This was the case with motorcyclist Austin Porter in Seattle. He was stopped at a stop light in downtown Seattle when he was run over by a Ride the Ducks vehicle and dragged for a number of yards. This happened in October of 2011. Porter’s injuries required surgery, hospitalization, and months in a skilled nursing home. Porter continues with physical therapy and uses a walking cane. So far his medical bills have hit about $500,000. Porter recently filed a civil suit against the duck tour company for unspecified damages.

The Seattle Police continue to investigate the accident. According to Porter, he would likely have been dragged further if bystanders hadn’t yelled and hit the sides of the vehicle to alert the driver. A surveillance camera at a nearby Walgreen’s also recorded the accident.

For more on this story, see this article.

The original post is titled Duck and cover , and it came from Paulson Coletti - Portland Oregon Law Firm .

In April 2010 29 miners died in a mining explosion. It was later discovered that Massey was guilty of a number of safety violations and thus responsible for the explosion. In fact, the company had a history of safety violations and problems. Soon after the tragedy, however, Massey officials visited the families of the dead miners, offering them $3 million settlements in addition to other benefits, including health coverage and college funding. Officials claimed they wanted to help the families and that lawsuits would only drain funds that could go directly to them.

The families now feel duped and hope to achieve class-action status in their suit against the mining company and its officials. For more on this story, see this article.

The original post is titled Fraud in a coal mine , and it came from Paulson Coletti - Portland Oregon Law Firm .

Oregon psychiatrist Daniel E. Casey headed a study in 2003 that supposedly found Depakote to be effective in the treatment of schizophrenia. It was later determined that the study did not find scientific evidence to support that claim and that the study could have been interpreted as misleading. At the time, though, the study and Abbott’s marketing of the drug made it a very popular treatment for schizophrenia. Sales in 2007 alone reached $1.6 billion.

After a study in 2004 concluded that the 2003 study had been incorrect, and that Depakote was not effective in treating schizophrenia, Abbott continued to market it as such and did not release the 2004 study until late 2008. State investigators contend Casey was paid by Abbott to promote Depakote to doctors.

Federal investigators were tipped off to problems with Depakote by whistleblowers at Abbott. In 1999 a clinical trial in which Depakote was used to treat agitation related to dementia had to be discontinued due to a host of negative side effects. Despite this, Abbott continued to promote sales of Depakote to nursing homes until 2006.

For more on this story, see this article.

The original post is titled One pill doesn’t cure all , and it came from Paulson Coletti - Portland Oregon Law Firm .

The tool in question was a small screwdriver that the dentist, Dr. W. B. Galbreath, was using the tool while working on the patient’s dental implants. The plaintiff, 71-year-old Lena David, has dentures, and the implants hold them in place. The dentist dropped the implant screwdriver, and David swallowed it. The tool was lodged in David’s throat, but she was unable to get rid of it. Dr. Galbreath told her to visit a nearby chiropractor to get X-rays, and the dentist read the films. He informed her that the tool was in her stomach and that it should pass through her system naturally. He suggested she consume a high-fiber diet to help. Unfortunately, David did not pass the screwdriver naturally, and she ended up in the hospital to have it removed.

For more on this story, see this article.

The original post is titled Dental distress , and it came from Paulson Coletti - Portland Oregon Law Firm .

It was one of those accidents where all parties seemed to make poor decisions. The school bus driver, who had only been on the job for a few weeks and had already accrued several complaints from parents, allegedly inched into the intersection then entered the intersection. The truck driver was driving at high speeds, and the vehicle was over its weight limit. In addition, the truck’s brakes were not in proper condition. The truck driver’s license had been suspended for reckless driving in 2003. The bus driver claims he did not see the oncoming truck. The truck swerved but was unable to avoid hitting the back of the bus. The bus then spun around and hit a light pole. The eleven-year-old was the only fatality, but seventeen other students were hurt.

