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Crocs are dangerous. No, not the toothy reptiles; the clogs.

Justin Rogers — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 09:00:00 GMT

Are you a fan of the colorful, rubbery-feeling, plastic clogs known as Crocs? Crocs, Inc. , founded in 2002, produces footwear for men, women, and children and has a $874.4 million total revenue. The Crocs are made using a closed-cell resin material called “Croslite”, which is purported to be both comfortable and functional. In fact, Crocs are so comfortable and functional that they could cause the wearer injury.

On the Crocs website , there are a myriad of testimonials claiming that Crocs are great for everything from helping with arthritis and back pain to being the perfect shoe for a wedding. I, having never experienced the cushy comfort that Crocs supposedly provide, cannot say that they’re not all that they’re cracked up to be. However, some people have been injured by them.

Recently, Crocs, Inc. was cited in a lawsuit when a 3-year-old was permanently injured when her foot was caught in an airport escalator at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta , Georgia . According to the lawsuit, Crocs, Inc. was well aware of the dangerous nature of the shoe when worn by children but continued to market the colorful and trendy shoes to the younger wearer. The mother is asking for $4 million in damages for her daughter.

In February, another lawsuit was filed asking for $7 million in damages when a 3-year-old’s was injured on an airport escalator in John F. Kennedy Airport in New York .

In May, Consumer Reports issued a warning pertaining to Crocs and similar soft shoes and their relationship to escalator accidents. The report states that safety groups in the United States and Japan have issued warnings about soft-sided clogs such as Crocs and the potential dangers to escalator riders.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that there were approximately 11,000 escalator related injuries in 2007, ten percent of which occur when hands, feet, or shoes are trapped in escalators. Since January of 2006, there have been a reported 77 entrapment incidents, about half of which resulted in injury. Ninety-seven percent of the entrapment incidents since January of 2006 have involved soft-sided flexible clogs and slides.

To prevent escalator injuries, the CPSC recommends:

1) making sure shoes are tied before getting on an elevator;

2) standing in the center of the step and making sure to step off the escalator at the end of the ride;

3) holding children’s hands on escalators and do not permit children to sit or play on the steps;

4) not bringing children onto escalators in strollers, walkers, or carts;

5) facing forward and hold the handrail;

6) avoiding the sides of steps where entrapment can occur; and

7) learning where the emergency shutoff buttons are located in case of an emergency.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Justin Rogers

America the melting pot is having a meltdown.

Steve Lombardi — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 09:00:00 GMT

When it comes to labeling the opposition for the sake of votes America needs to get a reality check.

Brian Smith posted about the lawsuits being filed concerning Barack Obama’s birth certificate. The posts about the lawsuits are fine but the comments look like diatribe right out of the McCarthy Era that gripped this country’s conscience from the late 1940’s to the late 1950s. Because Communism is dead in most of the major countries that appeared to be a direct threat to American during the Cold War, America is now searching for a new enemy hidden somewhere amongst us. Politicians see it and exploit it to the nth degree.

In past elections the trial lawyers in general were vilified until the general public figured out they needed the lawyers to protect what was theirs; the same group Wall Street hired to steal their retirement savings. Today we have a new boogie man. Americans are substituting liberalism with communism. The pundits say the word liberal as if it implied some hidden danger to America. But really is this fair and does it make any sense at all. Take a minute and ask yourself what is a liberal or a conservative anymore? Can we just identify a major party and that alone proves how the party would tend to act in running the government? I don’t think this kind of simplistic thinking works any more. Let us look at a recent post by Brian Smith and you’ll see just how wrong the assumptions of most comments are.

If we look at Brian Smith’s post, Second Citizenship Lawsuit Filed Against Barack Obama, and examine the comments we can demonstrate this point. Here are some of the arguments being made through comments that remind me of the McCarthy Era propaganda and have little relevance to picking the next President or solving our country’s problems. The conclusions the commenters would like the reader to believe are that the boogie man is coming and that one candidate or the other should be loathed for some unstated reason but just because of whom they may associate. The use of buzz words alone and name calling is assumed to be conclusive proof of bad intentions on the part of a candidate. You can never trust a communist or for that matter a “liberal”.

