Glaxo Smith Kline Settles Hundreds of Paxil Birth Defect Lawsuits for More Than $1 Billion

Monday, July 26th, 2010 | Lawyer Marketing | No Comments

Still reeling from an FDA panel decision last week to recommend either the withdrawal of its anti-diabetes drug Avandia from the market, or restrict sales, GlaxoSmithKline has decided to settle hundreds of lawsuits arising from birth defects caused by its antidepressant, Paxil.  The company agreed to pay more than $1 billion to settle these lawsuits.

The lawsuits arise from birth defects suffered by children whose mothers took Paxil during their pregnancy.  GlaxoSmithKline marketed Paxil for use in the treatment of major depression, social anxiety disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder and in other anxiety disorders.  It has been one of the company’s biggest blockbusters, generating sales of millions of dollars a year.

In 2005 however, women who had taken Paxil during their pregnancy, and delivered babies with birth defects, began to come forward with their stories.  Since then, hundreds of women have sued Glaxo.  This week, the company decided to settle more than 800 of these lawsuits for $1 billion.  Each plaintiff in the lawsuit will receive approximately $1.2 million from the settlement.  Several other birth defect lawsuits against Glaxo are still pending, including three that are expected to go to trial later this year.  According to the company, it decided to settle the lawsuit because of the costs involved in long-term litigation.

The billion-dollar payout to settle Paxil birth defect lawsuits coincided with the company announcing that it was now in the red, with a loss of $464 million from its $2.4 billion legal expense charge.  The company had announced that it would set aside the legal expense fund in order to meet Paxil birth defect lawsuit payments, as well as Avandia settlements.  The company is also expected to pay out millions of dollars after an investigation into its Puerto Rico plant found quality-control problems.  All in all, it hasn’t been a great week for Glaxo. As long as the company continues to be reckless about its manufacturing and sales practices, it will continue to come up against California pharmaceutical liability lawyers.

Check Your Tire Pressure Frequently to Avoid Accidents

Thursday, July 8th, 2010 | Lawyer Marketing | No Comments

Underinflated tires are at a high risk for tire failure, which is a factor in thousands of accidents every year. When a tire is underinflated, it can’t maintain its shape, and may become flat while the car is in motion. Even just a little under-inflation of six psi, could contribute to tire failure. A new survey finds that large numbers of Americans continue to drive with tires that are poorly inflated.

The survey was conducted by the Rubber Manufacturers Association, and studied more than 6,300 vehicles. It found that 55% of the vehicles in the study had at least one underinflated tire. When you take that in the context of the US population, it means that nearly 140 million vehicles in the US are being driven with at least one underinflated tire. The survey found that only 17% of all vehicles had all four properly inflated tires. That figure represents just 38 million vehicles on our roads. Obviously, it’s a really small percentage of vehicles that are perfectly equipped to handle sudden braking, turns and curves without flipping over.

Tire failure is especially closely linked to rollover accidents. In fact, tire failure is one of the main contributing factors in these devastating crashes. Every year, rollover accidents account for approximately 30% of all accident-related fatalities in the US. These accidents typically involve sport-utility vehicles, pickup trucks and vans that tend to have a higher center of gravity. However, passenger vehicles like sedans can also flip over in certain situations.

The Rubber Manufacturers’ Association recommends that you check your tire pressure every day. A visual inspection may not be enough to gauge the tire pressure. Check your tire pressure before a long journey. Make sure that the tire is properly inflated, and not overinflated. Your car user manual will come with the right inflation pressure for your tire.

There are other reasons Las Vegas personal injury lawyers would give for you to keep your tires properly inflated. Properly inflated tires can help you save on fuel, and can also increase the lifespan of your tire.

Teen Motorist Safety Guide

Tuesday, June 8th, 2010 | Lawyer Marketing | No Comments

With all the focus on teen motorist safety, it’s the right time for Las Vegas personal injury lawyers to bring to attention the fact that the National Safety Council has a special guide out for teen drivers and their families.

The guidebook is called Teen Driver: A Family Guide to Teen Driver Safety. The guide has been developed by the National Safety Council to:

• Inform families of teenage motorists about the risks that these drivers face while driving, based on scientific evidence
• Offer practical tips and advice to reduce these risks
• Encourage cooperation from both parents and teenagers in the entire process of learning to drive.

