North County Injury Blog

A new device that tracks and locates retained objects (surgical items left inside a patient after an operation) is getting attention. The RF Surgical Detection System uses a wand to scan the surgical area to find any tagged items that might have been left inside the patient. Tags are small seed-like items that are embedded…

The New York Times has obtained a government report that concludes that the drug Avandia [aka Rosiglitazone], prescribed for diabetes, causes heart attacks and heart failure and should be removed from the market. According to the report, if every diabetic currently on Avandia were instead given Actos, an alternative drug, about 500 heart attacks and…

A 56-year-old man who had just finished a jog suffered serious dog bites to his forearm and hands when two wandering pit bull-mix dogs attacked him near his home. According to the North County Times, the dogs had a history of aggression, and even a history of biting. According to the victim, Tom Atkinson, he…

The North County Times is out today with an article on highway work zone safety. The good news is that the number of accidents and injuries is down. The bad news is that doing road work is still a very dangerous way to earn a living. Nick Nusser is a contractor from Atkinson Construction, and…

A Poway woman with a history of driving while intoxicated was ordered by a San Diego judge to stand trial for vehicular manslaughter after killing pedestrian Kristen Ann Bedard as she walked to work at Target. According to prosecutors, defendant Becky Anderson has two prior DUI convictions from the late 1990s when she lived in…

In the 24-hour period after the death of 15-year-old Lucas Giaconelli, the Vista boy hit by a car while riding his skateboard, police were looking for a hit-and-run driver. Those of us who followed the story assumed it was some felonious character, who probably fled the scene because he (or she) had something to hide.…

VISTA – A man working on the refrigeration system at Northgate Market in Vista suffered concussive injuries yesterday when a pressurized tank exploded. The explosion caused major damage to the store. The injured man was taken to a local hospital. It is currently unclear what caused the explosion, but authorities say the company was hired…

A 15-year-old Vista boy named Lucas Gianconelli was killed Friday night when he was struck by a car from behind while riding his skateboard near Thibodo Road and Edna Way. The driver, who was thought to have been speeding, fled the scene. Police are searching for a white, 1990s model Toyota Camry with dark-tinted windows.…

The California Department of Public Health fined three San Diego area hospitals for making mistakes that could cause “death or serious injury.” The implicated hospitals are Grossmont Hospital, Sharp Memorial Hospital, and UCSD Medical Center. According to the Union Tribune, Grossmont hospital received a $50,000 fine for marking the wrong side of the head of…

State Route 94 in San Diego’s Spring Valley area was closed for a period yesterday after a head-on car accident that claimed the life of one man, and injured three teenagers, one of whom plays minor league baseball for the Tampa Bay Rays’ organization. According to reports, a Ford Mustang being driven by 18-year-old Andrew…