Florida Injury Lawyer Blog
PUBLIC WORKERS FEAR COVID-19 INFECTION
This Spring, Miami Public Works employees were active filling potholes, pruning trees, cutting grass, and tending to storm drains amid the coronavirus outbreak. In return, they were provided with bright highlighter-yellow shirts bearing the words “practice social distancing” aimed at promoting the battle against the spread of the coronavirus. However, amid the recent uncontrolled surge in COVID cases throughout Florida, the workers consider this hypocritical, given the fact that their superiors are allegedly ignoring their dire request to impose greater social distancing measures and the use of facial coverings while on the job.
Thus far, about ten workers have tested positive for COVID-19 and most admit that this could have been easily prevented. According to one worker, the use of the shirts was a facade tainted with negligence. Several more workers claimed they were concerned about losing their jobs or being reprimanded for bringing this matter into the public scope. Furthermore, other workers claim that the Miami Public Works managers ordered dozens of workers to report to work to carry out tasks on the same shifts in a five-day work week, which results in overcrowding, especially within city vehicles. All this makes social distancing very difficult to achieve. During June and July, work crews included four or five staff members per service vehicle. The result was an entire work crew testing positive for the coronavirus with one worker having to be admitted to hospital for treatment.
According to the CDC, a toxic hand sanitizer led to the wrongful death and personal injury to several consumers. Apparently, the toxic hand sanitizer was ingested and caused 15 people to be admitted for methanol contamination. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had alerted potential consumers that certain hand sanitizers contained the poisonous chemical, which can be fatal upon human consumption. Since May, over a dozen people have been treated, with four of those that somehow ingested the hand sanitizer suffering wrongful death. In Miami, this is not the first time that consumers become ill and die from consuming tainted products. Of the 11 infected victims, three where left with almost full loss of sight, with half a dozen product liability negligence victims suffering seizures while being treated in the hospital. Sixty-two more case have been reported thus far with some of those allegedly children that may have swallowed the methanol tainted hand sanitizer accidentally. Sadly, sometimes people struggling with alcohol or substance abuse may intentional consumer hand sanitizers for the alcohol content. Unfortunately, in this case, they got a dose of methanol too if that is the case. However, with the booming use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers as a result of COVID-19, more and more people are depending on hand sanitizer to keep them coronavirus-free. As a result, it may be common for an alcohol-based hand sanitizer user to accidentally ingest the product, either through direct contact with the hands or facial covering. For this reason, the hand sanitizer in question and its manufacturer may be held legally liable for any personal injury or wrongful death caused by the methanol tainted hand sanitizer. The CDC warns of nausea, abdominal discomfort, disorientation or dizzy spells, or seizures. More severe symptoms may result in loss of sight and even death. The FDA warns consumers to never ingest hand sanitizers and avoid imported goods containing methanol.
Los funcionarios estatales aparentemente han descuidado a los residentes y al personal de los hogares de ancianos debido al brote inesperado de coronavirus entre los más jóvenes de Florida.
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