The Boston Herald reports that Brigham and Women's Hospital ER doctor Andrew McAfee was killed in a scooter crash on Beacon Street last week. According to the Boston police, the accident is still under investigation and no one has been charged. While Boston police have indicated that the scooter crash did not occur because of a lack of safety precautions, there are many who worry about the safety of motor scooters.

However, motor scooter advocates say that if the scooters are ridden within the parameters of the law, they are perfectly safe. John Paul, a manager of traffic safety for AAA told the Boston Herald: "Motor scooters when ridden in the confines of the law are very safe, but people need to be aware of the conditions around them. People need to drive defensively - which is probably an understatement. You have to be as aware as possible. You have to be as aware as you can be of everything around you, just like you do in any vehicle."

Novelty lighters which are lighters that look like toys may soon be illegal in the Bay State. The Boston Globe reports that a novelty lighters ban was passed and signed into law by Governor Deval Patrick. Massachusetts will be the 14th state to ban novelty lighters. The law is expected to take effect in November. The law is intended to protect against accidental fires started by children. There will be an exemption for collectible lighters made before 1980.

Governor Deval Patrick told reporters: "Massachusetts now joins 13 other states in an effort to strengthen public safety, particularly the well-being of our children. This law will save lives by eliminating the kinds of lighters that have been involved in accidental fires and tragic deaths around the country."

WHDH reports that Emily Malewitz from Millis has returned to Boston in order to recover from a tree injury she sustained while camping with her family in Lebanon, ME. Severe weather conditions caused a tree to fall down on top of her family's tent. As a result, the girl was pinned to the ground. She suffered from severe injuries.

According to WHDH, a powerful thunderstorm ripped through the campground and knocked over more than a dozen trees. It was startling for people to see someone hurt by the storm. Monica Balboni, a neighbor told WHDH:"It was shock that a tree could fall...at a campsite, so it was, you know, scary."

While it is unclear whether or not her family has retained the services of a Boston personal injury lawyer, but if there is an injury suffered from a falling tree or tree branch, there is the possibility of filing a personal injury lawsuit.

According to the Christian Science Monitor, there was a Garmin recall of 1.25 million Nuvi GPS units this week. Approximately 796,000 of those units were sold in the United States. Those units that are recalled use batteries assembled by a third party manufacturer that could cause the units to overheat and possibly could catch on fire. However, it is important to note that only a few of the GPS units are affected by this recall. Only Nuvi units with model numbers 200W, 250W, 260W, 7xx and 7xxT - xx (xx may be a two digit number and may be followed by a letter).

Bostonians who already questioned the safety of Toyota vehicles may be getting ready to dial their Boston personal injury attorney. The Los Angeles Times reports that there is yet another Toyota recall on more than 1 million Corolla and Matrix models because of an engine defect that causes the cars to stall. The recall involves 1.13 million Corolla and Corolla Matrix models in North American during 2005 to 2008. The engine defect is due to an improperly manufactured engine control module.

There may be a crack that develops somewhere on the engine control module. If that happens, then the "Check Engine" light will go on. The driver may experience hard shifting and in some circumstances the engine may stall. Toyota has stated that there have been three unconfirmed accidents that could be related to the engine defect. One of those accidents resulted in a minor injury.

The egg recall that we covered earlier seems to be changing consumer perception about the incredible, edible, egg. ABC News reports that eating or using an egg is near impossible in the U.S. because it is used in a medley of foods and products. It is this ubiquity that has consumers worried by the new egg recall. Eggs are used in everything from food, to vaccines and shampoo.

The eggs involved in the egg recall involved as many as 1,300 cases of salmonella. If you ask a Boston personal injury lawyer, it could be even higher if other sources are traced back to the eggs.

Dog bites can be serious; just ask a Boston personal injury lawyer.

Bloomberg reports that dog bites have cost U.S. home insurers about 6.4 percent more in 2009 than the previous year. The average dog bite claim is over $24,000 for the third year in a row. The injuries from dog bites cost around $412 million in 2009. In 2008, the cost was $387.2 million. The number of dog bite claims went up by 4.8 percent.

According to the Insurance Information Institute, dog bites comprise about a third of homeowners' insurance liability claims. The costs of dog bites have risen because of medical expenses to victims. Cindy Younkin, the city attorney for White Sulphur Springs, Montana, told Bloomberg: "Health-care costs have gone up. [I]nsurance provides some sort of coverage that would take care of the costs."

A recall on meat supplied by Buffalo company Zemco Industries has been announced. ABC News reports that Zemco Industries supplied 160 tons of meat to Walmart stores across the country that could possibly be tainted with Listeria. A sample taken from a retail sample by the state of Georgia tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes.

A spokesman for Zemco told ABC News that the meat involved in the recall has most likely been eaten already. The USDA has not received any reports of Listeriosis, which can possibly be fatal for young children, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems.

WHDH Boston reports that a West Bridgewater school is taking bullying in school very seriously. The school is planning to set up a text tip line so that parents and students can let police and school administrators know about any incidents of bullying. The line, which is called the Student Safety Tip Line, is expected to allow students to report any bullying from their cell phones. Dr. Patricia Oakley, the Superintendent of West Bridgewater Schools, told WHDH: "They might feel funny. They might know that something's going on. They might know that a friend of theirs is being bullied. They don't wanna be the one that squeals on the kids. So, this way, they could just text it to the principal."

Alfonso Santana died on a Lawrence sidewalk back in 2005. The Boston Globe reports that as a result, Alfonso Santana's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against two Massachusetts Police troopers and a Lawrence police officer because they claim that his death was caused by a police chokehold.

He was questioned outside a suspected drug house when the tussle occurred.

The lawsuit challenges the finding of cocaine in Santana's blood, but not his urine. A pathologist who testified on behalf of the family said it was a "physiological impossibility." He brings up the possibility that someone may have tampered with the blood sample.