For many cancer patients, hair loss is a common side effect that comes with chemotherapy. Commonly referred to as “alopecia” in the medical field, hair loss from chemotherapy is supposed to be temporary. However, recently a group of breast cancer survivors found that they were unable to regrow their hair. They were surprised by this, as they were never warned that permanent hair loss was a possible outcome.
It turns out that their permanent alopecia was caused by a chemotherapy drug called “Taxotere.” Taxotere has been approved by the USDA; however, this side effect was not on record. Had the cancer patients known that this drug caused permanent hair loss, they could have chosen an alternative treatment option. One such option would have been Taxol.
It would have been one thing if the manufacturer, Sanofi-Aventis, truly didn’t know that this was a possible side effect; however, evidence shows that they should have known about it as early as 2005. As many as 10-15% of patients who took Taxotere experienced permanent hair loss.
Currently, cases are being filed against Sanofi-Aventis all across the country for permanent hair loss caused by Taxotere. It’s likely that soon these cases will become a part of a multidistrict litigation, which means all of the cases will be handled by one judge.
If you or a loved one has experienced permanent hair loss as a result of Taxotere, don’t hesitate to contact us for a free consultation. Cases such as these are often time sensitive, so you’ll want to make sure you file your claim before the statute of limitations runs out.
If you have a non-traditional workers’ compensation case, you might be concerned that we won’t represent you. The reality of the situation is that we deal with non-traditional cases all the time.
I’m currently helping a client who works for a staffing agency. She took a position at a large corporation. While on her way into work one morning, she tripped and fell in the parking lot. As a result, she sustained significant damage to her knee and eye.
Despite her injuries, her workers’ compensation claim has been denied. Even though she was on the property of her place of work, they turned her down because the parking lot where she fell was not owned by the staffing agency, but by the company where she had been working. Her employer was the staffing agency, not the company.
Despite this, we are working with her in order to get her fair compensation. It doesn’t matter if you think your case is complicated or unusual. At Oxner + Permar, we’re passionate about defending our clients.
I’ve spoken with clients who said they were nervous about contacting an attorney because they didn’t know if their case fit into the kinds of cases we typically take on. The truth is, we represent all kinds of workman’s comp cases. In order to give you an idea of what kinds of cases we handle, I thought I’d share one that we’re working on now.
I have a client who was traveling for work out of state — he travels for the company whenever there is a need for temporary drivers. The trip required an overnight stay, so his company put him up in a less than clean hotel room. While unpacking his suitcase, he stubbed his toe on the bed frame.
Stubbing your toe is never fun, but things went from bad to worse when my client’s toe injury developed an infection. As a result his big toe ultimately required amputation. Naturally, my client filed for workers’ compensation; however, his claim was denied.
Now we’re currently working with him and waiting on a hearing. However, unfortunately for our client, in the time that we’ve been waiting, he developed an infection at the amputation site and has now lost his leg from the knee down. Our client deserves compensation for the medical treatment and medication that he’s received. We’re fighting to ensure that his rights are protected.
Struggling with a mental illness is a serious issue. If you’re someone living with a mental illness such as depression, OCD, anxiety disorder or bipolar disorder, then you know it can be a huge strain on your job as well as your personal life. Mental illnesses are often just as serious as physical ones. Fortunately, if you suffer from a debilitating mental illness that makes it difficult to perform your job, you can apply for social security benefits.
However, many people run into a significant challenge: It can be much more difficult to prove to a court the effects of a mental illness as opposed to a physical one. Today I want to share a few tips to keep in mind when applying for social security:
Proving to the court that you have a history of coping with your mental illness is a good way to demonstrate not only the effects of the illness, but also your desire to get better. This will help your case tremendously.
With any disability, the court wants to see that you’ve have sought an expert opinion. A psychiatrist or psychologist will have the training and expertise to give the court a solid basis on which to form their decision.
In order to be approved, not only will you need a diagnosis, but it will need to be a recent one. Remember that in the State of North Carolina, you’ll need to have seen a doctor within in the 90 days before you file.
Not only does taking your medicine show your interest in improving your condition, it also allows the court to accurately assess your mental health. They want to be able to evaluate your mental state while receiving treatment.
If possible, it’s recommended that you submit your school records while filing for long term disability. This will allow the court to get a more complete view of your mental history. For instance, they’ll be able to assess previous testing you took, as well as show difficulties you may have struggled with in the past.
As with any case, the best thing you can do is to follow the advice of your attorney. They will be able to instruct you on what you need to submit and what you need to do before filing. At Oxner + Permar, we provide free, 30-minute consultations, so If you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact us.
In this day and age, we share everything online. Social media makes it so easy to connect with friends and family. Whether it’s birthday wishes or photos with friends, there are all sorts of ways to share our thoughts and feelings and keep in touch. For the most part, sharing things on social media is pretty harmless. However, this is not always the case when you’re in the middle of a workers’ compensation case.
What you might not consider is the fact that defense lawyers and insurance carriers may try to look you up on Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media accounts you might have. They will look for evidence that you’re not really as injured as you claim to be. This evidence could be something as simple as a photograph of you out with your friends, especially if you’re doing something physical like dancing or swimming.
The best policy is to simply deactivate your Facebook (or other social media) account until after your trial. At the very least you should set your social media settings to private. Don’t post pictures of things that could be incriminating. For instance, if you post vacation pictures of yourself lying out on a beach when you’re supposed to be recovering, the defense will most likely call this into question.
It can be hard to break the social media habit, but I promise things will be better if you take the plunge and deactivate your social media accounts until after your case has ended. Definitely better safe than sorry!
