Denver Personal Injury Lawyer - Wrongful Death

Powers Fasteners Inc. settles $6 million wrongful-death lawsuit

Linda Snyder — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 11:34:26 GMT

A $6 million settlement was reached earlier this week for a wrongful-death lawsuit involving the family of a woman who was killed when a Big Dig highway tunnel in Boston collapsed on her car in 2006.

The lawsuit involved the epoxy supplier, Powers Fasteners Inc. The woman, Milena Del Valle, was crushed when 26 tons of concreted ceiling panels collapsed while driving through the tunnel.

It was later found by investigators that the ceiling collapsed due to workers only securing it with a fast-drying depoxy which was not safe for overhead loads.

15 other contractors and agencies are being sued by the Del Valle family, however Powers Fasteners Inc. is the only one to face criminal charges.

The Big Dig highway project is the most expensive of its kind in United States history, totaling $14.8 billion.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Linda Snyder

Man Shot Inside Capitol in Denver

April Armani — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 17:12:01 GMT

An armed man was shot to death by Governor Ritter's security staff at the Capitol. While news reports are just now coming in, it appears the man stated "I am the emperor and I'm here to take over state government" just prior to being shot by security.

For more information on this subject matter, please refer to our section on Wrongful Death.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by April Armani

Indictment Against Teen Handed Down by Grand Jury

April Armani — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 17:51:05 GMT

On March 13, 2007, a group of teenagers were allegedly drinking -- one of those drunken teenagers got behind the wheel, drove drunk and struck a car killing 17 year old Samara Stricklen. While the Jefferson County police originally believed the drunk driver was 16 year old Alison Bowen, however, the grand jury reached a different conclusion yesterday afternoon.

The grand jury indicted 17 year old Nanette LaFleur instead. The jury determined that it was LaFleur who was driving drunk that night and struck Bowen's vehicle. After the crash, LaFleur convinced Bowan (whose father owned the car) to get behind the wheel and claim she was driving. She did. However, the grand jury saw through the ruse and indicted LaFluer.

The DA also announced a ten-count indictment against the liquor store clerk -- Van Thien Pham -- who is accused of selling the alcohol to the teens.

It will be interesting to see how this case plays out. I'll keep you posted.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by April Armani

Indifference at Denver County Jail

April Armani — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 17:30:39 GMT

The family of Emily Rae Rice, the twenty-four year old who died needlessly in the hands of Denver County Jail employees, files suit against the City and County of Denver, Denver Health and nearly 50 deputies, jail guards, doctors and nurses.

It is absolutely amazing that in this day and age someone like Emily Rae Rice could die due to the negligent actions of those entities entrusted with the duty to keep inmates alive. On February 18, 2006, the twenty four year old woman died while in custody because she was allegedly not given proper medical attention or treatment. Ms. Rice was booked into the jail after a motor vehicle collision and it was determined that Ms. Rice's BAC was .112.

It is alleged in a lawsuit filed yesterday in Denver District Court that Denver Health and the Jail failed to give Ms. Rice proper medical treatment. The police report from the incident states that Emily was complaining that she was unable to mover her legs In the lawsuit, the family claims that on the afternoon of Feb. 18, 2006, a jailhouse nurse told Rice, whom he suspected of being drunk, to "sleep it off." That same nurse told Rice to "stop being dramatic" when she collapsed during a prolonged check-in, the suit says. By the next morning Ms. Rice was dead. An autopsy found that she had three broken ribs, a 7-in gash to her liver and a lacerated spleen. Emily didn't have to die. If what is alleged in the suit is true, Emily died due to the negligence of others. Let us pray that this lawsuit brings her family peace and resolution to a horrific situation.

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Wrongful Death.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by April Armani

NYC May be Sued for Infant Brain Injury Incident

Staff Writer — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 17:51:11 GMT

New York State Supreme Court Justice Doris Ling-Cohan ruled that a woman whose daughter sustained a traumatic brain injury at a city-licensed daycare center (First Steps) in 2000 could sue New York City. The woman researched several daycare centers before allowing her daughter to be put under the care of First Steps Daycare Center. Her criteria called for a "licensed, investigated, no-complaints babysitter" and one that had been thoroughly and routinely investigated by NYC's Administration for Children's Services.

The woman had no reason to fear for the safety of her child until the tragic day she found her 3-month old daughter on a stretcher and an ambulance waiting to take her to the hospital. Her daughter suffered traumatic brain injuries sustained from falling off a bed while the caretaker was bathing another child. The infant's brain was further damaged when the caretaker shook her in an effort to revive her. The infant showed several signs of shaken baby syndrome.

Following the tragic incident, the woman discovered that First Steps had several complaints of child neglect filed against them. This discovery revealed that these complaints should have led NYC to revoke First Steps' child care license. When the woman attempted to sue NYC and First Steps, the city submitted a motion to dismiss. The city claimed they had no special ties to First Steps and thus could not be held liable. A judge denied their motion and the city is now considering their legal options.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Staff Writer

17-month old girl dies at home day care center in Aurora

Staff Writer — Sat, 16 Dec 2006 10:54:57 GMT

A 17-month-old girl was found unconscious and not breathing at a home day care center in Aurora on Tuesday, December 12th. She was later pronounced dead after she was taken by ambulance to The Children's Hospital. According to family members, the girl was not ill and did not have any special medical conditions. Both a neighbor and the husband of the day-care provider attempted to give the child CPR, but to no avail. The day care provider has held a state day care license since 1999 and is perceived to be a caring babysitter who was often seen playing with the children in the front yard. 3 complaints have been lodged against the day care home, involving children throwing rocks over a neighbors fence. An autopsy will be performed on the girl by the Aurora medical examiner's office and detectives from Aurora's Major Crimes Unit and Crimes Against Children Unit are investigating the death. A spokesman for the Aurora police stated, "We don't know if the child was ill or if this was a homicide. We treat these types of cases as homicides until we know otherwise."

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Staff Writer

Flying Shrimp

Staff Writer — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 20:51:22 GMT

A New York jury didn't buy the arguments set forth by a decedent's family as it sought $10 million from Benihana's for his death several months after dodging a shrimp allegedly tossed by the chef.

For more about this story...

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Staff Writer

Wrongful Death Lawsuit for Actor Robert Blake

Staff Writer — Mon, 06 Mar 2006 20:57:51 GMT

Actor Robert Blake testifies and becomes combative in Wrongful Death lawsuit, denying having lied about his wife's slaying.

For the latest news about this troubled actor's current legal battle, click here

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Staff Writer