If the statements of Union Pacific are accurate regarding the collision in Midland, Texas, on Nov. 15, a truck driver pulling a parade float across railroad tracks did so in spite of flashing lights and bells. As a result, an oncoming Union Pacific freight train...
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Month: November 2012
‘Therapeutic range’ very important for patients on blood thinners Coumadin, Pradaxa
Patients with atrial fibrillation are at increased risk of stroke from blood clots. In order to manage that risk, doctors might use a blood thinner like Coumadin, which has been on the market for decades. Or they might use Pradaxa, which has just recently arrived on...
Truckers draw attention in 140-vehicle pileup in Texas
Patrik Jonsson, writing for MinnPost, wonders whether truck drivers with heavy, hard-to-slow loads should slow down to avoid potentially fatal accidents, such as the accident that happened on Interstate 10 in Texas over the Thanksgiving holiday. Many people...
TxDOT’s ‘rules of the road’ during the Thanksgiving holiday
Last year during Thanksgiving, 26 Texans died and nearly 850 were injured in auto wrecks. Since Thanksgiving week is a heavy travel period, more cars on the road mean more accidents, and the Texas Department of Transportation is urging drivers to be vigilant....
New rule requires certification for doctors performing medical exams on truckers
Truckers and others with commercial driver's licenses are required to undergo regular medical examinations. These exams are intended to screen for issues that would make driving a truck unsafe (like sleep apnea, a condition that may cause drowsy driving). Regular...
Should patients with mild forms of asthma take Advair?
According to the FDA, the asthma drug Advair should be used for the shortest period of time possible, until asthma symptoms are under control, and then you should discontinue use. The reason, as John Fauber reports for the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, is that the use...
Comments on the Texas petition for secession
Chuck Thompson's article in the New Republic responds to the recent 80,000-signature-strong petition to the White House requesting that Texas be allowed to secede from the union. Thompson writes: Rather than secession, which would radically fracture our nation, Texas...
About the FDA’s ‘Black Box’ Warning for Prescription Drugs
The black-box warning is that big, bold warning seen on the packaging or instruction sheet of drugs like the blood thinner Pradaxa (dabigatran) and the diabetes drug Actos (pioglitazone), both of which are known to cause serious side effects in some patients. The Food...
New 85-mph Texas roadway claims its first auto fatality
Perhaps this fatality is only the first of many car and truck accidents on the new Texas roadway with an 85-mph speed limit. According to NBC News, the 41-mile stretch of roadway in Texas (Texas State Highway 130 between San Antonio and Austin) had its first auto...
Pradaxa Defective Drug Lawsuits Starting to Take off
According to the American Bar Association Journal, lawyers have filed exactly 131 cases against Boehringer Ingelheim, the global drug maker based in Germany, and one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. These suits allege that Boehringer Ingelheim's...