Deadly Statistics For Auto Accidents In Texas

Angel Reyes III Auto Accidents

reyes-blog-031113-300x225According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) FARS Data, Texas is the most dangerous state for drivers in the US with over 3,000 traffic related fatalities reported in 2011. Most of these drivers were between the ages of 25-34.

These are the top 4 causes of accidents in Texas:

Speeding:

Speeding is the #1 cause of auto accidents in Texas. This is a common statistic around the country. Although almost everybody exceeds the speed limit every once in awhile, driving while speeding reduces the drivers ability to react in time to stop an accident from occurring.

Driving Inattention:

This includes everything from texting while driving, to talking on the phone, eating, looking at a map or just not paying attention. Even if it’s just for a second, not paying attention to the road can cause serious and even fatal accidents.

Failure to drive in a single lane:

Sometimes it can be difficult to see the line on the road in bad weather conditions, or if the road markings are worn, however swaying in and out of your lane while driving can cause very serious accidents, especially if you are crossing out of your lane into oncoming traffic.

Failure to yield while turning left:

It is difficult to judge the distance and speed of oncoming traffic during a yield on left turn. Driver error that occurs when the driver is turning into oncoming traffic can lead to very dangerous situations. The drivers that are making the turn typically get the worst end of the deal with the full force of the impact into the side of their vehicles.

The Texas Department of Transportation has compiled a list of traffic crash highlights with some shocking statistics on traffic fatalities that occurred.

Deadliest month to drive:

April is the month with the most fatal traffic accidents in Texas. The weather has a lot to do with this. April showers bring May flowers, but it also brings slippery dangerous roads. Be especially careful driving during this time of the year.

Driving without Restraint:

Texas has established the “Click It or Ticket” campaign, however out of all the fatalities that were reported 46% of the people were not restrained.

Driving Intoxicated:

1,039 fatalities occurred because of the driver being intoxicated. This was 34.5% of the people killed in traffic accidents.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a traffic accident, contact Angel Reyes and Associates today!

Mastering the Art of Driving on Icy Roads

Angel Reyes III Safe Driving

Icy-roadIcy conditions around Dallas are causing a series of accidents. Although major roadways are considered passable, many side streets are still considered dangerous. Texas is not known for frequent snowstorms, so it is important drivers of the Lone Star state follow a few simple tips practiced by their cousins from the north.

1) First, slow down – Nothing is more likely than excessive speed to cause an accident. Don’t feel like you have to maintain the maximum speed limit in icy conditions.

2) Give yourself plenty of time to stop, and turn – It can be challenging to make turns when roads are covered in ice. Start braking well before you need to come to a stop, especially when approaching an intersection.

3) Always use your directional signals – When roads are covered in ice, the last thing you want is to take drivers around you by surprise. Let them know your intentions well ahead of time.

4) See and be seen – Replace your windshield wipers when they become worn, and check that all your lights are working correctly. In any kind of wet conditions, visibility can become an issue.

5) Keep your tires properly inflated – Traction between your car and the road is increased by properly inflating your tires. Keep them at the optimum pressure recommended by the manufacturer. They should also have good treads – don’t travel on ice driving using bald tires.

Winter is almost over, but each of these ideas are also useful in the spring, especially in heavy rain. Drive safely out there!

Johnson & Johnson Lawsuits Over Transvaginal Mesh Implants

Angel Reyes III Medical Devices

reyes-blog-022613-300x300Transvaginal mesh implants used in surgery – not a fun subject by any means. But worst of all, these implants have been a living hell for the women who suffered the horrible symptoms associated with them.

Yesterday an Atlantic City, New Jersey jury awarded $3.35 million to Linda Gross. The Johnson & Johnson subsidiary, Ethicon, must pay this substantial amount in what is the first of 2,100 lawsuits over the transvaginal mesh implant. Now, punitive damages in this case may amount to as much as $16.75 million.

Apparently, the South Dakota woman’s surgeon wasn’t warned of the dangers associated with its Gynecare Prolift transvaginal mesh implant. What’s more, it is claimed that Ethicon misled her. Linda Gross, a 47-year-old nurse was experiencing constant pain and 18 operations after the device was implanted. So along with her husband, she sued Ethicon. According to Gross’s attorney Adam Slater, “This verdict establishes that Johnson & Johnson and Ethicon failed to tell physicians and women the truth about the catastrophic complications that can result from the Prolift.”

