San Francisco prosecutors charged Andrew Alan Vargas, 21, of Hayward Monday with felony counts of drunken driving and hit-and-run for an alleged rampage that critically wounded a 9-year-old boy visiting from suburban Philadelphia. Vargas was charged with two counts of drunken driving causing injury and one count of hit-and-run causing injury as well as an allegation that he caused great bodily injury in Thursday night’s crash that injured Ryan White, 9, and injured his aunt. Ryan and his aunt were walking back to their hotel after the Giants game when a 2004 Toyota Tundra struck them them at the corner of New Montgomery and Mission streets about 10:40 p.m. Police said Vargas fled the scene, returned and then left again, hitting several other cars. Ryan is [...] Read more »
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced this week that the final of four sentences handed down in federal court against the president of Tampa- based Youth Research, Inc., and its contractors. Youth Research’s president and two of the firm’s contractors were convicted of various federal offenses related to falsifying data in connection with child resistance testing of cigarette and multi-purpose lighters. A third contractor was convicted of destroying documents in connection with the federal grand jury investigation of the matter. The tests are required in order to ensure that the lighters are child-resistant and must be conducted in accordance with a specific protocol. A CPSC Health Scientist first discovered the fraud while examining routine test reports submitted to CPSC by Youth [...] Read more »
Daniel “Danny” Cox a 19 year-old from Petaluma, CA who was paralyzed in a diving accident last year died in an auto accident on Hwy 101 south Sunday evening. The accident, happened just south of the Redwood Landfill and Recycling Center according to the California Highway Patrol. Danny Cox was identified yesterday by the Marin County Sheriff’s office. According to CHP Officer Chris Rardin, Cox was heading south on 101 in his Dodge pick-up truck at about 5:35 p.m. apparently drifted off the road and collided with a tree. He was pronounced dead at the scene. There were no skid marks on the roadway, and the debris from the Dodge scattered for approximately 300 feet from the site of the accident, the CHP said. A piece of debris [...] Read more »
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, a child in the U.S. goes missing every 40 seconds. To help parents prepare for that ultimate nightmare, the FBI has released a free iPhone app called Child ID. Two features built into the Child ID app can help parents react quickly and accurately if their child suddenly goes missing, says the FBI. First, parents can store on their iPhones recent pictures of their children along with vital statistics: age, height, weight, distinguishing marks, and so on. If a child goes missing—say, at a shopping mall or an amusement park—parents can summon help from dedicated links to 911 and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Once law enforcement arrives on the scene, parents will have, [...] Read more »
An at-home, daily application of light therapy via light-emitting diodes (LEDs) placed on the forehead and scalp led to improvements in cognitive function and post-traumatic stress disorder in patients with a traumatic brain injury (TBI), according to a groundbreaking study published in Photomedicine and Laser Surgery, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. Margaret Naeser, PhD, LAc, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston University School of Medicine, and colleagues from Massachusetts General Hospital, and Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, in Boston, and MedX Health Inc. (Mississauga, ON, Canada), report on the use of transcranial LED-based light therapy to treat two patients with longstanding traumatic brain injury (TBI). Each patient applied LEDs nightly and demonstrated substantial [...] Read more »
You might be surprised to learn the yes they may. Warning stickers can be found on all kinds of toys sold in some large retail stores including Toys “R” Us. Toy sellers have been adding them to comply with an Illinois law that went into effect last year. It requires specific warning labels if a children’s product has lead levels greater than 40 parts per million. Because retail giants like Toys “R” Us sell in many states besides Illinois the labels may be seen in other states due to difficulties in segmenting products for just one state. According to a Toys “R” Us spokesman they are actively working with their to reduce the lead levels to below 40 ppm in all of their products so that no such warning labels will be [...] Read more »
Ford is recalling 26,715 vehicles including Ford Rangers from 2004 to 2011, plus service parts shipped to dealers for the affected vehicles. The recall also includes the 2002 to 2007 Ford E-250, E-350, E-450, E-550, and the 2002-2005 Ford Excursion. The recalled Ford vehicles and service parts do not comply with safety standards. A multi-function switch (shipped with a slider) could become deformed and cause the turn signal, tail lights, hazard warning flashers and the brake lights to not activate. Malfunctioning lights could increase the risk of a crash. The recall notice is expected to begin some time around August 15. Ford dealers will replace the switch for free. For more information vehicle owners can also Ford at 866-436-7332, or the National Highway Traffic Safety [...] Read more »
A motorcyclist was killed this morning in a collision on southbound Highway 101 near San Tomas Expressway. According to the Highway Patrol they began receiving reports just before 6 a.m., of motorcyclist down in the slow lane of 101 just south of San Tomas Expressway, according to Officer Peter Van Eckhardt. Witnesses told the CHP that the motorcycle appeared to be totaled. Two lanes of Highway 101 were closed for about three hours as officers investigated the fatal collision. All lanes were reopened at about 9 a.m. The identity of the victim and accident details have not been released pending investigation of the accident and notification of victim’s family. If you or someone you know has been injured in a motorcycle accident contact the personal injury [...] Read more »
A Caltrain struck and killed a man on the tracks in Sunnyvale on Tuesday evening during heavy commute time, according to the commuter line. This marks the fifth death since June 1, 2011. A southbound commuter train hit the man at the Lawrence station in Sunnyvale at 6:45 p.m., Caltrain officials said. The Lawrence Station was not a scheduled stop for this train. The man’s name and age were not immediately available pending the investigation and notification of relatives. Investigators are still working to determine whether the death was a suicide or accident. The death significantly delayed trains as crews worked to reopen the tracks. This marks the second fatality in as many weeks. The last Caltrain death in Sunnyvale occurred in February. The incident marked the 11th death on [...] Read more »
One man was killed and three were injured after an accident involving a big rig and a UCSF shuttle bus in San Francisco’s Hayes Valley neighborhood this morning, police said. The accident, which occurred at Octavia and Oak streets at 6:20 a.m., happened when a Peterbilt tractor-trailer truck carrying four cars collided with the UCSF shuttle bus carrying employees to San Francisco General Hospital, police said. A passenger on the shuttle bus was ejected from the vehicle and was being pinned underneath the big rig. He was pronounced dead at the scene. His name has not been released pending notification. Additionally, three more shuttle bus passengers suffered injuries. Details of the accident are still under investigation. Streets in the area have been blocked off as police investigate. According to the San Francisco [...] Read more »
