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May 31, 2011

Fatal Haverhill Car Crash Was Caused by Teen Driver Who Was Allegedly Texting

Police have charged teenager Aaron Deveau with texting while driving in the Haverhill car crash that claimed the life of 55-year-old Donald Bowley Jr. on February 20. The 17-year-old driver has pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges of motor vehicle homicide by negligent operation, negligent operation of a motor vehicle causing injury due to mobile phone use, and being a person under the age of 18 using a mobile phone while driving.

Bowley, who suffered a subdural hematoma and was admitted to Massachusetts General Hospital following the catastrophic Essex County traffic crash, died nearly three week later. Also severely injured in the Haverhill motor vehicle accident was Luz Selena Roman, who was riding with Bowley.

Deveau has admitted to using his cell phone when the collision happened.

Texting While Driving
Texting, which seems like a harmless activity, is actually a very dangerous habit to engage in while operating a motor vehicle. As our Boston injury lawyers have reported in the past, texting distracts the driver, requires the use of at least one (if not both) hand that should be on the steering wheel, and uses part of the brain that is also needed for driving.

It just takes just a few seconds for a catastrophic Boston car crash to happen—that’s much less time than it often takes to read, compose, and send a text message.

Texting, like talking on the phone, is distracted driving.

Youth pleads not guilty in texting-while-driving death, Eagle-Tribune, May 26, 2011

Haverhill teen arraigned on charges he was texting in fatal crash, Boston.com, May 25, 2011


Related Web Resources:

OSHA Pushes for Safer Occupational Drivers, No Texting for Drivers on the Job, Massachusetts Workers Compensation Lawyer Blog, April 26, 2011

Hit-and-Run Driver in Lawrence Car Accident that Injured Toddler Was Scrolling Through Cell Phone, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, May 28, 2010

Preventing Massachusetts Car Accidents: Statewide Texting While Driving Ban Likely to be Implemented, Boston Injury Lawyer, June 22, 2010

Continue reading "Fatal Haverhill Car Crash Was Caused by Teen Driver Who Was Allegedly Texting" »

May 30, 2011

Massachusetts Dental Malpractice Can Cause Serious Injuries

Our Boston injury lawyers often report on different types of Massachusetts medical malpractice. In this blog entry, we will take a closer look at dental malpractice.

While a trip to the dentist may seem like an appointment where you are least likely to get hurt from medical mistakes, when dental errors do occur, the patient can be left with serious injuries, such as those involving:

• Anesthesia-related complications
• Nerve damage
• Teeth that shouldn’t have been removed
• Infection
• Tooth fractures
• Loss of sensation
• TMJ disorders
• Tongue injuries
• Root canal
• Crowns
• Defective dental tools
• Wrong diagnosis
• Delayed diagnosis

If you sustained dental injuries because a dentist, endodontist, orthodontist, periodontist, oral surgeon, or another dental care professional was negligent or reckless, you may have grounds for filing a Boston dental malpractice case. In some cases. There also may be other liable parties. For example, one man who was injured at an oral surgeon’s office recently received a $3 million settlement from a plumbing company that allegedly crossed nitrous and oxygen lines when it installed the medical gas lines at the oral surgeon’s office. The plaintiff, Austin Stone, is now legally blind and suffers from other health complications. Stone is suing several parties for his dental injuries.

Mediation in Lawrence dental injury lawsuit, KTKA/AP, February 13, 2011

Related Web Resources:
Medical Malpractice, Nolo

American Dental Association

More Blog Posts:
$7M Massachusetts Medical Malpractice Settlement Awarded to Parents Whose Child Was Born with a Genetic Defect, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, May 6, 2011

Boston Personal Injury?: Use of Psychotropic Drugs Can Prove Fatal for Some Elderly Patients, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, March 30, 2011

Medication Overdose: Boston Medical Malpractice Lawsuit Claims Massachusetts General Hospital Gave 76-Year-Old Woman the Wrong Blood Thinner, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, March 10, 2011

