California Injury Blog

The past few years have been overrun with products liability cases, but few are getting the type of exposure that they deserve; manufacturers of defective medical products are flying under the radar, at least to those who have not been affected by their dangerous goods. In the last year California product liability attorneys have had their phones ringing off the hook with victims who claim to have suffered dearly due to the defective Bard Avaulta vaginal mesh, and the flood of claims does not seem to be dwindling, but actually growing.

Most recently, a woman in Texas filed a lawsuit against a vaginal mesh product’s manufacturer claiming that it contributed to her injuries and complications following pelvic organ prolapsed (POP). The Bard Avaulta mesh was designed to help those who suffer from P.O.P., but it is becoming evident that the risks associated with the device far outweigh the benefits.

Continue reading "California Bard Avaulta Mesh Lawyers Fight Back Against Negligent Companies" »

In response to another tragic display of Yaz side effects, Joan Cummins has decided to pursue compensation for the wrongful death of her daughter, Michelle Pfleger. Michelle died shortly after experiencing a heart attack on the way to class last year during which time she had been taking Yaz as an oral contraceptive. According to bizjournals.com, Pfleger's autopsy report showed that she died from cardiac arrest caused by a blood clot in the lungs, and the lawsuit alleges that the clot was caused by Pfleger's use of Yaz.

Continue reading "Mother of Yaz Side Effects Victim Pursues Compensation" »

As the number of Darvon and Darvocet lawsuits continues to rise, consumers are starting to question the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's continued approval of this 50-year-old defective product. Darvon and Darvocet's active ingredient, propoxphene, was approved in 1957 as a strong painkiller, but Darvon's side effects have been well-documented with little to no action to pull it from the shelves.

Continue reading "Ban on Darvon and Darvocet (Propoxyphene) Came Too Late to Save Consumers" »

Not so long ago, Yaz and Yasmin birth control were considered to be one of the most advanced and effective forms of contraceptives on the market, but those days are over. According to Bnet, about 190 women have died after taking Yaz and its predecessor Yasmin and countless more have suffered life-threatening injuries. Bayer has denied reports detailing the deadly effects of these defective medications, and say that they are perfectly safe.

Several studies have shown that Bayer-manufactured Yaz and Yasmin (also known as Yazmin) which contain the hormone Drospirenone, have a higher risk of developing serous blood clots that those who were prescribed other types of contraceptives. Ocella is the generic form, which is marketed and distributed by Teva Pharmaceuticals, and was approved by the FDA in 2008.

Yaz and Yasmin Side Effects

If you have been taking Yaz, Yasmin, Ocella, or any medication containing Drospirenone, and feel you may be experiencing negative side effects, you should contact your primary care physician immediately. This defective product has side effects that range from mild to very severe, but tending to them while they are in their early stages may prevent them from becoming more serious. The following are some of the more severe side effects:

Continue reading "Yaz and Yasmin Birth Control Continue to Claim Victims" »

A Los Angeles-based company is recalling its seafood salad products over food poisoning concerns. According to an Associated Press news report, Frankly Fresh Inc. has voluntarily recalled these products packed under its label because they could be contaminated with listeria, which is a type of deadly bacteria. The products involved in this recall come in a variety of sizes in plastic containers and were made between March 19 and April 23. The salads were distributed through retail supermarket stores in California and Nevada. Company officials say that the contamination was discovered during a routine sampling and testing program conducted by the Food and Drug Administration. So far, no illnesses have been reported.

Food Poisoning Statistics

According to the Department of Health and Human Services' statistics, each year, 5,000 people die due to food poisoning. It is even more disturbing to note that the number of safety inspections has fallen sharply in recent years. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration inspects fewer than 25 percent of food production facilities each year. Also, nearly 75 percent of all food facilities have gone five or more years without an FDA inspection. Inspections are even more rare or non-existent when it comes to foreign food producers.

Continue reading "Seafood Salads Recalled for Listeria Contamination " »

An arbitrator has ruled that a former Toyota Motor Corp. attorney can use internal company documents to support his claim that the Japanese auto maker deliberately hid evidence in their auto products liability lawsuits. According to a news report in the Los Angeles Times, the former attorney, Dimitrios Biller, alleges that Toyota officials hired him to plan and carry out discovery fraud on behalf of the company.

