Missouri Personal Injury Lawyer Blog

An Earth City, Missouri recycling company was recently cited by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for violating health and safety rules, according to a recent article in Recycling Today. The OSHA’s investigation into health and safety at the plant began in June of 2011, when a worker attempting to clear a jam inside a baling machine was killed.

The citations included 22 serious safety violations and 8 serious health violations. These included situations in which potentially explosive dust was allowed to linger in the air where workers were present; employees operating loud equipment without wearing required hearing protection; and workers operating wash machines containing dangerous solvents without having the required safety clothing, such as gloves and face protection.

The company also received a “repeat” violation for using powered trucks the company knew were defective. A “repeat” violation is a second citation for the same behavior within five years. The company had received a citation for the same defective powered trucks in April 2010. OSHA has given the company until December 30, 2011 to fix the violations, and has recommended a total fine of over $195,000.

If you or someone you love has suffered a workplace injury in Missouri, please don’t hesitate to call the experienced St. Louis workplace accident attorneys at Page Law. We can help you every step of the way, from negotiating with your employer or workers’ compensation to holding negligent third parties accountable for their actions. Call us today at (314) 322-8515 for a free and confidential consultation.

According to a recent article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Missouri health officials are anxiously awaiting word regarding tests on a batch of powdered infant formula that was recently removed from store following the death of a Missouri newborn who consumed it and died of a rare infection.

The source of the bacteria in this case has yet to be determined but it can occur naturally in plants such as wheat and rice. Manufacturers routinely test for such germs but this may be one case where such precautions were not enough.

Preliminary hospital tests indicated that infant from Lebanon, Missouri, died of a rare infection caused by bacteria known as Cronobacter sakazakii. Though the infection is treatable it is extremely dangerous to babies less than 1 month old and any that were born prematurely.

Wal-Mart has pulled the Enfamil Newborn formula from its shelves at more than 3,000 stores nationwide as a precaution after the death of the child. However, the next step of recalling the formula has not yet occurred as the manufacturer claims test showed no bacteria was present in the batch shipped to retailers. Further tests are underway.

Wal-Mart spokeswoman Dianna Gee said that customers who bought formula in 12.5-ounce cans with the lot number ZP1K7G may return them for a refund or exchange.

The death of a 1-month-old from Granite City is also under investigation. The girl, born four weeks premature on November 26, 2011, seemed congested before she stopped breathing early Wednesday morning. It isn’t clear if she ingested the Enfamil formula under investigation.

A third infant, from Illinois, fell ill with the same bacterial infection as Cornett after consuming several types of powdered baby formula in the last month. Fortunately that child has recovered after receiving treatment in a Missouri hospital.

Health officials suggest parents take the following steps to help guard against possible infection:

• Sanitize bottles and the nipples before using.
• Bring water that will be used in formula to a boil for two minutes.
• Discard any unused formula.

If you or someone you know has suffered a tragic accident related to infant formula, please don’t hesitate to contact the experienced St. Louis personal injury attorneys at Page Law. To learn more about how we can help, call us today at (314) 322-8515.

Source: “Baby formula pulled from shelves after Missouri infant’s death,” by Blythe Bernhard, published at STLToday.com.

See Our Related Blog Posts:
For a Safe and Fun Holiday, Consider These Toy Safety Tips
Protecting Children from Burn Injuries

Members of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will be among those attending an upcoming meeting to pin down the causes of a 2010 bus crash in Gray Summit, Missouri that killed two people and left 38 others injured, according to a recent article in School Transportation News. A tractor-trailer and a passenger vehicle were also involved in the crash.

The accident occurred in April 2010, when two school buses were taking high school band members to Six Flags St. Louis. The first impact in the crash occurred when a pickup truck hit a tractor-trailer that was parked on the side of the road. One of the two school buses hit the pickup truck, and the second school bus rear-ended the first. The pickup truck's driver and one of the bus passengers were killed, and several more bus passengers were taken to local hospitals with serious injuries.

Investigation of the accident has been taking place since April 2010 because the causes of the crash have been difficult to pin down. At first, the NTSB and the Missouri Highway Patrol suspected that the driver of the lead school buses was distracted and unable to respond in time to the truck crash just ahead. Later information revealed that the second school bus may have been following too closely behind the first.