Continue reading "Massachusetts Dental Malpractice Can Cause Serious Injuries" »

May 29, 2011

New Study Affirms that Driver Errors Increase With Age

Over the years, our Boston injury lawyers have written about Massachusetts car crashes caused by elderly seniors, as well as reported on concerns that advanced age may make driver error more likely. While there are many elderly seniors that continue to be excellent drivers, statistics show that the traffic crash rate noticeably goes up among drivers ages 75 and over. Now, here is information about a new study by researchers in Australia that once again reports that the number of driver errors do go up with age. The study can be found in the journal Neuropsychology.

The study’s authors gave a battery of cognitive tests to 266 independent elderly seniors, ages 70 to 88.They also had them take a 12-mile drive through Brisbane in a dual break car. A professional driving teacher accompanied them, as did an occupational therapist.

Common driving mistakes made during the practical test:
• Failure to check blind spots
• Attempting to turn from the wrong lane
• Veering from their lane
• Not signaling

There were points during the practical part of the study when the driving instructor had to step on the auxiliary brakes or grab the steering wheel to avoid crashing. Drivers over age 85 averaged nearly four critical mistakes during the drive, which lasted almost an hour. Reasons for such driving mistakes include slower reaction times, a decreased ability to multi-task, a harder time absorbing and processing complex data within a limited time, brain function decline, and the loss of some ability to know what to pay attention to and what to ignore.

Boston Car Accident Cases
Driver errors can occur at any age and the results for the motorist and others involved in a Boston car accident can prove catastrophic. Traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, internal bleeding, organ damage, and crushed bones are just some of the serious injuries that can occur. You may able to hold the negligent motorist liable.

Elderly Drivers Fail a Test, The New York Times, May 27, 2011

Older people, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

Neuropsychology


Related Web Resources:
Senior Drivers in Massachusetts

Mature Drivers, Mass.gov


More Blog Posts:

Boston Personal Injury Lawsuit Accuses Police Motorcyclist of Assault and Battery in ’07 Marathon Pedestrian Accident, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, February 15, 2011

Boy On Bike Hit By Police Cruiser in Avon, Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog, May 24, 2011

Drunk Driver Causes Fatal Accident on Interstate 95, Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog, May 16, 2011

Continue reading "New Study Affirms that Driver Errors Increase With Age" »

May 27, 2011

Massachusetts Personal Injury: Two Women Sue Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office Over Dog Attack by K-9

Kourtney Lebon and Kimberley Frye are seeking Massachusetts injury damages from the Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office. The two women claim that the sheriff’s K-9 attacked them without provocation and they are claiming excessive use of police force. They also contend that Deputy Sheriff (Patrick) Martin and the two Falmouth cops who were with him did not act immediately to stop the dog attack.

The Massachusetts dog attack occurred on June 9, 2008 after Frye and Lebon and ran into the woods following a multiple stabbing incident occurred at a graduation party they had just attended. It was while they were in the woods that Frye says that the sheriff’s dog attacked her, biting her buttocks. Lebon, who had run away and climbed a tree to avoid getting bitten, claims she too was attacked by the police dog after the officers had persuaded her to come down. She was injured on her left leg.

Lebon and Frye were then handcuffed and held until an ambulance arrived. They were never charged in the stabbing.

Frye and Lebon, who are seeking at least $300,000 in Falmouth personal injury damages, say that their Massachusetts dog bite injuries has resulted in emotional damage and permanent scarring.

Excessive Use of Police Force
Excessive use of police force can be grounds for a Boston injury lawsuit. Police are never supposed to use more force than necessary when detaining or questioning anyone. This includes making sure that a K-9 doesn’t cause unnecessary injury to anyone. Dog bites can be painful, scarring and traumatic. It the responsibility of a dog’s owner/handler keep an animal in check so that it doesn’t hurt people. K-9 handlers are not exempt from this responsibility.

