TrialSmith Eclips • TrialSmith Home • Search Litigation Bank • About July 22, 2009 -  After Tragedy, Wife Crusades for Safety -  Officials Investigating How Routine Surgery Led to Amputation -  Lawsuit Filed Over McDonalds Hepatitis Infections -  Debt Firm Named in Harassment Lawsuit -  Doctor Impaired During Surgery, Lawsuit Says -  Wage Lawsuit Filed Against Home Depot -  Lawsuit: Town Negligent for Dowsing Streetlights -  Report Cites Widespread Safety Concerns at TVA     This Service Sponsored Exclusively by The James Street Group A Member Service of TrialSmith.com   Healthcare After Tragedy, Wife Crusades for Safety Following the death of her husband from a possible medical error, a Virginia woman has become an activist for patient safety, the Washington Post reports. Though the University of Michigan Medical Center has never admitted error for failing to identify the sepsis that caused Vincent Hereford’s death, his wife, Michelle, hopes her story will focus attention on hospital procedures that may lead to substandard care.  Lisa Rein , The Washington Post  07/21/2009 Read Article: The Washington Post     Officials Investigating How Routine Surgery Led to Amputation The Air Force and others are investigating the circumstances that caused a 20-year-old airman to lose both his legs following a routine gallbladder surgery. According to reports, surgeons failed to adequately repair a large artery after nicking it during surgery. The resulting damage to blood vessels in the legs required amputation. Travis Air Force Base’s David Grant Medical Center declined comment except to say that it was investigating a "serious medical incident."  Carrie Peyton Dahlberg, Seattle Times  07/22/2009 Read Article: Seattle Times     Laws/Cases Lawsuit Filed Over McDonalds Hepatitis Infections An Illinois man has filed a lawsuit accusing a McDonald’s franchise of allowing an employee to work at the restaurant while infected with hepatitis A. In the lawsuit, Cody Patterson claims he contracted the virus after eating food believed to have been contaminated by the worker. The lawsuit seeks class-action status on behalf of patrons who may have been exposed to the virus.  Dustin Lemmon, Quad-City Times  07/21/2009 Read Article: Quad-City Times     Debt Firm Named in Harassment Lawsuit A Cleveland debt collection agency threatened, harassed and deceived consumers in violation of state and federal law, a lawsuit filed by the Ohio attorney general claims. According to the lawsuit, debt collectors with National Enterprise Systems of Solon used abusive language, failed to verify debts and made unauthorized withdrawals from consumer bank accounts. Officials in West Virginia have also filed a similar lawsuit against the firm.  Steve Wartenberg, Columbus Dispatch  07/22/2009 Read Article: Columbus Dispatch     Doctor Impaired During Surgery, Lawsuit Says Jurors began hearing arguments this week in a trial that claims a Missouri doctor was negligent in an incident that resulted in the removal of about a foot of a patient’s colon. In the medical malpractice lawsuit, the plaintiff claims that Dr. Michael Impey was under the influence of painkillers during the procedure. Impey’s medical license was later revoked after he repeatedly tested positive for the painkiller Oxycodone.  Heather Ratcliffe, St. Louis Post Dispatch  07/22/2009 Read Article: St. Louis Post Dispatch     Wage Lawsuit Filed Against Home Depot A group of former Home Depot assistant managers have filed a lawsuit accusing the retailer of failing to pay overtime wages at its Illinois stores. The lawsuit, which seeks class-action status, alleges that Home Depot wrongly classified the assistant managers as exempt employees in order to require them to work more hours. The lawsuit seeks compensation for unpaid wages in addition to punitive damages.  Alexandria Sage, Reuters  07/21/2009 Read Article: Reuters     Lawsuit: Town Negligent for Dowsing Streetlights Attorneys have filed a lawsuit on behalf of an Ohio teenager who was struck by a car while jogging two years ago. According to the lawsuit, the community of Marblehead created an unsafe environment by turning off streetlights during the summer to prevent mayflies from swarming off Lake Erie. The lawsuit seeks damages for medical expenses and other non-economic damages.  AP, Cleveland Plain Dealer  07/22/2009 Read Article: Cleveland Plain Dealer     Study Report Cites Widespread Safety Concerns at TVA The Tennessee Valley Authority lacked a necessary culture of safety at its 11 coal-fired plants, a report commissioned after a major coal ash spill near Knoxville has determined. According to the report, the TVA did not actively monitor or regulate coal ash storage ponds or work to prevent accidents. The 2008 spill at the Kingston Fossil Plant dumped toxic sludge into dozens of homes causing more than $1 billion in damage.  Duncan Mansfield, Macon Telegraph  07/21/2009 Read Article: Macon Telegraph     Published by TRIALSMITH, Litigation Tools for Trial Lawyers