Product Liability Lawyer Blog

June 7, 2017

Boston Researchers Find More Pain for Knee Replacement with Opioid Use

Hip replacement surgery may not make you feel 20-years-old again, but a properly-designed artificial hip should last at least 20 years, and should not cause you substantial pain. Unfortunately, a significant number of defective hip replacements are on the market. Consumers may assume the pain is merely a symptom of the surgery, and many turn to opioids to cope.

According to a recent article from the Gloucester Times, a study at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston involving 156 hip replacement patients took a look at how long-term opioid use can affect hip replacement operations and the level of pain suffered by patients.

Many patients who elect to have a total hip replacement operation have been suffering from chronic pain for a long time before having surgery. This is because many get a total hip replacement following a degenerative hip disease such as osteoarthritis. Continue reading

June 2, 2017

BMW Issues Major Recall as Doors May Open While Driving

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

According to a recent news article from Autoweek, BMW has issued a major recall of 45,000 older 7 Series vehicles. These sedans were made between 2005 and 2008, and all feature what the company called Comfort Access and Soft Close automatic doors. These doors are designed to close softly rather than slamming closed, as many other car doors do. This was considered a luxury feature at the time these cars were manufactured.

While this is the first door recall for the cars made during those specific model year vehicles, it is not the first recall involving these automatic-closing doors. The company’s 2012 vehicles also featured a version of these doors, and a major recall was issued. The reason for all of these recalls involving this type of luxury door is because customers have reported the doors opening by themselves while the car was traveling at highway speeds. In some cases, the doors could come off, causing serious personal injury to those in other vehicles, as the door could cause significant damage. Fortunately, there have been no reports of serious injury as of this point. The company is urging all drivers and passengers to make sure their seat belts are fastened until they can get the doors fixed, so they do not get ejected from the vehicle should the doors fall off at highway speeds. Continue reading

May 28, 2017

High-Risk Summer Products Could Cause Child Injuries in Boston

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

When kids are on summer break and the weather is nice, it’s a great time for young people to get outside and enjoy fun activities. Unfortunately, there are some summer toys which are really risky for kids. Parents need to make sure they are choosing safe products for their children, checking for recalls and supervising kids so children don’t take unnecessary risks.

Manufacturers of toys and children’s products are also held to very high standards for safety. If products have defects or cause harm to children because the manufacturer didn’t incorporate the right safety features or warn parents of product risks, there is a good chance the product manufacturer could be held legally liable if a child sustains an injury.

A Boston product liability lawyer should be consulted after a child is hurt or killed by any product to determine if the parents and child can make a case for compensation. Continue reading

May 25, 2017

Total Knee Replacement Increasingly Popular for Younger Patients

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Not too long ago, when you thought of a total knee replacement, you probably associated it with a medical procedure for the elderly. With total knee replacement surgery leading all other elective surgical procedures in the nation at around 600,000 performed each year, that is no longer the case. It is estimated that by the year 2030, there will be around 3 million of these operations performed each year in the U.S. That is an astounding number compared to just two decades ago.

According to a recent news article from The Spokesman Review, a 40-year-old woman just had a total knee replacement, and she is a member of the fastest-growing demographic for those having a total knee replacement. She is as far from the prototypical elderly patients of 20 years ago as you can get. The main question is why did she have the procedure? Continue reading

May 21, 2017

Bounce Houses Put Kids at Serious Risk of Harm

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

If your child is invited to birthday parties this summer, he or she may encounter a bounce house. Portable bounce houses have become really common, as they can be delivered and set up quickly to provide a fun activity children enjoy. Unfortunately, portable bounce houses can also be really dangerous for kids, especially if they are not set up correctly or if there is a defect in the product which causes the bounce house to be less safe than it should be when it is inflated.

Parents need to understand the risks both of having portable bounce houses at children’s parties they are hosting, as well as the risks of allowing their children to play in bounce houses at parties or events which are thrown by other friends or relatives or community groups.