Suit alleges excessive force by sheriff's K-9, Cape Cod Times, May 25, 2011


Related Web Resource:
Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office

Dog Bite Prevention, CDC

More Blog Posts:
Haverhill Dog Attack: Grandmother and Her Friend are Injured as Two German Shepherds Try to Charge 1-Year-Old in Stroller, Boston Injury Lawyer, May 4, 2011

Massachusetts Dog Attack Involving Two Bulldogs Injures 10-Year-Old Girl, Boston Injury Lawyer, June 10, 2011

Boston Personal Injury Lawsuit Accuses Police Motorcyclist of Assault and Battery in ’07 Marathon Pedestrian Accident, Boston Injury Lawyer, February 15, 2011

Continue reading "Massachusetts Personal Injury: Two Women Sue Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office Over Dog Attack by K-9" »

May 25, 2011

Salem Premises Liability: 93-Year-Od-Woman Seeks Damages for Burn Injuries from Scalding Bathwater

A well-known artist, poet, and children’s book author is suing the management company of her condo complex for Salem personal injury. Frances Wosmek, 93, sustained “horrific burns” when she took a bath in scalding water. Her first-, second-, and third-degree burns were so severe that she has had to have surgery to remove some of the burned tissue.

The Massachusetts burn accident took place on the evening of March 28. It wasn’t until the following morning that an aide found the elderly woman with her back and legs covered with burns. She spent more than two weeks at Massachusetts General Hospital and another several weeks at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital.

The defendants of Wosmek’s Salem premises liability complaint are EP Management Corp. of Beverly, owner Ronda Ziner, and property manager Toni Curcuru. Wosmek contends that the management company should have corrected the fluctuating water temperatures in the unit, which she owns. According to her Marblehead injury attorney, prior to the accident other residents had complained about the water temperature, which at times was hotter than the 130-degree maximum that the state allows.

Scald Burn Injuries
Scald burns from hot tap water cause more deaths and injuries than burns sustained from other hot liquids. Some 35 deaths and 6,000 injuries occur from hot water accidents in the home each year. Often, the injuries, when sustained in the bath or from the shower, are not just severe, but also the burns can end up on large parts of the body. They can be very painful and may cause scarring or disfigurement.

Wosmek has already racked up about $200,000 medical expenses—a figure that is expected to rise.

Scalding in tub of 93-year-old leads to lawsuit, The Salem News, May 12, 2011


Related Web Resources:

Burns, MedLine Plus

Burn Treatments, Burn Injury Recovery


More Blog Posts:

Quincy Apartment Where Fire Killed Father and Two Children Was in Illegal Basement and Didn’t Have Sprinklers or Working Smoke Alarm, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, March 26, 2009

Nantucket Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Incident Sends 11 Apartment Residents to the Hospital, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, April 16, 2011

Mother Considers Suing Massachusetts Water Park for Children’s Chemical Burn Injuries, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, March 10, 2008

May 23, 2011

Massachusetts Dangerous Drug?: FDA Pulls Avandia Because of Cardiovascular Risks

The US Food and Drug Administration says that starting November 18, Avandia will no longer be sold at retail pharmacies in the US because the diabetes drug poses too high a cardiovascular risk to patients. Instead, people allowed to take Avandia will be able to get the drug through mail-order pharmacies only. Avandia also will only be available to drug users that have been safely using the medication, those that don’t have a problem using other diabetes drugs to control their blood sugar, and diabetes patients that are opting to take the drug even though they know of the risks. If you believe that your health issues or your loved one’s death was caused by taking Avandia, do not hesitate to speak with an experienced Boston products liability law firm immediately.

Avandia is made by GlaxoSmithKline. According to a 2007 study, the risk of a type 2 diabetes patient suffering a heart attack went up 40% when that person started taking Avandia. Other studies have confirmed this higher risk.