Punitive damages could be awarded today. Compensatory damages pay victims for losses and injuries. Punitive damages actually punish the defendants for “willful and wanton behavior.”

In January, 2012, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) ordered Johnson & Johnson, C.R. Bard Inc. and 31 other manufacturers to study rates of organ damage and complications from transvaginal mesh implants. In 2010, doctors implanted over 70,000 of these devices in women to secure their pelvic muscles. Slater, the attorney for Gross, told jurors that company communications proved Ethicon knew their mesh product would harm women.

The Prolift is made of a polypropylene mesh and was inserted vaginally by incision. In August, Johnson & Johnson discontinued selling four of these mesh products in the U.S., including Prolift. However, they claimed this move was based on a lack of commercial sales, and not due to the risks or effectiveness of the products. But Slater said Ethicon knew of the dangers as early as 2005.

Mrs. Gross said that since the mesh was implanted, she experiences severe and constant pain. She has prescriptions for 20 different medications to help the pelvic problems. Gross has had over 400 visits to both doctors and physical therapists, and these experiences were horrific.

Once again, Big Pharma got away with damaging the lives of numerous women forever. Fortunately in this case, they have to pay for their crimes. If you or someone you care about has had a surgery in which a transvaginal mesh product was used, call us now at 1.877.308.7900. Or email me: Angel@ReyesLaw.com.

Top Car Wreck Causes In USA

Angel Reyes III Auto Accidents

reyes-blog-022513-200x299Although automobile manufactures are always coming out with new and improved safety features, car accidents remain a leading cause of death and injury in the United States.

According to the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic-Safety Administration), the amount of traffic accidents has slowly decreased in Texas, but on average there are about still about 3,300 fatalities a year in the Lone Star State alone. Surprisingly, at least 10% of those accidents involve drivers who are 16-20 years of age.

The main causes of most automobile accidents are drunk or distracted drivers. Despite all the public service announcements and growing awareness of the dangers of using cellular phones while driving, recent surveys show that most drivers are willing to risk others’ lives and their own to answer a call or text while behind the wheel. Texting increases the risk of having a car crash by a whopping 23%! For more information about distracted driving visit www.Distraction.gov.

The highest price we pay for these car crashes is the loss of human lives, but there are many non-fatal accidents that also incur huge costs. The CDC (Center for Disease Control) statistics for 2010 show that the cost of medical and productivity losses associated with car crashes was over $99 billion, or $500 per licensed driver in the US.

Our law firm has helped thousands of people recover millions of dollars they were owed for their injuries from car crashes. If you or someone you care about has been injured in a car crash, call today at 1.877.308.7900 or email me: angel@reyeslaw.com.

Recalled Kidney Dialysis Products Cause Heart Injuries

Angel Reyes III Defects

reyes-blog-0205131-300x199Chronic kidney failure may be due to diabetes or low blood sugar, and affects approximately 2 million people. In the US, kidney disease affects over 2 out of every 1,000 people. In kidney dialysis, a machine called a dialyzer uses a solution to clean the blood. Products used in this process were GranuFlo and NaturaLyte, which may produce an excess of bicarbonate leading to a condition known as metabolic alkalosis in which pH levels in the body are elevated. This condition can cause low blood pressure, heart attacks, serious heart injuries and sudden cardiac-related deaths.

GranuFlo and NaturaLyte are manufactured and marketed by Fresenius Medical Care (FMC). IN 2011, Fresenius had a whopping net revenue of $12.8 billion and is the US leader in the dialysis market. FMC also owns over 1,800 U.S. Dialysis clinics that perform these treatments with GranuFlo. Additionally, approximately 125,000 patients are treated with GranuFlo at other clinics.

At the present time, Fresenius Medical Care has numerous suits against it since 941 patients suffered from cardiac arrest in 2010 after being treated with GranuFlo products. In March of 2012, the FDA recalled both GranuFlo and NaturaLyte. Unfortunately, this recall came far too late to save countless patients who experienced severe symptoms or died from these products. Worst of all, patients or survivors of loved ones who died say they were not informed of the dangers of using GranuFlo or NaturaLyte.

