Personal Injury Law Blog

Disinfecting wipes, hand sanitizers and alcohol prep pads are used in millions of households and by countless health care professionals. Recently, the FDA had to step in after numerous complaints of personal injury and death due to one Wisconsin company’s tainted products.

“People could have these in their homes, in their bathrooms right now,” said Sandra Kothari, whose two-year-old son died from the defective alcohol prep pads.

Her son, Harrison Kothari, had a surgery to remove a benign cyst near his brain at the Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital where he contracted a harmful infection from a bacteria called bacillus cereus. “In managing a lumbar drain, they use the swab on the portal,” said the family’s attorney Jim Perdue. “And so, it’s pushed in and pulled back out so there is literally an opportunity to have injected this bacillus cereus into the lumbar drain every time they used an alcohol swab.”

This bacteria can cause rare conditions and can trigger meningitis, pneumonia, endocarditis, soft tissue infection and flesh-eating diseases, a NBC reporter found. In only 24 hours after showing the first symptoms of a problem, the boy died of multiple organ failure. Samples from Kothari’s hospital room showed the alcohol wipes did have this bacteria.

But it’s not just the hospital setting that could have the bad prep pads – CVS and Walgreens, Safeway and Kroger grocery stores carried the Triad Group Inc’s products too. Even though there has been a product recall, followed by the FDA seizing $6 million of the Wisconsin-based products, many individuals still might have Triad pads stashed away in a cabinet.

Death and serious injuries prompted the FDA to not only seize the alcohol wipes, but also other Triad products, including cold and cough medicines, nasal sprays, antiseptic and medicated wipes, suppositories, antifungal creams and hemorrhoid wipes. “We took this action to stop Triad from continuing to distribute products, which may pose a risk to public health,” said Dara Corrigan, FDA associate commissioner for regulatory affairs.

“The seizures at the facility in Hartland, Wisconsin reflect the continuing commitment of all federal law enforcement offices to ensure the safety and the security of our populations—and to safeguard against those whose disregard of professional obligations threaten to compromise public health and well-being,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin Gregory J. Haanstad.

Many of the products were sold by the Triad Group and made for private label products for big-box stores. The manufacturer H&P Industries sells under the Triad Group name. A recent FDA inspection found problems with the air handling system at the facility that could compromise the integrity of the products as well as inadequate separation of products to prevent contamination. The building was not in good condition and equipment was found with improper maintenance, cleaning, and design issues, according to the FDA’s inspection.

Wisconsin personal injury attorneys and Chicago personal injury attorneys are paying close attention to the case. Three lawsuits are already underway against H&P Industries, including one case by a 55-year-old man who alleges a life-threatening heart infection from the defective wipes and another by a young child that has developed a serious infection.

Many individuals have probably been affected and have a right to fight for just compensation for their serious injuries and wrongful death since the company has been selling the tainted product since 2008. Serious product concerns like this call for legal action to remedy the negligence, breach of warranty, and product liability concerns individuals and families have.

Chicago personal injury lawyer Robert I. Briskman, Esq. has more than 30 years of seeking justice for his clients against product manufacturers, big business and medical institutions. At Briskman Briskman & Greenberg, Robert’s skills in Chicago and Wisconsin personal injury law make him a formidable advocate to litigate on a client’s behalf. Briskman Briskman & Greenberg has recovered millions for their clients who have been injured or lost a loved one because of someone’s carelessness.

To learn more, visit https://www.briskmanandbriskman.com or call 877-595-HURT (4878)

Briskman Briskman & Greenberg
351 West Hubbard Street, Ste 810
Chicago, IL 60654

Paul A. Greenberg, Esq. is with the law firm of Briskman Briskman & Greenberg. To contact a Chicago personal injury attorney or Chicago personal injury lawyer, visit https://www.briskmanandbriskman.com.