- Freight Train and Commuter Train Collide, Over 200 Injured
On Tuesday afternoon a freight train rolled from a side track onto the main line and collided with a commuter train that was stationary injuring over 200 people. Around 150 people were treated on scene and another 80 were taken to local hospitals. None of the injuries were life-threatening and the majority were minor. There were about 300 passengers on the Stoughton-bound train.
Pesaturo said the CSX freight car, loaded with lumber, rolled about two miles from where it had been parked at a lumber yard on the siding. It traveled onto the Stoughton commuter rail branch line, then onto the main line where it struck the passenger train's locomotive near Canton Junction just before 5:30 p.m. Pesaturo said the engineer, who was among those injured, was alerted by a track signal that something was on the line and was able to stop the commuter train before the crash.
Authorities are investigating to find out how the freight train became loose. The train was number 917 and left from Boston's South Station at 4:40 p.m.
Passengers involved in the crash said that the train suddenly stopped at the Canton Junction and then there was a loud bang. Also, a small brush fire ignited outside of the train and there was dust filling up the train car. Passengers were flying down the aisles and people had fallen on the floor. According to the passengers it was a terrifying experience.
The train service resumed Tuesday night from Boston and Providence, R.I,, but passengers had to be bused from Canton to Stoughton because crews were still cleaning up the debris from the accident.
Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jenny Albano - Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against Hannaford for Data Breach
A class action lawsuit was recently filed against Hannaford Bros. on behalf of the consumers whose credit card and debit card numbers were stolen when the company's computers were hacked.
The lawsuit was filed Wednesday, in the U.S. District Court in Portland and claims the supermarket chain was negligent in providing adequate computer data security.
The class action lawsuit follows a security breach that compromised 4.2 million credit card and debit cards leading to over 1,800 fraud cases.
Hannaford discovered the breach on February 27, upon further investigating they found the data breach began on December 7 and wasn't contained until March 10.
All 165 Hannaford stores located in New England and New York were affected, as well as 106 Sweetbay stores in Florida.
While this security breach is ranked as one of the largest in U.S. history, it is smaller than the 45.7 million credit and debit cards that were exposed at TJX Cos., in 2005.
Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Chrissie Cole - Pool Drain Lawsuit Filed Because of Drowning
Parents of a boy who drowned filed a lawsuit Monday, January 28 against the town of Greenwich, Shoreline Pools, and others. The 6 year-old drowned when his arm became caught in a powerful swimming pool drain. The lawsuit, by Brian and Karen Cohn, alleges that the pool safety violates safety requirements that were instated after many similar tragedies.
The lawsuit, which seeks damages of more than $15,000, alleges Shoreline had a history of violating building code requirements and accuses the town of failing to conduct a proper inspection before issuing a permit.
Zachary, the 6 year-old boy, became trapped after his arm became stuck in the intake valve on the wall at the deep end of the pool. When the water enters the intake valve there is a great amount of suction. When he became trapped on July 26, 2007, the father and another adult jumped in to try and save him, but unfortunately the suction from the intake valve was to strong.
The boy's parents could not find a mechanism to turn off the suction pump, so Karen Cohn ran and shut off power to the house, including the pool's drain pump. Brian Cohn was then able to free his son and perform CPR, but it was too late.
According to the lawsuit, there have been more than 150 reported drain entrapments since 1985 and over 48 deaths. There have also been other serious injuries such as disembowelment. In 2004, Connecticut made new safety requirements for pool circulation systems.
The lawsuit states that the swimming pool the boy drowned in did not live up to the minimum safety standards and that there are seven code violations that could cause entrapment.
For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Wrongful Death.
Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jenny Albano - Contaminated Dairy May Have Caused 3 Deaths
Health officials claim that the milk from Whittier Farms dairy in Shrewsbury has caused the death of 3 elderly men and caused one women to miscarriage since last June because the milk was contaminated with listeria.
Whittier Farms is popular because they still deliver milk to your door in glass bottles and the milk does not contain added hormones.
All were infected with listeria, which is extremely rare in pasteurized milk. It is more often found in raw foods, such as uncooked meat and vegetables, and processed foods such as soft cheeses and cold cuts. The outbreak is believed to be only the third time listeria has ever been linked to pasteurized milk in the United States. Listeria bacteria are often present in manure and are commonly found in soil and water. Pasteurization is supposed to kill listeria.
Tests that were completed at the plant do not show anything wrong with the pasteurization process and now health investigators are testing the cooling and bottling machinery for the source of the problem. So far the investigators have taken around 70 samples from all over the plant.
The dairy, which also has a 500-acre farm in Sutton, has stopped all operations until the source of the bacteria is found and the problem is rectified. The Whittier family has sent letters to its customers saying they are "extremely concerned about the situation" and are cooperating fully with authorities.
Symptoms of listeria include fever, nausea and diarrhea. Ingesting this kind of bacteria can cause serious illness or death in pregnant women, newborns, the elderly and patients who have compromised immune systems.
DNA testing on the four patients with listeria from Whittier Farms showed they all carried the same strain of listeria, which suggests that the bacteria had a common source. Once this was found, the families of the deceased were interviewed to help pinpoint the source.
At about the same time, a health worker at the hospital where an 88-year-old man was diagnosed with listeriosis learned that the man had had unpasteurized cider and coffee-flavored pasteurized milk. When both drinks were tested, only the pasteurized milk -- from Whittier Farms -- came back positive. Officials then found listeria in an unopened container at the dairy's store in Shrewsbury.
For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Defective and Dangerous Products.
Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jenny Albano -
