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.

Da Vinci Robotical Surgery - RISK for serious injury

Each year, hundreds of thousands of American patients are operated upon using the da Vinci surgery robot, yet the benefits of the surgical robot are still unproven. Caught up in an “arms race” for the best technology, many American hospitals have shouldered the great expense of offering da Vinci robot surgery, even without scientific proof that da Vinci robot surgery is better for patients. 

Intuitive Surgical, the company that markets the da Vinci surgery robot, reaps massive and ever-growing profits from the device, while patients face serious medical consequences as a result of the product’s shortcomings. Hospitals using Intuitive Surgical’s marketing materials to promote the device have contributed to the problem, misleading patients about the benefits of robot surgery. 

Intuitive Surgical, making false and generalized claims about da Vinci robot surgery and failing to disclose important health risks, has made record profits from da Vinci robot surgery. How can such a thing be allowed to happen in the United States of America, home to the world’s most prominent medical institutions, doctors and research facilities?

Here are some common question regarding suffering an injury involving the da Vinci Robot surgery:

Who can make a da Vinci robot surgery claim or file a da Vinci robot surgery lawsuit?

A person who has suffered from internal injuries as a result of da Vinci robot surgery, or the family members of such a person, may be eligible to make a da Vinci robot surgery claim by filing a da Vinci robot surgery lawsuit.

How much time do I have to file a da Vinci robot surgery lawsuit?

Most states have da Vinci robot surgery lawsuit time limits; however, the majority of all persons having had da Vinci robot surgery will fall within those time limits if they contact an attorney in the near future. 

How is it that the makers of da Vinci robot surgery advertising make unproven claims and get away with it?

There are no regulations that govern the promotional materials hospitals use to attract new patients. However, studies show that patients look to hospital websites for medical information. Unfortunately, the threat of serious da Vinci robot surgery lawsuits and major payouts may be the most effective way to exert pressure on the company responsible.

Faulty Crossing Gate Possible Cause of Deadly Train Accident

Long Island father of four was killed when his vehicle was smashed by a LIRR train at a Central Islip crossing.  MTA officials returned to the scene to investigate whether or not a faulty gate crossings contributed to the crash.

Relatives of a Edson Muñoz, victim Adolfo Muñoz's nephew, walked along a grassy area next to the train tracks, strewn with metal car parts and soda cans.
Muñoz rifled through scattered debris near the site where his uncle was killed. When asked why he was there, Muñoz said he just "wanted to see" it.

Adolfo Muñoz, 63, was driving his black 2000 Lexus south on Route 111 before getting in the path of a westbound nonpassenger LIRR train at the crossing.  Muñoz was taken to Southside Hospital in Bay Shore and pronounced dead a short time later.

Edson Muñoz, 30, of Brentwood, said family and friends "are not too sure" what caused the accident. "A lot of people were saying the gates were up and down and weren't working properly," he said.

The MTA is still investigating the collision, said Marjorie Anders, spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which owns the LIRR. "We are looking into the functioning of the gates and flashers and downloading the black box," Anders said Saturday.

Tomika Oliver, who drives past the rail crossing at least twice a day, said there have been consistent problems at the intersection. The gate guard comes down and then quickly pops up but no train passes, she said. "It makes me very nervous," Oliver said. "I don't trust the gates."

If you or someone you love has been seriously injured due to a train malfunction call the experienced train injury lawyers at Buttafuoco & Associates 1-800-669-4878

RECALL ALERT: California Pizza Kitchen & DiGiorno Frozen Pizzas (plastic found in pizza)

Nestlé USA’s Pizza Division today announced the voluntary recall of select production codes of four different frozen pizzas sold in the U.S. These include:

• California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) Crispy Thin Crust White®, UPC 71921 98745; production codes are 3062525951, 3062525952 and 3063525951.
• California Pizza Kitchen® Limited Edition Grilled Chicken with Cabernet Sauce, UPC 71921 00781; production code is 3059525952.
• DiGiorno® Crispy Flatbread Pizza Tuscan Style Chicken, UPC 71921 02663; production codes are 3057525922 and 3058525921.
• DiGiorno® pizzeria!™ Bianca/White Pizza, UPC 71921 91484; production code is 3068525951.