While your child may be clamoring to play, you want to evaluate whether or not you think it is safe for you to allow your child to use the bounce house. If your child does get hurt, it is also important to know what your rights are for taking legal action. Boston product liability lawyers can help parents to determine who can be held accountable and what legal arguments to make when pursuing a claim for compensation based on a child sustaining injury in a bounce house.

May 18, 2017

Dangerous BBQ Grills Could Cause Serious Injury in Summer Months

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Summer is a time for cookouts on the grill. Unfortunately, a fun outdoor barbecue could quickly turn into a devastating disaster if something goes wrong with a grill. Grills could be dangerous not only while in use, but also while simply being stored near your home. Explosions and serious burns can occur if a grill malfunctions, and sometimes injuries from malfunctioning grills are fatal.

If you or a loved one suffers an injury due to any type of problem with a grill that is being used, the manufacturer, distributors and others involved with the production or sale of the grill can be held legally liable for damages. A Boston product liability lawyer can assist victims of grilling injuries in pursuing a claim for compensation by proving they were hurt as a direct result of a problem with a grill they were utilizing.

Malfunctioning Grills Present a Big Risk at BBQ

May 15, 2017

$110 Million Awarded in Talcum Powder Case

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

According to a recent news article from ABA Journal, a jury has just awarded a plaintiff $110 million in a talcum powder lawsuit alleging product liability. The claim was that defendant (Johnson & Johnson) manufactured talcum powder that caused her to develop ovarian cancer. Not only did the jury find this to be true by a clear preponderance of the evidence, they awarded her the largest verdict ever in a talcum powder products liability case.

While this is the largest talcum powder verdict by a long shot, it is not the only large verdict. There have been verdicts of $55 million, $70 million and $72 million in other recent cases. Continue reading

May 12, 2017

A Look at New Hip Replacement Tech

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Total knee replacement operations are the most popular elective surgical procedure in the U.S. There are over 600,000 performed each year. While this is an incredible number, the next most popular elective surgical procedure is the total hip replacement. These involve more than 300,000 operations annually. That figure is expected to grow in the years to come at a high rate.

One of the reasons we are seeing more operations is because younger patients are more willing to have a total joint replacement because they are tired of chronic pain and the surgery. More importantly, the recovery time is much better and easier to deal with than it was in years past.

A major reason for that is because of advances in technology. Continue reading

May 10, 2017

Stem Cell Treatment May Do Away With Need for Knee Replacement Surgery

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

For the past several years, we have been hearing more about stem cell research. In some cases, we are talking about cloning entire animals or even people. In other cases, there have been reports regarding stem cell cures for diseases we never thought possible. There has also been a lot of debate about the ethics and morality involved in things like stem cell research involving cloning and how to deal with cells from certain types of tissue.

These conversations will likely continue long in the future, and many of the applications are more in the science fiction stage than anywhere close to real world use. However, there is work being done today on a more modest scale that may bring actual relief to patients sooner rather than later.

Such treatments should be approached with skepticism, given reports of unscrupulous stem cell treatment and research centers that have left patients seriously and permanently injured. Continue reading

May 7, 2017

Pain and Suffering for Transvaginal Mesh Victims in Boston Deserves Attention

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Transvaginal mesh, or “TVM” as it is often called, was not originally developed to be used to treat medical conditions affecting the female reproductive system. Surgical mesh has been around for many years, and, as that name implies, it is a woven medical grade textile that is used to reinforce a part of the body, such an organ that has experienced erosion.

Vaginal mesh was adapted from the already existing forms of surgical mesh and was marketed as basically a cure-all for women’s health issues. If you were suffering from pelvic organ prolapse (POP) for example, a surgeon could implant the mesh in a simple outpatient procedure, and you would be back to normal. This would also allow you to fix issues like stress urinary insentience. Continue reading