September 2011 Archives

The killer cantaloupes have come and created a listeria outbreak that has killed at least 13 and is the deadliest food-borne outbreak in the U.S. in more than a decade, reports the New York Times.

The killer cantaloupes -- also known as melons -- came from Colorado and are believed to contain the bacteria. Costco, a leading seller of melons in America, is planning on asking the melon companies to test melons for pathogens before shipping them to Costco, reports The Times.

An eighteen-year-old girl named Savannah Kinkaid of Canton, Georgia, died as a result of a boogie boarding accident, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Savannah Kinkaid’s death occurred three days after she was pulled unconscious from the ocean near Garden City. She died at a South Carolina hospital. Kinkaid had been riding a boogie board on Friday during rough surf when she apparently drowned. However, by the time paramedics arrived, she had been pulled out and people had been performing CPR. Unfortunately, despite spending three days at the hospital, Savannah Kinkaid’s death couldn’t be prevented.

Reports say 40,000 pounds of ground beef for Georgia school is being recalled states the U.S. Department of Agriculture, reports the Associated Press.

A meat company from Amarillo, Texas, called Palo Duro Meat, shipped out 40,000 pounds of ground beef for Georgia schools; but the government says there was a likelihood of contamination from E. Coli and the company has stopped delivery.

The discovery of E.Coli occurred in a lab where the Palo Duro Meat's frozen ground beef was evaluated, reports the Associated Press. The meat subject to recall is in 40-pound boxes which contains four 10-pound chubs of fine ground beef.

If you are out in the market looking for a face-life or little nip-and-tuck, you might want to know the difference between “plastic surgery” and “cosmetic surgery.”

The words sound similar, but understanding the distinction could even save your life, especially as people are dying at the hands of untrained cosmetic surgeons, reports USA Today.

Basically, the only doctors that the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) certifies to engage in “cosmetic” procedures, are “plastic” surgeons. However, because of the similarity in the two words, many doctors that are not trained as plastic surgeons, are holding themselves out as “cosmetic” surgeons and hoping that people won’t know the difference.

A problem with the way Qualitest Pharmaceuticals packaged its pills has led to the recall of birth control pills across the country, reports Time Magazine.

The error with the packaging caused interference with proper dosing and could result in unintentional pregnancies, reports the Food and Drug Administration. The recalled birth control pills made by Qualitest Pharmaceuticals affects the following products:

An undocumented waitress that was raped for hours by a Cobb County deputy sheriff has sued her now convicted rapist, his supervisor, the sheriff’s department, and the restaurant from which she was taken, reports Courthouse News Service.

The woman, identified by her initials in the news story, sued Cobb County Deputy Sheriff Jason Anthony Bill; the Cobb County Sheriff’s Department; and the Corona Bar & Restaurant.

Her claim against the Corona Bar arises out of the fact that it was the site where she was taken by the plains-clothes officer — and no one at the establishment intervened to help her. Her claim against the Cobb County Sheriff’s Department is based on the fact that it did not properly supervise and train the deputy sheriff.

The parents of an 11-year-old from Gwinnett County accused a school bus driver that failed to stop fighting girls after their daughter was beaten by a 15-year-old, reports FOX 5 Atlanta.

The incident, which was recorded on the cell phone of another student, shows two girls from Grace Snell Middle School getting in a fight. The 11-year-old sixth grader, Nekayla Dunn, said she had been arguing with the 8th grader for days before the fight.

Leaking gas from a Georgia McDonald’s soda fountain caused an 80-year-old woman to pass out in the restaurant bathroom and eventually die, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

And the 80-year-old wasn’t the only person to pass out. The gas from the soda fountain, which seeped in through the walls, made other people sick as well.

The only upside for the owners, who did fix the leak that caused the gas from the soda fountain, is that the police will not be pressing charges, reports the AJC.

The family of a mentally ill man who killed his mother because he was taken off certain medicines, won the right to sue his psychiatrist for medical malpractice, reports the Associated Press.

Although Georgia state laws ban a criminal's family from profiting from a killing, Victor Bruscato's father had been arguing that an exception be made in this case. In his view, Victor Bruscato only killed his mother because the psychiatrist, Dr. Derek Johnson O'Brien, discontinued his son's anti-psychotic medication.

In one of the more startling tragedies to occur on Atlanta roadways recently, a 12-year-old Douglasville boy was thrown out of his family’s SUV and was killed, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The young boy, named Devin Pierce, was in a 2005 Ford Excursion with four family members, when the rear left tire blew out. The 2005 Ford Excursion then ran onto the shoulder, re-entered the roadway, and struck a guardrail. There, Devin Pierce was ejected from the car. He was not wearing a seat-belt.

A chiropractor became a little too touchy-feely, alleges one Atlanta man, according to WSBTV.

The man, whose name has not been disclosed, alleged that Miron Friedman of the Miraculous Healthcare Chiropractors, fondled him during a massage session. It is not clear under what circumstances the specific alleged incident occurred.

Neither the police nor Miraculous Healthcare Chiropractors seem to have commented on the incident. One thing WSBTV reported is that Miron Friedman had been offering free massages, which is rather curious since chiropractors usually charge an arm-and-a-leg. Miron Friedman was booked and is out on $5,000 bond.

Lake Lanier, one of the most population vacation and water-sports destination for people from the Atlanta area, recorded more drowning deaths this summer than at any point since 1999, reports Appen Newspapers.

Eleven drowning deaths in Lake Lanier in one summer is a record since the Georgia Department of Natural Resources started keeping records, in 1999. The only other time there were as many as 11 drowning deaths in Lake Lanier was that first year of recording. In the past decade, the highest number had been eight deaths, occurring twice. Strangely, last year Lake Lanier only saw one drowning death.

While Rodney King remains America's poster-child for matters related to police misconduct, the reality is that millions of Americans face actions by the police which they believe violate their civil rights. In fact, FindLaw's Answers is full of questions about alleged police misconduct posted by community members.

Many people are under the misapprehension that when dealing with police the only redress is through another cop. While this may be the plot of many popular Hollywood movies (Training Day, for example), finding a heroic whistleblower is not the usual way a citizen can gain redress.