Articles Posted in Injuries

Bullying among adolescents is serious behavior that requires serious attention. This was confirmed recently by the State Division on Civil Rights.

Reports on August 31 stated the Division found sufficient evidence to indicate that the Old Bridge Township Board of Education failed to take adequate action to stop reported incidents of bullying at its Jonas Salk Middle School and that the mother of the victim of that bullying may continue her suit against the Board. (1)

The mother’s complaint alleges her son was harassed by other students because of his religious affiliation and what they perceived to be his sexual preference. About 11 individual incidents involving 14 students reportedly occurred against the boy between September 2006 and January 2007. No disciplinary action was taken in two of the incidents because of insufficient information, but the school did dole out punishments ranging from warnings to in-school suspensions in the other incidents. Because these punishments did not stop the bullying, the Division determined the Board had not done enough. (1)

On Friday, August 20, the State Appellate Division upheld an earlier jury verdict awarding $7 million to a woman who claimed she contracted peritoneal mesothelioma by washing her husband’s work clothes. (1)

Both Bonnie and John Anderson worked for the Exxon Bayway Refinery in Linden, NJ, for a number of years; she as an electrician and he as a repairman, working on pumps, filters and pipes. While Bonnie Anderson’s job did not put her in direct contact with asbestos insulation, John Anderson’s did. When he first started working at the refinery, John had to remove the insulation from the pipes he was repairing. (2)

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A River Vale, NJ, man injured in an explosion at a power plant in Connecticut filed a suit in federal court on August 17, claiming the owners of the plant and several other contractors failed to take safety precautions that may have prevented the accident. (1)

Nicholas Novik, an employee of Instrument Sciences and Technology of Frenchtown, NJ, was calibrating and testing instruments at the Middletown, CT, plant when the explosion occurred. Six people were killed and 50 others injured in the incident. Novik suffered head trauma, which caused a concussion and hearing loss. He still receives medical treatment and has not yet been permitted to return to work. He is seeking $6 million in damages. (2)

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When the New Jersey American Legion Baseball League Tournament ends this summer, will the use of metal bats in that League end also? If the Commission of the League has his way, yes. (1)

The debate over the use of metal bats in amateur baseball leagues (that includes Little League, high school and college teams) is long-standing. Because metal bats are less likely to break than wooden bats, they are more cost-efficient in the long run. (2) However, metal bats are lighter, making it easier for batters to hit more powerfully. As a result, balls hit by metal bats travel faster. It is this speed which leads some to question their safety.

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What happens when reality TV drags innocent bystanders into its plot? In the case of MTV’s popular “Jersey Shore” that technique seems to draw lawsuits.

Earlier this month, an Illinois woman sued MTV alleging she had been assaulted by two of the show’s cast members during taping of the show in Miami this past May. MTV, Viacom, Inc., the show’s producer, and Nicole Polizzi (aka “Snooki”) and Jenni Farley (aka “JWowww”), two cast members, were named in the suit which alleges:

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