Personal Injury

Water Contamination at Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base

Published on: August 12, 2022 | O'Connor Law

From 1953 through 1987, the drinking water at Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base in North Carolina was contaminated with poisonous chemicals. Millions of marines have been impacted by this water contamination. United States Marine Corps (USMC) service members and their families living at the base bathed in and ingested tap water that was contaminated with harmful chemicals at concentrations from 240 to 3400 times levels permitted by safety standards. Several former base residents have later developed cancer and other deadly ailments, which many blame on the contaminated water.

U.S. Government Ignores Victims for Decades

For decades after the discovery of the contaminated water, victims were ignored by the US government. It was not until July 18, 2012, that Congress passed the Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012. It granted specific health benefits to any veteran who served on active duty at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, for at least 30 days between January 1, 1957, and December 31, 1987.

The Benefits of Hiring a Personal Injury Attorney

Published on: September 17, 2021 | O'Connor Law

There are numerous benefits to hiring a personal injury attorney. When individuals are injured and unable to manage their claims by themselves or are in need of additional assistance, attorneys will be able to help. At O’Connor Law, we have personal injury attorneys that have years of expertise in the practice area. To receive a free consultation of your case, call our office at 800-518-4LAW to talk to one of our personal injury attorneys.

Knowledge about Legal Laws and Processes

Filing an application and claim is a very extensive process that requires specific information. This can be a difficult task for people to conduct by themselves while recovering from injuries. Personal injury attorneys specialize in this type of practice area and can help clients receive the benefits that they deserve. With years of experience, our attorneys have gained expert knowledge of numerous types of personal injury cases. From statues of limitations to medical examinations, attorneys will make sure that applicants provide sufficient information that is required to receive benefits efficiently.

Popular Medications Increase Chance of Contracting COVID-19

Published on: July 10, 2020 | O'Connor Law

A new study may send a shock to millions of at-risk Americans. The study, which was published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology early this week, claims that taking heartburn medication featuring “Proton Pump Inhibitors” (PPI) could increase your chances of contracting the cause of the current pandemic, COVID-19. In fact, it claimed the medication could make you between 2 – 4 times as likely to test positive for the potentially deadly virus (compared to non-users).

The study, which was led by Cedars-Sinai Medical Center’s Dr. Brennan Spiegel, surveyed over 86,000 individuals through online communications. Among them, more than 53,000 people reported taking medication for pain or discomfort associated with gastrointestinal regions of their bodies. Ultimately, over 3,300 of them tested positive for COVID-19.

Although there is an array of medications to deal with gastrointestinal issues, proton pump inhibitors are extremely popular, and accessible. Offered both through prescriptions and over-the-counter, popular medicines featuring PPI’s include, but are not limited to: Prilosec, Prilosec OTC, Zegerid, Prevacid, Protonix, Aciphex, Nexium, and Dexilant. These medications act by turning off pumps in cells that release acid into your stomach, and can be taken once or twice daily. The study also determined the more frequently an individual was to take PPI medication, the more likely they would be to contract COVID-19.

Tik Tok Trend Presents Danger To Participants

Published on: May 12, 2020 | O'Connor Law

Social media has created online communities, and continues to drive online communication. As this process occurs, the media adapts. The newest adaptation in this trend is an app known as “Tik Tok”. The app, which was started in China in 2016, launched in the United States in 2018 and has become an enormous hit with the country’s youth. As with the social media of the past and present, Tik Tok trends have become prevalent. Their flagship trend is called a “challenge”. During Tik Tok Challenges, the participants attempt to recreate previous videos made by other users. They all share the same general actions, music, dances, etc.

The newest, and most dangerous Challenge is titled “The Skull Breaker Challenge”. This consists of three individuals standing side by side. As the middle participant jumps into the air, the two outside participants kick the legs out from underneath him/her. As you may predict, this challenge has caused head, neck, and back injuries to many of its participants, which is how it received its charming name. Some of these injuries have been severe, causing serious complications.

While Tik Tok has requested its users not participate in dangerous challenges like The Skull Breaker Challenge, their requests have largely gone ignored. With COVID-19’s impacts driving online activity through the roof, Tik Tok users have continued to churn out these dangerous videos.

Largest Auto Recall In History Leads to Major Probe

Published on: December 30, 2019 | O'Connor Law

Four major automakers have landed squarely in the crosshairs of a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigation. According to documents posted on December 19^th, 2019, Audi, Toyota, Honda, and Mitsubishi are the companies under investigation. The probe revolves around a Takata airbag recall, which involved 1.4 million airbag inflators.

