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Antibacterial Hand Soaps Banned

Public health experts have warned for years that antibacterial soaps may be doing the public more harm than good.

They believe that the products are no more effective than washing with ordinary soap and water and may pose health hazards including promoting drug-resistant infections and affecting hormones in children.

With their long-term safety and effectiveness unproven, last week the F.D.A. banned antibacterial soaps for consumers that contain triclosan, trilocarban and 17 other antibacterial chemicals.

The chemicals have been found in breast milk, blood, urine, dust, water, and newborn babies.

The ban will affect about 40 percent of hand washes and soaps. Other products may continue to contain the chemicals, including Colgate Total toothpaste. The agency is also studying the safety and efficacy of hand sanitizers and wipes.

Here is a list of the 19 newly banned chemicals:

  • Cloflucarban
  • Fluorosalan
  • Hexachlorophene
  • Hexylresorcinol
  • Iodine complex (ammonium ether sulfate and polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate)
  • Iodine complex (phosphate ester of alkylaryloxy polyethylene glycol)
  • Nonylphenoxypoly (ethyleneoxy) ethanoliodine
  • Poloxamer-iodine complex
  • Povidone-iodine 5 to 10 percent
  • Undecoylium chloride iodine complex
  • Methylbenzethonium chloride
  • Phenol (greater than 1.5 percent)
  • Phenol (less than 1.5 percent) 16
  • Secondary amyltricresols
  • Sodium oxychlorosene
  • Tribromsalan
  • Triclocarban
  • Triclosan
  • Triple dye

To learn more about the F.D.A. ban go to: http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/09/02/492394717/fda-bans-19-chemicals-used-in-antibacterial-soaps

 

Khalidi Law Firm Settles Medical Negligence Lawsuit

Our firm recently settled a medical negligence lawsuit for a client who entered a hospital to remove a cancerous growth on her colon.

Good surgical practice requires that a surgeon must “know before cutting” by mapping out the anatomy of the area of the operation. In the case of colon cancer surgery in the pelvis, this includes identifying the position of the ureter.

The defendant surgeon neglected to identify the position of the ureter. The surgeon cut the ureter then failed to recognize her mistake or recognize subsequent complications. Our client became gravely ill from sepsis and was transferred to a highly skilled and qualified surgeon who saved her life.

Prior to the start of the trial, the defendant surgeon consented to settle our client’s medical negligence lawsuit for a confidential amount.

To read about other Khalidi Law Firm verdicts and settlements, please go to our webpage at https://www.tnklaw.com/verdicts_and_settlements/

 

Use Care When Using Free Public Wi-Fi

Fraud experts warn that the public nature of free Wi-Fi makes users vulnerable to hacking and cyberfraud.

When you connect to free Wi-Fi, you may unwittingly select a fake network or your device might instantly jump to an available Internet network that was set up by a hacker. Once you are on the fake network, the hacker can steal your user id, name and password or take over your smart phone or laptop.

To do this, a hacker sets up a Wi-Fi access point with the same or similar name as a legitimate network you have connected to previously and compels your computer or phone to connect to it automatically without your consent. He monitors commonly used network names, and chooses one — such as “default” or “home” — and banks on your device recognizing it.

Or the hacker will position himself between you and your Wi-Fi connection point. So instead of talking directly with the hotspot, you’re actually sending your information to the hacker, who then sends and receives data impersonating you. Every piece of information you’re sending out on the internet – emails, credit card information and even security credentials – falls all under the hacker’s control.

To protect yourself from cyberfraud when using public Wi-Fi,  AARP’s Fraud Watch Network recommends the following:

  1. Don’t access your email, online bank, or credit card accounts using public Wi-Fi.
  2. Watch out for fake Wi-Fi at coffee shops, hotels, or other places that offer free Wi-Fi. Hackers set up networks with similar names to trick unsuspecting customers.
  3. Don’t let your mobile device automatically connect to nearby Wi-Fi.
  4. Don’t surf using an unknown public network if the website requires sensitive information — like online shopping or online banking.

