Birmingham Personal Injury Law Blog

According to a report from al.com, two patients have died and the Center for Disease Control and the Alabama Department of Public Health have launched an investigation of a Bessemer dialysis center. The report notes that both deaths are infection-related.  A review of state health department records has revealed that the Bessemer Kidney Center was cited for failing to meet state health standards for infection control, glove use, and disinfection of surfaces on March 15, 2012. The report cites instances of staff members not washing hands and/or wearing gloves during patient care, specifically during the removal/insertion of patient catheters. A patient noted in the report was hospitalized for a catheter related infection. Now, after the deaths of two other patients, the center has been closed. Unfortunately, the report notes that citations were not limited to staff sterilization issues. State health inspectors also found blood and debris in eight of the center's dialysis chairs-all which were "prepped" and awaiting the arrival of new patients. Fresenius, the parent company that owns and runs the Bessemer Kidney Center, has also received deficiencies at 11 of its other Alabama facilities. Those include Fresenius Medical Care facilities in Alexander City, Huntsville, Fairhope, Gardendale, Opelika, Prattville, Tuskegee, Mobile, and Selma. It is unknown whether any of those deficiency reports were linked to patient deaths. If your family member died from infection-related symptoms after treatment at any Alabama dialysis center, contact a Birmingham dialysis injury attorney immediately. Investigations by the CDC and ADPH may reveal that your loved one was lost due to the negligence of his or her respective kidney center. About Drake Law Firm - Our firm handles fatal accident claims across Alabama, including injury or death caused by defective products, medical devices and negligent hospital staff. Our wrongful death attorneys have handled multiple dialysis injury claims over the years. Consult with an attorney before the Alabama's two years statute of limitations if you suspect a loved one was injured due to unsanitary conditions at a dialysis center. 

The typical day-to-day accidents that Birmingham residents are used to hearing about are crashes involving passenger cars on the road. Unfortunately, any motor vehicle, whether on land or water, can be involved in an accident, leaving residents with even more possibilities of being injured by negligent drivers.

A recent car accident involving a train in Birmingham is being investigated after it led to the death of two individuals. Although we don't often hear about these types of accidents, thousands of train accidents happen across the nation every year.

The days are getting longer and the roads are likely looking more tempting for all motorists, especially motorcyclists. This time of year is not only a dangerous time for motorcycle enthusiasts; it is also a time of year to reevaluate safe driving habits in order to prevent Alabama motorcycle accidents.

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley has declared that May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. Though drivers should always aim to avoid traffic accidents, everyone needs a reminder about how to properly share the roads. Numbers of accidents and traffic fatalities suggest that continued safety education is valuable.

It seems that every new study that comes out these days about driving safety has to do with distracted driving. While it's true that most people didn't worry about driving and using cellphones as recently as 15 years ago, some other problems have not gone away, and one new study confirms that the problem of driver fatigue is still a major issue.

The new study, which Alabama residents should be interested in hearing about, found that fatigue can play a factor in as much as 20 percent of car accidents. The conventional wisdom about drowsy driving wrecks based on other tests and surveys was that it only contributed to 2 or 3 percent of accidents.