Washington DC Injury Lawyer Blog

20-Year-old Ayanna Blue has filed an amended complaint to the Washington DC personal injury lawsuit she filed last year accusing Robert Weismiller, an ex-DC Public Schools teacher, of fathering her child. According to Blue’s civil attorney, several other females have also said that Weismiller also was inappropriate with them when they were in school. The allegations go back as for as two decades.

Blue used to study at Shadd Transition Academy, which is a school for kids with emotional and cognitive disabilities. She claims that staff at the high school suspected that Weismiller was having sex with her in his classroom but did nothing to stop the incidents, which went on for five months. Blue says that paternity test results show that there is a 99% probability that Weismiller is the father of her daughter, who was born on November 28, 2009. Blue’s lawyer has said that the District failed to protect the plaintiff from continuous exposure to a sexual predator. Weismiller, who was laid off, is no longer with the school.

Blue’s DC injury lawsuit contends that she continues to suffer financially and emotionally from her encounters with Weismiller. Her originally complaint requested compensation from him, DC schools, and Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee.

A school can be held liable for Washington DC personal injury if negligence on part of staff or other school employees allowed a student to get hurt. School districts must make sure that “dangerous” persons are not allowed on the premise and that there are no hazards on the grounds that could cause personal injury.

Attorney says ex-DCPS teacher assaulted multiple students, The Washington Post, April 28, 2011

More Alleged Victims in Lawsuit Involving Sexual Relationship Between Former DC Teacher and Student, MyFoxDC, April 28, 2011

Related Web Resources:
Injury and Accident Overview, Justia

DC Public Schools

More Blog Posts:
$1.5 Million Maryland Personal Injury Lawsuit Filed Against Howard County Following Alleged Physical Assault by High School Assistant Football Coach, Maryland Accident Law Blog, November 16, 2010

Psychiatrist Accused of Sexual Misconduct Has Settled Maryland Injury Lawsuits from Alleged Victims, Maryland Accident Law Blog, December 5, 2009

Teenager Files $10 Million Personal Injury Lawsuit Against Washington DC For Rape in Clinic, Washington DC Injury Lawsuit, June 19, 2008

A female Metro passenger was injured last week in a Washington DC escalator accident. The woman suffered chin and knee injuries when she fell into an escalator access hatch at the Pentagon Station. At the time, the escalator was not moving. It had, however, been undergoing maintenance so that the workers could replace the step rollers.

The opening, which was at the top of an escalator, was about the size of a manhole. Officials say that that it should have been covered and barricaded. The injured woman was hospitalized for two days for her injuries.

Escalator Accidents
Escalator accidents can cause serious injuries. Just last month a 4-year-old boy was killed in an escalator accident. In another Washington DC escalator accident last February, several steps on one at the Foggy Bottom Metro Station bucked to pile atop each other, creating a three-foot-hold. One passenger lost her balance and fell backwards. Fortunately, she did not fall into the hole, as two other passengers helped pull her up. Last October, four people got hurt in a DC Metro escalator accident at L'Enfant Plaza station. Riders fell on top of each other after the brakes failed.

If faulty maintenance, elevator malfunction, or some other safety issue caused your escalator accident, you may be able to file a Washington DC personal injury lawsuit against the owner of the property where the elevator is located, the elevator manufacturer, and/or other liable parties. Other common causes of escalator accidents include improper installation, missing or loose parts, inadequate inspections, escalator parts defects, and clothing/hand/foot entrapment.

UPDATE: Metro rider falls into escalator hatch left open, Washington Examiner, April 28, 2011

L'Enfant Escalator Collapse, NBC Washington, February 26, 2011

Escalator Steps Collapse at DC Foggy Bottom Metro Station, MyFox DC, February 18, 2011

4-Year-Old Boy Killed in Escalator Accident, ABC7, March 14, 2011

Related Web Resources:
DC Metro

Danger on the escalator, CBS News, February 17, 2005

More Blog Posts:
Escalator Malfunction at DC Metro Station Injures Four, Washington DC Injury Lawyer Blog, October 14, 2011

DC Metro Assault Crimes: Does WMATA Provide Adequate Security?, Washington DC Injury Lawyer Blog, August 27, 2010

One Person Dead and One Injured in DC Metro Stabbing Incident, Washington DC Injury Lawyer Blog, May 31, 2010

Continue reading " Washington DC Escalator Accident Injures 52-Year-Old Metro Rider " »

According to a new study, Botox not only smooths wrinkles, but it may also dull your ability to comprehend other people’s emotions. This latest finding was published in the Social Psychology and Personality Science this week. Our Washington DC Injury Lawyer Blog team will continue monitor this story in the event that there are more developments.

