Excessive force brings $10M settlement

A shove by a sheriff's deputy is going to cost King County in the state of Washington $10 million. The incident occurred in May 2009 when Christopher Sean Harris was pushed into a concrete wall, suffering a catastrophic brain injury. Harris now requires around-the-clock care. His wife filed suit against the county alleging that Deputy Matthew Paul acted negligently and used excessive force. A $10

90,600 GE Zoneline air conditions and heaters recalled due to fire hazard

Among the latest product recalls announced by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) are the following products:Venmar Ventilation Inc., air exchangers (fire hazard - 1,400)Quality Bicycle Products., carrier racks for mounting over front bicycle wheels (fall hazard – 100)Husqvarna Professional Products Inc., Husqvarna yard tractors with TuffTorq K46LD transaxle (risk of reduced or

Pennsylvania man wins jury verdict over lost leg

A jury in Cambria County, PA, awarded a man $633,525 in a medical malpractice lawsuit in which he claimed that negligent care resulted in his leg being amputated above the knee. The lawsuit was filed by Ronald Duerring, who is in his 60s and has an extensive medical history including vascular disease. Duerring was admitted to one hospital, then another in late 2006 for severe pain in his right

1 Million pool and spa drain covers recalled due to possible entrapment hazard

Among the latest product recalls announced by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) are the following products:Meijer Inc., Katie Brown 12-piece tea light candle sets (serious burn and fire hazard - 7,600)Lan Enterprises, LLC, strollers. (Entrapment and strangulation hazard - 2,300)STIHL Inc., Gas powered STIHL trimmers, brushcutters, KombiMotors, hedge trimmers, edgers, clearing

Smoking still the rage in Scranton region

The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre/Hazleton area is No. 2 in the nation -- for smoking. The dubious ranking was revealed in an article in the national website The Daily Beast. The rankings were based on statistics including the number of smokers per capita and the average number of cigarettes smoked per day. About 23 percent of residents in the northeastern Pennsylvania region smoked an average of 17

1 Million Maclaren strollers recalled due to finger amputation and laceration hazard

Among the latest product recalls announced by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) are the following products:Maclaren USA, Inc., Maclaren strollers (fingertip amputation and laceration - 1 million)UJ Trading, Knight Hawk Toy Helicopters (fire hazard - 18,500)Meijer Inc., pairs of Bumble Bee and Lady Bug infant slipper socks (choking hazard - 17,400)Telstar Products d/b/a Sprint

Injured mechanic wins large jury award

A California elevator mechanic was forced to carry heavy tools and parts on a jobsite that had scaffolding built lower than clearances required under state law. Over two months in 2007 on the hotel construction job, David Travis, who is six-foot-one, bumped his head several times on cross-bracing. The repeated incidents added up to a debilitating injury. Travis suffered herniated discs that

Settlement reached in carnival ride collapse

There was nothing amusing about the Yo-Yo. A breakdown of the carnival ride, which twirls riders on swing-like seats suspended from chains on a hydraulic arm, resulted in a number of serious injuries. Twenty-three people were hurt when the ride collapsed in May 2008 at the Calaveras County Fair and Jumping Frog Jubilee in Angels Camp, Calif. A similar accident had occurred two years earlier at a