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23
Nov

Advocacy Group Finds Dangers Lurking In Kids Toys

November 23, 2011

Holiday shopping season is upon us with Black Friday right around the corner, but the US Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) is warning you may be putting loved ones, especially children, at risk of dangers with certain toys and gifts you may give. According to the report issued by the group on Tuesday, the list of around 25 items researchers compiled present risks of exposure to toxins, loud noises, and small parts that present choking hazards.

The largest problem by far was the high levels of toxic chemicals, such as lead, Phthalates, and cadmium that were found in nine toys. Included in that list was a sleep mask containing 77,000 parts per million (PPM) of phthalates, well over the legal limit of 1,000 PPM.  Also found was a Whirly Wheel that contained 3,700 PPM of lead. Lead, a chemical that can cause irreversible brain damage in children, cannot exceed levels of 300 PPM on toys in the United States.

Roughly 10 toys were found to be potentially dangerous to children because of small parts of the toys that could present choking hazards. Most of the toys listed in this category contained small, rubber balls that a child could easily fit into their mouth and accidentally swallow.

Three toys, including an Elmo Talking Cell Phone, were found to have audible parts that were above the accepted decibel level.

None of the products had warning labels.

The Louisiana Personal Injury Lawyers at Dudley Debosier encourage the public to be careful with what you buy for children this shopping season by always checking warning labels before giving a toy to a child.

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16
Nov

Sulphur High Students Learn The Dangers Of Drunk Driving

November 16, 2011

This past Tuesday, when Louisiana State Troopers went to Sulphur High School for a visit, they told students to put their beer goggles on and go for a drive. Sounds crazy doesn’t it? According to Channel 7 News, students didn’t need to drink a drop to learn the lessons of the dangers drunk driving poses.

State troopers put on a school campaign to teach the students what it is like to drive under the influence. They set up a driving course around the football field. Then, each student put on a pair of goggles that simulates the effects of alcohol and drove a golf cart through the course. One sophomore said, “I thought I could drive with them on, but I missed almost every cone. It’s hard to drink and drive.” Students were also asked to perform field sobriety tests with the goggles on.

Troopers hope the experience will show students the dangers of driving while under the influence and encourage them to choose an alternative method home if they have been drinking.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says that motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for teens–with one in three of those crashes involving alcohol.

The Louisiana Drunk Driving Victim Attorneys with Dudley Debosier want to encourage you to prevent accidents before they happen. Should an accident occur, founding attorney, Steven Debosier, discusses what steps to take.

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9
Nov

Participants Needed For Oil Spill Cleanup Research

November 9, 2011

A group of researchers from the National Institute of Environment Health Sciences are looking for cleanup workers from last year’s Gulf oil spill willing to participate in a study of the long-term health effects of exposure to the oil and it’s dispersants. The News Star reported yesterday, 5,000 workers form across Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi have been signed up to take part, but tracking down many of the workers as proven difficult.

The organization will be in Terrebonne Parish today in an effort to recruit the additional 45,000 participants needed to begin the study. From that group, researchers say they will select 20,000 individual cases to follow over the next five years.

The study hopes to track illnesses, lifestyles, and seafood consumption throughout that time period to see if the conditions they find are linked to exposure to toxic chemicals from the cleanup.

Many of the workers and community members who were affected by the spill have had concerns over the ramifications of exposure to the oil. Many say they have suffered from respiratory issues such as infections and trouble breathing to chronic asthma.

Those interested in participating can go to a public forum meeting being held at:

Ward 7 Citizens Club

5006 LA 56

Chauvin, Louisiana 70344

Phone: 1-855-NIH-GULF

Study Website

The Louisiana Maritime Accident Lawyers with Dudley Debosier want the people of the Louisiana coast to know and find out more about the health risks they were exposed to and urge you to contact the group if you participated in any sort of oil cleanup

Popularity: 1% [?]

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3
Nov

Louisiana Teenager Killed, Another Injured In Single-Vehicle Crash

November 2, 2011

An Iowa, Louisiana, teenager lost her life last Saturday after being involved in a single-vehicle crash. According to KPLCTV 7 News, the accident happened along rural Louisiana Highway 3059 in Calcasieu Parish, just before 6:00 PM on October the 28.