Argument Number One: If you don’t think like me then you must be a Communist. This takes two opposing views. Many blacks just assume that if you’re not supporting Obama or think the birth certificate issue should be proven; then you must be racist (a commie lover). On the other side of the coin is the white person who can find everything and anything wrong or who find hidden meaning with everything about Obama while denying they are a racist. These opponents’ knee jerks at anything Barack Obama states without first allowing time to reflect on the merits of what he proposes. I will say that the Obama supporters brought some of this on themselves by charging racism against Hillary Clinton and to those who opposed him during the primary race. McCain and Palin have sat back and egged prejudice on for the sake of getting votes. Palin continues to make the boogie man argument by innuendo and through divisive labeling of voters in certain parts of the country. Labeling those who might vote for the opposition as un-American is no different than persecuting someone who was only thought to be a member of the communist party or for being a Jew. It’s an old worn out tactic that conquers through division. The main vehicles of this argument are buzz words and phrases that evoke fear and hatred.

Argument Number Two: Intelligent people aren’t to be trusted - Basically this argument is that because Obama speaks well in public he doesn’t understand the common man’s problems. The facts are that he’s an intelligent man who graduated from Harvard law school. A school I might add we could all hope our children would be worthy of attending. Are we jealous that this man, of poor means somehow accomplished this when most of us, including McCain and Palin were unable to accomplish?

Argument Number Three: Better dead then red! – In this argument the person doesn’t care about the facts, like deficit spending under the current Republican Administration, even though they claim to be fiscal conservatives. Being Republican is enough for me to lap up all that McCain and Palin might say no matter how illogical. The same can be said about Obama supporters. If you disagree you’re racist. Because one candidate belongs to a certain party is meaningless. But those who adopt this argument want us to believe party affiliation means simply that his or her traditional leanings are enough reason to disagree with everything the candidate may state. A person using this argument never listens or stops to think about the merits of what is being proposed. Palin wants us all to believe disagreement is un-American. She wants us to follow her lead like lemmings. Those who follow without question seem to have turned off their ability to think and reason like an intelligent human being. Have they done that or is it a conscience decision finding motivation in the fact they themselves have not been very successful in life and want the rest of the country to be as miserable as they are. My mother referred to this as misery loves company crowd. Let’s face facts, if you’ve spent every dime you make and have not saved money for retirement what do you care about the DOW JONES average? You could care less if the government goes bankrupt because you’ve got nothing to lose.

At this time people seem more gullible about what they are being told by candidates. I don’t want to pick on John McCain but his speeches are full of contradictions. I’ve asked myself how an intelligent man who’s been in public life for so long says some of the things he says knowing he’s previously said something contradictory. John McCain had a good solid reputation prior to this campaign and from my perspective he’s nearly destroyed it.

It takes a lifetime to build a solid reputation and only seconds to destroy it.

Voters for and supporters from both campaigns seem ready to jump to conclusions before they hear all the evidence. In writing this piece I’m not for or against any one candidate. I’m presenting a point of view that seems all too obvious. In doing so, I’m asking people to stop accusing those who are smarter, have a better vocabulary, or because they are a member of one of the major political parties that somehow they can’t act otherwise or by their conscience. Remember it was Bill Clinton’s Administration that balanced the budget and created a surplus. Need I remind you of his party affiliation? As a Democrat he was supposed to spend us into oblivion. It was Nixon who opened the doors to trading with China. As a Republican he was supposed to fight the communists to hell and back. Leaders of either party are capable of doing what is right by the American people.

And if they don’t find solutions, then vote them out of office. Instead of voters asking for naïve promises start asking for solutions.

Argument Number Four: He’s black and I’m not voting for a black man, no matter how intelligent he may be. Of course this argument takes place under hushed conversations but it’s nevertheless being made. We all know it but none of us want to admit to it. The fact is Obama is neither black nor white. He’s somewhere in the middle. Remember his mother was white and his father black. So he’s neither white nor black. This is a bothersome issue and one that Obama has played in both directions. Early on he spoke of “us” and “we” while referring to issues mostly identified with the black population. I never did like listening to being excluded because of my being white. McCain on the other hand has run hot and cold on holding his supporters in check. While he’s spoken up against his supporters who incite racial hatred he’s allowed Palin to use language charging non-supporters as being un-American. Fact of the matter is Obama as either black or white, you choose; is probably more intelligent than McCain and certainly more intelligent than Palin. Likewise for Joe Biden. What this argument reminds me of is Nazism and hatred of Jews just because they are Jews. It’s a way of thinking that is destructive of the foundation of our Constitution.

The entire liberal/conservative party dichotomy argument is tired, worn out and based on false hopes and dreams.

