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Monthly Archives: August 2016
New Vehicles, Old Airbags
Aug 26, 2016 - Car Accidents by Cross & Smith
Our Tuscaloosa car accident attorneys have touted the importance of airbags for a long time, and we will continue to do so. However, consumers need to know that it has been years since the first reports of defective airbag recalls were announced, and additional recalls make the news with alarming regularity. According to a June 2016 Office of Oversight and Investigations Minority Staff Report, the recall completion rates across automakers are unacceptably low, ranging from .04 percent to 57.1 percent. Just as disturbing is the fact that defective airbags continue to be installed in new vehicles. One Technical Detail Permits Recall Noncompliance A simplified explanation of the general issue behind the defective airbags involves the use of non-desiccated inflators. Due to the use of ammonium nitrate propellants, these airbags can inflate over-aggressively in a crash, exposing vehicle occupants to metal and plastic shrapnel. Even though airbags are intended to make driving safer, these accidents have resulted in at least 10 U.S. fatalities and more than 100 injuries. In fact, it is possible that accident victims might have fared better in accidents without the airbags in some cases. As recently as June 2016, the Minority Staff Report stated that four auto manufacturers acknowledge that they continue to install airbags known to be defective. They explain that this practice is within legal boundaries, however, since the official recall is set for the end of 2018. The reasons for the extended recall date are not clear, but they most likely pertain to supply […]
Read MoreThe Potential Dangers of General Anesthesia in Dental Procedures
Aug 12, 2016 - Personal Injury by Cross & Smith
Commercials for dental offices are becoming more common on television and radio, and the big sell appears to involve no pain through the use of general anesthesia. Like any dental patients, our Tuscaloosa accident attorneys support the overall concept of pain-free dental visits. However, we also believe that the delivery of anesthesia in dental offices should follow the same strict standards observed in hospital operating rooms. Strict Standards Might Have Prevented Recent Child Fatalities In a typical operating room, surgeons are responsible for performing operations, but anesthesiologists are responsible for closely monitoring patients throughout the procedure. Since dental offices often leave all responsibilities in the hands of one oral surgeon focusing on the procedure, things can go very wrong, such as what happened last year in California, when ABC 10 News reported the death of a 6-year old boy during a tooth extraction. Allegedly, no one noticed that he stopped breathing until it was too late. A dedicated anesthesiologist in the room might have prevented this death, along with several others that occurred in California in the same year, and a new law that should tighten up dental office anesthesia requirements (Caleb’s Law), has moved to the CA Senate floor this month. Meanwhile, anyone in Alabama considering the use of general anesthesia for dental procedures needs to know the regulations that are in effect in this state. The Alabama Dental Practice Act states that the use of general anesthesia is permitted when dental practitioners meet certain qualifications, including the following: […]
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