Internal Documents to Tell the Story

The arbitrator's ruling clears the way for internal memos, e-mails, test reports and other documents to be used as evidence in this case. It is no doubt a major legal setback for Toyota and a victory of plaintiffs attorneys in numerous pending auto products liability cases against the auto maker – most of them related to faulty gas pedals and defective floor mats that resulted in unintended acceleration. Now these auto product liability lawyers can subpoena the documents as evidence to help bolster their cases.

Continue reading "Former Toyota Attorney Can Use Internal Documents to Prove Auto Maker Hid Evidence" »

Orange County Personal injury accidents have been known to seriously injure or kill victims. A number of these accidents will have been caused by common auto defects. Victims who find themselves in this situation will need to find the right attorney for their case. Victims of auto defect accidents will need an experienced auto products liability lawyer, with the right team of experts to win.

Continue reading "What Are The Most Common Auto Defects?" »

An infant in South Carolina may have suffered fatal personal injuries after his mother used a bug spray in their mobile home, according to an Associated Press news report. The 10-month-old boy, Jacob Whitfield, died and his 2-year-old brother is in critical condition, officials say. The boys' mother had apparently been using foggers in their mobile home because of an insect problem. On November 1, 2009, 25-year-old Elizabeth Whitfield called emergency personnel to report that her baby was struggling to breathe. Jacob died. His brother, Kenneth Whitfield, remained on a respirator, but is expected to stabilize.

Continue reading "Bug Spray May Have Killed Infant in South Carolina, Officials Say" »

Efren Monterroso, 64, died of severe personal injuries suffered on-the-job after he apparently got trapped in a trash compactor in a Los Angeles factory in the North Hills area on October 23, 2009. According to an Associated Press news report, emergency personnel responded at 8201 Woodley Avenue and found Monterroso dead at the scene. He was inside the trash compactor when it somehow turned on. Authorities are investigating what caused this tragic accident. Another article in the Los Angeles Times states that the compactor was crushing cardboard at the time of the fatal accident. Officials did not release the name of the business where Monterroso worked.

Continue reading "Man Killed in Los Angeles Industrial Accident" »

Mark Alan Dickson, 51, was killed and his wife, Rebecca Gonzaga, 47, suffered serious personal injury in a ride accident on August 31, 2009 involving the Heavenly Lake Tahoe's Tamarack Express Chair. According to a news report in the Sacramento Bee, the accident happened after a line from a nearby lift tangled with the line the couple were on and struck their chair knocking Dickson out and on to the rocks 50 feet below. Dickson sustained fatal injuries and Gonzaga, who managed to stay in the chair, suffered a leg injury. Preliminary investigations show that the fatal accident was the result of a malfunction with part of the zip line coming in contact with the chair lift.

Continue reading "Los Angles Man Killed in Lake Tahoe Chair Lift Accident" »

Toyota has announced a defective auto product recall involving about 95,700 Toyota Scions and Corolla that were sold in 19 U.S. states where cold weather could trigger a brake-related problem. According to a CBS news report, the recall affects some 2009 and 2010 Corolla and Corolla Matrix models as well as 2008 and 2009 Scion xD vehicles. If the cars are driven in extremely low ambient temperatures, there is a possibility that the condensed moisture from the positive crankcase ventilation port may seep into the brake system vacuum port and freeze, according to a company statement.

This ice build up in the brake system vacuum port can ultimately plug the vacuum port. As a result, power assist to the brakes would gradually decrease and lead to lengthened vehicle stopping distances. Owners of the recalled Toyota cars will begin to receive their safety recall notifications by mail next month. When the recall begins, Toyota dealers will install a newly designed air connector, which relocates the brake system vacuum port, for free. No other Toyota, Lexus or Scion vehicles are involved. So far, no injuries have been reported as a result of this vehicle defect.

Continue reading "Auto Product Defects Lead to Toyota Recall" »

The California auto defects lawyers of Bisnar | Chase have filed a product liability injury lawsuit against Ford Motor Corporation, Continental Tire Corporation, TRW Vehicle Safety Systems, Chino Hills Ford, and Beceril Tire Shop.

The product liability injury lawsuit stems from injuries sustained by Griselda Bernardino during an August 2007 rollover car crash. Griselda was driving a 2003 Ford Expedition SUV when the car's left tire tread separated from the tire. This caused the Expedition to oversteer and eventually roll over. Griselda suffered severe and permanent spinal and head injuries while her passengers Ayari Martinez, Alonso Martinez, Diana and Bianca Orozco (both minors) and Maleni Elizardi (also a minor) were all seriously hurt.