All of these arguments have as a basis some flaw in their underlying premises drawing one to a false conclusion. Probably the most obvious are the labels “liberal” and “conservative”. The entire liberal/conservative party dichotomy argument is tired, worn out and based on false hopes and dreams. Republican’s spent the deficit up to over 10 trillion dollars. Probably will be 15 trillion by the time Bush leaves office in January. The government has ballooned under eight years of Republican leadership. The deficit alone, but coupled with the ballooning size of the government will require raising taxes and spending less. Due to “greed” or whatever cause they want to attribute to the financial debacle more government regulation will be needed and further deficits. I have to wonder if the deficit would be lower had we maintained the old regulatory framework that deregulators took a weed whacker too. This has all been brought to us by a Republican controlled Congress and White House. Conservatives? Fiscal conservatives? Obviously not.

Here are the words of self-proclaimed conservative Mitt Romney at the Republican Convention:

Minute 7:26 “Take a weedwacker to excessive regulation and mandates. ” (Wait a second; isn’t that what set the stage for the multi-billion dollar bailout of major companies founded on capitalism? So do Republicans believe in capitalism on the way up and socialism on the way down? What kind of conservative fiscal policy is that?)

“We need change alright. Change from a liberal Washington to a Conservative Washington.” (Wait a second; haven’t the “conservatives” been in the White House for eight years?)

“Take work requirements out of Welfare” (Why would a conservative not want welfare recipients working?)

“It’s time to stop the spread of government dependency and fight it like the poison it is” (Well Mr. Romney isn’t this exactly what the Republicans have created over the past two Presidential terms and what they just handed to Wall Street Financial Institutions to the tune of how many billions of dollars?)

“It’s time for the party of Big Ideas, not the party of Big Brother” (Huh? The party of Big Ideas? Didn’t the Republican’s nominate Bush and Palin and produce Jack Abromoff and whole assortment of other criminals? The only thing I can think of is a question. “What’s the big idea you morons? You let your own party down. You allowed the Republican party to be hijacked.”)

Mr. Romney uses all of the key buzz words to invoke prejudice while ignoring the reality of his own party’s actions over these past eight plus years. Claiming Republicans are fiscal conservatives is as much of a worn out concept as is that Joe the Plumber should be used only to negatively label Mr. Obama. Joe the Plumber could have asked that same question of the McCain team. So continuing to assert that Democrats will run up the deficit ignores reality. We need to get real with what we are being told. You can’t keep spending endlessly and borrowing to support a lifestyle that we can’t now afford to pay for. In either household yours or mine, deficit spending leads to bankruptcy. That’s the reality folks. That’s a time tested conclusion founded on a solid mathematical premise. Two plus two does not add up to six and saying it does or believing it does because one candidate of the other tells us it will, is crazy. But let’s get back to the reality of labeling each other.

Claiming Obama somehow has an ego that will force him to do or say anything just to be President ignores the real John McCain. If you doubt it just visit www.therealMccain .com. Palin claims to be just like us and McCain does as well. Most of us don’t own five or more homes or spend $150,000.00 on a wardrobe. Obama claims to be like us, but depending on the audience he may not include you and me because it wouldn’t be popular with blacks. Each position ignores the reality of their lives. Palin claims living near an adjacent country somehow qualifies her for the Presidency. That’s ridiculously simplistic and a fourth grader could make a better argument. Looking at Palin’s educational accomplishments wouldn’t lead one to believe she’s qualified to be a day care worker, let alone President of the United States. If you doubt it examine her educational accomplishments.

“Palin attended several colleges and universities. In 1982, she enrolled at Hawaii Pacific College but left after her first semester. She transferred to North Idaho community college, where she spent two semesters as a general studies major. From there, she transferred to the University of Idaho for two semesters. During this time Palin won the Miss Wasilla Pageant, then finished third in the 1984 Miss Alaska pageant, at which she won a college scholarship and the "Miss Congeniality" award. She then attended the Matanuska-Susitna community college in Alaska for one term. The next year she returned to the University of Idaho where she spent three semesters completing her Bachelor of Science degree in communications-journalism, graduating in 1987.^”

We have to stop generalizing with the whole liberal/conservative dichotomy and demand real ideas and results to get this country back on track. If things don’t change we need to throw out all the incumbents. In other words clean house. What we don’t need are lofty ideas. What we do need are realistic goals and practical solutions to get this country back on track and maintain our greatness in the world stage.

Just because a candidate talks like Joe the Plumber doesn’t mean he’s on our side and will propose laws and regulations and a budget that has priorities making the common man’s life better. Just because a bills title says it’s to save the environment doesn’t mean that is what is intended. We are all too naïve about what we are being told by the candidates and our Congressman. We aren’t listening and asking enough questions. Listening is more important than is talking. Thinking is right up there with listening.

