Fix the BP Oil Spill Idea-of-the-Day (#2)

June 3rd, 2010. By AbiK

Mike C. wrote in with our Fix the BP Oil Spill Idea-of-the-Day. He’s been thinking along the lines of angioplasty, which seems to be a popular idea. Here’s what he says:

Idea-of-the-Day to Fix the BP Oil Spill (#2)

“Insert a long tube with a heavy duty rubber balloon in the inside of the hose releasing the oil. Then insert it like doctors do with angoplatic for heart patients, but leave the balloon. If it still leaks insert another, then another untill it’s clogged up?”

Got an idea you’d like to share? Let us know. Or email our editor at .

Thanks Mike!

Asbestos News Roundup: 6.3.10

June 3rd, 2010. By LucyC

A roundup of recent asbestos-related news and information that you should be aware of.

Asbestos Lawsuits

Jefferson County, TX: A couple from Orange County have filed an asbestos lawsuit in which they name 46 defendant corporations, alleging that the lung cancer with which Doug York was diagnosed was wrongfully caused. Mr. York was diagnosed with the disease in December 2009. 

According to their lawsuit, Doug York worked as a pipefitter for numerous companies from 1972 to 1985. Some of those corporations include Mobil, Olin, Texaco, Fina, Jefferson Chemical, Houston Chemical, Union 76 and Gulf Oil Corp. During his time as a pipefitter, Mr. York claims that not only was he unknowingly exposed to asbestos but also that he was not aware, nor made aware of, the serious health risks associated with asbestos exposure. Further, the suit claims that Mr. York was not supplied with safe working apparel.

The suit also claims that the defending companies failed to take reasonable precaution to enforce a safety plan, failed to develop a substitute material to eliminate asbestos exposure in the workplace and failed to market asbestos products that were safe to use.

The defendants negligently failed to test their products before they were released into the stream of commerce; failed to provide Doug York with a safe workplace; included asbestos in their products when they could have substituted other, safer materials and when they could have reasonably foreseen that Doug York and his coworkers would inhale the asbestos fibers; and failed to recall the asbestos materials, the suit states.

In their suit, the York’s allege that Mr. York suffers physical pain and mental anguish; that he has endured emotional distress; incurred medical costs; suffered physical impairment and partial disability; lost his earning capacity and his earnings; and became prevented from engaging in the benefits of a complete life.

Defending companies named in the complaint include: AMF Inc., Arch Chemicals, Atlantic Richfield Co., B&B Engineering and Supply Co., BP America, BP America Production, BP Corporation North America, BP Products North America, CBS Corp., Certainteed Corp., Chevron Phillips Chemical Co., Chevron Phillips Chemical Holdings, Chevron U.S.A., Conoco Phillips Co., Crest, Crown, Cork and Seal Co., Deltak, Dravo Constructors, E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Co., Entergy Texas, Exxon Mobil Corp., Exxonmobil Oil Corp., Firestone Polymers, Fluor Constructors International, Foster Wheeler Energy Corp., Foster Wheeler North America Corp., Foster USA Corp., Garlock Sealing Technologies Inc., Guardline, Gulf Oil Corp., Gulf States Utilities, Henry Vogt Machine Co., Huntsman Petrochemical, Mid Valley, Oxbow Calcinning, P.D. Glycol, Riley Power Inc., Temple Inland, Texaco Inc., Total Petrochemicals, Union Oil Company of California, Unocal Corp., Velsicol Chemical Corp., Weil-McClain Boiler Co. and 4520 Corp. (SETexas Record)

 

Asbestos Study Needs Ex-Residents of Libby Montana

Kalispell, MT: Researchers who are involved in a five-year study of the ongoing health effects of asbestos exposure in people who lived in and near the infamous asbestos mining town of Libby, MT are looking for anyone who went to high school in the town between 1950 and 1990, then moved away. 

The Center for Asbestos Related Disease (CARD) is running the $4.8 million study which will Read the rest of this entry »

Best Explanation of what’s going on with BP Spill

June 3rd, 2010. By Hunter West

I don’t live anywhere near the Gulf Coast, so the Great Oil Spill does not affect me. But I am mad as hell on behalf of the people who DO live there, and earn their livelihoods from the sea, and the fresh air. What has lately been described as easily the worst oil spill in US history is going to have lawyers locked up and busy for years, acting on behalf of those whose lives have, or will be ruined by all of this. 

And with good reason… 

What were they thinking? Were there interventions planned for this type of disaster? If a drill rig topples, or a submarine rams the pipe, should there not be provision to instantly and automatically cap the wellhead on the ocean floor? Isn’t this just common sense? 

I caught a fast-and-dirty explanation of what’s going on the other day via satellite courtesy of the CBC in Canada. Bob McDonald, the science guy who hosts a radio show called ‘Quirks and Quarks for the radio side of the network,’ is the guy CBC turns to in an effort to explain in layman’s terms, what all this means and why it’s happening. 

He was on camera for no more than 90 seconds, but he nailed it. 

Picture the Deepwater Horizon sitting on top of a pipe—or a super-long straw, if you will—sucking up the oil from the wellhead deep on the ocean floor. The explosion and fire on April 20^th decimated the drill rig and platform, and it toppled into the ocean—taking the pipe—or straw—with it.