Despite these findings from a few years ago, some cardiologists are wondering why the FDA waited until now to take action. Also, as our Boston dangerous drug lawyers have reported in past blog posts, drug manufactures are supposed to make sure that their medications are not dangerous for use. Yet, unfortunately, there are drugs out there that have been FDA-approved but continue to cause serious health complications for patients. For example, Avandia has, in rare instances, been linked to life-threatening liver complications. Other possible side effects from this diabetes drug include headaches, respiratory infections, bone fractures, edema, fluid retention, and abnormal ovulation.

FDA to Pull Diabetes Drug Avandia from Pharmacy Shelves, US News, May 19, 2011

FDA puts heavy restrictions on Avandia, McKnights's, May 20, 2011


Related Web Resources:
Food and Drug Administration

Avandia, NIH

Glaxo Smith Kline


More Blog Posts:
Boston Personal Injury?: Use of Psychotropic Drugs Can Prove Fatal for Some Elderly Patients, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, March 30, 2011

Massachusetts Dangerous Drug?: Women Affected by Yaz Birth Control May Have Grounds for Lawsuit, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, March 26, 2011

Massachusetts Dangerous Drug Lawsuit Says Raptiva Caused Serious Infections, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, February 8, 2011

Continue reading "Massachusetts Dangerous Drug?: FDA Pulls Avandia Because of Cardiovascular Risks" »

May 19, 2011

Does Taking Diuretics Increase the Risk of Massachusetts Fall Accidents at Boston Nursing Homes?

According to data released at the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) 2011 Annual Scientific Meeting, nursing home patients who start taking a diuretic or that up their dose of this drug are at greater risk of becoming involved in a fall accident. Per the study, the chance of falling was upped by over 2-fold within a day of the new prescription or dosage change.

Dr. Sarah D. Berry, who teaches at Harvard Medical School and the Institute for Aging Research, Hebrew SeniorLife, and her colleagues conducted a study involving 1,181 long-term care residents at the Hebrew Rehabilitation Center. The patients had fallen for the first time at least 15 days that after they were admitted to the Boston nursing home. Patients under 60 were not part of the study.

Diuretics help remove fluids from the body through urination. Some side effects from taking diuretics include dehydration, potassium deficiencies, frequent urination, muscle cramps, severe weakness or tiredness, blurred vision, dizziness, increased perspiration, headaches, severe, ringing in the ears, skin rash, vomiting, electrolyte abnormalities, and unusual bleeding or bruising.

Unfortunately, many sick people and elderly seniors are already at risk of falling. If, in fact, this drug is increasing the chances of a Boston fall accident, then assisted living facilities and physicians must exercise caution as to who to administer the medication to while providing adequate supervision so that residents taking diuretics don’t fall. Failure to provide this type of care or supervision can be grounds for a Boston nursing home neglect case.

Diuretics May Boost Fall Risk in Nursing Home Residents, Medscape, May 17, 2011


Related Web Resources:

Institute for Aging Research, Hebrew Senior Life

Diuretics, Mayo Clinic


More Blog Posts:
Preventing Massachusetts Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect: Are Assisted Living Facilities Doing Enough When Screening Employees Before Hiring Them?, Boston Injury Lawyer, April 28, 2011

Revere Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed by Family of Mental Health Counselor Allegedly Murdered by Patient at Massachusetts Group Home, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, April 21, 2011

Threat of a Massachusetts Nursing Home Neglect and Abuse Lawsuit May Not Be Enough to Improve Facility Care, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, March 31, 2011


Continue reading "Does Taking Diuretics Increase the Risk of Massachusetts Fall Accidents at Boston Nursing Homes?" »

May 17, 2011

Boston Wrongful Death Filed by Daughter of Immigration Detainee

A woman whose father died at the Suffolk County House of Correction is suing the jail and its infirmary for Boston wrongful death. Pedro Tavarez, a 49-year-old immigration detainee, died in October 2009. He was in custody after he was ordered deported. Other defendants of the Massachusetts wrongful death lawsuit are Suffolk County Sheriff Andrea J. Cabral, Prison Health Services (now called PHS Correctional Healthcare), jail superintendent Gerard Horgan, and jail physician Colleen Collins.

