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On Tuesday, the Rhode Island Senate Finance Committee is set to meet. The discussion of this meeting is centered around an Amtrak rail way line plan that would stretch through the state of Rhode Island’s southwest area as well as through Connecticut’s coastal eastern territory. Ultimately, the Rhode Island senators will listen to the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) proposed recommendations for the new rail route at this meeting.

The FRA’s proposal will be presented by Doug Gascon, who currently serves as a deputy director of governmental affairs at the FRA. The proposal is recommending that the railroad route be straightened throughout southern New England and as a result bypass locations in order to speed up travel.

This proposal has been met by many members of local towns and communities as well as by Congress members that have opposed this new route plan. Individuals from both Connecticut and Rhode Island have opposed this new route plan because it would call for Amtrak to cut through historic towns and through important farmland.

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On Thursday, Boston Scientific Corporation issued a statement in which it recalled all of its Lotus Valve heart devices in Europe. This recall consists of both clinical and commercial sites. Also, the Lotus Valve has been removed from all clinical sites in the United States, where the valve is not yet approved for sale.

Overall, the recall is due to major manufacturing defects that have found to be present in the device.

The serious defects that has caused this recall are centered around a manufacturing problem that is linked to the premature release of the mechanism containing a pin that is used to implant the device into the heart in patients. The recall was made voluntary by the company. This is similar to mechanism issues that resulted in the Lotus recalls of 2014 as well as 2016.

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An avalanche has caused two Amtrak trains to be stuck in Montana after wiping out and covering sections of the train tracks. One of the Amtrak trains was heading to Seattle and the other train was in route to Chicago. The trains needed to take alternative measures as a result of the avalanche.

Both trains were carrying just under 100 passengers at the time the issues with the track occurred. As a result of the track issues caused by the avalanche, Amtrak was forced to reverse the train scheduled courses to other stations and even house some of the passengers until all the track issues could be taken care of and made safe for travel.

Ultimately, passengers on their way to Spokane, Seattle and Portland on Monday were returned to Chicago by bus or else made alternative travel plans, according to Amtrak officials.

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An Amtrak train on its way to Boston found itself stuck in the middle of their trip last week. Ultimately, the Amtrak train was stuck in the Bronx during the night for four hours with no heat onboard. This problem was caused by the falling of overhead wires.

The Amtrak train was in the middle of traveling from Washington, DC to South Station in Boston when the issue regarding the overhead wires occurred. The issue occurred at 3 a.m. with almost 200 passengers on board.

The passengers began to worry when after the issue occurred there was “very little communication on behalf of the Amtrak crew.” Also, as a result of the overhead wires falling, the train’s bathroom and heating systems were nonfunctional. The train stayed in this condition for over four hours. During which time, many passengers began to complain because of delay, which would delay their scheduled appointments or travel plans. Passengers also brought to light that the crew was not equipped with proper resources for such a situation, there were no blankets to help stay warm and no additional water for those in need.

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Trampolines have been a under the microscope recently due to increased number injuries caused by the device. According to the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, trampoline injuries account for nearly 100,000 emergency room visits a year. It was also shown that the number of injuries sustained at home, during 2010-2014, did not increase.

On the other hand, the number of injuries that were sustained at indoor trampoline parks shockingly rose from 581 in 2010 to 6,932 in 2014. This rise in injuries has shined the spotlight on the increasingly prevalent indoor trampoline parks which individuals are place in areas filled with wall-to-wall trampoline pits.

According the American Academy of Pediatrics, the injuries sustained are a majority focused in the lower extremities, 59% of all emergency visits were due to leg fractures. The Academy cautions strongly against the recreational use of trampolines because of the likelihood of injury.

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According to a Washington University research study, published recently in the medical journal of neurology, the current safety standards in place for welders may be cause for major health concern. The present safety standards spotlight the inadequate safety measurements currently in place to protect welders from the harmful fumes that they encounter on a daily basis.

The published study observed the long-term effects of airborne manganese on welders with its connection to symptoms that are correlated with parkinsonism. The results amplified over the welder’s lifetime due to their corresponding individual exposure level. Welders frequently encounter instances when manganese may found in base metal and the welding rod therefore it may be airborne, then inhaled by the welders. When exposed to high levels of manganese, it has been found that similar neurological problems found in Parkinson’s disease can be found in those individuals. The problems may include but are not limited to:

  • Movement abnormalities
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New information about the cause of the fatal New Jersey train crash that occurred in September has now been brought to light. According to both the National Transportation Safety Review Board and the lawyer (for the train engineer): sleep apnea is to blame for the unfortunate September train crash.

This Hoboken accident took place during the morning rush hour and resulted in the death of one female standing on the platform and injured more than 100 individuals in its totality.

Thomas Gallagher, the engineer of the New Jersey train that crashed, was diagnosed post-accident with a condition known as sleep apnea. According to Jack Arseneault, the lawyer of Gallagher, this post-accident diagnosis was delayed. Arseneault asserts the delay was due to the different medication that Gallagher had received as a result of the crash.

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It has been announced that Amtrak has agreed to a pay out in a one of the largest railroad crash settlements in the history of the United States, in the amount of $265 million. The payout is the result of a court order recently issued on the claims that related to the high-speed derailment that occurred in 2015 in Philadelphia. Tragically, that Philadelphia derailment took the lives of eight and injured more than 200 individuals.

Judge Legrome D. Davis, of the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania appointed two masters in order to evaluate the claims of each of the plaintiffs. The masters were tasked with then making recommendations as to the appropriate amounts each person or estate is to be rewarded as a result of the derailment. The factors that were and will continue to be taken into account include: plaintiff’s occupation; plaintiff’s lost earnings; plaintiff’s time out of work and plaintiff’s future medical expenses among other characteristics. Ultimately, the judge has the final approval and can modify any amount as is necessary.

The exact amount of total plaintiffs named to this claim is currently unavailable, but it is known that it exceeds 100 individuals and estates. This means that if the total damages exceeds the the court ordered capped amount of $265 million then each of the plaintiff’s claim will be decreased proportionality and if the total damages amounts to less than the $265 million, then the opposite will occur proportionality under the court order.

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Baltimore rush hour was the scene of an unfortunate crash that claimed six lives a little over a week ago. The crash involved a Maryland Transit Administration (“MTA”) bus and a local school bus. The accident was also responsible for 10 injured passengers that required hospital attention.

According to Baltimore police spokesman T.J. Smith, the passengers on the bus during this deadly collision were on their way to or on their way home from work.

Five of the six deceased adults have been identified. There were no children on either of the buses at the time of the collision.

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A Missouri jury concluded that Deborah Giannecchini’s use of Johnson & Johnson baby powder for more than 40 years caused her ovarian cancer.

This verdict follows verdicts of $72 million and $55 million in other cases. In all 3 cases, the plaintiff’s alleged that Johnson & Johnson knew that studies linked talc in its baby powder and Shower-to-Shower products to ovarian cancer in women. They further alleged that despite this knowledge, Johnson & Johnson continued to market the products to women and failed to put warning labels on their products.

Gloria Ristesund of Sioux Falls, SD was diagnosed in 2011 with cancer after continuous use of Johnson & Johnson feminine products that contained talc for over a 40-year span. In May of 2016, a St. Louis jury awarded her $55 million after talc was found in her ovarian tissue following her hysterectomy.

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