What Are the 100 Deadliest Days?

The 100 deadliest days are upon us. The 100 deadliest days refer to the time between Memorial Day and Labor Day when rates of car accidents for teen drivers go up. Over the past five years, nearly 3,500 people have been killed in crashes involving teen drivers during those three months. Two-thirds of the people injured or killed in accidents involving a teen driver are people other than the teen behind the wheel.

These accidents increase during summer months because teens are out of school and are out on the road more. An average of about 700 people a year die in accidents involving a teen driver.

Contributing to these high rates of accidents are reckless behaviors that teens tend toward at higher rates. Reckless behaviors such as drinking and driving, speeding, and driving while distracted (texting) all contribute to the higher rates of accidents for teens drivers in the summer.

What Causes Teens to Get into Accidents?

Speeding. Speeding increases the severity of the crash as well as the frequency. 30% of teen drivers admit to speeding on residential streets and almost 40 percent admit to speeding on highways in the past thirty days. 

Drinking and driving. Drinking is illegal for teens in all 50 states. Unfortunately, that is not enough to deter teens from drinking and driving. One in sixteen drivers involved in fatal accidents tested positive for alcohol.

Driving while distracted. In the age of smartphones and social media, the contributing factor of distracted driving is on the rise. More than half of teen drivers reported to reading a text or email while driving. 40 percent of teen drivers even reported sending a text or an email.

After an accident, it is difficult for law enforcement to determine if a teen was texting while driving. If law enforcement decides to investigate the circumstances that led to an accident, they have legal means to obtain phone records and determine if a driver was on the phone or texting. Witnesses might also report seeing the driver using their phone.

If law enforcement decides to investigate the circumstances that led to an accident, they have legal means to obtain phone records and determine if a driver was on the phone or texting. Witnesses might also report seeing the driver using their phone.

What Can a Worried Parent Do?

Parents must talk to teens about all the factors mentioned above that lead to accidents. Even if you think your teen doesn’t drink there is always a first time. Parents can set a good example. Don’t drink and drive. Don’t pick up your phone while driving. Drive at the speed limit. Be a model for safe, responsible driving.

Make sure your teen gets lots of hours driving with you in the car so that they get more comfortable and you can see where their weaknesses may be. You can gradually ease up on the supervision as you see your teen gaining more confidence and skill behind the wheel. 

Summer should be fun and enjoyable for teens. The freedom that comes with gaining the right to drive also comes with serious responsibilities. As a parent, you can be a model of good driving behavior and have tough discussions with your teen driver that need to be had no matter how uncomfortable.

Talk to your teen about the consequences if they are caught drinking and driving or driving while texting. You can even write up a contract that you both discuss and sign. Make this a safe and fun summer for everyone. If you have been injured, then check out our guide on how to find a good personal injury lawyer.

Proton Pump Inhibitor Lawsuits

Millions of Americans suffer from heartburn, ulcers, and acid reflux. Medications like Prilosec, Prevacid, and Nexium are commonly prescribed and taken to prevent these painful health conditions. Unfortunately, these medications, known as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), may do more harm than good. A recent study out of San Diego reveals that PPIs are linked to higher rates of kidney disease.

Despite this information, pharmaceutical companies have continued to market and sell their best-selling medications. As a result, 10 percent of American adults may be at risk of developing an avoidable and potentially life-threatening health condition.

Pharmaceutical Companies Aggressively Market Dangerous Drugs

For decades, people suffering from heartburn have turned to proton pump inhibitors for help. PPIs gained a lot of popularity, in part, due to an aggressive marketing campaign. It’s hard to turn on your TV or pass a billboard without seeing Larry the Cable guy gushing about the benefits of Prilosec.

Nexium, another popular PPI, has been marketed as the “purple pill.” Medications pushed by a goofy comic or referred to in such a lighthearted manner couldn’t possibly be dangerous, right? Wrong.

Decades of studies have revealed that long-term PPI use is associated with a host of health issues. Patients taking a PPI have reported a variety of adverse health events, including:

  • Kidney injuries
  • Heart attack
  • Stroke
  • Liver damage
  • Infection
  • Dementia, and
  • Cancer.

These studies haven’t stopped AstraZeneca and other pharmaceutical companies from pouring millions of dollars into advertising campaigns. However, these campaigns failed to mention these possible health risks.

Heartburn Patients Are Suing Pharmaceutical Companies

Pharmaceutical companies have a responsibility to design, create, and sell safe drugs. If a company knows that a medication may be dangerous, it has an obligation to warn consumers. When a company fails to warn patients and doctors about known health risks, it can be liable for injuries and harm.