To learn more about protecting yourself from cyberhacking using public Wi-Fi see the entire AARP online article at http://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/info-2016/be-wary-of-public-wifi-jj.html

Stay Safe During Monsoon Season

If you live in the southwest, it is important to know how to stay safe during monsoon season (which officially runs from June 15 to September 30). The monsoon is a period of extreme heat that may be followed by an influx of moisture leading to daily rounds of thunderstorms.

Know weather warning terminology so you can take appropriate action during monsoon season:

  • A watch means that severe weather has not occurred yet, but weather conditions are becoming highly volatile. Pay close attention to the weather, and tune into TV, radio, or NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts frequently.
  • Warnings (Severe Thunderstorm, Flash Flood, Dust Storm, or in rare cases, Tornado) mean that life-threatening weather is about to occur, or has been reported. Take action immediately.
  • Flood Advisories mean heavy rains will cause minor flooding of washes, streams, and typical flood-prone areas. Flooding in this situation is usually not serious. If the flooding does become life threatening, then the flood advisory is upgraded to a Flash Flood Warning.

Warnings are not issued for lightning, mainly because most thunderstorms, no matter how weak, produce deadly cloud-to-ground lightning.

To stay safe during a thunderstorm follow the adage, “When thunder roars go indoors.” If you can hear thunder you are close enough to get struck by lightening – which can strike up to 15 miles away from where rain is falling. There are only two safe places to go when it is lightening – a big, grounded building and a fully-enclosed metal-topped car. Avoid contacting wiring and plumbing during a thunderstorm.

In the past 10 years, there have been 14 fatalities from lightening in Arizona. The victims were hiking, fishing, sheltering in tents or stuck on a rock outcropping. If you are going to be outside during monsoon season, know where you will seek shelter at the first sound of thunder and determine how long it will take you to get there.  Also, wait in the safe place for 30 minutes after the last sound of thunder.

Flash flooding is the #1 thunderstorm-related killer.  Most flash flood deaths occur in vehicles that are swept away by moving water. Water only one to two feet deep will carry away most vehicles. Stay away from creeks and washes that are flowing from heavy rains. Be especially careful at night when water depth and road conditions are harder to see and flowing water is harder to judge.

Other monsoon related hazards are downburst winds, dust storms and wildfire.

To learn more, go to http://monsoonsafety.org/

How to Prevent Dog Bites

Each year, more than 4.5 million Americans are bitten by a dog. You can take steps to prevent dog bites.

Children are the most common victims of dog bites. The American Humane Association reports that 66% of those bites occur to a child’s head and neck. It may surprise you to learn that most of those children are bitten by dogs they know, often while they are doing nothing out of the ordinary.

After children, senior citizens are the second most common victims. As expected, postal workers are another frequent victim of dog bites.

The majority of dog bites, if not all, are preventable.

Train and socialize your dog. Educate and supervise your children on how to approach and behave around dogs. Always supervise children while they are playing with a dog.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers some basic safety tips on how you can reduce the likelihood of being bitten by a dog and how to protect yourself if you are attacked.

  • Don’t approach an unfamiliar dog.
  • Don’t disturb a dog that is eating, sleeping or caring for puppies.
  • Don’t run from a dog.
  • Don’t panic or make loud noises around dogs.
  • Don’t encourage your dog to play aggressively.
  • Don’t pet a dog without first allowing it to see and sniff you.
  • If a dog exhibits any signs of nervousness or aggression, leave it alone.
  • Always supervise small children when they play with a dog.

If you are approached by an unfamiliar dog:

  • Stop, be calm and stand still “like a tree”.
  • Avoid eye contact with the dog.
  • Say “No” or “Go Home” in a firm, deep voice
  • Turn slowly so that the side of your body faces the dog. Directly facing a dog may make you appear aggressive to the animal.
  • Slowly raise your hands to your neck, holding your elbows in close to your sides.
  • Wait for the dog to pass you or slowly back away.

