Latest news with #PennHills
CBS News
a day ago
- CBS News
Penn Hills man arrested, accused of assault outside family court in Pittsburgh
A man from Penn Hills was arrested Wednesday and is accused of an assault that happened outside family court in Pittsburgh. The Allegheny County Sheriff's Office says Marlon McMillan, 38, was arrested following the alleged assault that took place outside the Family Court Center in Downtown Pittsburgh. McMillan is accused of yelling at the mother of his two children and trying to convince the two children to go with him instead of her following a hearing related to a protection from abuse order. The Sheriff's Office says McMillan hit the woman and one of the children before grabbing the other child by the neck. All three individuals received medical attention at the scene, the Sheriff's Office said. McMillan was taken to the Allegheny County Jail and is facing several charges including aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, and endangering the welfare of children.
CBS News
3 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Driver in deadly Pittsburgh-area crash was nearly 3 times legal limit, authorities say
A Penn Hills man charged in connection with a deadly crash last year in Monroeville had a blood alcohol level nearly three times the legal limit, authorities said. In a post on Facebook on Monday, the Allegheny County Police Department said 49-year-old Marcus Alston Sr. is facing a list of charges — including homicide by vehicle, homicide by vehicle while DUI and involuntary manslaughter — in connection with the Nov. 3, 2024 crash that injured three people and killed one person. Just before midnight on Nov. 3, 2024, first responders were called to a crash on the 3700 block of Willian Penn Highway. At the scene, first responders learned that the driver of a Nissan Pathfinder had collided with the driver of a Toyota RAV4. Both vehicles had two occupants, and all four people were taken to local hospitals. Three were listed in stabled condition and one woman died at the hospital. Allegheny County police said the victim was identified as Shiya Young, who was a passenger in the Nissan. Allegheny County police said an investigation found the driver of the Nissan was speeding when it hit the Toyota from behind. Alston was the driver of the Nissan, authorities said. He had a blood alcohol content of 0.233 percent and had a suspended driver's license, Allegheny County police said. The legal limit is 0.08. He was also driving more than 90 miles per hour at the time of the crash, authorities said. The posted speed limit is 35 miles per hour in the area.
CBS News
29-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Pittsburgh-area representative stands in hole, halting construction project to get city's attention
Call him a pothole politician or a local lawmaker standing on principle. On Thursday, a state representative stood in a hole for more than five hours, trying to force construction crews to call 911 and alert city officials. He said it was all because of a paving mishap. State rep wants road paved Forget the yellow safety vest or the hard hat. Rep. Joe McAndrew is donning a shirt and tie, trying to prove a point. McAndrew says the city of Pittsburgh agreed to pave Verona Boulevard from Lincoln Avenue to the Penn Hills border. But when he stopped by the project, he said he noticed the hired paving crew stopped short, failing to honor the agreement between his office and city leaders. So, he did what felt right, planting his dress shoes in the unpaved hole. (Photo: KDKA) "The city of Pittsburgh officials continued to ignore my pleas to have the road continued to be paved to the Penn Hills border to the point where I ended up having to go into the way of the construction vehicles to have the city of Pittsburgh officials come and speak to me about this issue and this mishap," he said. Crews stop work His performance worked. It forced the crews to stop. Police officers started showing up, and he says the city caught wind. "They have communicated to me that they were in error on where they were stopping this road today and over the next several weeks, they do plan to finish this road in its entirety," McAndrew said. That means the long-neglected stretch between Penn Hills and the city, from Mt. Carmel Road to Lincoln Avenue, will soon see fresh blacktop. "But it took me getting into a hole and having this argument with them in order to get it done for the people of our community and for the people of Lincoln Park and for the people of Penn Hills," McAndrew said. Olga George, press secretary for the mayor's office, said there appeared to be some "miscommunication" about the project. "While the scope of repaving has now been resolved, additional Council approval is required to complete the repaving of a portion of the road which is currently paved in brick," George's statement said. Work has been stopped to allow the city to get the council's approval to replace the brick portion of the street, allowing the project "to move forward in a complete and coordinated manner, rather than in two separate phases."
