Atlanta Personal Injury Lawyer Blog

Published on: April 28, 2009

Defective Medical Products – Implantable Cardiac Defibrillators

Guidant had an idea to develop an implantable cardiac defibrillator that captured the world by storm, but ended up in a nasty recall of 7 models of their medical product.

Guidant, who is now under the wing of Boston Scientific, took off like a rocket when they first brought out their implantable cardiac defibrillators. When they started to fail and the products were recalled, the company took a nose dive in public confidence, not to mention it became the target of widespread lawsuits for marketing defective medical products.

Guidant began life as a small company in 1972 and was successful enough that Eli Lilly bought them out in 1978. Their specialty was finely crafted cardiac defibrillators, and they continued making them without a problem until 2005 when there were 26 reported cases of their product failing. Rumors abounded that the company had known about the problem prior to 2005 yet did nothing about it.

Published on: April 28, 2009

Grilling May Be Dangerous to Your Health

By Stephen M. Ozcomert

Talk about dangerous products, a gas grill of all things, one of the staples of an American summer backyard dinner.

While they might look fairly harmless, all hunched over on the back porch waiting for the steak or corn on the cob, if the gas flame and tank are not handled properly, these gas grills are an accident looking for a place to happen.

Just taking a look at the media coverage for the last year is enough to give one pause for thought about using a gas grill without a pilot’s license. No, seriously, these grills have their pros and their cons, but it’s the cons that may result in an explosion or fire. Handle with care or be prepared to have the unexpected happen.

Published on: April 28, 2009

When Eating Out Becomes a Danger

By Stephen M. Ozcomert

Eating out is a great thing to do now and then, or even on a regular basis. “However, sometimes what was eaten comes back to haunt the customer in the form of salmonella or other forms of food contamination,” said Georgia super lawyer Stephen M. Ozcomert of Atlanta.

Eating out these days is almost like playing a game of Russian Roulette, where no one really knows if what they eat will harm them or not. At one time fears like this were mostly limited to improper handling and preparation of a meal in restaurants, not at home. “Now, the CDC estimates there are roughly 76 million cases of food poisoning in the U.S. yearly, with about 5,000 ending in death,” outlined Ozcomert.

Lately there has been a phenomenal increase in the number of large-scale food poisoning events globally; e.g. salmonella tainted peanut butter, cold cuts harboring the deadly bacteria Listeria monocytogenes, and spinach contaminated with E Coli. It’s not just human food that has become a cause for concern; pet food has been under the microscope for containing deadly melamine.

Published on: March 22, 2009

Nursing Malpractice on the Rise

By Stephen M. Ozcomert

Most people think medical malpractice is most commonly caused by doctor error. However, this isn’t always the case, as nurses are also responsible for medical mistakes.

Over the last decade or so, the media in the U.S. have had a field day when it comes to reports detailing the number of deaths each year attributed to medical errors. The numbers are in the millions for deaths and for medication mistakes. If that doesn’t throw up a few red flags, then I don’t know what will.

Medical malpractice or medication errors (med mal) isn’t within the exclusive domain of just doctors. Nurses have similar high standards to live up to when caring for patients, and for the most part they do their jobs with skill and precision. Unfortunately, things happen and a nurse may be negligent on the job causing an oversight that leads to an injury or death. This kind of a situation is usually referred to as nurse malpractice.

Published on: March 22, 2009

Wrongful Death Cases Are Civil Lawsuits

By Stephen M. Ozcomert

Thanks to the wonders of TV, many Americans are addicted to crime shows and think that a wrongful death suit is a criminal case. In reality, a wrongful death suit is a civil case.

A wrongful death by definition is a death that happens due to the negligence, recklessness or inaction of an organization or a person. The leading cause of wrongful death is medical malpractice, with accidents on the job, car crashes and defective products vying for second place.

No matter what caused the death, a family is grieving the loss of a loved one and wondering how to carry on with their lives and handle the sudden cessation of that person’s wages, etc. In the U.S., immediate family members are allowed to file a wrongful death lawsuit. In most instances, that means parents, spouses, children, or a child’s guardian acting on the child’s behalf.

Published on: March 22, 2009

Product Liability Laws Protect Consumers

By Stephen M. Ozcomert

Americans are famous for shopping until they drop and buying the very latest fad, product or technical gadget on the market. “Not many shoppers realize they may be a victim of a defective or dangerous product,” said 2009 Georgia Super Lawyer, Stephen M. Ozcomert, P.C. of Atlanta, Georgia.