The inflators are reported to have a unique problem that can cause them to blow apart, sending metal shrapnel into drivers’ and passengers’ faces and bodies. The issue stems from problems caused by insufficient seals and a chemical deterioration within the product. Takata, the maker of the air bags, has already recalled approximately 100 million inflators worldwide, while 19 automakers have recalled approximately 70 million inflators, making it the largest grouping of automotive recalls in United States history.

Takata, who has gone bankrupt due to the recalls, believes it’s made about 4.5 million of the faulty inflators. However, Takata claims only a portion are still in use, because the vehicles equipped with the inflators are so old.

Children’s Scooter Recall is a Deal-“Braker”

Published on: October 24, 2019 | O'Connor Law

Once thought to be a fad of the late 1990s and early 2000s, “scooting”, or the act of riding a scooter, has once again become popular among young teens. It’s also become a popular mode of transportation in cities among business professionals, tourists, and citizens alike. All summer, rural and urban communities alike saw an influx of rentable and purchasable scooters being ridden around their communities, creating yet another obstacle for pedestrians and motorists. Because of the popularity of scooters, manufacturers have increased production; this increase has resulted in a manufacturer’s recall for a particular model.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that fluidfreeride, the maker of popular kids’ scooters, began recalling their Mercane WideWheel electric kick scooter, due to hazardous malfunctions of the brake caliper, on October 4^th, 2019. When this malfunction occurs, riders have been found to lose the ability to brake, lose control of their scooter, and suffer injuries. The injuries reported thus far include flesh wounds, deep bodily bruises, and lower body sprains.

The problematic scooters were manufactured in China and sold online at fluidfreeride.com, Amazon.com, and ebay.com for $1,000 to $1,200. Fluidfreeride has decided to remedy the situation by offering to repair all scooters free of charge. If you or someone you know has a fluidfreeride scooter, you should immediately stop using it and check to see if yours is one that’s been recalled. Telltale signs include: scooter is foldable and electric, has “WideWheel” and “Mercane” printed on its platform, made of gray aluminum alloy, and includes a single 500W motor with an 8.8Ah battery or dual 500W motors with a 13.2Ah battery.

The Dangers of Swinging Turns

Published on: August 18, 2019 | O'Connor Law

Automobile Safety

What’s a swinging turn…

Well.. Let me break it down for you.

Tractor Trailer Accidents

Published on: August 15, 2019 | O'Connor Law

Auto Accidents

The Facts About Truck Accidents

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration ( FMCSA ) makes new laws and regulations regarding our safety all the time. But, regardless of how many laws and regulations are put in place to keep us safe, if we don’t actively do our part to keep ourselves and others safe, none of those things will matter.

Woman lying about existing injury in lawsuit against Coca-Cola could cost her the case.

Published on: April 24, 2019 | O'Connor Law

Mary Edwards Vs Coca-Cola

Okay, so here’s the case; in August 2013, the plaintiff Mary Edwards was struck by Willie Lee Jr., A Coca-Cola vendor, while she was shopping at Walmart. After amending her original complaint to include Willie Lee Jr. in the lawsuit, Coca-Cola accepted responsibility but denied negligence, and Walmart was later dismissed from the suit.

So where did the case go wrong.

Ford Seatbelt Fires Lead To A Recall Of Nearly 2 Million Pickup Trucks.

Published on: September 12, 2018 | O'Connor Law

We have all seen more than our fair share of recalls over the years for all different parts, of all different makes of cars. We have even had a few recalls over the last few years for seatbelts and airbags which are obviously big safety issues for these cars and trucks. We have had engine parts that cause fires. We have had electrical parts that cause fires. What we haven’t seen in recent memory are seatbelts that can cause fires. There typically are not any parts in a seatbelt that you would even think of that could cause a fire.

Ford has reports of over 23 vehicles having an issue where smoke was generated. The seat-belt pretensioners can malfunction and send sparks out when activated. What is a seatbelt pretensioner? It’s a small part that you likely have never seen in action because it typically only fires when your car is in an accident. Similar to how the airbags in your car will deploy when you hit something, the seatbelt pretensioner will fire when you are in an accident which causes a piston to block the seatbelt from allowing you to move forward.

The National-Highway Traffic Safety Administration received reports of 5 fires caused by the seatbelts, with 3 of those leading to the car being engulfed in flames.