One of the cosmetic uses for Botox is to paralyze the muscles so as to reduce facial movements that can lead to wrinkles. USC psychology professor David Neal, who is the research’s lead author, says that if someone’s “muscular signals to the brain are dampened” he/she is likely “less able to read emotions.” He wants Botox users should think about whether getting injections of the botulinum toxin is decreasing their ability to comprehend people’s emotions and empathize. Another study published in the journal Emotion last year found that Botox might inhibit a person’s ability to feel emotions.

Controversy over whether the benefits of Botox outweigh the risks has been going on for some time now. While there are known medical benefits when Botox is used to treat certain conditions, serious side effects have included aspiration pneumonia, partial paralysis, and death.

Just this week, a federal jury started hearing one man’s products liability lawsuit against Allergan over his personal injuries that he claims are Botox-related. Douglas Ray Jr. claims that the drug, which he took to alleviate writer’s cramp, left him totally disabled and with brain damage.

Ray, 65, contends that the drug manufacturer promoted that Botox could be used to treat writer’s cramp and hand tremors—even though the US Food and Drug Administration had not approved Botox for these uses. He contends that he experienced a severe immune reaction to the drug, which resulted in his permanent injuries. Ray is seeking more than $20 million.

Washington DC Products Liability
A person who is injured or gets sick from taking a defective or dangerous drug, or one that has side effects that a manufacturer never warned about, may be able to file a Washington products liability lawsuit to recover damages.

Botox may deaden perception, study says, USA Today, April 21, 2011

Study: Botox cuts ability to read others, UPI, April 23, 2011

Federal jury in Va. begins hearing $20M lawsuit alleging Botox caused man's brain injury, CBS 6, April 20, 2011

Related Web Resources:
Social Psychology and Personality Science

Botox, Allergan

Botulinum Toxin, Overview, Medscape

More Blog Posts:
Mother Sues US Secretary of Health and Human Services in Washington DC Alleging Daughter Was Injured by HPV Vaccine, Washington DC Injury Lawyer Blog, May 4, 2010

Products Liability Lawsuits Cost Bausch & Lomb Over $250 Million, Maryland Accident Law Blog, June 1, 2009

ISMP—Prescribing Fentanyl Pain Medication for Short-Term Pain Be Deadly, Pharmacy Error Injury Lawyer, January 25, 2011

Continue reading " Botox May Get Rid of More than Wrinkles, Says New Study " »

With spring well under way, more kids are making their way back outdoors and onto playgrounds. Unfortunately, playground accidents are a leading cause of injuries to children in the 5-14 age group. SafeKids USA reports about 150,000 playground injuries a year result in ER visits, with injuries ranging from cuts, bruises, and scrapes to traumatic brain injuries, fractures, broken bones, dislocations, amputations, and other serious injuries. Approximately 10 playground fatalities occur in the US annually. Washington DC playground accident injuries can occur in public parks, private backyards, residential areas, daycare centers, on school grounds, and other premises where playground equipment has been set up for kids to use.

Common Causes of DC Playground Accidents:
• Inadequate supervision
• Defective or deteriorating playground equipment and rides
• Poorly designed playgrounds
• Inadequate maintenance
• Rust or sharp edges on equipment
• Inadequate protective surfacing that doesn’t provide a proper cushion in case of a fall
• Not enough space between equipment
• Trip hazards
• Playground equipment that is inappropriate or too advanced for the kids that are likely to use them
• Elevated surfaces that lack guardrails

Playground operators must make sure that their premise and the equipment on it are safe for use and that all precautions have been taken to decrease the chances of a DC playground accident. It is also the responsibility of playground equipment manufacturers to make sure that their products are safe for us.

Examples of Common Playground Accidents
• Falls from slides or jungle gyms
• Trip and fall accidents
• Burn injuries from equipment made of metal that can get hot
• Falls from swings

Playground Injuries, CDC

Playground Safety, Safekids

More Blog Posts:
Six-Year-Old Girl Dies in Washington DC Drowning Accident at Turkey Thicket Pool, Washington DC Injury Lawyer Blog, July 12, 2010

Baltimore's Public Housing Authority Says It is “Not Possible” To Pay Judgments in Maryland Lead Poisoning Cases, Maryland Accident Law Blog, April 11, 2011

Family of Girl Electrocuted at Druid Hill Park Softball Field Revisits Maryland Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against the City of Baltimore, Maryland Accident Law Blog, May 12, 2010

Continue reading " Washington DC Playground Accidents are a Leading Cause of Injuries to Minors " »

Two months after recalling 144,000 Ford F-150 Pickup Trucks over concerns that the air bags might deploy inadvertently, Ford Motor Co. has expanded its recall to 1.2 million pickup trucks. Our Washington DC car accident lawyers are pleased to see that the automaker has decided call in these additional vehicles, a move that had been called for by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Following the original recall, NHTSA said that the recall of the 144,000 vehicles wasn’t enough to address the air bag safety issue, which had resulted in at least 269 inadvertent air bag deployments and about 98 injuries. Ford, however, insisted that only those vehicles were affected by the problem, which involves a possible short-circuit that could cause the safety device to suddenly go off. The wiring needs to be replaced. In addition to more F-150 pickup trucks (model years 2004, 2005, and 2006), Ford is now also recalling a number of Lincoln Mark LT trucks (model year 2006).