Authorities with the Louisiana State Police say that the 17-year-old girl was driving her 2001 Mercedes east along the highway with a passenger in the vehicle, when for an unknown reason, the drive veered off the shoulder of the road. The driver over corrected and cut across the other lane to the far side of the road. There, she hit a culvert, which caused the car to fly through the air and flip.

Both girls who were in the vehicle were taken to a local hospital to be evaluated. The passenger received moderate injuries, and was treated and released.  Upon arriving at the local hospital in critical condition, doctors decided the driver could be better treated in Houston, Texas, at another facility and had her transported. Doctors there were unable to stabilize the girl and she passed at 2:49 PM the following day.

The Louisiana Car Crash Lawyers with Dudley Debosier often handle cases where victims were hurt at no fault of their own after being involved in an accident. To discuss your case further and to have any questions regarding your case answered, contact us by filling out a free online consultation form.

Popularity: 1% [?]

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26
Oct

East Baton Rouge Citizen Put In Harms Way By New Sidewalks

October 26, 2011

Sidewalks being installed in a neighborhood would normally be met with cheers from citizens. That’s the way one east Baton Rouge, Louisiana, resident felt when the city announced plans to install the cement walkways in her area as part of the Green Light Project. Now, just a few weeks later, she is not so sure it will make things any easier, or safer, for her.

According to Channel 9 News, the woman claims she had to sacrifice her home’s parking space so that the sidewalks could be installed. The woman has been parking across the street from her home since construction began, because No Parking signs now line her side of the street. This would normally not be a problem, but the woman is elderly and walks with a cane, not to mention the street we are talking about is the very busy Acadian Thruway. She and her family feel that her troubles walking, compounded by the heavy, and often speeding, traffic in the area, is a disaster waiting to happen.

City officials have been contacted, but have given no response.

The Louisiana Personal Injury Lawyers with Dudley Debosier want to know what you think. Should the city be held responsible if something was to happen to the woman while trying to cross the street? Should an accident have to happen before preventative safety measures are taken by the city? Tell us your opinion by posting to our Facebook page.

Popularity: 2% [?]

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19
Oct

Social Security Recipients To Receive Increase In Payments

October 19, 2011

The federal government announced Wednesday that recipients of Social Security benefits would see their first increase in payments in two years. According to Channel 9 News, beneficiaries will see the extra money beginning next year.

The 3.6 percent increase was determined after the government calculated the rate of inflation over the past 12 months, and found a cost of living adjustment (COLA) was needed. Because of this, some 55 million Social Security recipients, along with another 8 million people who receive Supplemental Security Income, will see the bump in payments. These numbers show that 1 in 5 Americans will be affected by the decision.

This will be the first payment increase since 2009, after two years of lower inflation rates that kept the government from deeming it necessary for a COLA. Those two years were the first time since 1975 that a COLA was not granted for recipients.

Even with the payment increases, many critics say that the rising cost of Medicare will void out any payment increases received. With an average payout of $13,000 per year, the increase only means an additional $468 per year.

The Louisiana Social Security Disability Attorneys with Dudley Debosier Injury Lawyers want to know your opinion on the COLA determined by the federal government. Are the increased payments going to truly put more money into the pockets of recipients or will they just be counter-balanced by other rising costs, such as Medicare? Tell us what you think by posting on our Facebook page.

Popularity: 1% [?]

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14
Oct

Gaseous Release From Refinery Worries Area Residents

October 11, 2011

A fear of fallout from an environmental disaster looms in the back of all our minds after events like the earthquakes in Japan and the Gulf Oil spill rocked the entire world. Many in Louisiana are still living in that nightmare. Yesterday, residents of Algiers, Louisiana, were exposed to a gaseous release from a nearby refinery that officials say is no threat, yet environmental advocates and scientists alike say is toxic.

According to WWLTV News, an outage at a unit of the refinery for several hours caused the hydrocarbons to build up. With no way to remove the buildup or anywhere to dispose of it, the refinery burned off the material and released the gas into the air. Residents say the noxious gas, with an odor likened to raw sewage, engulfed the town for most of the day.

