Welcome to the Blog of The Glassman Law Firm, P.C., St. Louis Personal Injury Attorneys

We blog about relevant issues in personal injury law, discuss the misconceptions surrounding personal injury law and some of the most popular cases in the news, inform on the legal and political landscape of tort reform and insurance company lobbying, and provide readers with helpful personal injury information and resources. Please visit www.glassmanlegal.com for more information.

Friday, May 24, 2013

Social Media And Your Personal Injury Claim

Personal injury attorneys often warn their clients not to discuss their case with anyone, this includes broadcasting the status of your suit to all of your friends and family online. Your online community isn't the only one that may be interested in your status updates, so are defense attorneys and insurance companies.

So you've been in an accident. Even though you are injured, you send out a casual status update to tell your friends that you're doing fine and will be back to normal in no time. Even though your comment was only one of reassurance, the defense can use this comment to make it seem like your injuries were only minor.

Videos and photos that you post online, even old, seemingly innocent ones, can be used against you as well. Your friends may even be called as witnesses about the state of your health. Your safest option is to cancel all social media accounts until after the conclusion of your case.

Defense attorneys and insurance companies will attempt to gather information that will benefit their case. If you haven't deactivated your social media accounts, here are a few precautions you should take if you have been involved in an accident:
  • Never grant permission to anyone to look through your social media accounts.
  • Remove all videos, photos, and status updates that could hurt your case.
  • Do not accept any friend requests from people you do not personally know. 
  • Be sure to activate your privacy settings. In spite of this, there are ways to gather information from your social media accounts, but you can make it more difficult for them.
  • Never respond to messages from people you do not know. 
You may be entitled to compensation if you have been injured due to the negligence of another party. Contact the Missouri Personal Injury Attorneys of The Glassman Law Firm at 314.446.6000 to go over your legal rights and options.

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

When Companies Put Profits Ahead Of Consumer Safety...

Even though pharmaceutical and medical product manufacturers must follow strict Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations to ensure public health and safety, the well-being of consumers is not always at the forefront of profiting companies. In an attempt to increase profits, these companies conduct only the minimal safety tests, or they rush through production resulting in potentially dangerous side effects never being revealed. When any person or business puts making money before the health and safety of their consumer, they must be held liable for their negligence.

Many well known drugs on the market have been recalled due to dangerous side effects that were unknown to the FDA at the time they were approved. Regrettably, the FDA's post-market trials often come too late. This results in tens of thousands of people suffering life altering injuries, and sometimes death from dangerous or unlabeled side effects, false advertising or misrepresentation, or drug contamination. For that reason, class actions lawsuits against the manufacturers of Avandia, Chantix, Effexor, Paxil, Vioxx, and Yasmin are currently pending.

Each year, millions of people rely on a variety of medical devices to improve the quality of their lives, trusting that these devices are safe and beneficial. Yet many are faced with defective medical devices that often result in debilitating injuries, pain and suffering, and death.

The FDA has recalled over 100,000 Johnson & Johnson, Zimmer, and DePuy artificial hip and knee implants. These implants have been known to loosen, detach, dislocate, and cause infection from metal residue. Additional surgical procedures are required to correct the damage done by defective products. There is a class action lawsuit in place to secure compensation for those who require it.

Other medical devices recalled by the FDA include Medtronic infusion pumps, Boston Scientific coronary stents and catheters, and Synthes USA vertebral body implants.

Educate yourself on medical implants and prescription drugs. Speak to your doctor about the risks and the potential side effects involved. Find out if you risk further health complications by using a certain product. Research the manufacturer's safety record, its success rate, and the amount of time it has been on the market. Also be sure to ask your doctor whether or not they receive compensation from the manufacturer for prescribing the device or drug.

The consequences of pharmaceutical and medical product negligence can result in catastrophic injuries, emotional and financial hardships for the victim and their family, and death. If you have sustained injury, or if a loved one was killed, as the result of negligence by a pharmaceutical or medical product company, you and your family may qualify for compensation. Contact the Defective Product Attorneys of The Glassman Law Firm at 314-446-6000 to discuss your legal rights and options.