Just because Obama is a Democrat doesn’t mean he isn’t a fiscal conservative. It might mean he’s a conservative liberal who is more Joe the Plumber than we might appreciate. On the other hand just because John McCain was a POW doesn’t mean he can run this country. Vote for whomever you believe to be the most qualified and who will make us all proud to be Americans. And pride has nothing to do with being a Republican, a Democrat or the color of a person’s skin. It has to do with being an American and living right – living within our means. Looking for the boogie man won’t solve this country’s problems; but it may distract us from finding the right candidate who has the best solutions. Talk issues not about each other.

Is it too much that we should set an example for the younger people who will be future voters by listening more than speaking? Have we lost the ability to stop and to think about what we hear and say before we label someone for their ideas or their associations? Perhaps by my writing this piece some will see me as a liberal and some as an enemy of the people. Others will view me as conservative and an enemy of Joe the Plumber. I can tell you this; I have found myself contemplating if life in another country would be a better proposition for retirement.

The labeling of groups as un-American for the sake of hate is such a far cry from what I learned in law school about freedom of speech and association. Freedom of thought was one underpinning taught by my constitutional law professor Mary Winslow. What is going on in this campaign is really disgusting and a development that should concern us all. If you doubt this consider how you would be treated if the majority were a group who opposed your ideas or who belonged to the “other group” that considered “your group” to be un-American just because they think differently.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Steve Lombardi

Air Force senior airman, Danielle N. Brinser from Ottumwa, Iowa killed in Ohio mva crash

Steve Lombardi — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 23:39:24 GMT

Ottumwa, Iowa native Danielle N. Brinser, 20, a senior airman at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base was killed when trying to cross Ohio 444 on a green light. The other vehicle failed to stop and yield at the intersection light. The other car was driven by Nicholas C. Hart, 23 who failed to stop for the red light and struck Brinser’s Toyota.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Steve Lombardi

Tradition is Tradition and Palin Should Bite the Head off the Republicans Latest Red Herring

Steve Lombardi — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 18:45:00 GMT

Well, she did it again. She’s avoided the library. It's reported that Sarah Palin was to speak at the Simi Valley Republican Women's event at the Reagan Library. The latest Palin-PR announcement is that she’s cancelled. Once again she's proven how to avoid ever being accused of visiting a library. Way to go Sarah, avoiding that label of being one of the over-educated Eastern establishment elitists.

See The Sarah Palin Blog – Or is it a Fog she writes?

Did you know she has a FaceBook page?

If the Republican Party could only get rid of extremists who are ruining the party, Republicans might once again be able to vote with the Party. Fiscally responsible and socially liberal, where is the Party at that party? Republicans don’t need to worry about debt, medical cost or any other forms of relief, when the Party gives us so much comic relief.

Now which is the real and which the comic relief? You be the judge.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BE2gE-VVjBI

Poor John McCain; he had a better chance with the Russians than with who they gave him as a VP candidate. This debacle demonstrates why Participation Trophies are so wrong.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gk8moOxzlGQ

I wonder if the Russians were ever nervous with Governor Palin being so close to Russia. She insinuated that they were. I have to admit though with Governor Palin in office, Putin never thought about “rearing his head”. He was probably laughing too much to find the front door.

The Bridge To Nowhere is a reminder to all Republicans they are in Party To Nowhere.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvqH6GnE3k0

Please, please, please put her away somewhere where she can’t talk to the media. Isn’t there room on the Northwestern? Come on Deadliest Catch save America by finding room at the rail for Sarah to crab fish. Palin should be good biting the head off of the herring, since she’s bit the head off the Republican Party so many times.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JothYo2oN6I

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Steve Lombardi

Multi-car-truck collision in rural Iowa kills two - One vehicle 3 collisions and then catches fire.

Steve Lombardi — Tue, 26 May 2009 22:02:00 GMT

Two people died while another five suffered injuries in Washington County, Iowa. This multiple car collision happened on May 23, 2009 at Highway 92 and Lexington Avenue around 2:37 P.M. The crash seems to have occurred when a 1997 Chevrolet pickup truck failed to stop at a stop sign causing a crash with a 2006 Mercury Mountaineer being driven by Samuel Langstaff of Indianola.

