Los Angeles Injury Attorney Blog

A toddler suffered a traumatic amputation of his finger Tuesday afternoon in an escalator accident at the Los Angeles Superior Court, Van Nuys Courthouse West. Witnesses told firefighters responding to a 911 call that the victim, a 17-month-old boy had been riding an escalator down from the second floor to the first floor when his left index finger was traumatically amputated in the "comb and groove" of the tread near the bottom exit ramp. Bystanders and on-duty sheriff's deputies activated the emergency stop and the child was not entangled or trapped, although it soon became apparent that his inch-long index finger was missing.

Paramedics placed the child and his mother in an ambulance as their colleagues began searching for the finger. The escalator was quickly disassembled with power tools and the Escalator Maintenance Supervisor was brought in. After about 90 minutes of intense searching, the boy's finger was found. Paramedics placed the finger in a sterile dressing in a plastic bag and sprinted to a waiting Los Angeles Fire Department vehicle.

Surgeons were standing by at the Richie Pediatric Trauma Center at Northridge Hospital and reattached the finger, although it is not certain the surgery was a success.

Continue reading "Toddler's Finger Severed by Escalator at Van Nuys Courthouse " »

Three people were hospitalized last week after a truck went off the road and plowed into an AMPM gas station in Fontana, the Herald News reported. The horrific accident was reported on Tuesday, May 4th, at 10:36 a.m., at the Arco gas station located at the corner of Sierra Avenue and Baseline Avenue.

According to reports by ABC 7 News, a white Chevrolet pickup truck jumped a curb, plowed over a security pole and gas pump and struck a man pumping gas into his Toyota Tacoma. The man was pinned between his truck, the gas pump and the security pole. His leg was completely severed at his knee. The force of the collision uprooted a second pump station, which fell onto a gray Toyota Corolla. A female occupant inside the Corolla was also injured.

The Fontana Police department is investigating the cause of the crash. It is not clear whether the driver of the Chevy was impaired by drugs or alcohol, or if he suffered a medical emergency such as a stroke or a seizure, or if something malfunctioned mechanically in his truck.

Personal Injury Liability Issues

The cause of this crash is still under investigation. However, based on the news reports, it is clear that the driver of the white pickup truck caused this crash by losing control of his vehicle, although why he lost control is still not known. In this situation, the families of the two victims injured in this accident would be well-advised to contact a Riverside personal injury attorney as soon as possible.

This was a very serious incident and there are numerous legal issues involved, as this incident occurred at a gas station. An experienced and skilled personal injury attorney can help the victims understand and protect their legal rights, and obtain full and fair compensation from their serious injuries sustained in this accident. Both victims may be entitled to substantial compensation for their injuries including their medical expenses, lost earnings, and pain and suffering as a result of the accident.

Continue reading "Gas Station Customer's Leg Severed After Truck Plows Into Gas Station " »

Timothy Howard, 48, a former middle school administrator from Valencia, went to his doctor in October 2007 with intermittent blindness in his right eye. His primary doctor referred him to an ophthalmologist, who found no abnormalities. For several weeks, Howard continued having vision symptoms, as well as headaches and pain in his neck. On thanksgiving evening two years ago, Howard experienced complete vision lost in his left eye. Howard went to Urgent Care, where a doctor diagnosed him with an ocular migraine, but agreed to run a CT scan. While waiting for the results of the scan, Howard suffered a stroke. Doctors at the emergency room diagnosed a carotid tear (dissection) as the cause of the stroke. Last week arbitrators ruled that Kaiser Permanente will pay Howard $5 million for the misdiagnosis.

According to a suit filed by Howard, Kaiser physicians did not properly diagnose the cause of Howard's episodic blindness, headaches and other symptoms. Instead of diagnosing Howard's tear in the carotid artery, physicians said Howard had a migraine. After Howard's stroke two years ago, an infection related to his treatment resulted in both of Howard's legs being amputated. Howard has no use of his left arm and has left-sided weakness. He has not been able to return to work since the stroke and is wheelchair bound.

Continue reading "Kaiser Permanente to Pay $5 Million to Patient For Preventable Stroke" »