In her complaint, which was filed as a federal case, Judith Tavarez is accusing the plaintiffs of gross negligence. She says that her dad died from a heart attack that was brought about by a major sepsis infection that the “defendants failed to properly treat.” She is also claiming civil rights violations and Boston medical malpractice.

Per a federal report from last year, because Suffolk officials did not take Tavarez to the hospital sooner his infection spread. Tavarez’s Boston attorney is calling the government’s failure to provide the detainee with “decent medical care” a “moral outrage.” Also, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Office of Professional Responsibility reports that in the case of Tavarez, there were language barriers, incomplete medical records, and the failure to complete basic tasks, including not checking his vitals regularly. Tavarez stayed at the jail infirmary for two days before he was transported to the first of three hospitals.

Even if you or your loved one has been arrested or detained, you are still entitled to a certain level of care and treatment. If failure to provide either causes serious injuries, or death, you may be entitled to recover Boston personal injury compensation. According to restorefairness.org, a 2009 inspector general report from the Department of Homeland Security noted that a lot of work still needs to be done to make sure that detention centers provide medial examinations. American Bar Association lawyers that interviewed detainees at Suffolk and a number of other county jails discovered that immigrants who had been detained were often forced to wait a long time to see a doctor.

Lawsuit filed in death, Boston Globe, May 16, 2011

Death of Pedro Tavarez raises questions around immigration detention reform, Restore Fairness, November 2009


Related Web Resources:
Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Tracking and Transfers of Detainees, US Department of Homeland Security, March 2009

Suffolk County Sheriff Andrea J. Cabral

PHS Correctional Healthcare


More Blog Posts:
Family to File Plymouth County Wrongful Death Lawsuit in Psychiatric Patient’s Homicide, Boston Injury Lawyer, March 11, 2010

Could Long Waits to Visit Boston Doctors Lead to Delayed Diagnosis?, Boston Injury Lawyer, May 15, 2009

Massachusetts Medical Malpractice Lawsuit To Be Filed By Family of Worcester Man Made to Walk Down Stairs by Paramedics, Boston Injury Lawyer, April 27, 2009


Continue reading "Boston Wrongful Death Filed by Daughter of Immigration Detainee" »

May 12, 2011

Another Boston Wrongful Death Lawsuit Seeks Damages Over Pickup Truck Crash in Big Dig Tunnels

The family of Brian Hicks is suing the designers and builders of the Big Dig tunnels for his Boston wrongful death. The 39-year-old Salem man died last March when his pickup truck crashed in the Sumner Tunnel.

Hicks’ family contends that he could have survived the Boston motor vehicle crash were it not for the fact that when he was ejected from the pickup he struck a one of the handrails in the tunnel. Hicks is the eight person to have died after getting into an accident in the Big Dig tunnel and then hitting one of the sharp-edged rails that line the walkways that are there for maintenance workers to use. One person who did survived hitting a tunnel handrail lost an arm.

Last month, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation released a report calling for the removal of thousands of feet of railings. Chain-link mesh will be placed on railings that aren’t removed but are located at curves and other areas in the tunnel where a car crash has a higher risk of occurring. Because speed has been a factor in many of these collisions, current speed limits in the tunnel are being reassessed.

Yet, seeing as Hicks is not the first person to die after striking one of the Big Dig handrails, and the other fatalities took place over the last several years, why are state officials only now deciding to remove or cover these railings? As Hicks’s widow, Donna Hicks, is quoted on thebostonchannel.com, “Wasn’t two or three or another number enough to take action?” Premise owners can be held liable if there is a hazard on the property that could/should have been remedied but wasn’t and someone was injured in a car crash as a result.