Daily Mail
23-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Alarming number of Lasik eye surgery patients who took their own lives revealed after police officer's suicide
The recent suicide of a young Pennsylvania police officer has reignited concerns over Lasik eye surgery, as dozens more were pushed to the brink of death over similar complications. Ryan Kingerski, a 26-year-old officer with the Penn Hills Police Department, took his own life after months of excruciating pain, double vision and persistent headaches. He claimed the Lasik eye surgery he underwent five months earlier was the source of his suffering. Now, as more horror stories of agonizing symptoms surface, it's becoming increasingly clear that Kingerski's case is not isolated. 'Everyone has different problems when it comes to Lasik,' Edward Boshnick, a Miami-based eye doctor, told The New York Post. 'It's the biggest scam ever put on the American public... and it's a multi-billion dollar business.' Lasik eye surgery, or laser vision correction, is marketed by providers as 95 to 99 percent safe. The so-called 'simple' procedure uses an ultraviolet laser to reshape the cornea, improving vision without glasses or contacts. Morris Waxler, 89, was the former head of the Food and Drug Administration branch responsible for reviewing data and approving the Lasik operation decades ago - a decision he now regrets. Ryan Kingerski (pictured), a 26-year-old officer with the Penn Hills Police Department, took his own life after months of excruciating pain, double vision and persistent headaches - claiming the Lasik surgery he underwent five months earlier was the source of his suffering 'It didn't matter what questions and concerns I had, because the surgeons were very powerful and still are,' he told The Post. He had petitioned the FDA to revoke its approval of the Lasik procedure after his own analysis revealed complication rates between 10 to 30 percent - a staggering contrast to the 'less than one percent' figure cited by providers. In 2018, Detroit TV meteorologist Jessica Starr hanged herself at just 35-years-old, leaving behind a 30-page suicide note and videos blaming her tragic decision on the elective surgery. She documented her struggles in video diary entries. In one recording, she spoke about feeling mad at herself for deciding to go through with the procedure. According to her family, Starr reached out to various eye doctors and even sought help with a therapist, but her emotional state continued deteriorating. The young mother ultimately took her own life after struggling with intense pain and vision problems in the two months since her surgery. 'Prior to the procedure, Jessica was completely normal, very healthy,' Dan Rose, Starr's widower, told The Post. 'There was no depression... no underlying issue.' Also in 2018, Paul Fitzpatrick, a Canadian father-of-two, killed himself and blamed 20 years of post-Lasik pain in his suicide note. In the years following his operation, Fitzpatrick suffered headaches and described feeling needles in his eyes as well as an unbearable dry and burning sensation. His family said in the months leading up to his death, the pain was so unbearable he would keep his eyes closed for most of the time, walking with a cane and planned to move in with his parents. He left a suicide note when he took his life in October of 2018, which described the pain he felt that pushed him to death. 'I cannot experience any type of pleasure anymore,' Fitzpatrick wrote. 'Just the pain of burning eyes inside my head and throughout myself… Since 1996 Pain, pain and more pain, please forgive me for not being strong enough to cope. The past few months have been unbearable.' Gloria McConnell had two Lasik procedures to fix her short-sightedness in 2019. Serious complications arose a few weeks after the surgery, including eyes so dry they had a burning sensation, mites and ingrown hairs in her eyelashes. Four years later, she was barely able to leave her bed. Fitzpatrick's family said in the months leading up to his death, the pain was so unbearable he would keep his eyes closed for most of the time, walking with a cane and planned to move in with his parents (pictured) She died by suicide aged 60. Her son said she left a note to her family in which she explained that the pain from the bungled surgery formed part of her decision to end her life. McConnell even submitted a comment to the FDA's draft recommendations which said: '[LASIK] has destroyed my life.' In August of 2024, Kingerski took some time off his dream job as a police officer to get Lasik and improve his vision - a decision that seemed safe given the demands of his career. However, he would tragically never wear his uniform again, as what his parents described as a 'tragically unsuccessful surgery' transformed him from a smiling, vibrant person to someone unrecognizable. The operation left him with debilitating side effects - headaches, dark spots floating in his eye sight, double vision and extreme sensitivity. In January, still without relief or answers, Kingerski ended his life. In a heartbreaking suicide note, he wrote: 'I can't take this anymore. Lasik took everything from me'. Paula Cofer, one Lasik survivor, shared that she endured two years of suicidal thoughts following her 'disastrous' procedure back in 2000, The Post reported. In Lasik and similar surgeries, a small flap is cut into the cornea, which is then raised slightly. This reshaping changes the way that light is refracted to make up for nearsightedness or farsightedness that occur when light doesn't hit the proper spot on the retina. 'The Lasik lobby and the surgeons will tell you only one percent of patients have issues afterward,' the 66-year-old woman told the outlet. 'That's not true. There are multiple studies that indicate otherwise.' 