A California man, who had a heart attack after being hit by a Taser stun gun and is now disabled, filed a personal injury lawsuit against the weapon maker.

The lawsuit alleges that Taser International, manufacturers of the controversial “non-lethal” police weapon, had past knowledge that voltage from the Taser could cause permanent harm to a person, specifically when the weapon is fired directly at a person’s chest as in the case of Steven Butler.

Butler, a resident of Watsonville, Calif., admitted to CNN that he was drunk and acting out on the night of October 7, 2006. Butler was on a city bus and refused to step out of the vehicle, even after area police officers ordered him to do so. According to CNN, the police officer then used a Taser three times on Butler.

Doctors later reported that while Butler was shocked, he went into cardiac arrest. Emergency medical technicians nearby were able to bring him back to life, but he was still left with permanent impairments such as loss of short and long term memory. Butler’s attorneys have claimed that while he was in cardiac arrest, Butler was deprived of oxygen for at least 18 minutes as a result of the Taser injury.

John Burton, who is representing Butler and his family in the injury lawsuit, told CNN he can prove that tasers can cause heart attacks if fired near a person’s chest, and that Taser International knew about this before October 2006.

“We suspect they had all the necessary data since 2005, since they were funding the study,” Burton told CNN about whether Taser International knew if their weapons could cause harm.

In early 2006, the American College of Cardiology Foundation published a study that was funded by Taser International to see what effects the weapons had on hearts. The testing was performed on pigs, according to CNN.

Within the published piece, authors said it wasn’t likely that Tasers could cause a heart attack, but they did recommend that the darts should not be fired near the heart to avoid the possibility altogether.

The shock coming from darts connected to wires that lead from the handheld Taser mechanism can drastically spike a person’s heart rate, CNN reported. An average resting heart rate is between 60 and 80 beats per minute but a Taser shock can spike a heart rate to as high as 220 beats per minute.

Dr. Douglas Zipes, an Indianapolis-based cardiologist, is scheduled to testify against Taser International.

“I think Taser has been disingenuous and certainly up to 2006 — the case we are talking about — Taser said in their educational materials that there was no cardiac risk whatsoever, that Taser could not produce a heart problem, that there was no long lasting effect from Taser,” Zipes told CNN.

The mother of a man who died while evading police officers filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Arkansas, claiming a deputy hit him with a Taser while he was in a pond, knocking him unconscious and causing him to drown.

Martha Neely, mother of 36-year-old Brett Howie, filed the personal injury lawsuit against Jefferson County, Sheriff Gerald Robinson and Deputy Randy Dolphin, who had fired the Taser at Howie during a chase.

Howie was wanted on two felony warrants at the time of his death for missing court dates based on charges placed on him in 2005. Howie was charged with possession of a controlled substance as well as delivery and manufacturing a controlled substance.

On Feb. 19, 2007, Howie was fleeing Jefferson County deputies, including Dolphin, who were trying to arrest him on the two warrants he had out, and chased to an area near a pond outside of Pine Bluff, Ark.

But what happened next is disputed between Neely’s attorney, Austin Porter Jr., and the sheriff’s office.

Both Arkansas State Police investigators who looked into Howie’s drowning and Prosecuting Attorney Stevan Dalrymple put into official record that no Taser darts made contact with Howie’s skin, and decided the Taser could not have contributed to his death, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

However, Porter told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that Dolphin’s Taser did shock Howie while he was in the pond, based on local police reports and Neely’s own firsthand account of what happened, since she was there when Howie died.

According to the suit, Dolphin “Tasered Mr. Howie, who in turn became incapacitated due to the electrical shock. As a result of being incapacitated … Brett drowned in the lake.”

Dolphin, who is still working for the sheriff’s office as a sergeant, did not respond to the Democrat-Gazette’s attempts to reach him, and the sheriff’s office also did not offer any comment on the lawsuit.

Arkansas State Police Spokesman Bill Sadler wrote in an email that the state police worked about a 2 month long investigation into the case, and closed it on April 27, 2007.

Within the email, Sadler wrote that Dolphin told detectives he had fired the Taser at Howie, but missed him.

“Howie swam further toward the opposite lake bank, submerged underwater, reappeared on the surface, then submerged a second time,” Sadler wrote in the email.

Deputies were originally called out to the area near the pond for a domestic dispute, and were told Howie was the cause of the disturbance, according to the Democrat-Gazette.

The holidays are notorious for being a hectic and dangerous time of the year to travel - but this year across many areas of the country, the weather conditions are adding to the danger on the roads.

According to a Weather Channel report, this holiday storm will primarily affect states west of the Mississippi River - with severe snow in Iowa, Nebraska and Montana. Reports call for snow, ice and rain over the next several days.

Illinois and Indiana will also be affected by a winter storm system, the Weather Channel reported.

Roads are already over-crowded during the holidays with people traveling to their holiday destinations - with this added factor of especially bad weather, it’s important to be extra careful to avoid any car accidents.

Car accidents are a leading cause of personal injury in the U.S. Keep your family and friends - and other drivers - safe this holiday by taking extra care when you’re on the road. Watch for ice, drive carefully, and have a happy holiday!

Swiss drug maker Novartis AG was asked to provide additional information to the Food and Drug Administration about its respiratory drug designed to help smoker’s cough.

The European counterpart to the United States’ FDA has already recommended the drug for approval, and in Europe it will be called Onbrez Breezhaler, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

The drug includes an inhaler to administer the medicine, and it treats chronic obtrusive pulmonary disease (COPD) - the medical name of smoker’s cough. This drug is the first of its kind that only requires one dose daily.

Novartis is willing to work with the FDA to provide any additional information needed to pass the drug for approval in the United States.