If you are bitten or attacked by a dog:

  • Put a purse, bag, jacket or something else between you and the dog.
  • If you are knocked down, curl up in a ball, tuck you head in and cover your ears and neck with your hands.

If you’d like to learn more about dogs bites and how to treat them, please visit the CDC website at http://www.cdc.gov/features/dog-bite-prevention/

Learn CPR and Save a Life

Each year, more than 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in the United States. CPR can save help save their lives.
When a person has a cardiac arrest, their survival depends on immediately getting CPR from someone nearby. Almost 90% of people who suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrests die. CPR, especially if performed in the first few minutes of cardiac arrest, can double or triple a person’s chance of survival.
You can learn CPR and save a life.
A cardiac arrest is different than a heart attack but both require an immediate call to 911.
  • A cardiac arrest is an “electrical” problem. The heart has malfunctioned and stopped beating unexpectedly. The person becomes unresponsive, stops breathing or gasps for air.  Without CPR, death can occur in minutes.
  • A heart attack is a “circulation” problem. The heart usually does not stop beating. The person feels pain or discomfort in the chest and/or upper body as the heart is damaged from a lack of blood supply.  You do not perform CPR for a heart attack.
If you are called on to give CPR in an emergency, you will most likely be trying to save the life of someone you love: a child, a spouse, a parent or a friend. 70% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests happen in homes. Unfortunately, only about 46% of people who experience an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest get the immediate help that they need before professional help arrives.
The American Red Cross teaches CPR in a classroom and online. You can register for a class at their website:

http://www.redcross.org/m/phssmrd/classresult.jsp?classes=cat2130015&type=class-type-classroom&type=class-type-online&type=class-type-combo&radius=25&city=Tucson&state=AZ&zipCode=85701&lat=32.2147915&long=-110.9715269&resultState=0&initialProgramType=0

Medical Malpractice Damages Caps Hurt Injured Patients and the Judicial System

Caps on medical malpractice damages put injured patients at risk and protect negligent doctors.

Legislatures in 35 states have enacted medical malpractice caps that target non-economic damages. These are intangible harms – severe pain, physical and emotional distress, disfigurement and loss of quality of life. Some states have put caps on both economic and noneconomic caps, further hurting injured patients.

Click here for a list of states with caps on medical malpractice damages.

Supporters of the laws argue that without caps on medical malpractice awards, physicians will stop practicing medicine due to the high cost of medical malpractice premiums.

In fact, increases in medical malpractice insurance premiums is not due to awards to injured patients. In 2004, the nation’s largest medical malpractice insurer – GE Medical Protective Inc. – openly admitted that damage caps actually did nothing to lower physicians’ premiums. The admission came in response to the Texas Department of Insurance questioning why the company planned to raise physicians’ premiums 19 percent six months after Texas enacted caps on medical malpractice damages. In its response, GE Medical Protective stated that “non-economic damages are a small percentage of total losses paid. Capping non-economic damages will show loss savings of 1.0 percent.” In truth, medical malpractice insurance premiums have increased as a result of a lack of competition in the insurance industry, mismanagement of reserves and a decline in investment income.

Caps on medical malpractice damages not only hurt injured patients, they weaken the integrity of our judicial system.

Without the threat of having to answer to our justice system, some physicians will be less likely to make patient safety a priority. Medical malpractice caps protect these doctors. Without the caps, most insurance carriers wouldn’t insure a negligent physician to avoid paying out for future mistakes.

In states where caps on medical malpractice damages have been enacted, injured patients are left without fair compensation. Many are forced to pay for their injuries themselves. When the impact of an injury exceeds the damage cap, patients must rely on government assistance for necessary continued care.

For more information about how plaintiff lawyers are working to protect the rights of injured patients, go the the American Association for Justice website at https://www.justice.org/medical-negligence-role-america%E2%80%99s-civil-justice-system-protecting-patients%E2%80%99-rights-0

Sign a Petition to Stop Forced Arbitration

Buried in the fine print of just about everything you sign, buy and sell are forced arbitration agreements. Originally intended to settle disputes between large companies, and to be voluntary, these clauses now deny millions of consumers and employees the right to hold companies publicly accountable in court for their unlawful conduct.

