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• Maclaren Stroller Recall: Free Repair Kit Costs More Than Its Worth

  Steven Schafer | November 16, 2009 12:01 AM | 2 CommentsBoston, MA

  On November 9, 2009, Maclaren USA, the American subsidiary of the British manufacturer of umbrella strollers and other children’s products, “voluntarily” recalled about 1 million...

• Bedrails can kill patients

  Steven Schafer | February 25, 2009 10:27 AM | 2 CommentsBoston, MA

  Despite federal safety regulations and an increased awareness of the dangers of using bedrails at long-term care facilities and hospitals, patients continue to die from suffocation, strangulation or...

• Protecting Consumers from Binding Arbitration Clauses

  Ken Margolin | July 26, 2007 6:20 PM | 2 CommentsBoston, MA

  Big corporations love binding arbitration clauses. They are hidden in many contracts, requiring the individual to give up his or her right to a jury trial in the case of a dispute with the company. Some clauses attempt to block class actions. When large corporations are safe from class actions, they can cheat large numbers of people in small increments, knowing that paying off the few...

• Fake Studies for Medical Malpractice Defense

  Ken Margolin | April 09, 2007 11:20 AM | 2 CommentsBoston, MA

  Today's Boston Globe carried an article with the title, "Bed sores aren't always a sign of negligent care." Having written blogs on this site, suggesting that severe pressures sores are usually caused by nursing home negligence, I read the Globe piece carefully (the law firm of Stark & Stark, has an excellent blog on the subject). My radar went up when I read the sentence that "[T[he sentiment...

• Maclaren's "Voluntary" Recall of Strollers May Not Be So Voluntary

  Steven Schafer | November 15, 2009 2:26 PM | 1 CommentBoston, MA

  On November 9, 2009, Maclaren USA, the American subsidiary of the British manufacturer of umbrella strollers and other children’s products, “voluntarily” recalled about 1 million...

• Elevator Accidents

  Ken Margolin | January 05, 2007 7:00 AM | 1 CommentBoston, MA

  Elevators are often described as the safest means of travel. I don't know if that is true, though it may well be, given the untold numbers of times elevators go up and down across America on any given day. Nevertheless, elevators are machines and like all machines, they can and do fail. The reality of a free-falling elevator can be as frightening as the nightmare. The occupant is completely...

• Anesthesia Error - a Deadly Form of Malpractice

  Ken Margolin | November 06, 2006 12:30 PM | 1 CommentBoston, MA

  Anesthesia errors, fortunately, are not everyday occurrences. When they do happen, the results are often catastrophic. Since a serious anesthesia mistake often causes deprivation of oxygen to the patient, death or brain damage can be the end result. To the great credit of the anesthesia profession, it was anesthesiologists who led the way to modern methods of medication error reduction....

• Solutions to the Medication Error Crisis

  Ken Margolin | October 09, 2006 12:48 PM | 1 CommentBoston, MA

  Medication errors injure an estimated 1.5 million Americans each year. That staggering number is reported in studies conducted by the medical profession and pharmaceutical industries themselves. While there is no single cure for this terrible problem, borne ironically, of the tools used to cure disease, the steps to be taken to greatly reduce the problem have been understood for more than 10...

• Glade Air Fresheners and Fires

  Staff Writer | April 04, 2006 10:20 AM | 1 CommentBoston, MA

  In April of 2002, SC Johnson announced a recall of 2.5 Million of its Glade® Extra Outlet Scented Oil Air Fresheners, because the products posed a risk of fire. The air fresheners were sold between January 2002 and April 2002. SC Johnson stated in a press release that the "Glade Plugins® products are safe and will not cause fires." While the press release is undated, as stated in the...

• Maclaren Stroller Recall: What A Parent Should Do

  Steven Schafer | November 17, 2009 12:01 AM | 0 CommentsBoston, MA

  On November 9, 2009, Maclaren USA, the American subsidiary of the British manufacturer of umbrella strollers and other children’s products, “voluntarily” recalled about 1 million...