, and was meant to be used for the hospital’s surgical patients. The surgical patients received saline solution from a Hepatitis C contaminated needle instead.

If you or someone you care about has been injured by a medical professional, you should speak with an experienced South Carolina medical malpractice attorney at the Louthian Law Firm as soon as possible. We will help you evaluate your case, protect your legal rights, and stand by your side throughout the legal process. Call the Columbia SC Medical Malpractice Lawyers at Louthian Law Firm today for your free case evaluation at 1-866-410-5656.

Hepatitis C Exposure

Mississippi’s Starkville Daily News reports the county’s largest verdict of its kind since 1992 has been awarded to a woman for her injuries in a 2004 accident.

The jury awarded a woman $566,800 in damages in her lawsuit against Star Transportation Inc. and Loraine Clark, driver of the truck.

The lawsuit stated the plaintiff was a passenger in a car that was stopped at an intersection, preparing to turn onto the highway, when Clark drove the truck at a high rate of speed through the intersection without stopping.

The car and the truck collided twice – once on initial impact and once when the car went into a counter-clockwise spin. The truck driver failed to recognize the intersection was a four-way stop.

The plaintiff suffered multiple injuries and was diagnosed in 2007 with chronic regional pain syndrome.

If you have been in a South Carolina car accident, it’s important to make sure you understand your legal rights. You may be able to recover money for medical bills, lost wages, funeral costs, as well as compensation for wrongful death or permanent disability. Contact the experienced car accident attorneys at the Louthian Law Firm for a free evaluation of your case at 1-866-410-5656 or fill out our confidential online consultation form.

Mississippi Car-Truck Accident

The FDA has ordered Pfizer Inc., maker of Chantix, to add the strong “black box” warnings - the agency’s most urgent – to this anti-smoking drug reports Forbes.com. The FDA says patients taking Chantix should be watched for serious mental health problems including suicide.

The FDA will require the same warning on GlaxoSmithKline’s Zyban. The warning must also be included in all advertisements for these drugs. Nicotine-releasing patches and gums will not carry the warning.

The FDA stated the warning will highlight the risk changes in behavior, depressed mood, hostility, and suicidal thoughts when taking these drugs.

Although GlaxoSmithKline wasn’t available for comment, Pfizer said it added the warning to the prescribing instructions, but added “the benefits of Chantix outweigh the risks for many patients when used as directed."

If you or someone you care about has been injured or killed by an unsafe drug in South Carolina, contact the Louthian Law Firm today at 1-866-410-5656 or use our online form for a free evaluation of your case.

New Warnings on Anti-Smoking Drugs