The Prosecutor’s Office is waiting for investigators of the National Transportation Safety Board to finalize its findings before making a decision regarding criminal charges against the drivers.

For more on this story, see this article.

The original post is titled Collision course , and it came from Paulson Coletti - Portland Oregon Law Firm .

Timofey Gitlin, a retired engineer, is suing TriMet for $3.3 million after he was run over by a bus and lost a leg last fall. Gitlin was allegedly waiting at a bus stop in SW Portland with groceries when a No. 54 bus pulled up. Gitlin asked the driver if it was indeed the No. 54 then asked the driver to wait a moment as he fetched his groceries. The bus then supposedly closed its doors and started to drive away. Gitlin attempted to catch the bus driver’s attention but then slipped and went under the bus. As a result of the accident, he had to have one of his legs amputated.

The TriMet bus driver has a different recollection of what happened. At the time of the accident, the driver told police that Gitlin communicated that he did not want to ride that bus, and that’s why the driver pulled away.

The lawsuit not only asks for more than $115,000 to cover past medical expenses, but it also requests $2.5 for pain and suffering as well as $750,000 for Gitlin’s wife, who suffered from non-economic damages.

The original post is titled Caught under the bus , and it came from Paulson Coletti - Portland Oregon Law Firm .

The bacteria can cause death and is particularly dangerous for pregnant women. Listeria has been found not only in Del Bueno’s cheese but also on their manufacturing site. The company recalled its queso fresco cheese three times in 2010 alone. That same year it was tied to one reported illness in Washington state. The company has been warned a number of times about its unsanitary environment.

The original post is titled Say (no) cheese! , and it came from Paulson Coletti - Portland Oregon Law Firm .

The background is that Campbell was distraught over the death of his brother and displayed suicidal tendencies. The police were called, and Campbell was ordered out of an apartment. He emerged, and bean-bag rounds were shot at him. Campbell then started to run, so Frashour fired his AR-15 rifle and shot Campbell once in the back, killing him.

Frashour claimed he believed Campbell was armed, but Portland police chief Mike Reese fired him, saying Frashour was the only person who fired live rounds and that Frashour used poor judgment and was too focused on his weapon. Some also believed race was a factor in the shooting (Campbell was black, and Frashour is white).

Arbitration found that Frashour acted according to his training and was justified in his use of deadly force. In other words, the controversy isn’t over.

For more on this story, see this article.

The original post is titled Shot in the back , and it came from Paulson Coletti - Portland Oregon Law Firm .

The city bus was making a left-hand turn, and Michael Heaston, the motorcycle rider, could not stop in time and crashed into the side of the bus. The bus driver, Archie Smith, Jr., had stopped at the stop sign before beginning the turn. He alleges he did not see Heaston, but he was charged with careless and imprudent driving by the police, and a review by the Columbia Transit Safety Committee stated Smith could have avoided the accident.

Accidents do occur, and when they do, everyone involved suffers. Be safe out there!

For more information on this story, see this article.

The original post is titled Bus accidents everywhere , and it came from Paulson Coletti - Portland Oregon Law Firm .

The police and Halsted offered two very different accounts of the incident. Halsted said he had been out with friends and was walking home when someone flashed a light at him. He heard someone yell to “get him,” so Halsted ran. He then heard someone yell to Tase him, and after that he felt pain. Halsted said he yelled for help as the officers Tased him several more times then pushed him into the ground. He had to be taken to a hospital.

The police officers were in pursuit of some graffiti vandals. Davidson said he was notified that a suspect was on Wasco Street, so he went to the location, where he saw several men running. He claims he identified himself as police and yelled at Halsted to stop, but Halsted would not stop, so he Tased him. Davidson claims he used appropriate force.

Whatever the case, the jury believed Halsted. For more on this story, see this article.

The original post is titled A Case of Mistaken Tasing , and it came from Paulson Coletti - Portland Oregon Law Firm .