Boston Personal Injury Attorney Blog

March 26, 2010

Mother Says Infant Died Due to Defective Baby Sling Product

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a joint statement with Health Canada this week warning about the use of certain baby slings. The CPSC says it has identified fourteen suffocation deaths that occurred while babies were in the sling-style carriers. The CPSC says most of the children were younger than four months.

Three of the deaths occurred while infants were in slings by the manufacturer, Infantino. The company issued a recall this week of their “SlingRider” and “Wendy Belissimo” products. They have not taken responsibility for any deaths, however, and insist their products go through rigorous testing internally, with governmental agencies, and by third-party testing organizations.

One of the mothers whose child died while in the SlingRider believes the company sold her a defective product. On May 7, 2009, she set out across a store parking lot with her 7-day old infant in the sling. By the time she reached her car, the child was nearly dead. Her fiance started CPR and paramedics were called to the scene, but he could not be saved. The coroner ruled the baby’s death due to compression asphyxia/suffocation. In January, the mother filed a lawsuit seeking millions of dollars in damages and accusing Infantino of negligence.

March 17, 2010

Two killed in pedestrian accidents on highways

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Two pedestrians were killed in separate accidents on highways in eastern Massachusetts in the past 24 hours, State Police said.

Bruce Flaherty, 46, of Salisbury was fatally injured when he was hit by a car after stepping into the right lane on Route 95 South in Newbury at about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, State Police said in a statement.

In the second case, a male was killed when he was hit by a commercial vehicle at Interstate 93 southbound at Woburn Street in Wilmington at about 3:36 a.m. today. State Police said the victim might have jumped from an overpass before being hit. The victim’s name was not released.

February 25, 2010

Two dead, dozens injured in charter bus crash

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

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By CHRTOPHER TUFFLEY

SEBRING –Two fatalities have been confirmed by the Florida Highway Patrol in the charter bus crash that occurred at 2:15 p.m. Monday afternoon on U. S. 27 at the intersection with Lake Francis Road.

The bus, chartered by South Florida Community College for its Exploritas program, was traveling north, returning from a tour of the Lake Placid murals at the time of the crash.

January 28, 2010

Injuries to Pedestrians Often Preventable

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

The city of Boston is known for its aggressive drivers. There are a lot of people in a small area, with many of them in a hurry to get where they’re going. One of the unfortunate consequences of aggressive driving is motor vehicle collisions with pedestrians.

A recent look at Boston-area newspapers shows a spate of these accidents:

Danvers police cited a young driver for a pedestrian accident that sent a 64-year-old man to a Boston hospital with serious injuries. The driver, a high school student, was ticketed for failure to yield to a pedestrian.
In Revere, a man trying to cross a highway died after he was struck by a car. No identification was found on the body of the man, who appeared to be in his 30s.
In Belmont, a minivan struck a woman walking across the street in the late afternoon. A driver who witnessed the event said he was driving behind the van and honked his horn to warn the van’s driver of the pedestrian. Another witness said the pedestrian walked across the street without looking for traffic. The driver was cited for speeding and failing to yield to a pedestrian.
A 45-year-old man was in critical condition at Boston Medical Center after being struck by a car in Dorchester. Passersby told police the man had been asking for spare change prior to the accident. A police spokesperson said he walked out between two cars into the street.
In late August, a 15-year-old girl was hit and killed as she tried to cross a street in Marblehead. The cause of the accident was being investigated as the town mourned its loss.