Teen injured in snow mobile accident

A Connecticut teen (19 year old male) was riding a snow mobile when he suddenly crashed.  The hospital declared his serious injuries to be non-life threatening.

The accident happened in in Ellington just before 8pm at Soapstone Mountain.  Lifestar Medical Helicopter transported the victim to Hartford Hospital.

TOY RECALL: Tornado Tube Slides with Port Holes

Solowave Design

IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTICE
Immediate Recall for Replacement Parts of the Tube Slide with Port Hole Windows.

Injuries Sustained Due To Defective Product
The port hole window can break, creating a laceration hazard for consumers.  Potential serious injuries to back, legs, arms, shoulders, neck, feet, hands and head.  High injury risk for children.

What This Recall Includes
This program replaces the port hole windows on certain play sets that include Tube Slides with port hole windows.

How To Apply For Recall of Tornado Tube Slide

If your slide is affected, STOP USING IT IMMEDIATELY, and visit www.bigbackyard.com/safetynotice2013 or call toll-free
1-866-678-0376 Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm ET for information about free replacements

Freak Trampoline Accident Causes Rare Injury

A Leitchfield man is on the road to recovery after a bizarre trampoline accident.

Doctors at the Kleinert Kutz Hand Care Center performed a rare surgery after both of Jonathon Durall's biceps ruptured.

Seven months after Durall's accident, the 35-year-old is trying to get back to normal.

Durall strapped into a bungee trampoline and with his arms settled into the restraints, he hoped to backflip into the air.

Durall got some height while jumping but then the jump took a turn.

"And then the last one, I was doing the backflip and I was coming down face first and I flexed my muscles," said Durall.

Doctors say the strong contraction of Durall's arms, combined with the resistance of the bungee, created a recipe for a dangerous injury. 

"I didn't feel a thing when it happened, I heard a simultaneous pop," said Durall.  "I look over and my biceps on both my arms are up into my shoulders."

That popping sound that Durall heard was a bilateral distal bicep tendon rupture in both arms.

Essentially, both biceps tore from the bone and needed to be reattached. 

"It’s very rare, its known to happen, but it’s not very common, usually its one arm or the other," said Dr. Yorell Manon-Matos from Kleinert Kutz.  “The biceps retracted and essentially curled up in his arm." 

Manon-Matos performed the uncommon surgery.

The operation was a success, and while Durall still has a long way to go, he's hoping to soon get back to his volunteer work at several Kentucky caves.

He said he does not plan to get back on a trampoline.

RECALL ALERT: Cradle Gliders Recalled Due to Infant Fall Hazard

Dream On Me Recalls Cradle Gliders Due to Infant Fall Hazard
Consumers should stop using this product unless otherwise instructed.
Recall date: November 13, 2013

Hazard:
The mattress support board can fall out or slide out of the bottom of the cradle glider posing a risk that babies can fall out and suffer injuries.




Incidents/Injuries
Dream On Me and CPSC have received reports of two incidents while infants were asleep inside the cradle. A one-month old infant fell to the floor when the mattress support board partially fell out, but the child was uninjured. A second report involved a four-month old infant who did not fall out of the cradle after the mattress support board became partially disengaged.

If you have been injured due to a defective product call the experienced product liability lawyers at Buttafuoco & Associates 1-800-669-4878

Baby Thrown From 2nd Floor Apartment Windown Survives

A 58-year-old woman, Arlene Pickett, was killed in an apartment fire in Ambridge over the weekend.  She was attempting to get out of the burning building and was found in a stairwell.

Neighbors said they saw smoke pouring out of the windows and could hear people screaming from inside.
 “It was amazing, little kids crying for their mother. It was terrible, terrible. The flames were coming straight out like a furnace,” witness Mike Vougias said.

People living nearby said they piled up mattresses so those trapped could jump to safety. A baby was also thrown out the window and was safely caught by a man standing by.

“We grabbed the mattresses and piled them up below the window and they jumped out one-by-one and tossed the baby down,” neighbor Siera Mixter said.

 “The mother finally jumped out first. The dad threw the baby out. There was a gentleman that caught the baby,” witness A.J. Mixter said.

“I caught the baby. I just put my arms out and he fell into my arms,” Bob Dunn said.

RECALL ALERT: Perrigo Recalls Acetaminophen Infant Liquid Due to Syringe Error

PERRIGO INITIATES NATIONWIDE VOLUNTARY PRODUCT RECALL OF ACETAMINOPHEN INFANT SUSPENSION LIQUID, 160 mg/5 mL, DUE TO A POTENTIAL DEFECT WITH THE CO-PACKAGED ORAL SYRINGE

The Perrigo Company (NYSE: PRGO; TASE) announced today that it has initiated a voluntary, nationwide product recall to the retail level of 18 batches of its acetaminophen infant suspension liquid, 160 mg/5 mL, sold in 2 oz. and 4 oz. bottles with syringes in a box under the store brand products listed below. The recall is being initiated because of the remote potential that a small number of packages might contain an oral dosing syringe without dose markings. The correct syringe should have a white or yellow plunger with specific dose markings for 1.25 ml, 2.5 mL, 3.75 mL, and 5 ml. If the product's syringe has these dose markings, consumers can continue to use the product while following labeled use instructions.

Using an oral syringe without dose markings can result in inaccurate dosing, especially in infants who could mistakenly get too high a dose.

