Pharmacy Board Administers Slap on the Wrist in Death Case

Jeffrey Meldon — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 20:42:30 GMT

This week the Board of Pharmacy of the Florida Department of Health fined pharmacist Edna Irizarry $1000 and required her to attend an 8 hour continuing education course for her role in causing the death of 3 year old Sebastian Ferrero. Horst Ferrero, his father, said "The board choose to apply the minimum penalty $1000 in Sebastian's case, although the damage inflicted to my son was the maximum possible--his death."

Sebastian's father and mother, Luisa Ferrero, choose not to file suit against any of the medical personnel involved in their son's death and instead have focused their efforts on establishing reliable patient safety protocols to assure that what happened to their son will never happen to another child. The Ferrero's received a $850,000 settlement from Shands at the University of Florida and have donated all of the money to help establish a full-service, free-standing children's hospital in Gainesville.

The young child was taken to Shands hospital last October 8 for some routine tests. Based on his weight he should have been prescribed a 5.75 gram dose of arginine. Instead Irizarry, the pharmacist in charge, signed off on a dose 10 times that. Even after the child's mother questioned the nurse on duty about the dosage, the procedure continued unabated. After the child developed a severe headache Mr. Flerrerro asked the doctor on duty to check out his son but he only looked at his chart and asked the nurse how much medication the boy had received but never examined Sebastian or the bottles of R-Gene that contained the lethal dosage.

The Pharmacy Board decided to levy the light punishment based on Ms. Irizarry's lack of prior discipline for medical negligence. The Ferroro's believe that when the mistake cost their son his life, it sends the wrong message to administer minor punishment. Harsher punishment would help spread the word among the medical community, and pharmacists, in particular, that you always need to double check your prescriptions.

This is certainly not the first and it won't be the last time the medical community fails to recognize that harsh punishment will reinforce the need to protect the public from unnecessary careless and sometimes fatal acts of negligence.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jeffrey Meldon

Gainesville Florida Law Enforcment Cracks Down on Drunk Driving

Jeffrey Meldon — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 16:02:57 GMT

Gainesville, Florida law enforcement has joined a nationwide effort to increase DUI arrests and hopefully reduce the number of accidents, injuries and deaths caused by drinking and driving. The crime of Driving Under the Influence, in Florida, includes not only alcohol but also all drugs that impair a person's ability to drive safely. These drugs includes illegal drugs as well as those drugs prescribed by a doctor or available over the counter. Many people think that just because a doctor prescribed a drug it is legal to take that drug and drive. In fact, legal prescription drugs and certain over-the-counter drugs significantly contribute to the carnage and death on our highways.

The Gainesville Police Department, The Alachua County Sheriff's Office, and the Florida Highway Patrol have joined together to toughen up DUI enforcement between now and Labor Day as part of the "Drunk Driving Over the Limit. Under Arrest" Campaign. Alcohol related crashes were down from 23,000 in 2005 to 22,000 in 2006 statewide and law enforcement agencies in Gainesville hope to do their part in arresting people suspected of DUI.

Gainesville Police Department Sergeant Joe Raulerson reports that Gainesville recorded 18 traffic fatalities in 2007 and in at least a third of them alcohol was a factor. Gainesville has almost 65,000 college students who may be those at greatest risk of failing to recognize the risks associated with drinking or taking drugs(legal or illegal) and driving.

A DUI Causing Serious Bodily Injury can land someone in prison for many years,even on a first offense, and a DUI Manslaughter often results in a 15 to 20 year prison sentence for a first offense.

A conviction for a first offense DUI can cost as much a $20,000 or more primarily due to increased insurance costs. A new law passed in Florida in 2007 requires anyone convicted of DUI to carry car insurance with a minimum Bodily Injury Liability coverage of $100,000 per person/$300,000 per accident as well as $50,000 in Property Damage coverage.

It is important for drivers to plan ahead if they go out for a night that includes any more than a few drinks. Even one Martini(with 2.5-3 oz.of alcohol) can put a 120 lb. person at or near the legal limit of a .08. Planning to have a designated driver or taking a taxi home makes sense and can avoid the years of heartache that can be caused by a tragic DUI accident.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jeffrey Meldon

Gainesville, Ocala & Daytona Beach Personal Injury Lawyer - Gainesville

Pharmacy Board Administers Slap on the Wrist in Death Case

Gainesville Florida Law Enforcment Cracks Down on Drunk Driving