Product liability

May 14, 2018

Regulators Urge Ford Drivers To Park Recalled Vehicles Due To Major Risks

Safety recalls are issued often. And yet, many drivers remain unaware of the risks associated with their vehicles.

One of the most dangerous and concerning auto recalls in recent history impacts millions of vehicles nationwide. But the recall had to be split in several campaigns as companies were not able to get their hands on replacement parts quickly enough. These campaigns all had one thing in common, however. That’s the presence of air bag modules fitted with metal parts that could explode in the event of a collision.

Since many cars have yet to be recalled or at least, fixed, federal regulators are urging caution.

April 6, 2018

Toyota’s Latest Recall Shows Us Importance Of Keeping Up With Repairs

By Kirk Bernard

Many car accidents happen because drivers are simply negligent. That doesn’t only mean that drivers will crash because they are speeding, drunk, distracted, or drowsy. Sometimes they are negligent because they fail to make sure their car are fixed after being impacted by a recall.

Recall campaigns can be associated with minor issues. But sometimes, they are tied to major problems that could lead to accidents. Other times, the issue at hand may increase the risk of injury.

Drivers should pay attention and beware of the risks.

October 1, 2010

Hip Replacement Surgeons Received Kickbacks From DePuy Orthopaedics

By Seattle Personal Injury Attorneys

With each day that goes by, news regarding the DePuy hip replacement recall continues to get worse and worse. Victim’s have been contacting asr hip replacement attorneys and sharing their horror stories regarding their hip implants. Aside from excruciating pain, they’ve also had to deal with lost wages, physical and emotional trauma. The original hip replacement is already a major ordeal for patients to go through, but the revisional surgery requires an even more extensive operation with a lengthy healing period.

To make matters worse, new information has surfaced indicating that Johnson and Johnson, Depuy’s parent company, had issued millions of dollars to orthopaedic surgeons in exchange for promoting their products. These surgeons then touted the products in medical journals and half of them failed to disclose their financial relationship with the manufacturers. Unfortunately, this is a common practice in the health care industry. In 2007, five of the major orthopaedic device manufacturers disbursed nearly $250 million in payments to surgeons.

Now, Johnson & Johnson is engaged in yet another public relations nightmare, bringing their product recall total to 11 in 2010. Considering that these defective hip replacements were implanted into almost 100,000 patients worldwide, you can bet the company is facing a multi-billion dollar class action lawsuit put together by hip replacement attorneys. DePuy announced that the revision rate is 1 in every 8 patients, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that number skyrockets as more and more victims come forward and demand the compensation they rightfully deserve.

September 7, 2010

DePuy ASR Hip Replacement Recall

By Kirk Bernard

By now, you may have already heard about the DePuy ASR Hip Replacement product recall. If you are one of the unfortunate recipients of this defective product, you may be left wondering what to do next.

Within 5 years of receiving a DePuy Hip Resurfacing system, it’s reported that 12-13% of patients need to have revision surgery to correct the damage. If you’ve been experiencing pain, malalignment, infection, dislocation or bone fracture, there’s a good chance that you fall within the category of recipients necessitating correctional surgery.

Because the poorly designed piece exhibits a dangerous amount of friction between the two metal components, tiny fragments of chromium and cobalt ions are released into your body’s soft tissue.

March 26, 2010

Baby Bracelets Recalled for High Lead Levels

By Kirk Bernard

Allreds Design is recalling about 900 sets of baby bracelets and pacifier clips because they contain high levels of lead, according to a news report in Consumeraffairs.com. The company issued this defective product recall after getting a report of a 10-month-old child who ingested lead from these bracelets and was being treated by a physician for elevated lead levels. Lead can be extremely toxic if ingested by young children and in serious cases, can cause lifelong adverse health effects such as brain damage.

This product defect recall includes Allreds Design brand baby bracelets and pacifier clips sold in sizes 0 to 6 months, 1 to 4 years and 4 to 8 years of age. The baby bracelets and crystal and plastic beads come in various colors with a metal clasp. The items were sold by resale stores and other retailers nationwide from June 2008 through December 2008 for about $5. These items were manufactured in the United States. If you have these defective products in your home, Seattle injury lawyer Kirk Bernard advises that you take them away from your children right away and contact Allreds Design for details about how to get a replacement bracelet or pacifier clip.
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March 2, 2010

Seattle Toyota Auto Accident Victim’s Case Raises Questions

By Kirk Bernard

Toyota has recalled more than 8.5 million vehicles over auto product defects – primarily sticky gas pedals, defective floor mats that can slip and jam the accelerator, and brake issues. Based on news reports, outside experts even speculate that electromagnetic interference may have caused several incidents of unintended acceleration in recalled Toyota models. Now, the auto maker is facing a government inquiry over whether it tried to delay or avoid a recall in the first place.

Parents of a Seattle resident are one of many who are asking questions about how and why their son died. According to a KOMO News report, like many injured victims or grieving families, the bereaved parents are wondering whether sudden acceleration caused by a sticky gas pedal in the victim’s Toyota Tundra may have caused the fatal car accident on Oct. 17, 2007. The crash occurred when the pickup truck inexplicably crashed head-on into a tree.

Recently this victim’s parents found out that his Tundra was on the recall list as well. They now rightly believe that had Toyota paid attention to the problem, recalled the vehicles and fixed the defects, their son would have been alive.

