The Illinois Personal Injury Weblog of Schaeffer & Lamere P.C.

Charity Alive and Well

From the Belleville News-Democrat: "Churches gather tons of food," by Maricella Miranda--

Six metro-east churches Tuesday collaborated to collect 32,000 pounds of donated food for people and area food banks.

More than 20 volunteers from the churches gathered at New Life Community Church in East St. Louis to unload the food, which was donated by metro-east grocery stores.

The food will be distributed Saturday at six locations. The distribution sites will be in Alton, Cahokia, East St. Louis, Granite City and Washington Park. Any food not passed out that day will be donated to area food banks throughout the year.

Free Consumer Guides Online

To help you make smart buying decisions, you'll find products reviews and ratings for free at ConsumerGuide.com.

The Mississippi River as Seen by One Tourist

For a reflection on the Mississippi River through the eyes of one tourist, look here.

Flu Shots in Short Supply

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "Quest for elusive flu shot intensifies," by Tim O'Neil--

Flu shot frenzy peaked this weekend as the scramble for the shrinking supply of vaccine intensified.

Long lines got longer as people brought lawn chairs and determination to area supermarkets to wait for the shots.

At a Shop 'n Save store in Fenton, John Peterson arrived at 7 a.m. Saturday to be first in line for a clinic that opened eight hours later. The store had some 230 shots to give.

Fixing a Broken Health-Care System

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "Healing the U.S. health care system: There's no easy cure," by Judith VandeWater--

Patients and doctors, business owners and working people, lawmakers and economists agree: The U.S. health care system's problems are so big, so tangled, that it's hard to know what to fix first. Tackle one issue, and another gains potency.

Technology, the great driver of health care costs, is also the driver of hope and cures. Escalating costs, in turn, have weakened the nation's work-based health system. Health insurance is out of reach for 45 million Americans, and experts predict their ranks will swell by 2 million a year for the foreseeable future.

Freedom Dollar Is a Fraud

You've probably seen commercials for the Freedom Dollar on TV. Now read about it here: "When a Dollar's Not Worth a Buck," by Chuck Jaffee.

Illinois AG: Report Flu Vaccine Price-Gouging

From the office of the Illinois Attorney General: "Madigan urges consumers, businesses, health care providers to promptly report cases of flu vaccine price gouging."

For contact information, see this page on the website of the Illinois Attorney General.

More About Vioxx

Did you know the FDA maintains a web page on Vioxx and its recent withdrawal from the market? If you have other questions about Vioxx or are looking for a Vioxx lawyer, you can call my law firm, Schaeffer & Lamere, for a free consultation at (618) 467-8200 or (888) 783-9679 (toll free) if you used Vioxx and suffered any of the following side effects:

• Heart attack;


• Stroke;


• Blood clots;


• Deep vein thrombosis;


• Pulmonary embolism.

You can also send an e-mail telling us what went wrong (click the "e-mail" link). We are attorneys who have had years of experience with pharmaceutical litigation like lawsuits against Merck, which manufactured Vioxx--as your Vioxx attorneys, we can help!

Oil Prices Still Rising

From Reuters via Yahoo! News: "U.S. Oil Jumps Over $54 on Winter Worries," by Tony Reynolds--

Oil prices surged to record highs above $54 on Tuesday as a fire at Nigerian export pipeline became the latest threat to consumers' efforts to build winter heating fuel inventories.

U.S. crude set a record $54.45 a barrel, marking a sixth successive day of all-time peaks, and by 1210 GMT was trading at $54.16, up 52 cents on the day.

In London, Brent crude hit $51.50 a barrel, before retracing to $51.10, up 44 cents.

Prices were bolstered by news that saboteurs had set fire to a major oil pipeline feeding the Bonny export terminal in Nigeria, which exports 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude.

Car Dealer in Hot Water

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "Court admonishes car dealer in lawsuit," by Robert Goodrich--

An inquiry has been ordered by a Belleville judge into a letter sent by a Springfield, Ill., Ford dealership to law enforcement agencies across Illinois that have filed suit claiming Ford police cruisers are unsafe.

Circuit Judge Lloyd A. Cueto warned that the inquiry could lead to civil or criminal contempt proceedings and to action by the Illinois Registration and Disciplinary Commission. The commission is a state agency that disciplines attorneys.

On Friday, Cueto put Landmark Ford's fleet sales manager, Lyle Snow, under oath and grilled him about a letter dated Sept. 23 to local sheriffs and police chiefs. It suggests they "opt out" of the suit and keep buying from Landmark.

The letter was allegedly improper because the judge had ordered parties not to contact class members in the lawsuit without prior approval.