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 November
2007
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The Dallas
Morning News
has reported
that 21
people in
North Texas
have pleaded
guilty to
insurance
fraud in a
huge "staged
auto
accident"
scheme.
Honest
personal
injury
lawyers are
happy to see
such scams
busted, and
the
perpetrators
sent to jail
or prison.
This type of
illegal
activity
makes
insurance
companies
and jurors
suspicious
of
all
auto
collision
claims, so
the honest
accident
victims are
punished
because of
the
wrongdoers.
Fortunately,
such schemes
are actually
quite rare,
regardless
of insurance
company TV
ads that
would have
you think
that most
collisions
are
fraudulent.
Free Legal Advice?
Yes, at Kraft &
Associates we are glad to provide our clients
and friends with free information on a variety
of subjects. If you want details about how to
lower your automobile insurance rates,
Texas Workers' Compensation law or
Social Security Disability claims, please
contact us and we will send you any of these
brochures without charge or obligation. |
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Suite 1300
2777 Stemmons Freeway
Dallas, TX 75207
(214) 999-9999
(817) 999-9999
(800) 989-9999
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FOR THE RECORD |
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On
October
15,
2007,
the
Medtronic
Corporation
announced
the
voluntary
recall
of
all
models
of
Medtronic
Sprint
Fidelis
Defibrillator
Leads.
This
recall
consists
of
all
serial
numbers
with
the
model
numbers:
6949,
6948,
6931,
and
6930.
In
general,
a
lead
is a
wire
that
is
attached
to
an
implantable
defibrillator
and
is
connected
to a
patient’s
artery.
When
the
defibrillator
detects
that
a
patient
needs
to
receive
a
shock,
the
defibrillator
issues
a
charge
which
travels
through
the
lead
and
shocks
the
artery
thus
pacing
the
heart
correctly.
Every
heart
defibrillator
that
is
implanted
in a
patient
has
at
least
one
lead.
Medtronic
has
recalled
these
certain
types
of
leads
because
the
outer
coating
on
these
leads
has
been
known
to
crack
and
therefore
these
leads
have
been
malfunctioning.
If a
Medtronic
lead
has
cracked
and
is
not
functioning,
the
defibrillator
is
rendered
useless
because
it
cannot
deliver
the
proper
charge
to
the
artery.
Failure
of
the
defibrillator
lead
at a
time
needed
may
result
in
death.
In
addition,
failed
leads
have
delivered
unnecessary
shocks
to
patients.
It
is
estimated
that
there
are
approximately
268,000
recalled
leads
that
have
already
been
implanted
in
patients.
Every
individual
who
had
a
heart
defibrillator
implanted
was
given
a
device
identification
card
that
will
indicate
the
model
and
serial
number
of
the
defibrillator
that
was
implanted,
as
well
as
the
model
and
serial
number
of
each
lead
that
was
also
implanted.
Usually,
the
top
model
and
serial
number
on
the
identification
card
represents
the
actual
type
of
defibrillator
implanted
and
the
bottom
two
numbers
represent
the
type
of
each
lead
that
was
implanted.
When
identifying
if
one
of
these
leads
has
been
recalled,
only
look
at
the
first
four
digits
of
the
model
number
to
see
if
they
match
those
model
numbers
that
were
previously
listed
as
recalls.
The
first
four
numbers
on
the
identification
card
gives
the
model
number
of
the
lead
and
the
last
two
digits
represent
the
length
of
that
lead.
If you or a
loved one might possibly have one of
these defective Medtronic leads, or if
you have any type of Guidant heart
pacemaker, please contact your
physician, and then contact Kraft &
Associates. We will be glad to check
your model number against the recall
list and tell you if we think you may
have a products liability claim.
Please remember that these defective
devices can be deadly. Do not delay if
you may have one installed in your body.
Here is a statement by the Medtronic
company:
Dear Medtronic Heart Device
Patient:
Medtronic recently provided doctors
with important information about our
Sprint Fidelis defibrillation leads
(Models 6930, 6931, 6948, 6949). We
have informed doctors who, according
to our records, manage the care of
patients with Sprint Fidelis leads.
A defibrillator system consists of a
device implanted near the shoulder
and one or more leads connecting the
device to the heart. This
information applies to Sprint
Fidelis leads only, not implanted
defibrillation or pacemaker devices.
If you have a Sprint Fidelis lead,
your Patient ID card should contain
one of the following 4 sets of
numbers: 6930, 6931, 6948, 6949.
These numbers may be shown at the
beginning of a longer set of numbers
on your ID card.
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| FOR
YOUR INFORMATION |
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Federal
Government Mandates Better Side-Impact
Protection
The
National
Highway
Traffic
Safety
Administration
last
month
announced
new
rules
that
require
improved
safety
protection
in new
passenger
vehicles
by
September
2012.
Specifically,
the
rules
mandate
better
head
protection,
and that
will
probably
be
provided
by
manufacturers
through
the use
of side
and
window
curtain
air
bags.
Side-impact
crashes
killed
9,200
people
in 2005,
the most
recent
figures
available.
