Blog Update from Fatal Injury Lawyers
Parents of toddler file wrongful death case against H&P Industries
On behalf of Milwaukee personal injury attorney Ric Domnitz of Domnitz & Domnitz, S.C. posted in Wrongful Death on Wednesday, April 6, 2011.
This blog update from fatal injury lawyers with Domnitz & Domnitz, S.C. involves local business H&P Industries. On January 5, Hartland-based H&P Industries announced a recall of all of the alcohol prep pads, alcohol swabs and alcohol swabsticks it manufactures under the brand name Triad Group. Some of the over-the-counter medical products are suspected of being contaminated with a deadly bacterium, bacillus cereus. At the time, it was not believed there had been serious injuries from the contaminated alcohol wipes and swabs.
On Tuesday, the parents of a two-year-old Texas boy filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Wisconsin company, claiming that Triad alcohol wipes contaminated with the bacteria were used on their son during treatment at a hospital. He died from a bacillus cereus infection.
“After the FDA recall…[t]he mother of this little boy who died realized that the reason for the recall was because of contamination with the exact same bacteria that killed her son…and that’s when the connection was made,” said the family’s attorney.
According to the attorney, the FDA repeatedly asked H&P Industries to stop production of the tainted alcohol wipes, and an FDA inspection found numerous problems at the plant that could lead to contamination, including plumbing issues. It also found that the type of material used in the pad and the foil wrappers were potential sources of bacillus cereus contamination in both sterile and non-sterile alcohol prep pads.
In addition to the product recall, the U.S. Marshals Service and the FDA recently seized materials from H&P Industries in connection with the ongoing investigation. At least two other product liability lawsuits have been filed against the company.
Sadly, the attorney representing the toddler’s family says theirs is not the only personal injury or wrongful death claim he is aware of. His firm has been receiving five to ten contacts a day from others affected by tainted alcohol wipes and lubricating jelly thought to have been manufactured by H&P. More lawsuits involving injuries to children or adults are likely.
Sources:
- WITI-TV Milwaukee, “Family of dead toddler files lawsuit against Hartland’s Triad group,” Beverly Taylor, April 5, 2011
- Press release, “Triad Group Issues a Voluntary Nationwide Recall of All Lots of Alcohol Prep Pads, Alcohol Swabs, and Alcohol Swabsticks Due to Potential Microbial Contamination,” January 5, 2011
Do you need legal help from a Milwaukee personal injury attorney? Contact Domnitz & Domnitz, S.C. today.