Langstaff’s car suffered more than three collisions and appears to have been the most seriously impacted. The first was with the 1997 Chevrolet truck driven by Andrew Brock of Washington, Iowa. The truck struck Langstaff’s car in the passenger side. That forced Langstaff into the westbound lane where it was then struck a second time on the driver’s side by a 1999 Mack diesel semi-truck driven by Jared Freel. Langstaff’s car after the second collision ended up rolling and came to rest on its top. Rolling on the pavement was the third collision. But that wasn’t all there was because Langstaff’s car then caught fire. Langstaffs died in this series of four collisions. Also, a passenger Jacqueline Langstaff was killed. Both Langstaff’s are from Indianola.

At 17-years of age Brock is a younger driver. He too was injured. The way this report is written if the facts are that Brock ran a stop sign, failing to yield the right of way, then he’ll more than likely be found at fault and be liable for all the damages. That can be significant, to say the least. There are the owner’s property damage for three vehicles one of which is a semi-truck. The semi truck may have had cargo in the trailer that is owned by someone else. Any damage to that cargo will result in a forth property damage claim. The there are the drivers and passengers in each vehicle who can file a claim against him. Young people need to understand how the world works and who pays what and when. Young drivers should heed the lessons in this case. This will be an expensive lesson to learn. Aside from him there were 8 other people injured or killed.

He has his own damages to contend with as well.

The accident report shows both Langstaff’s wore their seatbelts and they were 29 and 30 years old.

The semi truck was owned by Black Hawk Soil Service, Inc. of West Chester, Iowa. The driver of that semi, Jared Steel isn’t shown as one of the injured in the preliminary report although in the summary he was noted to have been taken to the Washington Hospital by ambulance.

What a mess. This is going to be a mentally exhausting lesson for the young driver. Also injured are S. Miller, age 15, D. Haifley age 16 and T. Filben age 19.

I follow just about every accident happening in Iowa that results in a fatality and consistently you see distractions causing the drivers to make mistakes. I have no way of knowing in this case what caused the driver to not stop at the stop sign, but it won’t be surprising if all these young people are found to be in the same car. Were they all talking? Were they fooling around? I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

The Iowa State Patrol’s final report will probably be out in the next 7 to 10 days.

This story is also covered by the Des Moines Register and KCCI News.

Highway 92 & Lexington Blvd, Washington, Iowa 52353

Highway 92 is an east west highway. Lexington Road is a diagonal in a northwest to southeast direction. The aerial map from Mapquest shows this to be a rural area between West Chester and Washington.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Steve Lombardi

Illinois motorcycle helmets remains voluntary

Steve Lombardi — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 16:23:00 GMT

The Illinois Senate has rejected a mandatory helmet plan for those riding on a motorcycle. This is one of the more frivolous legislative efforts by the State of Illinois Legislature. The research on traumatic brain injury (head injury and TBI) proves just how foolish it is to allow those riding motorcycles to do so without a helmet.

Iowa, Illinois and New Hampshire continue to allow motorcyclists to ride without helmets. Iowa and Illinois should know better. New Hampshire is just trying to live up to its state motto: Live Free or Die. Yeah I suspect they are doing just that on New Hampshire highways.

Failing to pass a mandatory helmet law is really an amazing feat. When you consider the states suffering financial hardship and wanting to decrease medical care expenses for the various state and federal programs; having no helmet law is incredibly irresponsible. This is legislative short sighted pandering to a few motorcycle riders who shouldn’t have any clout with the legislature.

I could see failing to pass a mandatory helmet law if there was a higher insurance requirement for anyone not wanting to wear a helmet. But there isn’t in Iowa. Iowa law doesn’t require a person to have private health insurance or medical pay coverage on their auto policy. Casualty insurance limits are a paltry $20,000 per person, $40,000 per accident and $15,000 for property destroyed. ( Motor Vehicle Financial Responsibility Law – 321A.1(11) That law hasn’t changed since January 1, 1983.

Iowa Code – Motor Vehicle Financial Responsibility

321A.1 Definitions.

The following words and phrases when used in this chapter shall, for the purposes of this chapter, have the meanings respectively ascribed to them in this section, except in those instances where the context clearly indicates a different meaning:

….

