<![CDATA[Wrongful Death Archives | Scottsdale Personal Injury Blog]]> tag:www.adelmangerman.com,2013-03-21:/blog/75035 2017-11-03T19:13:24Z Movable Type Enterprise <![CDATA[Unlicensed rehab clinics may have contributed to 45 deaths]]> tag:www.adelmangerman.com,2017:/blog//75035.2900311 2017-11-07T20:30:00Z 2017-11-03T19:13:24Z There's a troubling story just in from California. Several unlicensed rehabilitation clinics serving the Spanish-language community are accused of using dangerous treatment methods. The clinics claimed to be affiliated with Alcoholics Anonymous but did not use the methods designed by that group. Some 45 people have died and at least two of those deaths have already been ruled homicides.

Although the events took place in California, something like this could easily occur in Arizona or in any state. Unfortunately, deaths associated with unlicensed clinics are rising in California. The Los Angeles Coroner's Office found 35 such deaths between 2003 and 2014, and another 11 since 2014. Arizona authorities also work to root out unlicensed operators.

]]> Lack of a license doesn't change the tragic outcome of dangerous medical practices. An injury or wrongful death at an unlicensed facility may be handled slightly differently under the law than it would at a licensed medical facility, but the victims still have full rights to compensation for their pain and losses.

The allegations are stark. According to a lawsuit brought by the California Department of Health Care Services, businesses associated with Corriente California used a variety of dangerous or even life-threatening methods to treat people for alcohol or drug addiction, including:

  • Denying patients water during a three-day-long detoxification
  • Treating seizures with a padded spoon and folk remedies rather than seeking medical treatment
  • Chasing down and hog-tying patients who attempt to leave

"These are just a few of the extremely dangerous and life-threatening practices defendants are implementing under the guise of A.A. that need to be enjoined," the department says.

The department also said the facilities -- including bathrooms -- were "makeshift" and that some detox rooms were "filthy and smelled of urine." One patient seen by department investigators had rope burns from being hog-tied. Police were called at another clinic when staff tried to drag an unwilling patient back into the facility.

Corriente, 24 individuals and five associated business entities are the targets of the lawsuit, which seeks to shut down all of the facilities and enjoin the defendants from operating again. The lawsuit also seeks to fine the defendants $200 per day if they run similar facilities after being ordered to shut down.

The reason for the fines is that these defendants have been caught doing this before. According to the department, a 2015 lawsuit tried to shut down similar clinics targeting Latinos. Instead of following the injunction, Corriente and other groups simply relocated, renamed or recreated their unlicensed clinics and continued operations.

These groups are not affiliated with Alcoholics Anonymous. In fact, it is a basic principle of its operation that AA is not affiliated with any outside institution.

]]> <![CDATA[New fatality in rear-ended Jeep may show problem with recall]]> tag:www.adelmangerman.com,2017:/blog//75035.2752854 2017-09-08T20:00:00Z 2017-09-06T20:05:01Z In 2013, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration agreed to a recall fix involving several older Jeep Liberty and Grand Cherokee models. According to safety advocates, that fix was insufficient. Now, a woman is dead after her Jeep Liberty caught fire after being rear-ended at an intersection.

NHTSA has linked over 50 deaths to an issue with the two Jeep models. The problem, the agency concluded, was that the fuel tanks were vulnerable to leaks after rear-end collisions because the tanks were mounted between the bumper and rear suspension of the vehicles. Fiat Chrysler, Jeep's parent company, claims there is no defect and that the vehicles meet all federal safety requirements.

]]> The 2013 recall involved 1.56 million vehicles. Those included Jeep Liberty SUVs from the model years 2002-2007 and Jeep Grand Cherokees from the model years 1993-1998. The recall fix was to install a trailer hitch to protect the vulnerable fuel tanks.

Even at the time, however, NHTSA did not believe the added trailer hitches would protect the gas tanks in serious accidents. When it closed the investigation in 2014, an internal memo concluded that the added hitch only provided "incremental safety benefits in certain low and moderate speed crash incidents" and would "not necessarily be effective in the most severe crashes."

It is too early to tell if the latest fatality could be considered among the "most severe crashes." According to Bloomberg News, the woman's Jeep Liberty was struck from behind while stopped at a traffic signal. Fuel from the Jeep caught fire, according to the local police department. Excessive speed is suspected but the investigation is too fresh for a conclusion.

The advocacy group Center for Auto Safety has been asking NHTSA to reopen its Jeep investigation since February 2016 or earlier.

"Here is what appears to be a tragic incident that highlights the exact problems we were concerned about 18 months ago," said the group's executive director. "Our fear then and our fear today remains to be that the fix is not sufficient."

If you or a loved one has been involved in an accident in which fuel from a Jeep caught fire, consider contacting an attorney to discuss your rights and options.

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