The voluntary recall is limited to frozen pizzas with these specific production codes, which were distributed nationwide.  The reason for the recall is that the pizza may contain fragments of clear plastic. Nestlé USA is taking this action after a small number of consumers reported that they had found small fragments of plastic on the CPK Crispy Thin Crust White pizza. Our investigation indicates this is directly related to a particular lot of spinach we received from one of our suppliers.

All the pizzas being recalled were produced during February and March of this year.  Nestlé has already instructed their direct store delivery team to begin removing pizzas affected by this recall at retail locations nationwide.

Nestlé USA also is reaching out to consumers to ask that they examine their freezer inventory for the specific packages of DIGIORNO and CPK varieties affected by this recall.

Consumers who may have purchased the recalled CPK and DIGIORNO pizzas with the identified production codes should not consume the pizza, but instead should contact Nestlé USA Consumer Services at 800-456-4394 or nestlepizza@casupport.com for further instructions.

Tanning Beds - more dangerous then previously though (CAUSES CANCER)

Washington, May 6 (Reuters - By Toni Clarke) - Tanning beds and sunlamps will be required to carry stronger warning labels under new regulations proposed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which is also recommending the machines not be used by people under the age of 18.

The FDA said on Monday that it plans to reclassify sunbeds from low-risk to moderate-risk products, meaning they will need to be cleared by the agency before being allowed onto the market.

Faulty equipment has led to patients being burned or exposed to too much radiation, Jeffrey Shuren, director of the FDA's center for devices and radiological health, said in an interview.

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Basal cell and squamous cell cancer, the two most common forms, are generally curable; but melanoma, the third most common type, is deadly.

In 2009, the most recent year numbers are available, 61,646 people in the United States were diagnosed with melanoma and 9,199 people died, according to the CDC.

The FDA's proposed regulations stop short of recommendations made by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organization, which in 2009 concluded that commercial tanning devices were more dangerous that previously thought and recommended people under 18 be banned from using them.

The FDA's regulations also stop short of new rules being developed by some U.S. states.

More than 30 states regulate the use of tanning facilities to differing degrees. Delaware, New Hampshire and North Dakota, for example, ban the use of indoor tanning by anyone under age 14 unless medically necessary and they require parental consent for those between the ages of 14 and 18.

Some states, including Georgia, Illinois and Maine, ban tanning beds for children under the age of 14, and eighteen states require tanning bed operators to limit exposure time to a manufacturers' recommendations and provide eye protection.

In January 2012, California became the first state to ban tanning beds for all people under 18.

The Indoor Tanning Association argues vigorously that the decision on whether a teen is allowed to suntan is one for parents, not government, and it supports parental consent. But it is fighting the growing number of states issuing bans.

"Is the next step to ban teens from sun bathing at public beaches and pools?" the association asked in a statement last year in opposition to New Jersey's proposal to ban tanning bed use for those under 17.

"You also have to consider the health risks associated with banning teenagers from using tanning salons," it said. "They will just go outside with no adult supervision and no trained staff where they are much more likely to get sunburned."

The FDA's actions follow a 2010 meeting of a federal advisory panel which unanimously recommended that the agency reclassify tanning devices. Panelists had mixed views on whether to implement a ban on minors.

An estimated 5.6 percent of U.S. adults reported indoor tanning at least once in 2010, with the highest rates among white, female 18 to 25-year-olds, according to the CDC, which notes that frequent exposure to UV rays for people under the age of 35 increases the risk of developing melanoma by 75 percent.

"For right now our proposal tries to focus on providing better information for consumers," Shuren said, "including a warning on the tanning beds themselves that they shouldn't be used in people under 18," he said.

Depending on the feedback the agency receives to its proposal, it may make changes to the final order, he said.

Drunk Driver in fiery Lindenhurst crash left the scene

A drunk driver of a Mercedes vehicle burst into ferocious flames just after crashing into a home and then a utility pole in Lindenhurst (new york).

A police officers responding to the scene said the drivers car smashed into a house before ramming it into a Long Island Power Authory (LIPA) pole at about 2:55am.  The driver, Donta L. Riddick, 26, of Bay Shore, was rushed to Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center in West Islip with injuries.

LIPA sent a crew to make repairs, and Park Avenue was closed between Montauk Highway and East Hoffman Avenue until about 6 a.m. as the crash was investigated, the Lindenhurst Fire Department put out the fire and repairs were made.

Riddick faces charges of driving while intoxicated, reckless driving, aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, leaving the scene of an accident and unlawful possession of marijuana.

Drunk Driving Injury Statistics