     Commenting on this market action, Perrigo's Chairman, President and CEO Joseph C. Papa stated, "There are no issues or concerns with respect to the safety or efficacy of the product, only the potential that the oral dosing device in a relatively small number of packages could be unmarked. Out of an abundance of caution, we are taking this measure to maintain the highest possible product quality standards for our retail customers and consumers. While we cannot be certain that any of these unmarked dosing devices were released into our customers' supply chains, taking this action is the right thing to do." Perrigo has not received any reports or complaints related to this defect nor have they found any product with missing dose markings on re-examination of product on hand.

     This OTC product is indicated for the relief of fever and minor aches and pains and can be used in infants, children and adults. These recalled products are sold by distributors Nationwide and distributed through retail stores.

     Perrigo is notifying its distributors and customers by verbal and e-mail communication today, followed by formal Fed Ex-delivered communication. It also is arranging for return of all recalled products. Distributors/retailers that have the acetaminophen infant suspension liquid that is being recalled should stop distribution and return product.

     If the oral dosing device contained in the package has dose markings, no action is required, and the consumer can continue to use the product consistent with the label instructions. If the package contains an oral dosing device that does not have dose markings, the consumer should not use the product and should call Perrigo's Consumer Affairs Department, toll free, 1-800-719-9260. Consumers should contact their physician or health care provider if they have any questions, or if they or their children experience any problem that could possibly be related to this drug product.


If you or someone you know has been injured due to a defect product call the experienced product liability attorneys at Buttafuoco & Associates 1-800-669-4878

Fair Worker In Critical Condition After Ride Collapses

A North Carolina State Fair worker who was disassembling a ride was taken to the hospital after suffering a severe leg injury. 

Brian Long, a spokesman for the state Department of Agriculture, said Anesto Newell, 32, was injured about 3:30 a.m. as he was taking apart a ride called the Vortex. The ride is not the same one – also called the Vortex – that was idled last week after five people were hurt.
 Family members who were also working nearby said he suffered a broken back, pelvis and leg when a piece of the ride fell on him.

"All I saw was this yellow hoodie laying on the ground and I said, 'Oh no, that's my brother,'" said Tywan Newell. "When I got there, the ride was on top of his body."


Anesto Newell was taken to WakeMed where he had surgery and was in critical condition in intensive care.

Fair/Festivals have proven to be an unsafe environment in recent years with a number of injuries and even fatalities reported due to faulty rides and defective equipment.  

9-year-old boy orphaned in crash that kills entire family

A 9-year-old boy is recovering after his entire immediate family, including his pregnant mother, was killed in a car crash in California.

Relatives confirmed that 11-year-old Irving Miranda, 5-year-old Jose Miranda, 4-year-old Stephanie Miranda, 30-year-old Luis Miranda and 31-year-old Vivian Rodriguez all died in the collision at Ham Lane and Vine Street near Lodi Memorial Hospital.

A driver who witnesses have said might be responsible for the crash was in surgery, police said.

"All I saw was him flying down Ham Lane, flying around a car in the wrong lane and (he) was on the phone, and I told my parents when I got to their house, there will be a major accident before he reaches Kettleman Lane," Andrews said. "He was at least 100 miles per hour."

Westley Ruyle also was in the area and spotted the same vehicle just before the crash.
"The next thing we know, this gray Tahoe went flying by us at a high rate of speed, possibly close to 100 miles per hour -- maybe more," Ruyle said. "He almost hit a few vehicles on his travels. Before I got to Tokay, next thing I know, I see a huge dust cloud."

Robotic Surgery ERROR Cover-up - Thousands Injured or Dead.

In March of  2009, Erin Izumi, a 30 year-old woman from Tacoma, Wash., had robotically assisted surgery to treat endometriosis. The procedure at St. Joseph Medical Center dragged on for almost 11 hours.

A week and a half later, Ms. Izumi was rushed to an emergency room, where physicians found that her colon and rectum had been torn during the surgery. She was in the hospital for five weeks, undergoing a series of corrective procedures to repair the damage, including a temporary colostomy, according to her attorney Chris Otorowski.

But even though medical device manufacturers and hospitals are required to report every device-related death and serious injury to a database maintained by the Food and Drug Administration within 30 days of learning about an incident, no report about the case was made in 2009. Hospital officials declined to comment, and a spokeswoman for the manufacturer said it became aware of the incident only when Ms. Izumi filed a lawsuit. It disputed the claim and settled the case in May 2012.

That was not the only lapse in reporting problems with robotic surgical equipment, a new study has found.
The equipment, called the da Vinci system, is made by Intuitive Surgical Inc. of Sunnyvale, Calif. It has been on the market for more than a decade; more than a million procedures have been performed with it. Between January 2000 and August 2012, thousands of mishaps were reported to the F.D.A. In the vast majority of cases, the patient was not harmed, but among the reports were 174 injuries and 71 deaths related to da Vinci surgery, according to a study published last week in The Journal for Healthcare Quality.

Yet by combing news reports and court records, researchers at Johns Hopkins were able to find examples of botched operations that were not reported to the agency. They concluded that adverse events associated with the da Vinci were “vastly underreported.” The consequence is that little is known of the real disadvantages of the equipment, and the injuries and deaths it may cause, even as robotic surgery is widely marketed to consumers, Dr. Zuckerman said.

Nevertheless, robotic surgery has grown dramatically, increasing more than 400 percent in the United States between 2007 and 2011. About 1,400 da Vinci systems, which cost $1.5 million to $2.5 million, have been purchased by hospitals, according to Intuitive’s investor reports.