Forced arbitration is not just, transparent or fair.

When something goes wrong, an employee, customer, renter, homeowner, resident or patient cannot seek justice in court. Instead, they are forced into a private system of justice with an arbitrator that was selected by the offending corporation.

Arbitration proceedings are kept secret and the decision cannot be appealed.

Arbitrators tend to favor businesses. Arbitrators that rule in favor of corporations are hired over and over again. Those that rule against businesses find themselves disqualified for future arbitrations. According to a 2007 Public Citizen report, in arbitration, consumers lose 94% of cases against a credit card company.  A 2012 Cornell University study found that employees lost 80% of arbitrations with employers.

U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) and U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) have introduced the Arbitration Fairness Act, which would do away with forced arbitration clauses in contracts that ban class-action in employment, consumer, antitrust or civil rights disputes. To voice your support of this legislation, sign this petition http://takejusticeback.com/ArbitrationFairnessAct?_ga=1.243613765.1702137206.1461161822

To read personal stories and learn more about the injustice of forced arbitration please go to http://letamericaknow.com/view_feature_ysk.php?memberid=22515&orderid=872&issueid=1605#sthash.fMMcMZBW.d

Medical Errors the 3rd Leading Cause of Death in US

Researchers have identified medical errors as the 3rd leading cause of death in the US, after heart disease and cancer.

Patients die from receiving the wrong medication, over-treatment or under-treatment, misdiagnosis or simply falling through the cracks. One in 4 patients in the hospital will experience a medical error. The most dangerous hospital mistakes occur during a “patient handoff”, when a doctor or nurse passes the patient’s information to someone else but does not communicate critical information or concerns during the process.

Currently, medical errors are not listed as an official “cause of death” and the CDC does not keep track of them. As a result, medical errors leading to death do not receive the level of public attention, funding and research routinely received by other leading causes of death.

If statistics on medical errors leading to death are collected and shared, hospitals, doctors and nurses can can change medical practices and procedures to minimize errors. If medical malpractice settlements include legal and medical protections, lessons from medical errors can be evaluated and disseminated and deaths reduced.

To learn more please read http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/05/03/476636183/death-certificates-undercount-toll-of-medical-errors

 

 

 

 

Auto Accident Case Settles for $400,000

The Khalidi Law Firm reached a $400,000 settlement for an auto accident in which our client was injured when another driver made a left turn in front of her as she passed through a busy intersection. Both vehicles were totaled when the other vehicle’s front end collided with our client’s front driver’s side. Paramedics extricated our client from her car. She was transported to the hospital for surgery on a fractured ankle. Our client’s medical bills from the auto accident were $87,000.

The other driver’s insurance company denied liability. They took the position that although the medical treatment was reasonable and necessary, the cost of the treatment was not reasonable. We filed a lawsuit and determined that the defendant was impaired while driving from a pre-existing condition or the myriad of prescription medications she was taking. After contested hearings with the Court, we obtained the other driver’s medical and prescription records, which indicated a history of motor vehicle collisions involving either lack of sleep or use of medications.

Our firm demanded $500,000 to settle the auto accident case from the onset. Throughout the litigation, the Defendant’s insurance carrier made offers of $90,000, $140,000, $250,000 and $280,000. Finally, with less than 4 days prior to the start of the trial, the defendant’s insurance carrier agreed to settle the matter for $400,000 to avoid trial. Our client accepted the offer.

To learn about the firm’s other settlements and verdicts please go to https://www.tnklaw.com/verdicts_and_settlements/

If you have been involved in an Arizona motor vehicle accident, we’re here to help. Khalidi Law Firm, PLLC has more than two decades’ experience litigating vehicle accidents, including cars, motorcyclestrucks and even bicycles from our offices in Tucson’s Barrio Historica.