Dallas Federal Jury Orders Johnson & Johnson to pay $247 Million to Hip Implant Patients

Angel Reyes III In The News, Medical Devices

bigstock-Pain-In-The-Hips-1676038-1024x768A federal jury in Dallas on Thursday ordered Johnson & Johnson and its DePuy Orthopedics unit to pay $247 million to six patients who said they were injured by defective Pinnacle hip implants.

Delivering a third straight win to patients, the jury found that the metal-on-metal hip implants were defectively designed and that the companies failed to warn consumers about the risks.

Six New York residents implanted with the devices said they experienced tissue death, bone erosion and other injuries they blamed on design flaws.

J&J, which faces more than 9,700 Pinnacle lawsuits in state and federal courts across the United States, said in a statement it would immediately begin the appeal process.

A DePuy spokeswoman said the company was still “committed to the long-term defense of the allegations in these lawsuits,” adding that the metal-on-metal hip implants were backed by a strong record of clinical data showing they were effective.

Plaintiffs claimed the companies falsely promoted the device, most commonly used to treat joint failure caused by osteoarthritis, by saying it lasted longer than similar implants that include ceramic or plastic materials.

“We thank this jury for sending a very strong message about the responsibility the defendants have to take care of their consumers,” Mark Lanier, who represented the New York patients, said in a statement.

Thursday’s verdict came in the fourth test trial over the devices in Dallas federal court, where some 9,000 of the cases are pending. Test cases have been selected for trial, and their outcomes will help gauge the value of the remaining claims and inform potential settlement talks.

J&J won the first Pinnacle test trial in 2014, but subsequent juries determined the companies to be liable.

A jury in March 2016 awarded five Texas plaintiffs $500 million in damages. That award was later cut to $150 million.

J&J and DePuy were also found liable at a trial in March, during which a jury awarded six California patients $1 billion – a verdict that was later reduced to $543 million.

DePuy ceased selling the metal-on-metal Pinnacle devices in 2013 after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration strengthened its artificial hip regulations.

PINNACLE HIP REPLACEMENT PROBLEMS

The Pinnacle hip replacement is a total hip replacement system manufactured by Johnson & Johnson subsidiary, DePuy Orthopaedics. Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2000, the DePuy Pinnacle Hip Acetabular Cup System was the predecessor to the now recalled DePuy ASR XL Acetabular System and the ASR Hip Resurfacing System. The DePuy Pinnacle hip replacement is a total hip arthroplasty intended to provide increased mobility while reducing pain in patients with damaged hip joints.

Like patients who received ASR hip replacements, it appears that those who received the DePuy Pinnacle hip replacement also face an increased risk of hip failure. This is because the two hip replacement systems had similar design defects, which can lead to severe pain, dislocation of the hip implant and hip replacement failure.

Although the DePuy Pinnacle hip replacement implants were not part of the August 2010 ASR hip recall, they are also metal-on-metal devices, and therefore carry many of the adverse side effects commonly experienced by ASR hip implant recipients. Due to the defective design associated with metal-on-metal implants, as with the ASR hip systems, many recipients of DePuy Pinnacle hip replacement implants have had to undergo painful revision surgeries.

DEPUY PINNACLE HIP REPLACEMENT COMPLICATIONS

Lawsuits involving the DePuy Pinnacle Hip Implant alleged that the all-metal version is similar in design to DePuy’s ASR hip implant, another metal-on-metal device that was recalled in August 2010. The lawsuits claimed that the all-metal version of the DePuy Pinnacle Hip Implant caused patients to suffer the same types of complications that prompted the ASR Hip Implant recall, including:

  • Hip pain
  • DePuy Pinnacle failure
  • Elevated metallic levels
  • Need for a second hip replacement surgery
  • Hip implant loosening
  • Difficulty walking or standing
  • Premature failure of the implant requiring revision surgery

Additionally, patients who received the DePuy Pinnacle hip replacement implants should be aware of symptoms associated with metal toxicity, or metallosis.  The effects of metallosis can manifest outside of the hip region. Therefore, individuals who received a DePuy Pinnacle hip replacement should be mindful of any changes in their overall health and pay close attention to any symptoms related to their:

  • Heart (chest pain, shortness of breath)
  • Nerves (numbness, weakness, change in vision or hearing)
  • Thyroid (fatigue, feeling cold, weight gain)
  • Kidney (change in urination habits)