The expansion has occurred without proper evaluation and monitoring of the benefits, said Dr. Martin A. Makary, an associate professor of surgery at Johns Hopkins and the senior author of the paper.
“This whole issue is symbolic of a larger problem in American health care, which is the lack of proper evaluation of what we do,” Dr. Makary said. “We adopt expensive new technologies, but we don’t even know what we’re getting for our money — if it’s of good value or harmful.”

A 2010 study found that 56.8 percent of surgeons surveyed anonymously said they had experienced irrecoverable operative malfunctions while using the da Vinci system, Dr. Makary noted.
Women were more likely to be harmed during the robotic procedures, Dr. Makary and his colleagues found. Nearly one-third of deaths that were reported to the F.D.A. database occurred during gynecologic procedures, and 43 percent of the injuries were associated with hysterectomies.
“Any time there is a serious problem with the da Vinci, it should be reported,” Dr. Zuckerman said. “It’s the F.D.A.’s job to figure out whether this is a problem related to the device or a doctor error.”

If you or someone you know has been injured due to a defective medical device or negligence of a doctor call the experienced medical malpractice and defective products attorneys at Buttafuoco & Associates. 1-800-669-4878

7-Ton Block DANGLES From Crane In NYC

Almost exactly a year after a construction crane collapsed under the extreme conditions of Superstorm Sandy, the crane that replaced it developed problems that shut down part of Midtown Monday, and forced evacuation and shelter in place orders for thousands of people.

The culprit: a 13,500 pound concrete block that dangled over one of the city’s busiest streets.  57th Street, between 6th and 7th Avenues, is the location of One57, a 1004 foot tall skyscraper that will be the tallest residential tower in the city, and, in fact, all of the Western Hemisphere, once it’s completed.  Getting to that point has proven to be no small task.
“This crane is cursed,” said Lefteris Daskapulos.  ”All the time, something’s going on with that crane,” said Daskapulos, the manager of a restaurant a few doors east of the record-breaking superluxury building under construction.

It all happened while a tornado watch was in effect.  The NYPD, FDNY, Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and Department of Buildings were all concerned that a forecasted severe storm could produce sustained winds and gusts so strong that the concrete weight would end up swinging like a pendulum and hit buildings.  Another emergency scenario envisioned the nearly seven ton weight falling off in the winds.

That was why ConEd and the Department of Public Works were brought in, to depressurize a steam tunnel running under 57th Street, and to turn off a water main and monitor a gas line in the block.  If any of that infrastructure was impacted by a 13,500 pound weight falling 43 stories, there could have easily been flooding or an explosion, or both.  A construction accident of this magnitude could have seriously injured thousands of people.

RECALL ALERT: Journey Girl Travel Trunk A Laceration Hazard.

SAFETY RECALL
Journey Girl Travel Trunk
Toys”R”Us Item Number: 058085
UPC Number: 4897027965070
Model Number: 5F5F79E

The blue metal handle can pose a serious laceration hazard.

Toys R Us recalled about 12,650 Journey Girl Travel Trunks because the blue metal handle on the trunk can be sharp, presenting a laceration hazard to the user.
The recall involves the trunk that carries 18-inch-tall toy dolls.The trunks were sold with three clothes hangers and two pull out drawers for storage. Travel trunks included in the recall have UPC # 48970277965070 and model number 5F5F79E. The model number is printed on the bottom of the travel trunk next to the UPC code.
Toys R Us has received six reports of incidents involving the handle on the trunk, including one report of a consumer who received stitches as a result of a laceration.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/healthy_kids/Toys-R-Us-recalls-Journey-Girl-Travel-Trunks.html#XICJKFggAw2Q2FWu.99

 Toys R Us recalled about 12,650 Journey Girl Travel Trunks because the blue metal handle on the trunk can be sharp, presenting a laceration hazard to the user.

The recall involves the trunk that carries 18-inch-tall toy dolls. The trunks were sold with three clothes hangers and two pull out drawers for storage. Travel trunks included in the recall have UPC # 48970277965070 and model number 5F5F79E. The model number is printed on the bottom of the travel trunk next to the UPC code.

Toys R Us has received six injury reports of incidents involving the handle on the trunk, including one report of a consumer who received stitches as a result of a laceration.

Toys R Us recalled about 12,650 Journey Girl Travel Trunks because the blue metal handle on the trunk can be sharp, presenting a laceration hazard to the user.
The recall involves the trunk that carries 18-inch-tall toy dolls.The trunks were sold with three clothes hangers and two pull out drawers for storage. Travel trunks included in the recall have UPC # 48970277965070 and model number 5F5F79E. The model number is printed on the bottom of the travel trunk next to the UPC code.
Toys R Us has received six reports of incidents involving the handle on the trunk, including one report of a consumer who received stitches as a result of a laceration.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/healthy_kids/Toys-R-Us-recalls-Journey-Girl-Travel-Trunks.html#XICJKFggAw2Q2FWu.99

Toys R Us recalled about 12,650 Journey Girl Travel Trunks because the blue metal handle on the trunk can be sharp, presenting a laceration hazard to the user.
The recall involves the trunk that carries 18-inch-tall toy dolls.The trunks were sold with three clothes hangers and two pull out drawers for storage. Travel trunks included in the recall have UPC # 48970277965070 and model number 5F5F79E. The model number is printed on the bottom of the travel trunk next to the UPC code.
Toys R Us has received six reports of incidents involving the handle on the trunk, including one report of a consumer who received stitches as a result of a laceration.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/healthy_kids/Toys-R-Us-recalls-Journey-Girl-Travel-Trunks.html#XICJKFggAw2Q2FWu.99