Now that pipe is laying on the ocean floor, pretty much in one piece, but with kinks and bends. Like a kinked drinking straw after a child has done using it. There are, as McDonald explained, two or three kinks in the pipe—and the oil is leaking out of those kinks, as well as the end. 

BP has twice tried to cap the leaks, the latest effort failing last weekend when ‘Top Kill’ didn’t work. 

Now BP is trying to cut the pipe at the wellhead, with a clean cut, and cap the well. Drilling additional relief wells to stem the pressure will, hopefully, also help. 

But McDonald puts it all into perspective. According to his observations, the kinks in the pipe are effectively helping to stem the crude oil flow, serving as a governor. The kinks are limiting the pressure. Even though millions of gallons have spewed out into the Gulf in the last 6 weeks, it could have been a lot worse had the crude been allowed to be relaesed totally unimpeded. 

Well, that’s what BP, if I understand McDonald correctly, is about to do: cut the pipe cleanly at the wellhead, and then attempt to cap it. 

McDonald said it would be like opening up a fire hydrant completely, then attempting to cap the rushing water with a cap not much larger than the opening itself, and doing all this from miles away with rushing fluid at high pressure, as your guide and adversary. 

Omigod… 

Legal eagles will be hovering over this for years. Lawsuits are now, and will continue to roll out and meander through the system forever and a day. Let’s just hope there are sufficient resources, either on BP’s part or the feds, to compensate people properly. 

In the meantime… 

Pray. 

14 Signs of Financial Elder Abuse

June 3rd, 2010. By Kristine B

There are few things we at LawyersandSettlements.com cover that are as heartbreaking as financial elder abuse. The stories about senior citizens who have worked their entire lives to care for family members while ensuring that they, themselves, would be financially stable in their later years—only to have loved ones steal from them—arouse a combination of fury and sadness. The sad truth is that very few incidents of elder abuse are ever reported by the senior, leaving it up to other family members or close friends to figure out what’s going on.

The sad truth also is that in difficult economic times when many are facing financial hardship, sometimes the “easiest” route to some cashflow can involve the proverbial apple going back to the tree—uninvited. That’s why now, more than ever, it’s important to be aware of the signs of elder abuse and protect those who may be victimized.

This week, Pleading Ignorance examines financial elder abuse, signs it’s occurring and what you can do. 

Financial elder abuse occurs when someone (a loved one, a close friend or even a stranger) preys on a senior citizen and cheats the senior out of money or property. It is a heinous crime and one that goes vastly underreported. The senior may be embarrassed at having been swindled, may be afraid of retaliation if the abuser is a family member or caregiver, may be conflicted about reporting a family member to the authorities or may be unable to comprehend that he was, indeed, the victim of a crime. 

Seniors have lost their life savings, their homes, their valued jewelry or other property to abusers. At the same time, the abuser may take advantage of the senior’s condition by providing less care than is necessary or putting the senior in a care home that doesn’t meet the senior’s needs. 

I’m fairly certain there’s a special place in hell for those who would do this to their elder family members. But before they get their due from a higher power, there are some signs to be aware of right here, right now, in order to help someone who may be the victim of elder abuse.

Signs that indicate a senior may be the victim of financial elder abuse:

• Senior can’t spend money the way he wants
• Senior’s bills aren’t paid on time even though he has the financial resources to pay his bills
• Senior is forced to sell or give away property, sign over Power of Attorney, or change title of property to someone else
• Senior is offered care in exchange for property or access to bank accounts
• Senior’s account shows activity the senior couldn’t have done, such as making an ATM withdrawal when the senior is bedridden
• Senior’s financial situation suddenly changes
• Senior’s belongings are missing
• Senior’s will is suddenly changed
• Senior’s bank account shows unusual activity
• Senior makes changes to financial decisions but seems incapable of comprehending those decisions
• Senior is isolated from friends and/or family
• Senior is afraid to speak in front of caregiver/companion/family member
• Senior has purchased items he can’t use, such as a lifetime membership at a gym
• Senior receives care well below the level he can afford.

In many cases it’s up to family and friends to discover the wrongdoing and file a complaint. In the situation of Brooke Astor, a New York socialite and philanthropist, the victim’s grandson filed a complaint against his father—Astor’s son—alleging that Astor wasn’t being properly cared for even though she could afford a high quality of care. In the end, charges were laid against Astor’s son, he was found guilty and sentenced to time in jail. 

The financial abuse may not have ever been discovered if Astor’s grandson hadn’t filed a complaint. 

If you suspect a senior is being financially abused, report the situation to the proper authorities, who can then make a decision about whether or not to investigate. Every state has at least one toll-free number—either an elder abuse hotline or an elder abuse helpline—to call to when elder abuse is suspected. 

Some states, such as California, have an Elder Abuse Act to provide remedies for elders who’ve been financially abused.

Fix the BP Spill Idea-of-the-Day (#1)

June 2nd, 2010. By AbiK

We’re posting your ideas on how to fix the BP Oil Spill. All ideas are from submissions to LawyersAndSettlements.com—some may have a prayer in hell, some may be hair-brained, but all are with good intentions. And hey, you never know. So with that, here’s the…

Idea-of-the-Day to Fix the BP Oil Spill (#1)

“If possible erect a 12×12 box of steel or whatever metal is feasable weighing about ten tons with a sealed opening that can withstand the pressure of the oil escaping that can be entered with a pipe that is forced into it with pressure from above.”

Got an idea you’d like to share? Let us know. Or email our editor at .