Defective or dangerous product accidents are far more common that we would like to think, which likely isn’t too surprising considering the way many of them are made these days. It reminds one of the old saying, “They sure don’t make things like they used to make them.” And indeed, manufacturers do not make products to the same standards of care that they once used to pride themselves on. More to the point, many of the products Americans buy today are not even made in the United States.

This may come as a shock to many consumers, but the Consumer Product Safety Commission actually gets hit with over 10,000 complaints (representing roughly 29 million injuries) every year, regarding defective products. “That is a staggering number and does not include the deaths directly caused by defective or dangerous products, a number that hovers just a bit over 22,000,” indicated Ozcomert.

Published on: March 22, 2009

2009 Georgia Super Lawyer Stephen M. Ozcomert of Atlanta, Georgia

By Stephen M. Ozcomert

2009 got off to a really nice start in the law offices of Stephen M. Ozcomert, P.C. of Atlanta, Georgia, with notification that he had been named to the 2009 Georgia Super Lawyers List.

Being named to the Super Lawyers list is quite the accomplishment, as nominees are selected by peer recognition and according to their professional achievements. This naming is a feather in a lawyer’s cap, and Ozcomert certainly lives up to his reputation amongst his peers.

Of interest is the fact that every year a nationwide survey of all lawyers in practice for at least five years is tapped to participate in the Super Lawyer Selection process. This is the initial selection pool, and that’s no small pool, as there are over 800,000 lawyers nationwide who participate in the survey and nomination process.

Published on: February 24, 2009

Deadly Botox – More Than Just a Cosmetic Boost

By Stephen M. Ozcomert

It’s a stunning and frightening fact that Botox use for cosmetic surgery may result in serious consequences, including death. If you have been the victim of Botox side effects, you need to speak with an experienced dangerous drug attorney.

Botox first hit the market 30 years ago when the eye care company Allergan boasted about its rejuvenating properties. Of course many of you will recall that Botox was derived from botulinum toxin A. This was once injected into eye muscles of people with crossed eyes. The science behind these injections was that the botulinum created a protein that would override muscle spasms and block nerve impulses that relaxed muscles on a temporary basis.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) took a liking to what it could do and gave it approval in 1978, however their original idea was to only use it for clinical applications. Turns out once plastic surgeons discovered its uses in cosmetic surgery, the Botox market took off exponentially. Due to the pressure of people demanding the Botox miracle, the FDA finally approved it for use in cosmetic surgery for getting rid of the fine lines between the eyes and around the mouth.

Published on: February 24, 2009

Defective Medical Devices Lurk in Waiting

By Stephen M. Ozcomert

Modern medicine is a marvelous thing when it works without side effects. When those side effects happen, defective medical products become the focal point of litigation.

Across America, hundreds of people were having hernia surgery and being implanted with a hernia patch. Sounds fairly straightforward, but apparently something went terribly wrong with the Kugel mesh hernia patches. They had a nasty habit of rolling up and wrinkling after being inserted.

The problems with the Kugel mesh hernia patches didn’t start to come to light until 2001 when reports of its failure after implantation started appearing. Some of those noted side effects included bowel obstructions, because the memory coil ring broke, and fistula development. There were other complications as well, such as the patches were folded, shriveled, buckled and curled. Obviously this was not the optimal result hoped for after hernia surgery.

Published on: February 24, 2009

The Do No Harm Ethic

By Stephen M. Ozcomert

One of the first things a doctor learns when they go to medical school is their guiding ethic, “Do no harm.” When it comes to medical malpractice it is hard to understand how that ethic was violated.

It’s a given that in our health system the patients expect their doctor has certain obligations to them. They expect good service, good care and that the doctor knows what they are doing and will not harm them in any way. Unfortunately when a patient happens to fall victim to medical malpractice (med mal), those same patients who viewed their doctor as a hero may now take action to file a med mal lawsuit.

When patients have experienced a medical injury and feel that it is related to something that their doctor did or did not do, this is the time to immediately contact an experienced med mal lawyer like Georgia super lawyer, Stephen Ozcomert in Atlanta. Ozcomert knows his stuff and one of the first things he asks his clients is if they were given the wrong medication or an incorrect dose.