Archive for August, 2011

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31
Aug

Truck Driver Charged In Fatal Clarksville Crash

August 31, 2011

The 73-year-old driver of a tractor-trailer has been charged with the death of a Clarksville man after the two were involved in an accident when the truck driver ran a red light. According to News Channel 4 WSMV, the accident happened just after 7:00 PM Tuesday near the intersection of 101st Airborne Division Parkway and Trenton Road in Clarksville, Tennessee.

Authorities say the semi-truck driver blew through a red light at the intersection, colliding with a Lexus and Nissan Altima. The 63-year-old Clarksville man behind the wheel of the Lexus was pronounced dead at the scene, while the driver of the 18-wheeler and the 43-year-old driver of the Nissan were taken to Gateway Medical Center to be treated for minor injuries.

Upon further investigation into the crash, authorities charged the truck driver with one count of vehicular homicide and two counts of reckless endangerment.

US Department of Transportation statistics show that more than 144,000 commercial trucks are involved in accidents each year. Of those accidents, nearly 4,200 of them are fatal.

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24
Aug

Davidson County Schools Testing For Elevated Radon Levels

August 24, 2011

Davidson County Metro Schools have quietly begun testing of all school buildings for the cancer-causing gas radon, following an ongoing News Channel 5 investigation, which uncovered test results from more than 20 years ago that showed elevated levels of the carcinogen in the classrooms. School officials are now saying nothing has been done since then to lower the levels, infuriating teachers, workers, and parents.

In 1989, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) tested eleven of the city’s schools and found alarmingly high levels of radon in 80 percent of the classrooms tested. These results placed Davidson county schools among the highest radon levels in the country. The EPA helped Metro lower the levels at two schools, but no efforts have been made since then to test for or lower radon levels in the schools.

The test results from the EPA estimated that a teacher in a classroom with 100 picoCuries per liter for ten years has a one in 40 chance of getting lung cancer, and the risks were higher for children.

The county says it intends to continue testing the 139 schools over the weekends for the next several months, with results back as early as within a week.

The things that we cannot see, smell, hear, and touch in this world can sometimes be the deadliest. If you have been exposed to an environmental hazard, such as radon, you may be entitled to compensation for the medical care you incurred.

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17
Aug

Veteran’s Blindness and Brain Damage Caused by Eye Injection

August 16, 2011

What if you went to the doctor for a new a pair of glasses and walked out blind and brain damaged? This is the reality for one 77-year-old Army veteran, who has filed a claim against the US Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) after an injection he received at their facility caused a serious infection and almost cost him his life.

The man walked into the Chattanooga, Tennessee hospital on March 29th and woke up two days later with a terrible headache, severe pain throughout his body, and a loss of vision. He went to the hospital again and was diagnosed with bacterial endophthalmitis. He was also informed that four other patients who had received the injections were also suffering from infections. Days later, the vet returned to the hospital and his condition quickly deteriorated. He was diagnosed with meningitis and is now in a vegetative state, requiring constant care.

The drug the man was injected with, Avastin, is typically used in cancer treatment, but is used off label for macular degeneration. This means the drug shouldn’t have been used at all on the patient. The VA says the drug was contaminated in the pharmacy when it was mixed to lower the dosage level.

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11
Aug

Medicaid Report Shows Deficiencies in Nashville Area Hospitals

August 10, 2011

The report card is in for Nashville-area hospitals after findings from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services were tallied and compared to national averages last week. According to The Tennessean, most numbers for area hospitals were in line with national averages, though some ranked sub-par in specific areas.

Sumner Regional Medical Center is the worst hospital in the area for pneumonia mortality rates for the third consecutive year. The hospital currently had a 17.2% fatality rate for pneumonia patients over the last year. New owners LifePoint Hospitals, who purchased the facility in Gallatin, Tennessee, are optimistic and anxious to turn those numbers around, according to a hospital spokesperson.

Another area hospital that scored poorly on the report was Southern Hills Medical Center, specifically in the category of heart failure. The facility fell the below the national average, around 10%, with a 15.3% fatality rate.

On a brighter note, several hospitals have dramatically improved since the last report of this nature. Hendersonville Medical Center has improved by leaps and bounds, bringing their heart attack death rates down from 18.2% three years ago to 15.4% most recently.

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3
Aug

Kentucky Cashier Injured by Car Driven Through Wall

August 3, 2011

A London, Kentucky car crash left a cashier injured, after a car drove through the front wall of the building. An article by News Channel 5 stated that no one else was injured in the crash.

According to police, a car occupied by two children and their grandmother had been left running outside the establishment. The 4-year-old passenger crawled from the backseat to the front and put the car into gear before the grandmother could intervene. The car plowed through the wall of the building and hit the front counter. The impact of the collision caused the counter to slide backward and pin the clerk between the counter and the wall. The 36-year-old cashier was transported to the University of Kentucky Hospital by helicopter and has since been released.

No charges were filed in the case, leaving some citizens wondering who should be held accountable for medical bills the worker will incur for her emergency transport flight and hospital visit.

Popularity: 2% [?]