Executives for the drug company believe this smoker’s cough treatment will eventually bring in more than $1 billion per year, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The FDA now just has to determine if any more clinical trials need to be completed before approval.To help prevent the occurrence of dangerous or defective drugs, the FDA’s approval process can take longer than companies or consumers might like.

Past testing has proved that the drug noticeably improved lung functions in patients with COPD.

According WebMD’s breaking news released today, H1N1 flu vaccines will be available in all states starting this week.

The vaccines for swine flu are prepared and administered the same way as regular seasonal flu shots, and upon testing have not shown to produce any unusual side effects.

The vaccine is not required for non-military U.S. citizens, but is highly recommended for women who are pregnant, children and the elderly, according to WebMD.

Any employees in the health care industry may also be required by their employer or by the state to receive the vaccine.

According to a New York Times article, almost 10 percent of babies born across the globe are born prematurely - and as a result, close to a million infants die every year.

The March of Dimes, in collaboration with the World Health Organization, released a report this week stating that the majority of premature births (nearly 13 million) occur in poor countries in Africa and Asia.

The factors that contribute to premature births in poor countries are different from the factors affecting birth in wealthier nations, the New York Times reported.

In countries like the United States with highly evolved medical practices, the survival rate for premature babies is higher - but that doesn’t take into account long-term problems those children may have as a result, like blindness or cerebral palsy, the report stated.

An infant is considered to be premature if born before the 37th week of pregnancy. In the United States, a small percentage of babies are born before 32 weeks - making them at a very high risk of death or lifelong health issues, the March of Dines reported.

Few of these fatalities among premature babies lead to medical malpractice lawsuits - in most cases of premature birth there is nothing that medicine can do to prevent potential long-term health issues in early-birth babies, the New York Times reported.

Almost everyone flies at some point these days, and in our modern, fast-paced society, travelers wish to arrive at destinations the quickest way possible.

Some may have fears about planes crashing - but even the experience of a bumpy ride can be disconcerting.

According to a Washington Post report, in the past year, there have been eight incidents in which passengers suffered serious injuries from turbulence, and 42 incidents where minor injuries have occurred from rough rides in the air.

The Federal Aviation Association (FAA) reports that turbulence is the leading cause of injuries to both passengers and airline staff. For some it has caused severe injuries and there are even reports of death.

One Florida woman found out the dangers of turbulence on her flight back to Tampa, Fla. Jeanne Holton Carufel was using the restroom on a United Airlines flight when she heard the announcement to stay in your seats and to buckle the seat belts as the flight was experiencing turbulence. But unfortunately she did not arrive to her seat in time and suffered injuries to her head and back.

According to the Washington Post Holten Carufel said she “couldn’t’ get back to her seat fast enough. The plane took a big dive and she hit the roof of the plane and fell back to the ground.”

The paramedics arrived at the airport at 9:30 p.m. when the plane landed, and Holten Carufel was taken to the Reston Hospital Center where she was treated for her head and back injuries. She was never actually admitted to the hospital for these injuries, and was set to fly home a couple days after the incident.

The New York Times reports that most turbulence-related injuries occur when people are not seated with their seatbelts securely fastened. In most cases flight attendants advise fliers to remain seated during the flight especially if turbulence occurs, but they do not force anyone to take a seat.

United Airlines did confirm there was turbulence but will not release any other information about the flight. There is no information as to whether any personal injury lawsuits have been filed or even if they could be - since sufficient warnings are issued by the airlines when turbulence occurs.

According to Life Mojo, bicycling injuries account for 75 percent of all transportation related injuries, but only seven percent of those injuries involve another vehicle.

Here are some of the most common bicycle injuries:

• Back and Neck Injuries - Soreness in the back or neck can be caused by improper bicycle fit, or by a fall or collision.
• Knee Injuries - Very common in cyclists, because the knee joints are overused when riding your bike frequently.
• Hand Injuries - Can be detected by tingling or numbness in your hands.
• Shoulder Injuries - Usually occur on long bike rides, caused by putting too much weight on your hands while riding.
• Sprains and Contusions - Normally occur when there is a fall or collision with another bike/vehicle/stationary object.
• Fractures - Occur in a fall or collision. Collar bone fractures can be common in cyclists.
• Abrasions - General scrapes and cuts that come from falling off your bike or being involved in an accident.

If you are injured in a bicycle accident that does involve another vehicle, talk to an injury lawyer to explore your options.

Geron Corp.’s drug tests in animals for an experimental cell therapy that is designed to help spinal injuries cause cysts, according to a Reuters report.

The cysts were microscopic, and they did not turn into tumors, which is good - but tests are still being done to see if the treatment is usable on people.

The procedure involves embryonic stem cells, which do have the potential to grow uncontrollably and turn into tumors, researchers said. But it seems unlikely, and a spokesperson for Geron said she thinks investors are relieved that tumors - the worst case scenario for the test - did not occur.

The company has submitted data to the FDA in hopes of moving forward. Geron is at the forefront of stem cell research in medicine.

According to research from the University of Wisconsin Extension program, more than one million kids aged five and under die of poisoning each year.

There are many factors in every household that contribute to home safety - and when you have young children or elderly adults in the house, being extra cautious is even more important.

Below are some steps that can be taken to avoid personal injury and make sure your home is as safe as possible:

1. Keep toxic cleaning supplies in locked cupboards or closets - or up high so children cannot reach them
2. When very young kids are in your house, use electric socket blockers to prevent electrocution
3. Don’t leave plastic bags in places available to children to avoid suffocation
4. Put potentially hazardous plants on shelves or windowsills instead of on the ground
5. Install a smoke alarm in each room for fire safety
6. Store matches and lighters in a secure, fire-retardant location

For more suggestions about home safety, view this Home Safety brochure.