Commercial trucks and buses are considerably larger and heavier than passenger cars, so it's no surprise that a truck or bus crash can cause serious injuries. At Page Law, our experienced St. Louis bus accident lawyers have the legal resources and the real-life experience to help you determine what caused a crash and to protect your legal rights. For a free consultation, call Page Law today at (314) 322-8515.

In the wake of the Penn State child sex abuse scandal, Missouri’s attorney general has stated that he wants to see Missouri join the 18 other U.S. states that require any person to report to authorities if he or she suspects a child, patient, elderly person, or other vulnerable person is being abused or neglected, according to a recent article in the Southeast Missourian.

Currently, only certain professionals - like doctors and teachers - are required by law to report suspected abuse or neglect to the authorities. While other Missourians may report their suspicions if they have them, they are not required to do so. The Attorney General, however, believes that the law should be broadened to require reporting regardless of one’s profession or relationship to the person who may be suffering abuse or neglect.

Proponents of the change say it will make vulnerable people safer, including children and elderly persons facing Missouri nursing home abuse or neglect. Those who are against it, however, say that required reporting will not bring more cases of abuse or neglect to light, and may waste police resources tracking down everyone who “should” have said something.

Neglect in nursing homes is far too common, and the results can be devastating. If you believe someone you love is suffering from nursing home abuse or neglect, please don’t hesitate to contact a skilled St. Louis nursing home neglect attorney. At Page Law, we will help protect you and your loved one’s legal rights and options at every step, from contacting the authorities to seeking compensation for any injuries suffered. For a free and confidential consultation, call us today at (314) 322-8515.

At this time of year, Missourians hear and see many suggestions for ways to “make the holidays bright.” However, a holiday tree that catches fire will turn a bright holiday into a tragic one. The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) estimates that dried-out natural Christmas trees catch fire in about 250 homes every season, often resulting in death and causing millions of dollars in property damage.

To keep a tree fire from ruining your family's holidays, the U.S. Fire Administration recommends keeping your tree well-watered. Dry trees catch fire more quickly than most people realize. A six-foot-tall dried-out Scotch pine, for instance, may set a room on fire in as little as five seconds, according to the USFA. Within a minute, a fire started by a dried-out tree can engulf an entire room, depleting the oxygen in the house and spewing toxic smoke into the air: a recipe for disaster.

Electrical shorts in holiday lights, candles, and other sources of heat or flame can easily set a dried-out Christmas tree on fire. By contrast, the USFA's tests on trees that were kept well-watered found that it was nearly impossible to set watered trees on fire. For best results, the USFA recommends watering your tree daily, never letting it use up its entire supply before adding more. Artificial trees that are clearly labeled fire-resistant are also an option.

A fire kept in a fireplace and supervised can make a holiday home cozy, but a fire anywhere else is dangerous. If you or someone you love is injured in a fire this season, or in any accident that has resulted in injury, the experienced St. Louis personal injury attorneys at Page Law may be able to help. Call us at (314) 322-8515 today for a free and confidential consultation.

A young Leawood, Missouri woman who lost her life in a car accident will be among those memorialized on the Rose Parade float belonging to Donate Life, an organization that advocates for and arranges organ donations. Following Rose Parade tradition, her portrait has been created using flowers and other organic materials, and this “floragraph” will appear on Donate Life's Rose Parade float this coming January.

The young woman lost her life in January of 2009 as she was driving on Interstate 435. She had a minor accident, which forced her to stop her car on the side of the interstate near Holmes Road. She was calling home for help when another driver hit her and her car, killing the young woman.

The woman's family made the decision to donate her organs based on a conversation she had had with her father as both of them were watching a news report on kidney transplants. Father and daughter made a reciprocal promise: if you die first, please do everything you can to make sure my organs are donated.

Hospital workers were able to preserve the woman's heart, kidneys, lungs, pancreas, and liver. The organs were transplanted successfully, saving several terminally ill people from an untimely death. The Leawood woman's portrait will join those of 72 other donors on the Rose Parade float.

Losing a family member in an accident is one of life's most painful events, especially when the death is caused by someone else's negligence or carelessness. If you or someone you love has been injured in a car accident, an experienced auto accident attorney in St. Louis at Page Law is ready to help. To discuss your case with us confidentially and free of charge, call us today at (314) 322-8515.