Toys R Us recalled about 12,650 Journey Girl Travel Trunks because the blue metal handle on the trunk can be sharp, presenting a laceration hazard to the user.
The recall involves the trunk that carries 18-inch-tall toy dolls.The trunks were sold with three clothes hangers and two pull out drawers for storage. Travel trunks included in the recall have UPC # 48970277965070 and model number 5F5F79E. The model number is printed on the bottom of the travel trunk next to the UPC code.
Toys R Us has received six reports of incidents involving the handle on the trunk, including one report of a consumer who received stitches as a result of a laceration.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/healthy_kids/Toys-R-Us-recalls-Journey-Girl-Travel-Trunks.html#XICJKFggAw2Q2FWu.99

2 Trains Collide In Chicago Injuring 33 People - one train mysteriously unmanned

More than 30 people were seriously injured after a pair of trains collided.

The crash happened just before 8 a.m. at Harlem Avenue and Interstate 290 in suburban Forest Park. A westbound train that stopped at the Harlem station was struck by an out-of-service, unmanned train heading toward the Loop.

Chicago Transit Authority officials reported 33 people, many complaining of severe neck or back pain were transported to nine area hospitals.

Robert Kelly, of Amalgamated Transit Union 308, said it's still unclear what happened and how the train got out of the station. "Both the supervisor in the station at Forest Park and the motorman who was sitting in the station said there was nobody on the train as it went through and collided with the other train," Kelly said. "This is baffling everybody," he said.

Chicago Transit Authority spokesman Brian Steele said there are more questions than answers as staff reviews surveillance video and talks to employees. "We don't know what the circumstances are that led to this train to begin moving on the path that it did," Steele said. "It shouldn't have done so and the question of why is what we're looking into."

"That train never should have made it to the Forest Park station. It should have been tripped in the yard," Kelly said. Someone had to start the train, and even if they bailed out, it had to travel up an incline and pass through three different fail safe systems designed to stop it. The last fail safe is located in the cab itself, designed to alert a motorman of impending danger ahead.

Witnesses said at least one person was taken away on a stretcher, but the CTA tweeted the injuries were "minor." Loyola University Medical Center confirmed they received four patients from the collision but said their injuries were "not serious."

"I went forward and caught the rail," one passenger said. "I jammed my hip, my feet and my leg."

Westlake Hospital in Melrose Park said they were treating two patients in good condition and West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park reported they received one patient in good condition.

Flushable Wipes Causing Messy Problems For Plumbers

An image released by the utility company Thames Water company shows
part of a 15-tonne lump of fat and other debris coagulated inside a
main London suburb sewer. Thames Water calls it the biggest
"fatberg" ever recorded in Britain.

After 27 years as a plumber, Benjamin Franklin The Punctual Plumber's Ty Kontrath has seen almost everything.

"I've pulled out toothbrushes, scissors, eye glasses," Kontrath explained.

But what has become and even bigger nuisance are cleansing wipes that are marketed as flushable. A trade group says wipes are a US $6-billion-a-year industry, with sales of consumer wipes increasing nearly 5% a year since 2007 and expected to grow at a rate of 6% annually for the next five years. Many of his customers flush them down only to be handed a hefty repair bill. 

"They say, 'well why are they allowed to sell them', and I say 'well they're allowed to sell cigarettes and we know they cause cancer'," Kontrath said.

Kontrath finds backed up wipes on an almost weekly basis, at times backing water into homes.
But utility workers with Port St. Lucie deal with the wipes that travel farther into the drainage systems, and cause even bigger, more expensive problems.

"It could go into the hundreds of dollars per call," Donna Rhoden with Port St. Lucie utilities said.
The wipes get stuck in city grinders, which act like a garbage disposal for waste.

"It would get tangled up in there, Rhoden said."  They get jammed when the wipes simply never decompose.
"We have encountered intact wipes that we know have been in that system for a  two to three year period of time," said Rhoden.

Now Port St. Lucie utility workers and plumbers are hoping to see a decrease in wipe-related calls.
"Just use your regular toilet paper.  Anything other than that, just wrap it up and throw in the waste pail to avoid a very costly plumbing issue," advises Kontrath.

Robert Michaels, his dog allegedly killed by Matthew Johnstone, hit-and-run driver in OLD BETHPAGE

OLD BETHPAGE - A man has died after being hit by a car in Old Bethpage.

The incident happened at Round Swamp Road and Fairway Drive around 12:30 a.m. today.

Robert Michaels, 42, was walking his dog around 12:27 a.m. on Round Swamp Road in Old Bethpage when he was struck by a 2013 Dodge Avenger, police said.

The driver, identified as 37-year-old Matthew Johnstone, allegedly fled without stopping, but later returned to the scene where he was placed under arrest, police said,

The North Massapequa man is charged with leaving the scene of an incident.

Price Chopper supermarket issues milk recall

Price Chopper supermarkets issued a recall Sunday for Price Chopper’s milk in half-gallon paper cartons because of possible contamination with a cleaning solution in the milk.

The cleaning solution is used to clean the equipment during milk processing. It is not harmful to humans or animals, the supermarket said.