11. Proof of financial responsibility. Proof of ability to respond in damages for liability, on account of accidents occurring subsequent to the effective date of the proof, arising out of the ownership, maintenance, or use of a motor vehicle, in amounts as follows: With respect to accidents occurring on or after January 1, 1981, and prior to January 1, 1983, the amount of fifteen thousand dollars because of bodily injury to or death of one person in any one accident, and, subject to the limit for one person, the amount of thirty thousand dollars because of bodily injury to or death of two or more persons in any one accident, and the amount of ten thousand dollars because of injury to or destruction of property of others in any one accident; and with respect to accidents occurring on or after January 1, 1983, the amount of twenty thousand dollars because of bodily injury to or death of one person in any one accident, and, subject to the limit for one person, the amount of forty thousand dollars because of bodily injury to or death of two or more persons in any one accident, and the amount of fifteen thousand dollars because of injury to or destruction of property of others in any one accident.

And the costs of a motorcycle accident without a helmet increase the chances of suffering traumatic brain injury. The University of Iowa just completed a study.

JAMA -- Abstract: Motorcycle helmet-use laws and head injury ...

Motorcyclists live Better longer: Prevent traumatic Brain ...

Add increased deer population and the single motorcycle collisions become a fact of life. Throw in some alcohol and the numbers increase further. Then there are driving distractions of the other drivers choosing. There are distractions involving GPS navigation, DVD players, cell phones, text messaging along with iPods. Each of these electronic devices can and do cause driver distraction. Children cause distractions and the risks of not seeing a motorcycle and striking one increase further. Fault aside the risks of being in a motorcycle accident are far and away one of the most dangerous of all motor vehicle collisions.

Motorcycles and Deer Don't Mix in Iowa, S.Lombardi September 24, 2007

I have no intention of standing on a soap box to preach individual freedoms like most personal injury lawyers will do. I like my clients too much to pander to popular opinion just to get a few personal injury cases. If as a rider you’re angry with me for taking the opposing view than you aren’t being realistic about the risks of injury.

Iowa Motorcycle Helmet Law - A Choice To Protect Your Brain, S. Lombardi August 21, 2008

Helmets are a proven, low cost and effective way of combating brain damage. If the legislature won’t step in then riders need to protect themselves and voluntarily wear a helmet.

2. Motorcycle helmets

Countermeasure	Effectiveness	Use	Cost	Time
2.1 State motorcycle helmet use laws	Proven	Medium	Low	Short
2.2 Helmet law enforcement; noncompliant helmets	Unknown	Unknown	Low	Medium
2.3 Helmet use promotion programs	Unknown	Low	Varies	Medium

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Steve Lombardi

Another Traffic Stop Tasering – Low Communication Skills Exemplify Low IQ Decision

Steve Lombardi — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 13:14:00 GMT

I’ve been covering the use of Tasers and what appears to be both an abuse of power by law enforcement along with embarrassment for the rest of the department. Take a look at the arrest of this mother, Audra Harmon, with children in the car, stopped for speeding and who asks to see the radar reading on the radar gun. Appearing to be caught off-guard and simply intolerant to being questioned this Onondaga County Deputy takes out his taser orders the woman back into her car; and when she complies he pulls her out of her car to taser her.

How is this not criminal conduct? How can anyone justify this use of force? Watch the video and see if you agree with the woman filing a lawsuit against the police department.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHyw9LHTSF8

Now that you’ve seen the video did you see the officer pull the woman down and into the lane of traffic without first looking to make sure she wasn’t going to get run over?

A police video captured by a dashboard camera shows Deputy Sean Andrews yanking Audra Harmon out of her minivan by the arm and knocking her down with two Taser shots last January.

Harmon was charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and going 50 mph in a 45 mph zone. Her lawyer says the district attorney's office dismissed the charges after watching the videotape.

UPDATE: It's being reported the officer has allegedly, been suspended without pay.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Steve Lombardi

O'Connell, an Irish family, is devasted after van crash in Iowa. (Updated 06/21/2009)

Steve Lombardi — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:48:17 GMT

This is one of those accidents I hate writing about but without this posting the relatives and friends back in Ireland may wonder about how to obtain information concerning the O'Connell family. I reviewed the Iowa State Patrol report of this family's June 14, 2009 accident. I’m going to report details so the extended family and friends in County Clare, Ireland know what is being reported in Iowa. The Clare Herald is reporting the story based on news reports from several sources quoting the I.S.P. report. This information comes from the I.S.P. crash report. For those interested in the Clare Republic article here is the link.

Former Gort camogie star killed in US road crash, June 16, 2009, The Clare Herald

Here is what is in the Iowa State Patrol report. Young Sarah B. O’Connell, age 15, was driving and was the only van occupant wearing her seat belt. The other passengers were the father, Henry J. O’Connell (age 50), his wife, Sarah A. (age 44) and two other small children, Colman (age 13) and Maeve (age 10). Only young Sarah who was wearing her seat belt was not ejected from the interior of the van. The van was a 2003 Honda Oddessy.