Family Blames Big Dig Railings For Man's Death, The Boston Channel, May 10, 2011

State to remove some dangerous Big Dig handrails, Boston Herald, April 15, 2011


Related Web Resource:

The Big Dig, Massachusetts Department of Transportation


More Blog Posts:
Our Boston injury lawyers have been covering the different injury cases involving accidents in the Big Dig Tunnel. Read our past blog posts for more details:
Boston Wrongful Death Lawsuit Claims Big Dig Tunnel’s Handrails are a Danger, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, February 22, 2010

$9 Million Boston Wrongful Death Settlement Reached with Family of State Trooper Killed in Big Dig Tunnel, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, November 23, 2010

Jamaica Plain Family Gets $28M in Big Dig Settlement, Massachusetts Workers Compensation Lawyer Blog, October 1, 2008


May 9, 2011

Boston Hospital Gives Full Face Transplant to Man Burned in Construction Accident

Two-and-a-half years after suffering severe electrical burns during a construction accident, Dallas Wiens has received a complete face transplant. Over 30 doctors, anesthesiologists, and nurses at Brigham and Woman’s Hospital in Boston conducted the procedure to give the 25-year-old construction worker a new face.

After the boom lift he was working struck a power line, Wiens fell into a coma for nearly three months Doctors thought he would never talk or walk again and that he would be paralyzed from the neck down. They also didn’t think he would be able to eat regular food. Wiens, who underwent 22 surgeries, lost all of his facial features, except for a lipless mouth. He is now blind.

Wiens’s transplant included the donor’s entire face and is the most complete facial transplant conducted in this country to date. He also can now smell, feel, and breathe on his own.

His injuries are a clear example of how seriously someone can get hurt during an electrical accident. If you were injured in a Massachusetts construction accident and you suffered severe electrical burns you should speak with a Boston injury lawyer right away.

About 1000 people die every year from electrical burns. Serious injuries can include muscle spasm, cardiac arrest, oral burns, suffocation, organ damage, skin burns, permanent bran damage, and death.

Even if you are injured on the job and you are entitled to Massachusetts workers’ compensation, you still may be able to receive Boston injury compensation from liable third parties.

Fort Worth man gets a new face... and a new beginning, WFAA, May 10, 2011

Dallas Wiens Reunites With Daughter After Full Face Transplant, ABC News, May 9, 2011

Transplant recipient 'amazed' at his new face, Boston, May 9, 2011

Dallas Wiens, horribly scarred by electric burn accident, pushes for rare full face transplant, NY Daily News, January 25, 2010


Related Web Resources:

Burns and Other Injuries, Occupational Safety Health Administration

Construction Accidents, Justia

Brigham and Woman’s Hospital


More Blog Posts:
Salem Construction Accident at Massachusetts Courthouse Last Summer Caused by Wrong Screw, Boston Injury Lawyers, January 19, 2011

Propane Tank Involved in Deadly Norfolk Construction Blast May Have been Lacking Chemical Odorant, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, December 31, 2010

Boston Crane Collapse Kills One Massachusetts Construction Worker and Injures Another, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, February 8, 2009


May 6, 2011

$7M Massachusetts Medical Malpractice Settlement Awarded to Parents Whose Child Was Born with a Genetic Defect

A judge has approved a $7M Worcester, Massachusetts medical malpractice settlement for Ran Zhuang and Ziru Guo. The couple had sued two doctors, a genetic counselor, and a nurse practitioner after their daughter was born with cri-du-chat on November 11, 2007 at UMass Memorial Medical Center — Memorial Campus.

Annie, now 3, has severe mental and physical disabilities. Their parents contend that if her chromosomal abnormality had been detected through an amniocentesis early enough, they would have been able to decide whether to terminate pregnancy. Guo and Zuang claim that that they were not provided with proper prenatal genetic counseling.

