Philadelphia Personal Injury Lawyers Blog

Each day families come to our firm when their loved ones have suffered serious brain injury and there is a possible personal injury claim they may have as a result. There are countless causes for our clients injuries. It is alarming when news breaks about a recall for products sold by nationwide retailers that may already be in thousands of homes throughout the country.

Such is the case with the recent recall at Target stores nationwide. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has recently recalled about 350,000 woven storage trunks after an 18 month-old girl suffered brain damage after a lid fell on her neck. The recall involved 14 different models of trunks sold at Target Stores. The recall notice states that the lid of the trunks can drop suddenly which may endanger small children who may be reaching inside them. The notice explained that an 18-month-old girl had been injured after the lid of a trunk suddenly fell down on the back of her neck and pinned her throat against the rim of the trunk.

It should be commended that Target moved to take these products off of their shelves. However, it is a sad reminder that sometimes products are sold to the general public that are not as safe as they should be.

Related Sources:

Target Recalls Storage Trunks Due to Strangulation Hazard

A clinical trial is currently being conducted at MossRehab in Philadelphia that allows paralyzed people to walk again. The study puts 14 wheel bound chair patients in a revolutionary robotic exoskeleton that allows them to stand, walk and even climb stairs.

The exoskeleton, ReWalk is manufactured by Argo Medical Technologies and doctors are hoping that this study will lead to approval by the Food and Drug Administration by the end of 2010. The lightweight device has an upper body harness, full leg supports and a backpack. The supports in ReWalk have motorized hips and knees and motion sensors placed in the shoulder sense changes in gravity and tell the device when to take a step. This device can only be used by people who have full use of their arms as leg motion is guided with the help of crutches. When fully charged the device can last for three hours.

The participants in the study are ecstatic about the freedom the ReWalk gives them; some haven't stood in twenty years. Doctors see the other benefits of the device, exercise. It is extremely difficult for those paralyzed at birth or later in life from a spinal cord injury to get exercise and the lack of exercise makes their bones weak and brittle. Using ReWalk will reverse the effect in patients while giving them the added bonus of freedom from the wheelchair.

Related Sources:
Cutting-Edge Robotic Exoskeleton Allows Wheelchair-Bound to Stand and Walk