Cuts to Social Security’s disability programs could have a negative impact on many Americans since people in Missouri and across the country rely on SSDI payments to make ends meet when they can no longer work. However, cuts may hurt rural communities more than urban ones overall, according to a recent study from the University of Illinois.

That’s because, on average, more people in rural communities rely on SSDI than in urban areas. For instance, in urban areas in Illinois and Missouri, the study found that about 5 percent of residents received SSDI payments after a disabling accident, injury, or illness. This number jumps to about 9.3 percent of those living in rural areas. When these people do not have access to the funds they need to pay their basic bills, the entire community suffers from decreased sales or from people moving to places where basic needs are either cheaper or where they can get help that reduced SSDI payments no longer cover, according to the study.

Social Security disability does more than just make payments to those who are disabled from an injury or illness. It also gives these people the ability to continue participating in the economy and society by being able to purchase both basic needs like groceries and adaptive equipment to help them stay connected to their local communities. When Social Security benefits are cut, everyone suffers.

If you or someone you love is facing disability, please don’t hesitate to contact an experienced Missouri SSDI attorney. A skilled lawyer will help you through every step of the process and fight on your side for the benefits you need. For a free and confidential consultation, call Page Law today at (314) 322-8515.

When the Missouri legislature reconvenes on January 4, 2012, it will hear from the state’s Chamber of Commerce on a number of workforce-related issues, including the issue of workers’ compensation in the state.

The Chamber of Commerce plans to address workers compensation for two reasons. First, changes to Missouri’s workers’ compensation laws may make the state more attractive to businesses. These laws also protect workers who are injured while on the job in Missouri, providing payments to replace lost wages, money spent on medical bills, and other losses that workers suffer when an injury puts them on the sidelines.

Also, the Chamber of Commerce is particularly concerned with the future of the state’s Second Injury Fund, which pays for the losses suffered by workers who are re-injured while on the job. Currently, according to the Chamber of Commerce, over 100 workers have been granted Second Injury Fund benefits but have not received them, while over 30,000 workers are waiting for the fund to resolve cases they have filed concerning their benefits. The Second Injury Fund stopped paying benefits several months ago, when it appeared that the fund would shortly become insolvent. The Chamber of Commerce plans to push the Missouri legislature to resolve the fund’s problems.

Workers’ compensation benefits are often a lifesaver for injured workers, who don’t have to worry about paying medical or other bills if they receive the workers compensation payments they are entitled to. If you’ve been injured on the job, the experienced MO workers’ compensation attorneys at Page Law can help you ensure you get the benefits you need to recover. For a free and confidential consultation, call us today at (314) 322-8515.

Injuries from defective toys have decreased in 2011 as compared to 2010 and 2009, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). However, over 150,000 children still visited U.S. emergency rooms in 2011 with toy-related injuries. To help protect the children you love from injuries and keep their holidays safe and happy, keep the following toy-safety tips from the CPSC in mind when you’re buying, wrapping, or giving gifts to protect your child’s safety:

• Keep deflated balloons away from children under age 8, and throw away broken balloons immediately. Most of the 17 toy-related deaths suffered in 2010 were caused by choking, often on balloons or pieces of balloons.
• Keep small toys and toy parts away from children under age 3. Read and follow the age recommendations on toys, and give toddlers toys that have no small parts.
• Put helmets and pads on children who will be riding bicycles, scooters, skateboards, or other toys with wheels. Helmets and pads should fit properly, and should be a required part of playing with their new wheeled gear.
• Avoid giving magnets or toys with magnetized parts to children under age 6. Serious injuries can occur if these are swallowed.
• Throw away all toy packaging as soon as a toy is opened. For toys like action figures, fashion dolls, and play sets, help children open them to avoid injuries - these are often attached to the packaging with plastic ties or other fasteners that can be dangerous.

Even a few moments of thought about toy safety can mean the difference between a happy holiday and a tragic one. If you or someone you love is injured by a defective toy or gift this season, please don’t hesitate to contact the experienced St. Louis personal injury attorneys at Page Law. To learn more about how we can help, call us today at (314) 322-8515.