Thousands of heartburn patients are suing pharmaceutical companies over PPI-related injuries. The proton pump inhibitor lawsuits accuse the companies of:

  • Manufacturing and marketing a dangerous drug, and
  • Failing to warn patients about health risks associated with the use of PPIs.

Plaintiffs claim that they could have opted for a different treatment and avoided injury if they’d known the risks associated with taking a PPI.

While some PPI injury lawsuits have been settled, many are still pending in state and federal courts across the country.

What Damages Can Injured Proton Pump Inhibitor Patients Recover?

In California, plaintiffs in product liability lawsuits are entitled to ask for economic and non-economic damages.

Economic damages are awarded to offset the financial costs of an unexpected injury. An award of economic damages should help to put a victim back in the financial position they were in before they were injured. Examples of economic damages include:

  • Medical bills
  • Lost wages
  • Disability, and
  • Reduced earning capacity.

Non-economic damages are awarded to compensate for injuries that are difficult to value in terms of dollars and cents. These awards are very subjective and often vary significantly from one case to another. Examples of non-economic damages include:

  • Emotional distress
  • Pain and suffering, and
  • Loss of enjoyment of life.

In some cases, a court may approve an award of punitive damages. Punitive damages are appropriate when a defendant acts fraudulently or intends to cause harm. Juries may be inclined to award punitive damages in PPI injury cases if they believe that pharmaceutical companies intentionally hid health risks from patients.

Do not hesitate to contact an experienced personal injury lawyer if you believe that you’ve developed health issues while taking a PPI. You may have the right to file a lawsuit and recover compensation for your injuries.

Monsanto Continues to Sell Roundup in California, Despite Evidence Suggesting Cancer Link

For decades, controversy has surrounded Roundup weed killer, one of the most widely-used pesticides in the world. Monsanto, the pesticide manufacturer, maintains that its product is perfectly safe. However, several scientific studies seem to suggest that Roundup isn’t safe. In fact, one recent study revealed that exposure to Roundup increases the risk of developing cancer by as much as 41 percent.

There may also be hard evidence to support these scientific studies. Many individuals claim to have developed cancer after being exposed to Roundup and its active ingredient, glyphosate. Despite this information, Monsanto continues to market and sell Roundup in California and other states across the country.

Companies Have an Obligation to Warn Consumers About Risks

When a company sells or markets a product in California, it has to make sure that the product is safe. In fact, under California state product liability laws, companies can be held strictly liable harm caused by defects in their products. In other words, a company doesn’t necessarily have to know that a product is dangerous or defective to be liable for a consumer’s injuries.

There are three main types of product defects: design, manufacturing, and marketing.

  • Design Defect. A design defect exists when a product is dangerous because of the way it was designed. Is the product unnecessarily or unreasonably dangerous? Is there a reasonable and safer alternative for the product’s design? If so, a company may be liable for harm caused by a design defect.
  • Manufacturing Defect. A manufacturing defect exists when a product is not manufactured according to its blueprints and design. In other words, there is an issue in the manufacturing process that prevents the product from being created as intended.
  • Marketing Defect. A marketing defect exists when a product lacks necessary warnings of known or potential hazards, dangers, or risks.

Companies can also be liable if they knew or should have known that their product was unreasonably dangerous or carried any health risks. Consumers deserve to be fully informed before using a product. If a consumer isn’t made aware of risks associated with the use of a product, they can’t make an informed decision. As a result, their health and safety can be put in serious jeopardy.

Consumers injured by defective or dangerous products can file product liability lawsuits to recover compensation for harm they suffer.

Monsanto Facing More Than 11,000 Roundup Injury Lawsuits

After developing cancer and other health issues, many individuals decided to file product liability lawsuits against Monsanto. As of March 2019, the company has been named in more than 11,000 Roundup injury lawsuits.

The vast majority of these cases were initiated after Monsanto lost the first Roundup injury case to go to trial. There, a jury ordered the company to pay a California man $289 million in compensatory and punitive damages.

The jury believed that the man developed non-Hodgkins lymphoma after being exposed to the company’s controversial pesticide. It also believed that Monsanto concealed information about the health risks associated with glyphosate and failed to warn the man about those risks.

Another Roundup injury trial is currently underway. There, another California man sued the company after he also developed non-Hodgkins lymphoma after being exposed to Roundup weed killer. A similar result in this trial could force Monsanto’s hand and encourage them to settle other pending lawsuits.

Anyone injured because of Roundup exposure has the right to pursue compensation. It’s important to find an experienced personal injury lawyer to understand your legal options. Contact our legal team today to learn more.