The affected milk has a UPC code of 4173513275 and a Sept. 29 expiration date.

Price Chopper has four stores in New Hampshire and several other stores in Massachusetts.
Customers who have any of the milk should return it to their local Price Chopper for a full refund.

7 Car Pile-Up Involving School Bus Injures Eight People

Eight people were injured, one critically, following a chain-reaction crash that involved a school bus and six other vehicles in Camden County Wednesday morning.

The crash happened at about 9:30 a.m. on the Black Horse Pike near Chews Landing Road in Glendora, New Jersey.

The crash involved a school bus and six other vehicles.

Authorities say eight people were injured. Three people were taken to Cooper University Hospital; one is in critical condition, another was initially listed in critical condition but was upgraded to stable condition and a third is listed in stable condition.

Three others were taken to Kennedy Health System in Stratford and two more were taken to Underwood Hospital in Woodbury.

According to reports, the occupants of the school bus were senior citizens who were en-route to a senior center. A driver and five others were aboard the school bus.

Police say a Ford pickup truck, a 2009 Mitsubishi Galant and a 2000 Kia were traveling south on the Black Horse Pike and stopped in traffic when the school bus, which was also travelling south, struck the rear of the Kia.

The Kia then struck the Mitsubishi, which struck the pickup truck. The collision forced the Mitsubishi into the northbound lane where it struck a 2004 Ford Taurus and a 2003 Toyota Camry. Ladders that were detached from the pickup truck also struck a stopped 2011 Chevrolet pickup truck.

RECALL ALERT: Monster Science Growing Spiders Recalled Due to Serious Ingestion Hazard

Recall Summary

Name of product: Water-absorbing polymer balls

Hazard:

The soft and colorful product can be mistaken by a child for candy. When the marble-sized toy is ingested, it can expand inside a child’s body and cause intestinal obstructions, resulting in severe discomfort, vomiting, dehydration and could be life threatening. The toys do not show up on an x-ray and need surgery to be removed from the body.  Child Injury Risk

Description:
This recall involves Monster Science Growing Spider toy sets, with model number 7280 for product sold at Cracker Barrel Old Country Stores and Spirit Halloween and model number 7289 for product sold at Target. The sets contain marble-sized polymer ball “spider eggs” that can absorb from 300 to 800 times their weight in water and can grow up to eight times their original size. The sets consist of one polymer spider and three “spider eggs”. The Be Amazing! Toys star logo and the words Monster Science Growing Spider, Ages 8+, Just drop in water, Grow Giant Spider Eggs and Eggs Grow Up to 8X Original Size are printed on the front of the packaging. The model number is on the bottom of the back of the packaging. The front and back of the packaging have warnings not to use the toy without adult supervision.


Sold at:
Cracker Barrel Old Country Stores nationwide from August 2011 to August 2013, Spirit Halloween stores nationwide from August 2011 to November 2011 and from August 2012 to November 2012, and Target stores nationwide September to November 2012 for between $3 and $5.

3-year-old Girl Dies After Ingesting Battery - TRAGIC STORY

Kylie Rose Ricards was just like any other 3-year-old girl in many ways. She loved to swim, watch TV and smile anytime a camera was around.

However, in many ways, her life was far different since swallowing a "button" battery at 10 months old, which nearly killed her.

Ricards lived with the complications for nearly three years, always with a smile on her face, until she was found unresponsive on Aug. 19. She died that day.

Kylie's story is shared by around 3,000 children each year who swallow button batteries, something a Bakersfield pediatrician called a big problem.

"There are more and more of these swallowing events every year," said Dr. Fernando Fan. "The way button batteries cause harm, is that when you swallow it ... it's in contact with body fluids. It sets up a current ... and then it will burn through the tissue."

Button batteries are about the size of a nickel, smaller and flat compared to the popular batteries found in most electronics.

These different kind of batteries can be found in mobile devices, calculators, keyless car remotes, as well as weight scales and electronic candles - devices that often come pre-installed with batteries.

Memphis Worker Falls 11 Stories to His Death

A Memphis worker who fell nearly 11 stories died as a result of his injuries.

The man was rushed to The MED in critical condition Tuesday after falling from the top of Poplar Towers onto an SUV in the parking lot.

"It's weird that it would happen where you work that's for sure. It's been all the water cooler talk around here today," said Matthew Mars, who works in the building.

The people who work in the East Memphis building are still reeling after police say a man fell 11 stories from the roof landing on a car parked in the back of the building in a space reserved for employees of Carty and Company.

Police are releasing little information including exactly what happened and why the man was on the roof.
Samantha Gadlen saw the man just after he fell. She said he was dressed in a button down shirt and khaki pants.

"I saw him. I saw his clothing. He had on black shoes, and he had a bandana around his face," she said.
People who work in this building just want to know what happened.

"Everybody is at a loss for words. There's rumors, [but] nobody knows what's going on," said Mars.
Memphis police have not released the identity of the man who fell from Poplar Towers.
Investigators have also not said at this point what caused the fall.

Manholes Explode Injuring 5 and Melting 2 Cars

WOODHAVEN, QUEENS – Several manholes spontaneously exploded in Queens earlier this week.
At approximately 1 a.m. on 88th road in Woodhaven flames spread through two vehicles, melting parts of the cars. Thick smoke and fire covered the neighborhood.

“At one point it was actually a popping sound and the flames just flew higher and then everything got black smoke and people were coming out and everybody was trying to breath,” resident Ines Sanabria said. “It was just crazy. Just something you would see in a movie.”