'The percentage of those with poor outcomes are in the double digits, not one percent,' she added. 'And they know it.' In a shocking twist, Cofer claimed to have known at least 40 people who have taken their own lives after Lasik - unable to go on living with the constant pain and vision problems developed after the procedure, The Post reported. As a way to spread awareness, Cofer runs the Lasik Complications Support Group on Facebook - just one of many organizations on social media created in response to the unspoken dangers of Lasik. 'I really didn't want to stick around at times, but I decided I would to get the word out about how dangerous this surgery can be,' she told the outlet. 'If you understand Lasik and what it does to the eyes and cornea, you realize you can't do it on a healthy eye and not expect complications,' she added. In Lasik and similar surgeries, a small flap is cut into the cornea, which is then raised slightly. This reshaping changes the way that light is refracted to make up for nearsightedness or farsightedness that occur when light doesn't hit the proper spot on the retina. 'Not everyone has severe complications but a lot more people are suffering than you know,' Cofer said. 'I got floaters, severe dry eyes, induced astigmatism and severe night vision problems.' More than 10 million Americans have undergone the procedure since Lasik was FDA approved in 1999, according to the medical journal Clinical Ophthalmology, which reports that 700,000 to 800,000 opt for laser vision correction each year. Abraham Rutner, a 43-year-old Brooklyn electrician, was one of the lucky ones - miraculously finding a sliver of hope after his failed Lasik procedure five years ago. 'It's like you have a layer of oil on top of your eye - it was so hazy and terrible,' he told The Post. 'I couldn't work. I couldn't drive. I felt like I was still a young man and I lost my life.' However, he heard about Dr. Boshnick's work, whose optometric practice offers vision and comfort restoration due to a variety of eye conditions and surgeries - including Lasik. Rutner was eventually fitted with a scleral lens, a specialized contact that covers and protects corneas damaged by Lasik. Cofer said she was also fitted with the lens - and that it has provided significant relief. The FDA does warn on its website that the procedure carries risks, including vision loss, glare, halos, double vision and other 'debilitating visual symptoms'. According to The American Refractive Surgery Council's website, 'Lasik is safe and is one of the most studied elective surgical procedures available today... the rate of sight-threatening complications from Lasik eye surgery is estimated to be well below one percent.' However, for some experts like Boshnick, Lasik is nothing more than a 'BS procedure', according to The Post. 'People come in with healthy eyes and all they need is eyeglasses,' Waxler told the outlet. 'But when surgeons cut the cornea they are removing nerves and leaving the corneas with odd shapes and some patients will have intractable pain.'
Daily Mail
21-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Young police officer takes his life after suffering debilitating side effects from Lasik eye surgery
An elective eye surgery led to the tragic suicide of a young Pennsylvania police officer, whose note revealed that the Lasik procedure had 'taken everything' from him. Ryan Kingerski, a 26-year-old officer with the Penn Hills Police Department, underwent Lasik eye surgery last summer - a procedure generally considered safe - but in his case, ended in tragedy just months later. After enduring excruciating pain, double vision and persistent headaches in the five months following the operation, Ryan ended his own life in January - identifying the eye surgery as the main cause of his suffering, CBS News reported. In a heartbreaking suicide note, Ryan wrote: 'I can't take this anymore. Lasik took everything from me'. 'It just... it ruined his life. Ruined it,' Tim Kingerski, Ryan's father, told WTAE News. 'Completely ruined his life in 12 seconds.' In August of 2024, Ryan took some time off his dream job to get Lasik eye surgery to improve his vision - a decision that seemed safe given the demands of his career. 'We had no thought of that... He was very excited because they often tout - Lasik often touts - that you go in and within three days...' Stefanie Kingerski, Ryan's mother, told CBS News, beginning to trail off. 'Simple and effective routine surgery,' Tim added on. 'That he would be back to work in a couple days.' However, Ryan would tragically never wear his uniform again, as what his parents described as a 'tragically unsuccessful surgery' transformed him from a smiling, vibrant person to someone unrecognizable. The operation left him with debilitating side effects - headaches, dark spots floating in his eye sight, double vision and extreme sensitivity. 'He kept saying how bad the pain in his head was,' Ryan's parents told CBS. 'He had a terrible headache and wasn't able to focus, and the vision and the blurriness and everything else - and that just continued.' Desperate for answers, Tim immediately began taking his son from one specialist to another, hoping that one doctor would finally provide relief or a solution. 'It was one disappointment after another,' Tim told WTAE News. At this point, Ryan's parents described him as 'not good', 'disgusted' and 'full of regret', as his vision problems and excruciating pain now prevented him from working in the career he loved. 'Regret was the big thing. Why would they do this to me? Why would they not tell me?' Stefanie explained to CBS, quoting her son. 'He went on social media, he posted his experience,' Tim added. 'They sent us a letter dropping him as a patient.' In January, still without relief or answers, Ryan ended his life. 'Nothing feels right, nothing,' his parents told WTAE, attempting to explain their indescribable pain. 