Air Bag Safety
Air bags are there to protect occupants during a DC car crash. They are supposed to deploy during accidents to prevent the people in the car from hitting the interior of the auto or objects outside. There are sensors that are supposed to measure when a collision is serious enough to warrant air bag deployment. According to the NHTSA, as of January 1, 2009, air bags have saved over 28,000 people.

That said, injuries can also result if an air bag doesn’t deploy when it should, inflates too quickly, or deploys when there is no need for an air bag. Injuries may include minor scrapes and bruises, eye injuries, hand and finger injuries, chest injuries, internal injuries, head injuries, or other serious injuries.

Our Washington DC auto products liability lawyers represent clients who have suffered serious injuries because of auto defects.

Ford expands recall of F-150 pickup truck to about 1.2 million vehicles, Los Angeles Times, April 15, 2011

Ford F-150 recall greatly expanded: safety regulators, Reuters, April 14, 2011

Related Web Resources:
Air Bags, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

Air Bags, NHTSA

More Blog Posts:
Preventing Traffic Crashes: NHTSA Unveils Enhanced 5-Star Safety Rating System for New Vehicles, Washington DC Injury Lawyer Blog, October 5, 2010

Catastrophic Car Accident Victims and Their Families Ask Capitol Hill to Guarantee Products Liability Payments from Bankrupt General Motors and Chrysler, Maryland Accident Law Blog, June 4, 2009

NHTSA Examines 2.7 Million General Motors SUVs and Trucks for Potential Fire Hazard, Maryland Accident Law Blog, June 27, 2008

Two Voice of America journalists have filed a Washington DC personal injury case against Joy Ellen Mullinax, who is an FBI employee. They claim that she struck them during a hit-and-run accident on March 23. The plaintiffs, William Greenback and Thomas Bagnall, are each seeking $1 million.

According to the men, on the morning of March 23, Mullinax pulled up behind them as Bagnall was unloading equipment from their SUV that was outside the National Press Club. Greenback was sitting in the driver’s seat.

In their DC car accident complaint, they claim that Mullinax yelled and blew her horn. When Bagnall told her to drive around them, she allegedly accelerated her vehicle, striking Bagnall. Greenback then got out of the SUV and yelled at her to stop. Mullinax allegedly moved her car toward Greenback, pinning him between her car and another vehicle, stepped on the gas again, and hit him with her auto. This caused him to land on the roof of her auto.

Witnesses say that Mullinax then drove up the street with Greenback still on her vehicle. Jeneer Beeber, another driver whose vehicle she also struck, confirmed the two men’s accounts of what happened. She called Mullinax’s alleged conduct an incident of road rage.

While DC police ticketed Mullinax for changing lanes without exercising caution, Bagnall and Greenback say she should have been charged with hitting a pedestrian, reckless driving and endangerment, and leaving the accident scene.

Aggressive Driving
According to AAA Foundation, aggressive driving kills at least 1500 people a year. This type of behavior can also cause injuries. Common examples of aggressive driving include people expressing their anger or hostility by speeding, tailgating, weaving-in-and-out of traffic, attempting to intimidate others with their vehicle by driving too close for comfort to the target of their aggression, improper and unsafe lane changes, and red light running. Some aggressive drivers can turn incredibly violent.

Lawsuit Filed Against FBI Employee for Accident, MyFox, April 5, 2011

Journalists accuse FBI employee of hit-and-run, Washington Examiner, April 4, 2011

Related Web Resources:
Aggressive Driving: Three Studies, AAA Foundation

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

More Blog Posts:
Street Smart Program Aims to Prevent Washington DC Pedestrian and Bicycle Accidents, Washington DC Injury Lawyer Blog, March 30, 2011

DC Cop Injured While Investigating Fatal Hit-and-Run Accident on Key Bridge, Washington DC Injury Lawyer Blog, February 28, 2011

Mount Airy, Maryland, Man Found Not Guilty of Negligent Homicide in Fatal D.C. Pedestrian Accident, Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog, March 13, 2011