The guide is full of statistics that should alert any parent to the dangers that their child will be exposed to as he or she drives. There are charts that lay out the dangers clearly. Approximately 44% of all teen deaths are due to motor vehicle crashes. The guide includes 12 points that every parent of a teen motorist must know. These include:

1. Special risks facing inexperienced teen drivers
2. Risks from lack of seatbelt use, alcohol use and speeding
3. Risks from the use of cell phones and text messaging
4. Role of Graduated Driver Licensing to reduce these risks
5. Benefits of Graduated Driver Licensing passenger restrictions
6. Benefits of GDL nighttime restrictions
7. GDL laws of your state
8. Role of family rules in protecting teen motorists
9. Role of driver education in protecting teen motorists

10. Importance of supervised driving during the learner’s permit stage

11. Working of the Provisional License phase

12. Writing down a strong family plan to be used by both parents and teenagers

There is enough evidence out there alerting both parents and teen motorists to the very real risks that these drivers face on the road. Teen motorists are at the highest risk of being involved in a crash during the first 12 to 22 months of driving. It’s important for teenagers to prepare for driving, and must understand that driving privileges are earned, and not their right.

Parents also must understand that no matter what the laws of the state say, it is you who must ultimately decide whether your child should get a learner’s permit. If you feel your child lacks the maturity to be trusted with a learner’s permit, delay the process by a year.



Swimming Lessons Could Reduce Drowning Deaths among Kids below Four

Thursday, June 3rd, 2010 | Lawyer Marketing | No Comments

Swimming classes would actually help minimize the risk of drowning deaths in children between the age of one and four. That observation comes via the American Academy of Pediatrics, which, this week, released its updated pool safety guidelines to prevent drowning-related deaths among children.

It is also an important observation because the group has so far refused to endorse swimming classes for children of this age group. The generally held belief has been that kids of this age may not be ready for swimming lessons, and therefore, the American Academy of Pediatrics had not recommended lessons for this age group. However, now the pediatrician group says that swimming lessons for kids between ages one and four could lower the risk of these kids suffering a fatal swimming pool accident.

Drowning is the biggest cause of unintentional death among children below the age of four. most of these deaths occur in residential swimming pools, and backyard and inflatable pools. In this context, the recommendation by the American Academy of Pediatrics takes on special significance. Los Angeles personal injury lawyers believe it is even more important during summer season, when more kids will be around these pools.

However, the pediatricians are also warning that parents must not rely heavily on swimming lessons as a guarantee of their child’s safety in the water. When a child falls into the water, it’s very easy for panic to strike, and the child could simply forget whatever swimming skills he had learned. In order to drown-proof your pool, there are other things that you must do, besides enrolling your 1 to 4-year-old child in swimming classes.

• Fencing around the pool is an absolute must. The fencing must be at least 6 feet high.
• Any Los Angeles personal injury attorney would also stress that lifeguards around a public or commercial pool must know how to perform CPR on a child.
• Even with swimming lessons, there is absolutely no excuse for parents to leave their child alone in the pool for even a few seconds.

Single Lens Glasses Could Prevent Slip and Fall Accidents Among the Elderly

Thursday, May 27th, 2010 | Lawyer Marketing | No Comments

Slip and fall accidents among the elderly and all the complications that arise from these, are a major senior health concern. However, a new study has intriguing results for Las Vegas personal injury lawyers. Research suggests that bifocal spectacle lenses could actually increase the risk of falls among senior citizens.

The study was conducted by Australian researchers at the Prince Of Wales Medical Research Institute in Sydney. According to the researchers, the risks of a fall are higher among older persons who wear multifocal lenses and go out. These persons may have the lower part of their vision blurred, increasing the risks of an accident.

The study involved a total of 606 elderly people with an average age of 80. Half of the group was told about the dangers of multifocal lenses. These people were provided two separate pairs of single focal classes, and were asked to use the distance glasses when they went out. The other half of the group was told to continue using their multifocal glasses. The researchers found that the persons using single lenses had an 8% lower risk of falls than those who used multifocal lenses. However, in the case of elderly people using single lenses who spent a long time outside the house – approximately 2 or three times a week – there was a 40% lower risk of slip and fall accidents.