'Can't sleep. Don't eat. Just think about what couple have been,' they added. 'My heart just breaks.' In their immense sadness and grief, the family felt compelled to share their son's story in hopes of reaching others - ultimately bringing light to the potential complications of 'routine' procedures. 'He didn't want anyone else to ever feel the same way, and he wanted people to know the facts,' Stefanie said. 'Ryan would be here,' Tim added. 'All he did was tell the truth.' Hayden Hutchins, a patient who also experienced complications from Lasik, shared Ryan's story to his social media platform, revealing that, although tragic, his experience is unfortunately not unique. 'All these people, Ryan included, like every single story that I hear, it's more or less the same,' Hutchins said, according to CBS. 'This patient was told that they were perfect for this surgery that was completely safe, you know, 99.99 percent success rate,' he added. 'So they were told they were perfect for it, and with that information, they made a decision to go get it.' Tim, who was with Ryan the day of the operation, alleged that the doctor gave them that exact reassurance. Hutchins believes that those who suffer from complications after Lasik - including both himself and Ryan - are oftentimes dismissed. 'When they experienced issues afterwards, most of the time, issues that they were not told about at all, they are met with dismissal, gaslighting, you know, that "They're still healing. They'll be fine. It's nothing to worry about,"' Hutchins added. In a statement to CBS, the Pittsburgh LasikPlus office - whose team performed Ryan's surgery - stated that suicide typically cannot be attributed to one single cause. 'Legal requirements prevent us from speaking to the specifics of any patient, but suicide generally cannot be reduced to any single cause,' the statement said. 'To be clear, there is no clinical evidence linking suicide to Lasik surgery.' 'Each patient is provided with a copy of the informed consent form at the pre-operative appointment for review - typically days in advance of the subsequently scheduled treatment,' it continued. 'The consent form addresses the recognized risks, benefits and alternatives of the proposed procedure.' However, like Hutchins, Tim has publicly pushed back against those attributing his son's death to mental health issues rather than complications from Lasik - including the company itself. 'People are going to watch this and say it's mental health. This wasn't mental health,' Tim told CBS. 'It had nothing to do with mental health, so they are free to judge and say whatever they want to say,' he added. 'I know my son before his surgery and after his surgery were two completely different people.' Morris Waxler, former head of the Food and Drug Administration branch responsible for reviewing data and approving the Lasik operation decades ago, petitioned the FDA to voluntarily recall its approval, WTAE reported. Waxler explained that when he signed off on the procedure, it was under the condition that 100 clinical trials would follow. He left the agency shortly after. In recent years, he petitioned the FDA to withdraw its approval of Lasik - a request that was ultimately denied. Still, he maintains that the complications - as the Kingerski family knows all too well - are very much real. 'They make a slice, and they mess everything up,' Waxler told the outlet. 'They cut nerves, then, in addition, they take out a divot, which removes all the support structure or muscle out of the support section and all of it.' 'Sometimes it grows back, sometimes it doesn't grow back, sometimes it grows back poorly,' he added. 'For some people, it's a bigger problem than others.' In April, the Kingerski family gifted the police department with a touching note and challenge coins in honor of Ryan's memory, serving as a reminder of his service and dedication to his community Nearly 500,000 Americans undergo Lasik each year, and according to the American Refractive Surgery Council, the complication rate is less than one percent - highlighting the procedure's high success rate for a majority of patients. However, Ryan's parents believe that even a single complication is one too many, as they remember the vibrant, joyful son he was before ever stepping onto the operating table. 'I just know a guy who talked about how fabulous his life was and how happy he was,' Stefanie told CBS. 'We now visit in a cemetery.' After Ryan's sudden passing, the Penn Hills Police Advisory Board shared a statement to Facebook, thanking the young officer for his service and friendship. 'Ryan was not only a dedicated and hardworking officer but also a kindhearted friend to many of us,' they said. 'His presence brought positivity, his commitment to duty was unwavering, and his impact on those around him was profound. His loss leaves a void that cannot be filled, and our hearts are truly broken.' In April, the Kingerski family gifted the police department with a touching note and challenge coins in honor of Ryan's memory, serving as a reminder of his service and dedication to his community. 'Ever since he was a little boy, he would always say that he was going to be a policeman,' the note read. 'We couldn't be more proud of the son and brother that he was and the man that he became.' 'We are blessed that he found a home with all of you as a brother and a friend,' it continued. 'Our pain is unbearable and our grief is forever now that he is gone. He had so much more to give and to do.' 'Please carry this token of him with you everyday so that Ryan along with St. Michael may guide and protect you on your journey. Remember him always.' In Ryan's name, Tim and Stefanie are encouraging anyone who has had complications after LASIK to fill out a MedWatch form, which goes straight to the FDA.