The accident occurred on June 14, 2009 at 6:36 P.M. as they were traveling southbound on Highway 61 at milepost 170 in Jackson County, Iowa. Jackson County is in eastern Iowa, just south of Dubuque and northwest of Clinton. The speed limit was 65 miles per hour (104.61 Km/hr). The airbags did deploy.

Here is the trooper’s narrative of how the accident occurred.

VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING SOUTHBOUND ON HIGHWAY 61 AT MILE MARKER 170. VEHICLE WENT OFF ONTO RIGHT SHOULDER, DRIVER STEERED LEFT OVERCORRECTING LOOSING CONTROL IN ROADWAY. VEHICLE LEFT ROADWAY ON LEFT SIDE AND TRAVELED INTO MEDIAN AND BEGAN TO ROLLOVER. VEHICLE ROLLED SEVERAL TIMES EJECTING ALL PASSENGERS. VEHICLE CAME TO REST ON IT'S WHEELS IN THE NORTHBOUND LEFT LANE AND SHOULDER FACING EAST.

There don’t appear to be any contributing factors noted by the Iowa State Trooper who investigated the accident. The first event noted was “ran off road, right” followed by “evasive action (swerve, panic braking, etc.)” followed by “overturn/rollover”.

Both Sarah, the mother along with Maeve were flown by helicopter ambulance to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, Iowa. The University Hospitals mailing directory is listed by department and the general address is University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, 200 Hawkins Drive, Room (tell them Maeve is in the pediatric ICU, Iowa City, Iowa 52242-1009.

Sarah, the daughter and her brother Colman were taken by the Maquoketa Ambulance to Mercy Hospital in Dubuque, Iowa.

Henry J. O’Connor appears to have been pronounced dead at the accident scene as he was taken to the Jackson Regional Hospital by the Medical Examiner. The Jackson County Regional Hospital can be contacted as follows: 700 W. Grove Street, Maquoketa, Iowa 52060 and telephone is 319-652-2474 and fax 319-652-4076. The website is http://www.healthenterprises.org.

The Iowa State Patrol can be contacted through the District 12 Office, 22365 20th Avenue, Stockton, Iowa 52769-9612. The Trooper in charge of the accident investigation appears to be ISP3633, C. Nelson from Post 12. Anyone can contact the I.S.P. at the Headquarters located at 215 East 7th Street, Des Moines, Iowa 50319. Phone: 515-725-6090. Email: ispinfo@dps.state.ia.us.

District 12 contact information is different: Iowa State Patrol, District #12, 22365 20th Avenue, Stockton, IA 52769 and telephone 563-284-9501

A telephone call to the University of Iowa Patient Admissions desk (319-356-2456) has Maeve in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (I.C.U.). A call to this number will allow you to be connected to the room.

General/Patient, Information 319-356-1616

Patient Room Information 319-356-2456

Special Communication Needs

UI Hospitals and Clinics, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, Iowa 52242

The reports don’t indicate if there is other family in the United States and the Midwest where Wisconsin is located. My wife’s relatives (Tubridy) are all Irish and her family hails from County Clare in Ireland. There is a still a local restaurant there named Tubridy’s. Last year in October we visited Ireland and drove around for two-weeks exploring Dublin and the southern part of Ireland from west to east. So I have some familiarity with the area. If anyone wishes more information feel free to contact us here in West Des Moines, Iowa and Barbara or I will be happy to accommodate however we can.

The posting of this information will be on the law firm’s website. This is not a solicitation for business; it is to assist the family and friends. We are sorry to read of this loss.

See The O’Connell’s from Ireland killed in U.S. road crash, June 17, 2009. The Lombardi Law Firm.

Stories on the Web with relevant information.

Family fly to comfort children orphaned in tragic car crash

By Louise Hogan, Wednesday June 17 2009

All of the children went to school in the Wisconsin city of Madison where the family had set up home.

The crash happened shortly after the school term had finished, and just two days earlier Sarah's Madison Memorial High School soccer team had played in the state tournament.

Family friend Kelly Meuer said he had known the family for almost a decade through the soccer team.

He said the family had moved between the US and Ireland on a couple of occasions, but mainly Mrs O'Connell had lived in Wisconsin with the children while Mr O'Connell was away on business. She had worked as a teacher's aide in the Madison School District. Mr O'Connell, who had a background in engineering, worked as a business consultant.