The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality says there was no harm done after testing of the air; however, its scientists agree with a spokesperson for the Louisiana Bucket Brigade (a refinery watchdog group) that the chemicals released could pose a serious health risk in large enough quantities. With testing done hours after the release, many are questioning the validity of those results.

The Louisiana Environmental Injury Lawyers with Dudley DeBosier understand the dangers that toxic chemicals in the air, water, and ground can pose to whole communities. We urge you to contact us if you have been exposed to an unsafe environment that caused you to become ill by filling out a free online consultation form.

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5
Oct

Parents Suing School For The Wrongful Death Of Their Son

October 5, 2011

Parents of a Nicholls State University student who was killed in an on-campus accident while intoxicated have just announced they are filing a lawsuit against the school.

Almost a year ago, around 2:30 on a sunny Saturday afternoon in the midst of homecoming, a 19-year-old college student was riding on a horse-drawn wagon hayride, when he stood up and fell over the front of the wagon. The driver did not see him fall and accidentally ran over him.

Paramedics transported the student to Thibodeaux Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. It was later discovered that the student’s blood alcohol level was three times above the legal limit, and that the anti-anxiety drug, Valium, was present in his system.

WWLTV News reports that the parents of the Nicholls State University student have filed suit against the University of Louisiana school system for the wrongful death of their son, claiming members of the young man’s fraternity pressured him into the intoxication and drug use that led to his death.

The Louisiana Wrongful Death Attorneys at Dudley Debosier would like to ask your opinion. Should the University and/or his peers be held responsible for the student’s behavior that cost him his life? Or should a 19-year-old adult, be accountable for his own actions? Tell us what you think on our Facebook wall.

Popularity: 1% [?]

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28
Sep

New Drug, Zelboraf, May Benefit Inoperable Melanoma Patients

September 28, 2011

Our increased exposure to high levels of radiation and UV light from the sun makes it no surprise that skin cancer has become a major concern over the last 15 years. Historically, skin cancer’s most severe form, melanoma, has been extremely deadly. However, a new drug on the market that has recently been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may help save the lives of those diagnosed inoperable.

WWLTV Eyewitness News reports the drug was able to help a man who was part of the drug trials. The man had melanoma removed in 1998, but eleven years later doctors told him it had traveled to his lungs, and that he had roughly nine months to live. Unfortunately, he was not a candidate for surgery, and was left to sit back and wait.

Then one day, the man got an offer to be a part of a clinical trial on a new treatment program focusing on the drug Zelboraf. After several months, the tumor shrunk to only five percent of its original size and has remained that way.

The Louisiana Drug Injury Attorneys with Dudley Debosier Injury Lawyers agree with doctors and experts that the best way to avoid skin cancer all together is to protect yourself by wearing sunscreen when outdoors, and by always having moles or freckles that exhibit a change in size, color, or shape examined by a medical professional.

Popularity: 2% [?]

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21
Sep

Ten Oil Rig Workers Stranded by Tropical Storm Nate

September 21, 2011
Working on an oil rig is dangerous enough work, but when mother nature gets thrown into the mix, things can quickly get out of hand; a lesson learned by workers and their families after ten oil rig workers went missing in the Gulf of Mexico after their rig was disabled by Tropical Storm Nate.

The Canadian Press reported that the workers called for help on Thursday in the midst of the pounding storm, saying they had abandoned their 94-foot lift boat. The Mexican Navy worked for days in conjunction with the oil company, Pemex, in a search effort that recovered nine of the men three days later; seven alive, two dead and one still missing. They were found 51 miles off the coast of Campeche. The survivors were immediately taken by helicopter to Pemex Regional Hospital in Ciudad Del Carmen.

Of the survivors, two were men from the New Iberia, Louisiana area. The two casualties were also from that area.

The Louisiana Maritime Accident Attorneys with Dudley Debosier understand the dangers these workers face everyday. If you have been injured, or have a family member who perished while working on an oil rig, an experienced team is available anytime to answer questions you may have regarding your case.

Popularity: 1% [?]