Named as defendants in the Massachusetts obstetrician malpractice lawsuit are Dr. Mary M. Herlihy, geneticist Dr. Beverly Hay, nurse practitioner Patricia Yranski, and genetic counselor Lisa Blazejewski. They are denying any negligence. They claim that Zhuang was offered an amniocentesis but that she declined to undergo the procedure. Zhuang and Guo, however, say that no one told her the diagnostic procedure was available.

Cri-du-chat
Also known as cat’s cry syndrome and 5p- syndrome, cri-du-chat is a condition where chromosome 5 is missing. Baby’s who have cri-du-chat often have a cry that sounds like a cat’s. Characteristics of the disorder include microcephaly (small head size), weak muscle tone, intellectual disability, delayed development, widely set eyes, low-set ears, a rounded face, and a small jaw. Some children suffering from cri-du-chat may also have a heart defect.

It is important that you receive the proper medical care during pregnancy, delivery, and after your baby’s birth. Unfortunately, obstetrical malpractice can cause serious injuries to you or your child.

Couple reaches $7M settlement in medical malpractice lawsuit, Worcester Telegram & Gazette, May 5, 2011

Judge approves $7M settlement for Shrewsbury couple, Boston Herald/AP, May 5, 2011


Related Web Resources:
Cri-du-chat syndrome, NIH.gov

Amniocentesis, Baby Center


More Blog Posts:
Mother’s Massachusetts Medical Malpractice Lawsuit Accuses Springfield Hospital of Sterilizing Her Without Consent, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, January 4, 2010

$15 Million Boston Medical Malpractice Award: Jury Holds Doctors Accountable for Massachusetts Wrongful Death of 3-Year-Old Treated for Birth Defect
Five years after 3-year-old
, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, December 21, 2009

Massachusetts Man Awarded $2 Million for Wrongful Death of Wife Due to Medication Error During Cesarean Delivery, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, January 23, 2009

Continue reading "$7M Massachusetts Medical Malpractice Settlement Awarded to Parents Whose Child Was Born with a Genetic Defect" »

May 4, 2011

Haverhill Dog Attack: Grandmother and Her Friend are Injured as Two German Shepherds Try to Charge 1-Year-Old in Stroller

Two woman sustained leg and arm injuries in a Haverhill, Massachusetts dog attack involving two German Shepherds last month. Laurie Adams, a 49-year-old Haverhill woman, and her friend got hurt on April 15 as they protected Adams’ granddaughter Avery from the animals.

Adams says the animals bit them and then ran off before returning to attack them again. She called 911 for help, and fire, police, and animal control crews came to their rescue.

The owner of the German Shepherds was out of town at the time and a friend was taking care of the animals. They were running free in a yard when they saw Adams, her granddaughter, and friend and ran across the street toward them.

Massachusetts Dog Bite Law
When a dog in Massachusetts injures someone, the owner or keeper of a dog is considered strictly liable unless the victim was tormenting, abusing, or teasing the animal (Kids under 7 are presumed not to have done anything to instigate a Boston dog attack). This means the owner doesn’t have to have acted negligently in order to be held liable.

The best way of ensuring you obtain the maximum recovery owed to you is to work with an experienced Boston injury lawyer. Dog attack injuries can be scarring, incredibly painful, disfiguring, and emotionally and mentally traumatic. Depending on the severity of your Massachusetts dog bite injuries, you may have to undergo costly plastic surgery and other expensive medical procedures. The sooner you start exploring your legal options, the better.

Women protect baby from dog attack, Eagle Tribune, April 26, 2011

Grandma Saves Baby From Dog Mauling, WCVB, April 26, 2011


Related Web Resources:

Dog Bites, Nolo

Massachusetts Law About Animals


More Blog Posts:

Brookline Considers Fee to Unleash Dogs in Parks, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, December 1, 2010

Massachusetts Dog Attack Involving Two Bulldogs Injures 10-Year-Old Girl, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, November 30, 2010

New Bedford Dog Attack Involving Three Pit Bulls Leaves UMass Dartmouth Student with Serious Facial Injuries, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, July 10, 2010