"Joe hadn't seen the kids, because he had been across the sea," Mr Meuer told a US newspaper. "They were going to take two weeks and, honestly, they didn't have an itinerary."

Funeral arrangements have not yet been made.

Relatives of US crash family say thank you for support

By Louise Hogan, Thursday June 18 2009

Both parents died following the crash, while Sarah and Colman (13) were hospitalised, but have since been released. Their youngest daughter, Maeve (10), was last night described as being in a "fair condition" at the University of Iowa Children's Hospital.

Their family thanked everyone for their kind efforts through a website dedicated to the O'Connell family, who had set up home in the city of Madison, Wisconsin, after leaving Ireland around eight years ago.

The family said Sarah and Colman would be "reunited" with Maeve at the Iowa hospital.

"Maeve, who suffered more serious injuries, is progressing," they added.

Fr Brendan Walsh, the parish priest for Causeway, said the families planned to bring the bodies home, with the burial expected to take place in the Kerry village. However, a date has not yet been confirmed.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Steve Lombardi

School Safety / Cheerleading: Dropping like flies

Megan Roth — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 21:08:00 GMT

I admit - when I was ‘flying’ I got the feeling I was superhuman - like I could defy gravity. Boy, was I wrong. Hitting the mat is more than just painful; it’s terrifying. And for good reason. At the high school level, 46.7% of direct injuries stem from cheerleading alone; in college, that percentage jumps to 64.3.

These high injury rates don’t provide much to cheer about (in fact, they legitimize many parents’ opposition to student participation in the sport). Since 1982, the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injuries has documented 93 high school cheerleading incidents that have resulted in death and other catastrophic injuries. The number may seem small, but in reality it’s not; it means injuries occur at a rate of 2.68 per 100,000 female cheerleaders - a rate that exceeds that of any other high school sport. Compounding the problematic statistic: the Consumer Safety Product Commission estimated the number of ER visits for cheerleading injuries jumped from 4,954 in 1980 to 28,414 in 2004.

Just recently, my 16-year old sister (a JV cheerleader) called me to tell me how terrifying it was when one of her teammates fell from the top of the stunt during their performance (in front of the crowd, might I add). Boy - talk about commanding attention! The girl was scooped up by two EMTs, stuffed in the back of the ambulance, and rushed to the nearest hospital. She sustained minor neck trama and was put on probation from anything active (that was two weeks ago; much to the girl’s dismay, she is still in a neck brace and has not yet been able to rejoin in practice). And that poor girl’s not alone.

In 2007, there were over 74,000 reported cheerleading injuries, 16% of which were for broken bones and 4% of which were for head injuries (primarily for concussions and closed-head injuries). If that statistic would have been just a few years earlier, my squad would’ve fit right in (during my senior year, three teammates were rushed to the ER - two for broken noses, one for failing to breathe normally after she fell from a stunt).

While broken noses, concussions, sprains, and head/spinal cord traumas are the most common injuries sustained through cheerleading, other less common injuries may end up the most dangerous. Recently, a Boston cheerleader’s lungs collapsed after she was accidently kicked in the chest during a stunt. Yikes…

As can easily be seen (both on paper and in the ER), cheerleading crosses the spectrum when it comes to where, why, and how someone sustains an injury during the sport. Outside of Bring It On, the trashy teen movie dealing with high school politics and cheerleading, the majority of injuries that occur in result of the sport are accidental; thus, not all injuries can be prevented. There are, however, organizations in place which impose regulations on the sport at the high school, collegiate, and even junior levels.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Megan Roth

The Public Accepts Casual Taser Use and Death Because It's A Clean Kill

Steve Lombardi — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 09:23:00 GMT

Tasers are without a doubt capable of causing either alone or in combination with other human factors, a person to die. Even if there is no proof that Taser alone can cause a death, and I’m not assuming that, the fact people die after being Tased should be alarming to anyone in a civilized society. How then can they be so casually and frequently used? Which brings up the question of whether ordinary citizens are tolerating the frequent use of Tasers simply because it’s a clean kill? In other words there is no blood to clean up so society is putting the dead citizens out of mind.

Clearly in many of these instances the use of a Taser is not law enforcement, but the dishing out of punishment by law enforcement. Punishment of course is the Constitutional power of the Courts, not law enforcement or the legislative branch. At what point have we become as repressive as the Communist society?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMalKZkU3yk

Where are the guidelines for when a Taser should be used? And what is the punishment to the officer violating these standards?

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Steve Lombardi