May 2008 Archives

A former New York oral surgeon has agreed to plea bargain on charges that he was the mastermind behind a grisly plot to plunder corpses and sell body parts for transplants. New York prosecutors say Michael Mastromarino, 44, was making millions by covertly carving up hundreds of corpses at a Brooklyn funeral home and selling the parts for dental implants, hip replacements and other procedures nationwide. The story first broke in October, 2006, see Modern Day Body Snatchers.

A jury awarded a Tucson family $6 million in a lawsuit brought after an ailing 81-year-old relative died of a morphine overdose.

Mary Culpepper and two other relatives last month were awarded $2 million each, with the cost to be paid 90 percent by operators of a nursing home, Manor Care Health Services, and 10 percent to be paid by Tucson Medical Center.

More than 17 teens die on a typical day on American roads during June, July and August – the three months with the highest teen crash rates. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), nearly 6,000 teens die in car crashes every year, a statistic that hasn’t changed in more than a decade. While research shows that both parents and teens believe alcohol is the cause of most crashes involving teen drivers, the primary causes of most teen crashes – between 2003 and 2005 – was driver error (87 percent).

Ever wonder about the new doctor with whom you just scheduled an appointment? Or perhaps you are curious about the specialist chosen by another physician or hospital to make a critical review of your records? Now you can find out at least basic information as to a physician’s complaint history. During the 2007 Colorado legislative session, House Bill 1331 was passed, making physicians' criminal and malpractice records available to the public. The bill was signed into law by Governor Ritter on May 24, 2007. The new law appears in the state statutes at C.R.S. §12-36-111.5.