A New York jury has awarded $3.5 million to a Staten Island woman who claimed a plastic surgeon botched her breast augmentation surgery. According to the lawsuit, Dr. Keith S. Berman performed a breast lift on Maria Alaimo that left her with “double-bubble deformities” in 2003. Alaimo had to undergo two corrective surgeries to fix the problem, and claimed the procedure ruined her 17-year marriage because she was too embarrassed to undress in front of her husband

Technology in police cars and ambulances is becoming more and more sophisticated, but many wonder if that sophistication comes with a price: safety. While there is no official data regarding in-dash technology as it relates to car accidents, some law enforcement officials say that the technology provides great “potential for disaster.” Some 75 percent of police cruisers have on-board computers, a figure that has doubled over the last decade. Jeffrey Lindsey, a retired fire chief in Florida, said the technology is extremely beneficial in reducing response time. He also said, however, that very few first responders are properly trained to handle the distractions while driving

Proctor and Gamble announced Tuesday the voluntary recall of all cans of taco- or cheeseburger-flavored Pringles. The chips contain the flavor ingredient hydrolyzed vegetable protein that has been found to contain salmonella. The chips are some of many “ready-to-eat” products that are being recalled due to salmonella because their manufacturing process does not include a “kill step,” which would eliminate the salmonella bacteria.

A lawsuit has been filed against a Chattanooga, Tenn., bar that claims the establishment provided its employees with free alcohol that resulted in the death of a woman in a drunk-driving accident. Chattanooga Billiard Club employee Jeremy Lane was charged with vehicular homicide and DUI in the death of Susan Berry Wood in December of last year. According to the lawsuit, Lane stayed at the bar and drank “free alcohol” after his shift ended at 3 a.m. on Dec. 23. He left the bar four hours later “visibly intoxicated,” the suit claims, and hit Wood with his car. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.

A blind Des Moines resident has filed a lawsuit against the Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority after he was hit by a city bus in 2008. According to his lawsuit, Roger D. Christenson claims the driver of the bus, Susan Jane Leveke-Meyers, had not been properly trained. The suit also alleges that she had been working far too many hours in the days before the accident and was fatigued. The bus hit Christenson as he was crossing the street in a crosswalk. The lawsuit claims that he had the right-of-way. Christenson is seeking damages to cover his medical costs and pain and suffering.

A Sacramento jury awarded an Oregon girl $24.3 million who was run over by an 18-wheeler six years ago driven by her father. The judge in the case ruled that the fact that her father was driving the truck was irrelevant, because he had been hired by the trucking company, Freeway Transport Inc., who the jury found liable. Diana Yuleidy Loza-Jimenez got accidentally caught under the back wheels of the truck, suffering severe injuries to her entire lower body. She will need an untold amount of surgeries that will affect her the rest of her life, an attorney said.

Retail giant Target has been named in a lawsuit by a Butler County, Penn., family who claim a wicker trunk they bought from the store and used as a toy chest trapped their toddler daughter’s neck and left her in a vegetative state. Eric and Laura Surman say in the lawsuit that the lid of the trunk snapped down on their daughter’s neck, cutting off oxygen to her brain. She suffered a severe lack of oxygen to the brain, resulting in spastic quadriplegia, severe psychomotor mental retardation. The lawsuit claims Target should have inserted a lid support on the chest or put a warning label on the product, and that Target has known for years that the trunks were potentially hazardous.

A man who was in a car accident that left him a paraplegic while volunteering for a Los Angeles triathlon has received a $7 million settlement from the city. Steve Albala was on his motorcycle officiating the bicycle portion of the race when he was hit by a car, suffering a fractured vertebrae and spent two years in the hospital. His lawsuit contended that the accident was caused by a traffic cop who allowed a vehicle to enter the area.

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case filed by a Pennsylvania family who has filed a lawsuit against vaccine maker Wyeth, claiming the vaccines their daughter received at the age of 6 months caused permanent neurological damage. Hannah Bruesewitz suffers from sever seizures and needs 100 percent care. Last year, a Philadelphia court ruled against the Bruesewitzes, saying that drug makers cannot be sued over injuries unavoidable if the vaccine was made properly. The family will argue to the Supreme Court that Wyeth could have manufactured a safer vaccine but failed to do so in a timely manner. The case will be heard this fall.

On 03/05/2010, 0952 hrs., CSPD received a call of a traffic hazard blocking all lanes of I-25 south of Cimarron St. Upon arrival, officers discovered approximately 40 logs between 30 ft. and 40 ft. in length blocking all lanes of the Interstate.

There were no reported injuries, traffic accidents or property damage reported as a result of this incident.

The investigation revealed that a semi-truck with a flatbed trailer was entering southbound I-25 from Cimarron St. carrying a load of approximately 100 – 150 logs. The load was secured with faulty strap webbing. The strap gave way, causing the stanchions on the side of the trailer to buckle, spilling the logs onto I-25. Southbound I-25 was totally closed for approximately 30 minutes. At that time, officers were able to open two southbound lanes, but kept the Cimarron St. entrance ramp and one lane of I-25 shut down. All lanes of the Interstate, as well as the Cimarron St. entrance ramp, were reopened at 1228 hrs. The management of the scene was a cooperative effort between CSPD, the Colorado Department of Transportation and the City of Colorado Springs Traffic Operations Center.

The semi was a Peterbilt truck owned by Hammer Lane Trucking, LLC, of Colorado Springs, CO. The operator of the truck was Tanner Shelley, 29 years old, of Colorado Springs CO. A certified Motor Vehicle Carrier Enforcement officer from the CSPD investigated the incident and issued the driver citations for failure to properly secure his load and registration violations.