Automakers
agreed
in 2003
to
install
side air
bags in
all new
passenger
vehicles
by
September
2009,
and the
safety
equipment
is
becoming
more
widely
available.
Dave
McCurdy,
the head
of the
Alliance
of
Automobile
Manufacturers,
which
represents
General
Motors
Corp.,
Ford
Motor
Co.,
Toyota
Motor
Corp.
and
others,
said
they
shared
NHTSA’s
goal of
“enhancing
head
protection”
in side
crashes.
Safety
groups
have
pointed
to the
benefits
of side
air
bags. A
study
last
year by
the
Insurance
Institute
for
Highway
Safety
found
that
driver
deaths
were
reduced
by 52
percent
in sport
utility
vehicles
equipped
with
head-protecting
side air
bags,
while
the same
air bags
reduced
driver
deaths
by 37
percent
in
passenger
cars.
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| FEATURED
EMPLOYEE |
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Matthew Wegner
Attorney
E-mail:
mwegner@kraftlaw.com
Mr. Wegner graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches,
Texas in 2001. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities. He then attended
Texas Wesleyan School of Law in Fort Worth. While attending law school, Mr.
Wegner was involved in a variety of volunteer efforts including Habitat for
Humanity and the Texas Wesleyan Street Law Program, which taught non-violent
problem-solving skills to children in low income areas. Mr. Wegner was also
Vice-President of the Texas Wesleyan Chapter of the ACLU.
Professionally, Mr. Wegner has worked across all levels of government. He has
worked for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Small
Business Administration Office of Disaster Assistance, and in the police
advisory department of the City of Fort Worth City Attorney’s Office. Mr. Wegner
joined Kraft and Associates in 2007. He concentrates his practice in the area of
Social Security disability claims.
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| FEATURED
CASE |
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This
medical
condition
appears
in many
of our
Social
Security
disability
claims.
Have you
been
diagnosed
with
congestive
heart
failure?
Congestive
Heart
Failure
(CHF) is
a
condition
in which
your
heart
does not
circulate
the
blood
through
your
body
well.
This
tends to
cause
swelling,
particularly
in the
legs, as
your
blood
pools in
your
lower
extremities.
Often, a
person
with CHF
cannot
engage
in work
activities
because
his or
her
heart is
just not
strong
enough.
If you
have
been
going
through
the
steps
for
recovery
recommended
by your
doctor
but are
still
unable
to work,
you may
qualify
for
Social
Security
Disability
and
Social
Security
Supplemental
Income.
Congestive
Heart
Failure
is
covered
by
Social
Security
Listing
4.02 for
Chronic
Heart
Failure.
A
successful
claim
under
this
listing
requires
MRIs or
other
imaging
techniques
demonstrating
cardiac
enlargement
or
overall
low
performance
of your
heart.
Some
examples
would
be: the
inability
to
perform
an
exercise
test at
5 METS
or less,
a left
ventricular
ejection
fraction
of 30%
or less,
three or
more
ventricular
premature
beats,
or
physical
symptoms
attributable
to
inadequate
cerebral
perfusion.
While
these
terms
are
somewhat
technical,
your
doctor
can tell
you if
meet any
of these
requirements.
CHF is
hard to
prove in
people
under 50
(although
not
impossible).
If you
are over
50, a
little
overweight,
and have
recurrent
swelling
in your
legs and
ankles
you may
want to
consult
your
doctor
about
the
possibility
of
having CHF.
Your
doctor
can
advise
you of
your
limitations,
and if
you can
no
longer
work you
should
contact
Kraft
and
Associates
about
starting
your
Disability
and
Supplemental
Income
claim.
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| HOW
CAN WE HELP YOU? |
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Our law firm has helped thousands of clients
over the years. Sometimes clients who use
our firm for one type of case may not
realize that there are other legal problems
we could help them solve.
We handle
most types of injury claims — including
automobile collisions, "slip and fall"
cases, injuries suffered as a result of
defective products, injuries resulting from
inadequate security, medical malpractice
claims, nursing home negligence claims,
prescription drug injuries and many others.
We invite you to call us about any
serious injury to see how we can help you.
Kraft & Associates also represents people
who have been denied their Social Security
Disability benefits. We can help at the
Initial stage, the Reconsideration stage or
the Hearing stage. We can help you, your
family or friends with any Immigration question.
Our law firm represents people who have immigration
problems of any kind, whether family-based
immigration or employment-based immigration.
We also help people who have problems
regarding family issues, such as divorce, child
support, adoption, modifications, enforcements,
attorney general disputes, paternity and other similar
matters. We also represent clients who have been
arrested or charged with committing a crime.
Please feel free to call us with any
legal questions you may have. If we cannot
represent you, we will attempt to refer you
to another attorney or to a government
agency that can help you. There is never any
charge or obligation for our initial
consultation. |
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Copyright
© 1997- 2006 Kraft & Associates : Injury &
Disability Lawyers, P.C. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Personal Injury,
Automobile Accident, Wrongful Death, Nursing Home Negligence,
Social Security Disability.
DISCLAIMER:
This newsletter is presented by Kraft & Associates for
informational purposes only, and not as legal advice.
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