Toyota’s recall comes too late for those in situations similar to this family’s. It is too little too late for those who have suffered catastrophic injuries potentially as a result of the unintended acceleration problem. It is too late for those drivers who have been sent to prison because their car went out of control and injured or killed someone. Seattle personal injury attorneys understand that there have been several car accident cases nationwide where drivers tried convincing juries that it was not them, but their car that was to blame. But no one believed them. Some of those cases are now being reviewed by local prosecutors in different parts of the country.
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February 23, 2010

Reports of Toyota Corolla Steering Problems Trigger Federal Investigation

By Kirk Bernard

Federal auto safety regulators have now launched an official investigation into possible vehicle defects, this time involving the power steering in 2009 and 2010 Toyota Corollas. According to a news report in USA Today, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been getting complaints from Toyota Corolla drivers that they cannot hold the steering straight going down the highway. So far, NHTSA has received 168 complaints, including reports of eight crashes, involving this vehicle defect. NHTSA has opened a preliminary evaluation to determine whether it needs to take a closer look at steering problems in the Corolla and also, the Matrix models, which are quite similar to the Corolla. Much to the shock of consumers and Seattle auto product liability attorneys, about 500,000 vehicles could be involved in this investigation.

If this results in a recall, it certainly would not be Toyota’s first in recent months. In fact, the number of vehicles that were recently recalled by the Japanese auto maker adds up to more than 8.5 million. That includes vehicles that were recalled for defective gas pedals, floor mats and brakes. Toyota also suspended production and sales of eight different models of vehicles including the Corolla, until all the defective vehicles can be fixed. Government officials are also looking into whether Toyota officials issued these recalls in a timely manner. Meanwhile, the company is also facing a slew of lawsuits over the unintended acceleration caused by the gas pedal and mat defects.
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February 17, 2010

500,000 Defective Cribs Recalled after Infant Deaths

By Kirk Bernard

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is warning consumers about defective cribs, which have been responsible for three infant deaths. According to an Associated Press news report, the federal safety agency is recalling 500,000 drop-side cribs, manufactured by Generation 2 Worldwide and ChildESIGNS. The plastic hardware on these cribs can break and allow the drop side to detach, creating a space where the child can become entrapped and suffocated. Also, the mattress supports in these cribs can break away from the crib frames creating a gap where children can suffocate.

CPSC has received three reports of children who died after getting trapped and being suffocated in these defective cribs. The victims were an 8-month-old boy from Ohio who died in June 2007; a 6-month-old boy from Indiana who suffocated in a crib and died in October 2003; and another 6-month-old boy from Virginia who died in September 2002 after two missing screws allowed the lower drop-side track of his crib to pull away from the headboard post. These cribs were sold at retailers nationwide including Buy Buy Baby, Kmart and Wal-Mart.

Several consumers and Seattle products liability attorneys are aware of the fact that more than 5 million cribs have been recalled over the last few years because of similar defects and hazards. Almost all of these recalled cribs were drop-side cribs. These cribs were recalled because when the drop-sides detached, an entrapment and suffocation hazard was created. Inferior parts and poor quality control have also contributed to these product defects.
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February 9, 2010

Toyota to Fix Defective Gas Pedals

By Kirk Bernard

So far, Toyota has recalled more than 7 million vehicles over faulty gas pedals and floor mats. The auto maker has also stopped production and sales of eight models, including its top-selling Camry and Corolla models. The first Toyota recall was issued last year after an auto accident in California killed a highway patrol officer and three members of his family. The officer was in a loaner Lexus and the defective floor mat in the car allegedly caused the accelerator pedal to become jammed. The car accelerated out of control at 120 mph, crashed, and caused four fatalities.

Toyota officials say they have come up with a fix for the gas pedals, which has been approved by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The problem with the gas pedals was that the pedal mechanism could become worn and harder to depress or it could get stuck in a partially depressed position, thus causing sudden or unintended acceleration.

Toyota engineers have been working to insert a spacer in the pedal mechanism in order to increase the tension in a spring and reduce the risk of the gas pedal sticking or staying down. The auto maker has also come under quite a bit of criticism for failing to act quickly on unexpected acceleration issues related to the faulty floor mats. Federal officials say Toyota has known about the problem with the mats since 2007 and has still done nothing to fix it.
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February 5, 2010

Kirk Bernard Explains How to Choose a Safe Car Seat for your Child

By Kirk Bernard

You could be left agonizing for days about the right car seat for your little one. After all, it is the car seat, which you count on to protect one of your most precious family members. So, how do you select a secure car seat that will not break the bank and keep your child safe and comfortable? Here are the top five questions you can ask yourself to help pick that perfect car seat:

Is it easy to install? – If it looks too complicated, it’s not the car seat for you. You need a car seat that is easy to install CORRECTLY. If you do not install the seat properly, your baby may not be secure. You also need to look for a base that you can permanently install in the car. After that, all you’ll need to do is settle the seat securely into the base and buckle up your child. Life is busy enough with a little one around. Keep it simple.
Are there adequate restraints? – Remember that you need to look for an infant seat with a five-point safety harness. The straps – one for each shoulder, one for each thigh and one between your baby’s legs – are more adjustable and therefore safer for an infant. Car seats with plastic shields or T-bar restraints should be avoided.
Are the belts easily adjustable? – Do not buy seats that require you to adjust the buckle from the back of the seats. Buy one that will allow you to easily adjust the belt from the front.
Does it have a LATCH system? – The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) requires that all child safety seats be compatible with a LATCH system, which is short for Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children. This system enables you to attach the seat directly to the vehicle instead of using the seatbelt to secure it.
How easily can it be kept clean? : Although this is not a safety issue, you want to make sure that car seats come with pad covers you can remove and wash easily. Let’s face it, babies are messy. And finally, you want to buy a well-padded seat with good head support so baby has a comfortable ride. That way, so will you!