After the FDNY extinguished the fire, Con Ed sent crews out to repair the damage.
Workers pulled charred cables from underground Thursday morning. According to Con Ed, three customers lost power due to the incident.

Five people were taken to the hospital because of smoke inhalation.

RECALL ALERT: HALO SleepSack Wearable Blanket CHOKING HAZARD

Product Recall Alert:
HALO^® SleepSack^® Wearable Blanket
Sold exclusively at Babies R’ Us and BabiesRUs.com
December 19, 2011 – July 1, 2013
Description: HALO^® SleepSack^® wearable blanket, in size small and medium; affected style pictured below:

Reason for Recall: Petal(s) from the floral embellishment may detach, posing a choking hazard to infants.
 
Identification: Affected products can be identified by the following GPU numbers, found on a neck label under the primary neck label:

• 2701, 2781, 2886, 2887, 3007, 3035, and 3142

No other styles of HALO SleepSack products are affected by this recall.
Consumer Action: Consumers are advised to immediately discontinue use of the wearable blanket, and to contact Halo Innovations for instructions on how remove the floral embellishment and obtain a free replacement SleepSack wearable blanket.

Ovoid these common Summer Vacation injuries...

Top 10 Summer Activities that Cause Injuries

You’ll probably be surprised by our list of top 10 summer activities that cause the bulk of injuries (many of which can result in serious neck and back pain) because they all sound like so much fun! Remember, helmets have proven to reduce the risk of head injury by as much as 85%. So make sure you wear a helmet. The data below reflects 2011 emergency room visit statistics compiled by the U.S. Consumer Protection Safety Commission’s National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) which collects data from hospitals across the country:

1. Bicycle injuries: 550,000
2. Baseball and softball injuries: 260,000
3. Playground injuries: 250,000
4. ATV, mopend and minibike injuries: 220,000
5. Soccer injuries: 215,000
6. Swimming injuries: 180,000
7. Backyard trampoline injuries: 85,000
8. Volleyball injuries: 60,000
9. Amusement park, state fair and carnival ride injuries: 40,000
10. Water sports injuries: 30,000

Lindenhurst Woman Dies After Being Hit By Car

A Lindenhurst woman crossing a street in West Babylon was struck and killed Monday afternoon, Suffolk police said.

Amelia Couvertier, 83, was walking east on Montauk Highway about 3:20 p.m. when she attempted to cross Great East Neck Road, police said. She was struck by a 2008 Toyota Corolla driven by Carol Lawrence, 73, of North Lindenhurst, police said. Lawrence had been traveling east on Montauk Highway when she made a left turn onto Great East Neck Road. According to police, witnesses stated Lawrence had a green arrow when she made the turn and no criminality is suspected.

Couvertier was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center in West Islip, where she was later pronounced dead.

Lawrence was not injured. Her car was impounded for a safety check. First Squad detectives are asking anyone who may have witnessed the accident to call 631-854-8152.

Florida gas plant explodes - 53,000 propane gas tanks

TAVARES, Fla. - A series of explosions rocked a central Florida propane gas plant and sent "boom after boom after boom" through the neighborhood around it. Eight people were injured, with at least four in critical condition.

John Herrell of the Lake County Sheriff's Office said early Tuesday that no one died despite massive blasts that ripped through the Blue Rhino propane plant late Monday night. Officials initially scrambled to find more than a dozen employees after the explosions.

One person injured in the explosion was listed in critical condition at University of Florida Health Shands Hospital and three others were listed in critical condition at Orlando Regional Medical Center.

Tavares Battalion Commander Eric Wages said five workers walked up to a command center firefighters set up near the plant Monday night with skin hanging off their arms, torso and faces. He said their arms were outstretched and they were in complete shock.

The Blue Rhino plant, which is northwest of Orlando, refilled propane tanks typically used for barbecues and other uses. There were some 53,000 20-gallon tanks at the plant on Monday.

Tuesday morning, smoke still billowed from a storage container on the property, which consists of a couple of warehouses next to each other. The parking lot was littered with thousands of blackened 20-gallon propane containers.



Croughwell said firefighters who responded to the initial fire had to wait to enter plant site because conditions were so dangerous. Just as they were finally about to go in, four tractor-trailers parked next to the large propane tanks caught fire.

If the large tanks exploded, Croughwell said, "it would have wiped us out."
Video footage on WESH-TV in Orlando showed fires burning through trucks used to transport propane tanks, which were parked at the plant. The fire sent plumes of smoke into the air hours after the blast.
Keith said the explosions shook his house several miles from the plant. "It truly sounded like a car hit our house," he said.


Whitehead likened the explosions to Fourth of July fireworks. "And it was just boom after boom after boom," she said.

Man Fall From Overpass Above Southern State Parkway

The Suffolk County police Aviation Unit transported a man to a nearby hospital Tuesday after he was reported to have fallen from an overpass above the Southern State Parkway in West Babylon, a police spokeswoman said.

Police had few details but the spokeswoman said a police helicopter took the man to Stony Brook University Hospital.

A 911 call for a man falling from the overpass at Belmont Avenue, Exit 37, came in at 10:13 a.m., the spokeswoman said.

