In the News

On October 12, 2006, during a middle-school football game, 13-year old Zackery Lystedt made a hard tackle, slamming the back of his head into the ground. He walked off the field on his own, and later returned to play the second half. But just as the game ended, Zackery collapsed. He was airlifted to a Trauma 1 hospital in nearby Seattle, where he was in a coma for the next month. For nine months after, he was unable to move or even blink.

(Editor's note: This blog post was written by AAJ Member, Robert Gellatly)

(The following blog was written by AAJ Communications Intern Harley Payne)

Medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the United States, according to the latest research. The Washington Post wrote, “A new study by patient-safety researchers…shows that ‘medical errors’ in hospitals and other healthcare facilities are incredibly common and may now be the third-leading cause of death in the United States – claiming 251,000 lives every year, more than respiratory disease, accidents, stroke and Alzheimer’s.”

Accident: noun – a sudden event (such as a crash) that is not planned or intended and that causes damage or injury.

Crash: verb – to hit something hard enough to cause serious damage or destruction; to damage (a vehicle) by causing it to hit something.

Today, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the agency created in the aftermath of the 2008 financial collapse, announced a landmark proposal to curb widespread fraud and abuse on Wall Street by restricting the use of forced arbitration against consumers.  

 (Editor's note: the following blog was written by J.G. Preston, press secretary at Consumer Attoryneys of California. It is posted here with his permission)

Too often, when members of Congress and their staffs hear anything about asbestos, they’re hearing it from the corporations that manufactured asbestos and exposed workers or veterans to it. These companies and their lobbying powerhouse, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, have been championing a bill, the so-called “FACT Act,” that would delay and deny justice to people sickened by asbestos exposure.

Many of us make New Year’s resolutions to eat heathier and buy more organic food. It takes a certain amount of willpower (and money) to purchase organic bananas, herbs, or tomatoes that can be often twice as expensive as conventionally grown fruits and veggies. But there’s a sense of a satisfaction that comes with it, knowing that you’re feeding yourself and your family better, healthier food.

This NFL season has been wrought with story after story of former NFL players being diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, a degenerative brain disease caused by repeated concussions and traumatic brain injuries. In November, the family of Hall of Fame running back Frank Gifford announced he had the disease.