Oklahoma Injury Lawyer Blog

I remember my 9th grade biology teacher telling us to avoid antibacterial soaps because our bodies actually need bacteria. She also mentioned that there's a risk of creating bacteria that would be even more harmful. It turns out, there's more to the story:

The antibacterial Triclosan found in Dial's Complete Hand Soap may be causing more harm than good. We don't even know if it's safe to use in soap and now it's even in toothpaste (Colgate Total). It's everywhere. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that the chemical is present in the urine of 75% of Americans over the age of 5. The NY Times article states that studies have shown that it may alter hormone regulation and that the "F.D.A. has already said that soap with triclosan is no more effective than washing with ordinary soap and water, a finding that manufacturers dispute."

The Chicago Tribune reports that three people whose fingers were snipped off by Martha Stewart chairs "won" settlements against the company:

The settlements were reached with Sandy Caffoe of Jamestown, N.Y., a 67-year-old who lost the function of her right hand when two fingers were amputated in 2008; college student Lisa Peterson, 22, of Des Plaines, Ill. who had her right ring finger amputated in 2009; and Kaitlyn Damron of Pikeville, Ky., who was four in 2006 when the tip of her left pinky finger was severed.

A few notes:

• I find it odd that the article states that they "won" settlements. I'm sure if you asked any of the plaintiffs if they won anything, they would gladly have their fingers back to normal rather than any dollar amount they received. They also didn't "win" anything, they settled their cases. The settlement dollar amount, whatever it was, is ggenerally lower than what the plaintiffs would ask for at trial. Settling takes the inherent risk in going to trial, that's why they are lower.
  
• Note how long it took for them to recover anything. The 4 year old child's finger was severed in 2006. That's 5 year's ago.
  
• Like most personal injury settlements, this one was confidential.
  

Image by national museum of american history via Flickr

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 20% of injury car accidents in 2009 involved distracted driving. Cells are typically to blame, but new research shows that we are "driving under the influence of dogs." AAA encourages dog owners to restrain their pets to help avoid an accident:

"It's sometimes a hassle but drivers really should use a pet restraint system every time the pet is in the vehicle," said Chuck Mai, spokesman for AAA Oklahoma. "An unrestrained 10-pound dog in a crash at only 30 mph will exert roughly 300 pounds of pressure, while an unrestrained 80-pound dog in a crash at only 30 mph will exert approximately 2,400 pounds of pressure. Imagine the devastation that can cause to your pet and anyone in its path. Restraints not only limit distractions, but also protect you, your pet and other passengers in the event of a crash or sudden stop."

Image via Wikipedia

The FDA is reopening the comment period on the proposed "gluten-free" food labeling rule. Right now, the proposed criteria is that "gluten-free" food can't contain more than 20 parts per million or more of gluten. If I had celiac disease, I wouldn't touch processed foods that are supposedly gluten-free - just stick with real food.

I've dabbled with the Paleo Diet a few times. It's definitely an effective way to get back into shape. One of the main aspects of the diet is to avoid gluten. My asthma also seems to be better when I just eat real food.

I received a funny email last week from an old client. The email tells of the story of a "runaway verdict" in Oklahoma:

This year's runaway First Place Stella Award winner was: Mrs. Merv Grazinski, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, who purchased new 32-foot Winnebago motor home. On her first trip home, from an OU football  game, having driven on to the freeway, she set the cruise control at 70 mph  and calmly left the driver's seat to go to the back of the Winnebago to make  herself a sandwich. Not surprisingly, the motor home left the freeway, crashed  and overturned. Also not surprisingly, Mrs. Grazinski sued Winnebago for not putting in the owner's manual that she couldn't actually leave the driver's seat while the cruise control was set.

The Oklahoma jury awarded her, are you sitting down? $1,750,000 PLUS a new motor home. Winnebago actually changed their manuals as a result of this suit, just in case Mrs. Grazinski has any relatives who might also buy a motor home.

If you think the court system is out of control, be sure to pass this one on.

Guess what? It's an interesting story, but it's totally false. The truth is that special interest groups (specifically billion dollar insurance companies) like us to believe that our court system is full of runaway verdicts. Can anyone name ONE in Oklahoma? 

Sure, there are some crazy lawsuits out there. The Facebook one is about a ton of money, for instance.

Personal injury lawsuits in Oklahoma are because plaintiffs want to be reimbursed for their medical bills and something for their pain and suffering. It's not a lottery system, but about plaintiffs trying to get something fair.