After a long night of wrapping gifts and preparing for Christmas celebrations with her family, Jackson Memorial Hospital radiologist Dr. Michelle Ferrari-Gegerson began to use her electric massager to relieve her aching neck pain.

Shortly thereafter, she was found lifeless, after the electric massager apparently got tangled in her necklace and strangled her.

According to initial reports out of the Broward's Sheriff Office ("BSO"), Dr. Ferrari-Gegerson was found unconscious at approximately 9:00pm on Christmas Eve by her husband on their bedroom floor. Her husband, a dentist, frantically called 911; however, by the time the paramedics arrived on the scene, it was unfortunately already too late.

While the investigation into Dr. Ferrari-Gegerson's death is ongoing, the BSO is withholding the brand name or any other details concerning the make, model, or type of electronic massager used by the doctor on the night of her death.

Unfortunately, Dr. Ferrari-Gegerson's tragic accident is not the first reported incident of an electronic massager posing a strangulation hazard to consumers. In December 2008, a Japanese company recalled an electric foot massager after receiving three strangulation reports. While the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has no reports of electronic massagers previously causing death, they have had to recall three types of electronic massagers in the past after reports of overheating led to fire and burn hazards.

Dr. Ferrari-Gegerson was remembered by her colleagues as an extremely generous and caring person, often known to bring in baked goods for various employees. A graduate of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Dr. Ferrari-Gegerson had been working at Jackson Memorial Hospital since 2001.

If you, or someone you know has been injured by such a device, please call the law firm of Freidin • Dobrinsky for a free consultation.

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