According to the researchers, when you’re wearing multifocal lenses, the lower part of the visual field is focused just about 50 cm ahead. This means that the person’s vision of just a few steps ahead of him, could be blurred. This would prevent him from identifying a crack in the pavement, or other potential fall risk. These risks may not be as high for persons in their 50s who may have a better response time, and may be able to react in time to prevent a fall. However, a person in his 70s is likely to have slower response times and a slower gait, and this could prevent him from avoiding a fall risk.

May 16 – 23 is Dog Bite Prevention Week

Monday, May 17th, 2010 | Lawyer Marketing | No Comments

Americans, both adults and children alike, are at risk for dog bites at any time of the year. However, the week from May 16 to May 22 will involve a stronger focus on dog bite prevention. For Los Angeles dog bite lawyers, National Dog bite Prevention Week is a great opportunity to focus attention on education and awareness in preventing dog bites.

According to the CDC, 4.5 million dog bites take place in the US every year. Children between the ages of five and nine, are at the highest risk for dog bites. Children are not just more likely to be bitten, but are also more likely to require emergency medical treatment for their injuries. Adult males are more likely to be bitten by a dog than adult females.

If you have a dog in your household, then you have a higher chance of being bitten. In fact, the risk of being bitten by a dog increases with the number of pet dogs you have in your home. If you have five or more dogs in your household, then your chances of being bitten by a dog increase by five times.

That doesn’t mean that you force yourself to develop an affinity for cats instead. It just means that you take care while deciding on the dog breed. California dog bite lawyers find that far too many dog owners purchase a dog breed with very little information about the animal’s breeding, behavior and other genetic traits. For instance, a pit bull is never the ideal choice for a family with kids. No matter what pit bull lovers will tell you, these are aggressive breeds, and are involved in more numbers of dog bites every year than any other breed.

That is not a matter of chance. Some breeds have been raised over generations to be more aggressive, and these traits have not been completely eliminated from their genes.

To be sure, ask your veterinarian, or an experienced animal breeder for the kind of dog you should have in your home.  You may feel sorry for a puppy with a disturbed history at the pound, but he may not be the perfect fit for you if you have little children at home.

Make sure that your children are comfortable around dogs before you introduce a puppy into the home.

Make sure your dog is sprayed or neutered before you bring it into the house.

Don’t encourage your dog to play aggressively.

Invest in training and socializing your dog.

If your dog begins to display aggressive or rough behaviors, seek expert advice immediately.

National Safety Awareness Month Will Focus on Teen Accident Prevention

Monday, May 3rd, 2010 | Lawyer Marketing | No Comments

May 2010 is being commemorated as National Youth Traffic Safety Month across the country. The special month-long campaign will focus on teen motorist safety, and is being backed by the National Organization for Youth Safety with the support of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

It’s not a coincidence that the month of May has been chosen to mark teen motorist safety. Prom is just a few weeks away, and there are going to be thousands of high school students across California spending the best night of the year with far too much drinking, an intoxicated drive home, and possibly, an accident. Besides, many high schoolers are gearing up for graduation parties, long known to California car accident lawyers as high-risk events where drinking and partying can place teenagers at high risk of being involved an accident while driving home. May also marks the official beginning of summer, with road trips and outings galore. Teen motorists must understand that they are at a higher risk of being killed in an automobile accident than from any other cause.

The National Organization for Youth Safety (NOYS) is trying to bring that cold hard fact home to teenagers. The NOYS will also conduct all kinds of events that are aimed at reducing the number of teen motorist injuries and fatalities in California and around the country.

The NOYS is encouraging youth safety groups, youth health organizations, auto safety groups and other advocacy groups to participate the campaign. It is also inviting individuals and leaders to join committees formed to address specific problems related to youth traffic safety.

Any California car accident attorney will tell you that a teen motorist’s chances of being involved in an accident increase dramatically if he is driving with teenage passengers. Besides, teen drivers are at a high risk for speeding and reckless driving. Distracted driving is another major concern with this age group. The NOYS is looking at tackling these problems individually through peer-to-peer education programs, greater lobbying for stronger laws, as well as enforcement of current teen safety laws.

California Highway Safety Authorities Include Distracted Driving in Strategic Plan

Tuesday, April 27th, 2010 | Lawyer Marketing | No Comments

The California Department of Transportation’s Strategy Highway Safety Plan includes measures aimed at minimizing highway accident rates on the state’s highways. Los Angeles personal injury lawyers will be pleased to hear that for the first time, the agency has decided to add distracted driving to the targets in this plan.

