President Says “Slow-Rolling” Drug Shortage Problem Must be Fixed

President Says “Slow-Rolling” Drug Shortage Problem Must be Fixed

by admin@gotechark.com | October 31st, 2011

October 31, 2011

With drug shortages being blamed for price gouging and patient deaths across the country, President Barack Obama is calling for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to take steps toward solving the problem. According to MSNBC, those steps include broadening reporting of potential drug shortages, accelerating the review of applications for manufacturing changes on drugs shortages, and getting the Justice Department information on cases of collusion and instances of price gouging.

The President argued that the “slow-rolling” problem must be fixed now by saying, “We can’t wait for action on the Hill, we’ve got to go ahead and move forward.”

Reports show there are more than 200 medications on a list of scarcely stocked items in the United States. That is a nearly 300 percent increase from the mere 56 listed in 2006. While the FDA has managed to ward off 137 shortages in the last 21 months, lack of vital medications and supplies are being linked to hundreds of deaths across the country. For instance, the Alabama Department of Health is being blamed for nine deaths and ten others being harmed after contamination through feeding tubes where sterile premix was not available.

The deaths are made even more difficult by the fact that the drugs are available, but at ridiculously marked up prices through “gray market” distributors.

The Virginia Medical Malpractice Attorneys with Lowell “The Hammer” Stanley want you to contact us if you have been caused harm because a certain medication you needed was not available.

Trial Begins for Norfolk Drunk Driver in Fatal Wreck

by admin@gotechark.com | October 26th, 2011

October 26, 2011

The trial began this week for a Norfolk, Virginia, man who got drunk and crashed his friend’s car in August 2010, killing three passengers.

The Virginian-Pilot reports that the 32-year-old man went to trial on Monday on three counts of aggravated involuntary manslaughter, for the deaths of an 18-year-old, 19-year-old, and 29-year-old. The crash, which occurred in the 1800 block of East Indian Road on August 11, 2010, also injured three people when the car ripped through a guardrail and into a group of trees.

Prosecutor Patricia O’Boyle told jurors on Monday that the driver reached speeds of up to 110 miles per hour as passengers yelled for him to slow down. His blood alcohol content level was later shown to be three times the legal limit.

In connection with the crash, the man also faces charges of driving while intoxicated, driving with a revoked license, purchasing alcohol for a minor, and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. These charges will be addressed in separate trials.

The driver’s defense attorney told jurors that a front-seat passenger jerked his wheel, causing the accident. O’Boyle said the car was so badly wrecked that rescue crews “could hardly tell it was a car.”

Read more.

If you or someone you know has been the victim of a Virginia auto accident, the injury lawyers at Lowell Stanley can help.

Navy Sailor Dies in Virginia Motorcycle Crash

by admin@gotechark.com | October 20th, 2011

October 19, 2011

A 24-year-old Navy sailor from Danville, Virginia, was killed on Tuesday in a motorcycle accident on Norfolk’s Terminal Boulevard, which roughly defines the southern edge of the Naval Station Norfolk complex.

According to The Navy Times, the man was traveling eastbound on Terminal Boulevard on his 2007 Suzuki GSXR 600 motorcycle when he lost control, hit a curb and was thrown into a guardrail around 1:50 p.m.

Officer Chris Amos told The Navy Times that the victim was “weaving in and out of traffic at a high speed.”

The motorcycle continued to slide eastbound along the road.

Amos also told The Virginian-Pilot that no other vehicles were involved in the crash.

The victim was transported to Norfolk General Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The details of this crash remain under investigation.

The victim was serving in the Navy and was assigned to the carrier Harry S. Truman, to which he’d reported in September 2007, according to Navy Personnel Command.

The Navy reports that this was the third off-duty motorcycle mishap fatality in fiscal year 2012, which began on October 1. In fiscal year 2011, 12 sailors died in similar accidents involving lightweight, high-speed sport bikes.

Read more.

If you or someone you know has been the victim of a Virginia auto accident, the injury lawyers at Lowell Stanley can help.

City of Norfolk Blamed in Sanitation Worker’s Death

by admin@gotechark.com | October 11th, 2011

October 11, 2011

The Virginia Department of Labor and Industry has cited the city of Norfolk for 19 serious safety violations following the death of a garbage truck worker in February.

The 51-year-old man was crushed to death by the hydraulic system inside his garbage truck on February 3. According to HamptonRoads.com, city officials initially said the worker violated policy by climbing into the back of the truck to clear debris away from a blade.

However, the state agency found that the man was only doing what he’d been trained to do. They also concluded that the safety mechanism that may have saved his life was not functional.

“Employees are instructed to enter the compactor area of the Heil Formula 7000 trucks to clear debris when the blade stops due to the limit switch tripping,” the report states.

The victim’s daughter said that her family hasn’t been notified about the state’s investigation into her father’s death, but she said she’d checked with other sanitation workers to confirm that her father had followed policy by getting into the back of his truck.

“[My father] would not have done that unless he was told to do it,” said the daughter. “He was very conscious of safety issues.”

Read more.

If you or someone you know has been the victim of a Virginia wrongful death, the injury lawyers at Lowell Stanley can help.

Virginia Beach Drunk Driver Free While Awaiting Retrial

by admin@gotechark.com | October 4th, 2011

October 4, 2011

A 23-year-old Virginia Beach, Virginia, driver who’s awaiting trial for the 2008 drunken driving death of his friend will remain free on bond despite acquiring a more recent charge of obstructing justice and using profane language over a public airway.

The Virginian-Pilot reports that the determination was made by Circuit Court judge Frederick B. Lowe despite prosecutors’ request that the offender’s bond be revoked in light of his new charges.

The man is accused of leaving a threatening phone message for a witness who’s subpoenaed to testify in his retrial. A prosecutor has said that the witness feels the man intended harm, but the man’s attorney argued that he made a mistake by leaving the message but never meant to hurt anyone. The judge ruled that he didn’t have sufficient evidence to revoke bond but said he’ll rehear the matter if prosecutors can cough up more evidence.

The man is currently charged with involuntary manslaughter and drunken driving in connection with the December 28, 2008, death of his 20-year-old male friend, a former high school volleyball star. He has since been out on bond for 33 months.

A May 2011 trial regarding the matter went awry after Lowe declared it a mistrial when jurors couldn’t agree on a sentence. The man’s new trial is scheduled for November 1.

Read more.

Do you think that this Virginia drunk driver should have had his bond revoked?

If you or someone you know has been the victim of a Virginia auto accident, the injury lawyers at Lowell Stanley can help.