RECALL ALERT: Fast Lane Remote Controlled Helicopter..BURN HAZARD

SAFETY RECALL
Fast Lane FA-005 Radio-Control 3-Channel Helicopter with Gyro Stabilizer and Charger
Model Number: 5F5F2F5
Toys”R”Us Item Number: 758776
UPC Number: 886150510022
The rechargeable battery may overheat, posing a fire and burn hazard.  Child Injury Risk.

Immediately take the Helicopter from children and return it to the nearest Toys”R”Us for a refund or store credit. For more information, consumers may contact Toys”R”Us from 9 am to 11 pm ET Monday through Saturday and 10 am to 7 pm ET on Sundays at (800) 869 7787 or visit www.toysrus.com/safety/recalls

Joseph Beer - Fatal Car Accident that Killed Four Teens

A Queens teenager seemed dazed in October as he wandered through the aftermath of a deadly car crash that "looked like someone had taken a stick to a piñata," a state trooper testified Wednesday.

"There was debris everywhere. And body parts. Blood all over the place," said State Trooper Eduardo Arias.

Yet Arias said Joseph Beer, the driver of the car, kept asking, "Are my friends OK?"
Although Beer seemed confused when he asked about his friends, Arias said he was lucid when answering questions about his name, birth date and other facts.

When he brought Beer into an ambulance, the trooper said, he smelled marijuana.
"I asked him if he smoked weed prior to the incident," Arias told prosecutor Michael Bushwack. "He gave me a blank stare. Then I asked again and he said 'Yes.' "

Beer, who now faces aggravated vehicular manslaughter charges in the deaths of his four friends on the Southern State Parkway on Oct. 8, 2012.

Prosecutors have said Beer was high on marijuana and driving more than 110 mph when he lost control of his Subaru Impreza and slammed into trees off the parkway between exits 18 and 17 in Lakeview.
The force of the impact split the sedan in two and the passengers -- Darian Ramnarine, Christopher Khan and Peter Kanhai, all 18, and Neal Rajapa, 17, all from Queens -- were ejected. They were pronounced dead at the scene.

Beer, 18, of South Richmond Hill, Queens, wasn't seriously hurt. He is being held without bail. If convicted of the top charge against him, he will face up to 25 years in prison.

At one point, Greenberg showed Beer photos of the accident scene. The teen slumped over as he looked at them, his hand on his forehead.

Carbon Monoxide Injures 9 at Roosevelt Field Mall

Nine people were treated for carbon monoxide poisoning that was possible caused by a construction worker using an improperly vented propane-powered tool at Roosevelt Field Mall.

Among the injured were construction workers, security guards and staff who were later taken to an area hospital with possible carbon-monoxide poisoning.

In total, seven were taken to Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow, a hospital spokeswoman said, including two who will be treated by hyperbaric chamber before being admitted. Five others will receive oxygen for several hours before being discharged, the spokeswoman said.

The mall spokesman said the Westbury Fire Department found high levels of carbon monoxide in the Abercrombie & Fitch store, where the construction worker had been using the propane equipment.

Fortunately, no shoppers were in the mall at the time, the spokesman said, and mall stores were expected to open Thursday at their regularly scheduled times.


Andrew Schmitt, a hazardous materials supervisor with the Fire Marshal's Office, said only the Abercrombie store and the service areas were affected and that the air quality had returned to normal. The mall is open, Schmitt said.

Postal worker dies after his truck is hit from behind

A postal worker whose truck was rear-ended before it crashed into a tree in Lloyd Harbor has died, Lloyd Harbor Village Police said.

A police spokesman said Suffolk County's Second Squad is investigating the death of the worker, whose name has not been released.

The worker, a man, was driving a postal truck on West Neck Road near Banbury Lane at about 3 p.m. when he reportedly was rear-ended by another vehicle, went off the road and struck a tree.

Alan Nobile, 53, of West Islip, was taken to Huntington Hospital to be treated for nonlife-threatening injuries, police said. But that night, as an ambulance was taking him to another hospital for treatment, he went into cardiac arrest and died, his family said.

The cause of the accident may have been inattentive driving by the driver of the Audi, but it was not related to texting or cellphone use, police said.

Tuesday, police said, investigators from the U.S. Postal Service examined the crash site and impounded both vehicles.

Hands-Free Cell Phone Use MORE Dangerous Then Originally Thought

The increasingly popular voice-activated, in-car technologies that allow drivers to text, talk on the phone or even use Facebook while driving still allow for dangerous mental distraction, according to a new study.

In the most comprehensive study of its kind to look at drivers' mental distraction, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that as mental workload and distractions increase, reaction time slows, brain function is compromised, and drivers scan the road less and miss visual clues, researchers say. This could potentially result in drivers being unable to see items right in front of them, such as stop signs or pedestrians.

The study sought to measure the impact of cognitive or mental distraction on driving. The other two types of driver distraction, visual and manual, which involve the eyes and the hands doing something like looking at a cellphone while sending a text have been studied much more extensively.

"There's a sort of arms race (among auto manufacturers) over what's going into the car these days," said David Strayer, a University of Utah cognitive distraction expert who co-authored the new report. "Any function that can be put in the car is being put in the car without a full examination of whether it should go in the car."

The foundation's research, which involved 150 drivers, follows a smaller study by the Texas Transportation Institute released in April, which found that texting while driving using a voice-to-text application was just as dangerous as texting manually.

Drivers in the AAA Foundation study were analyzed while engaging in eight different distracting activities as they "drove" on a sophisticated driving simulator and in an instrumented vehicle on residential streets in Salt Lake City.