The Strategic Highway Safety Plan includes inputs by a number of safety agencies in California, including the California Highway Patrol, California Office of Traffic Safety, California Department of Motor Vehicles and the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Several other agencies and private efforts are involved in proposing measures to tackle individual safety problems.

These problems include:

• Minimizing the number of fatalities caused in alcohol-related car accidents every year
• Minimizing the number of head-on collisions every year
• Promoting use of seatbelts and child safety seats
• Promoting teen motorist safety
• Promoting pedestrian safety by increasing crosswalk use
• Promoting senior motorist safety
• Implementing trucking safety measures
• Enhancing motorcycle safety
• Enhancing bicycle safety
• Promoting highway construction work zone safety

The California Office of Traffic Safety has now decided to add distracted driving to this list. With this, the state DOT and other agencies have made clear their determination to tackle distracted driving on a more aggressive footing. It also means that with the inclusion of distracted driving, there will be targeted measures to prevent handheld cell phone use and texting by motorists. This is expected to include not just enforcement of current handheld cell phone and texting while driving laws, but also promoting greater awareness among motorists about the dangers of such practices.

Unless you’ve lived under a rock over the past year, you have read about or heard about the accident risks that come when a motorist is distracted at the wheel. There have been numerous studies documenting the risks to a motorist when he is distracted. Unfortunately, there seems to be a great disparity between knowledge of these dangers and the will to prevent such behavior. Motorists who are aware of these dangers continue to text or have conversations on a handheld cell phone while driving with nonchalance.

Pool Safety on Everyone’s Mind

Friday, April 23rd, 2010 | Lawyer Marketing | No Comments

Drowning is the biggest cause of unnatural death in children aged between one and four years. It’s not just children playing in swimming pools who are at risk of drowning, but also those who are in hot tubs or backyard pools. Approximately 25 percent of all child-drowning related fatalities in the country every year have had some amount of swimming training.

Those facts take on new meaning now that summer is almost here, and millions of Californians will hit the water in a big way. While every parent appreciates the importance of keeping an eye on their children and remaining vigilant at all times when they are by the beach or lake, the same parents tend to take pool safety remarkably lightly. This is in spite of the fact that more than 50% of all child drowning deaths don’t occur in oceans, rivers or lakes, but in residential swimming pools. A child is at a much higher risk of drowning in a swimming pool at his home, or in a neighbor’s pool, than in the ocean.

The number one step that California premises liability lawyers recommend  to ensure safe fun by the water is to pay attention to kids at all times. Many drowning deaths occur even when the child is under the supervision of parents. Contrary to what many parents believe, most drowning deaths don’t involve a lot of splashing or commotion in the water. In fact, all it takes is a few seconds for a child to panic and down.

• If you have a pool, make sure that you have 6-foot fencing around the pool.
• Install pool safety alarms.
• Make sure your pool has the new drain covers that prevent drowning deaths by suction.
• Make sure that pool furniture like lounge chairs and tables are kept away from the fence. Children can use these to climb the fence and walk over to the neighbor’s pool.
• If you have a bunch of children playing in your pool, make sure that you have an adult supervising the kids.
• An adult supervising little children must be an adept swimmer, and must know emergency aid techniques, like CPR.

OmnipresentSEO – Lawyer SEO & Websites for Attorneys

Tuesday, April 20th, 2010 | Lawyer Marketing | No Comments

A new Internet Marketing company has launched in Los Angeles:  Omnipresent SEO

The definition of “Omnipresent” is essentially the “quality of being everywhere”, and that is exactly the strategy that Omnipresent SEO employs for its clients.

Omnipresent uses traditional internet marketing techniques like Website Design, Search Engine Optimization & Link Building, but also recognizes that in the ever changing world of the Internet, this is not enough.  Therefore, in an effort to “be everywhere”, Omnipresent also utilizes Social Marketing tools such as Custom Facebook Pages, Twitter Feeds, Blogging, Local Listings (e.g. Google Local) & Review Site Management (e.g. Avvo & Yelp).  As new technologies and web destinations emerge, Omnipresent will quickly move to make use of those new tools.

Currently, the company has clients in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland and Las Vegas, but can work with clients anywhere in the United States or worldwide.