Researchers measured brain waves, eye movement and other metrics to assess what happens as drivers listened to an audio book, talked on the phone or responded to voice-activated emails while driving. They found that, as drivers' mental workload increased, their reaction time slowed, their field of vision narrowed and they missed visual cues.

"This is a reminder to the general public that distracted driving is real," said Peter Kissinger, president and CEO of AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. "Three out of four drivers believe that hands-free is better than handheld. But hands-free is not risk-free, and we now have new evidence that clearly demonstrates that."

Kissinger said the foundation "is calling upon auto manufacturers and the electronics industry to work with us so we can learn as much as possible. Before any more wholesale installation of new technology, let's step back and measure how the technology affects mental distraction."

The group is also urging the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to broaden its driver distraction guidelines to include the kind of mental distraction associated with voice-activated calling.

In March, ABI Research, a market intelligence company specializing in global technology markets, projected that infotainment systems in new vehicles would jump from 9 million in 2013 to 62 million in 2018.

2 Million Cars RECALLED Due To Faulty Airbags

DETROIT - U.S. safety regulators have added about 320,000 older-model Honda Odyssey minivans to a widening probe of faulty air bags that affects at least three automakers and more than 2 million vehicles.

Front air bags on the Honda Motor Co. minivans from the 2003 and 2004 model years can inflate without a crash, possibly injuring drivers and passengers.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says in documents posted Monday on its website that the vans have the same air bag control computers that already have caused Toyota Motor Corp. and Chrysler Group LLC to recall more than 1.8 million vehicles worldwide.

The air bag control computers were made by auto parts supplier TRW Automotive Inc.

So far, the agency has received six complaints about the Odyssey air bags inflating without crashes. In three cases people reported injuries. The NHTSA also received 41 complaints of air-bag warning lights illuminating.

The agency will determine if the problem is widespread enough to recall the minivans.

In one of the complaints about the Odyssey, a driver in Hattiesburg, Miss., told NHTSA the air bags went off suddenly in May 2012 while a 2003 Odyssey was parked and the driver had an iPad on the steering wheel. The air bags threw the iPad into the female driver's face. She ended up at a hospital emergency room, and a plastic surgeon had to be called in to stitch a cut in her upper lip. Some of the driver's teeth were chipped, and she needed dental work, the complaint said.

The owner paid $2,331 to fix the air bags, according to the complaint.

Balcony in Long Beach collapses injurying 5 people

The city's building department has prohibited access to second-story exterior balconies at a 64-year-old Long Beach apartment complex after one of them collapsed Monday, injuring five people.

Scott Kemins, a commissioner in the Long Beach Building Department, said Tuesday that none of the injuries in the balcony collapse was serious but each person was taken to a nearby hospital.


"The Building Department is requiring the owners of the complex to hire an engineering firm to inspect the balconies and make necessary repairs" Scott Kemins said.

The deterioration of the balcony's concrete and steel support, the weight of the people, plus the age of the balcony (built in 1949) contributed to the collapse.

If you or someone you know was seriously injured due to a defective or faulty product call the experienced injury attorneys at Buttafuoco & Associates.  1-800-Now-Hurt

Doctors Re-attach Hands of Babylon Factory Worker

STONY BROOK, N.Y. -- A Staten Island man suffered a devastating accident on the job that sliced off both of his hands. Fortunately, doctors on Long Island were able to save them and reattach them.

Kenneth Klapak, who grew up in North Babylon, knows where the blessings flow.
"I got the 'big G' on my side and an incredible team on my side," he said. "So I think things will all work out for the best in the long run."

"To see that my hands are attached. I hit lotto, I am a rich man," Klapak said.

In a horrific moment that changed his life forever, Kenneth Klapak accidentally caught both hands in a large piece of machinery at a North Babylon sheet metal factory, slicing through both wrists and leaving them hanging by a thread of tissue.
"It caught my hands as I was pulling them out. It happened in literally a split second and it was over," Klapak said.

He was flown by helicopter to the hospital, where doctors were able quickly to rejoin the cut veins, arteries and tendons in both hands in what Klapak called "an ongoing miracle."

Two teams of doctors, one meticulously working on each hand, began the laborious 8-hour operation.

"There are two arteries that keep the hands alive. We repaired both in each hand. We repaired two veins in each hand. And all the nerves and tendons," said Dr. Jason Ganz, a hand surgeon.

"At a center where you have several hands surgeons with all of these skills is the only way you can accomplish saving two hands at the same time," said Dr. Mark Epstein, a plastic surgeon.

It is rare, these doctors say, to have a patient with both hands severely injured, and a patient like Kenneth who relies so heavily on his hands for his both work and his long time love of playing the guitar.

"Now I play, up until the accident, I have been playing for the church which gives me a lot of pleasure. I've always loved to play music," Klapak said.

Klapak said he was working at Anron Sheet Metal Corp. when his hands were caught in large machinery that bends galvanized sheets of metal commonly used in air-conditioning vents. Klapak, who lives in Staten Island but grew up in North Babylon, said he worked at the firm for about 12 years. 
Difficult recovery and rehabilitation, doctors say, will take time.
"A lot of his success will depend on his own desire to achieve," Dr. Epstein said.
Still, Kenneth's wife Kimberly believes his will and faith is strong.

"He's going to be playing again. I know he will. And he will be playing better than he did," Kimberly Klapak said.

"I will work as hard as I can to get back as good as I can," Klapak said.