Continue reading "California Auto Defects Lawyers File Product Liability Case Against Ford" »

Charlotte Lorraine Winn, 73, was killed in a August 10, 2009 San Diego car accident after she lost control of her 2001 Ford Explorer SUV and crashed on Route 79, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. Winn was heading north on the highway when she lost control of the Explorer, which ran off the pavement and rolled over several times. The SUV came to rest against a tree on the west side of the road, California Highway Patrol officials said. Winn was airlifted to an area hospital where she died. Her 68-year-old husband, who was a passenger in the SUV, reportedly suffered moderate injuries.

Continue reading "San Diego Car Accident Involves Ford Explorer Rollover" »

Robert William Cusack, 47, was killed in a San Bernardino rollover car accident near Highway 395 and Shadow Mountain Road in Adelanto on July 4, 2009, according to a news report in the Victorville Daily Press. Cusack was heading east on Shadow Mountain Road in a black 2007 Toyota Tacoma, when the truck left the roadway and rolled over several times. Cusack was taken to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead shortly after the car crash. California Highway Patrol officials are still trying to determine what caused Cusack's truck to leave the roadway.

My heart goes out to the family and friends of Robert William Cusack for their tragic and heartbreaking loss. I offer my deepest sympathies to everyone who knew and loved this man. Please keep them in your prayers.

According to California Highway Patrol's Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), in 2007, there were three fatalities and 32 injuries involving car accidents in Adelanto. In San Bernardino County, 308 deaths and 9,920 injuries were reported as a result of car accidents in 2007. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that at least 10,000 fatal traffic accidents in the United States each year involve rollover crashes.

Continue reading "San Bernardino Fatal Rollover Car Accident" »

The California Zicam lawyers at Bisnar | Chase continue to receive inquiries regarding lawsuits and class-action suits about defective over-the-counter Zicam cold medications, which have apparently caused hundreds of Americans to lose their sense of smell and/or taste. These Zicam defective products were meant to relieve cold congestion. However, the defective Zicam nasal cold remedy products clearly have done more harm than good.

Matrixx Initiatives Inc., the manufacturer of the Zicam cold remedies that are believed to be responsible for hundreds of users nationwide losing their sense of smell is expecting to face more Zicam lawsuits, in addition to the ones already filed, after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned consumers about Zicam drug effects, according to a Dow Jones news report. Last month, federal officials cautioned consumers to stop using Zicam cold and allergy medications because they can cause permanent loss of smell.

Matrixx officials have said that they are facing a lot of legal action including two economic Zicam class-action lawsuits and a personal injury lawsuit involving 117 plaintiffs. They are now saying that additional Zicam lawsuits involving individual plaintiffs making allegations that its nasal gel products have caused a permanent loss or diminishment of the sense of smell or smell and taste, have been filed. Matirxx officials have also said that they absolutely disagree with the FDA's stance that these drugs are dangerous and defective and that they intend to vigorously defend each and every one of these lawsuits. However, Matrixx has started a formal recall of all of its Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Gel and Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Swab products in a move to comply with the FDA's request.

Continue reading "More Zicam Lawsuits Filed" »

The General Motors-Chrysler bankruptcy has caused much anxiety among consumers because it seeks to throw out auto product liability and personal injury lawsuits against them. Now, a new report predicts that a loophole created by the bankruptcies of General Motors and Chrysler will make it possible for the companies to avoid issuing product recalls of defective cars that were manufactured prior to the bankruptcy filings.

According to a news article on Consumer Reports, this new report released by Safety Research and Strategies (http://www.safetyresearch.net/chrysler-gm-bankruptcy) looks into the implications of a provision in the GM and Chrysler bankruptcies that allows the automakers to avoid liability for the vehicles made before the bankruptcy. The report projects that based on information provided by both GM and Chrysler and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), more than 3,400 Americans will be injured or killed by a defective Chrysler of GM vehicle during the first year after the bankruptcy.

Continue reading "GM-Chrysler Bankruptcy Will Have Chilling Effect on Product Recalls" »

California Zicam class action attorneys are aware that the problem with Zicam intranasal cold remedies is nothing new. According to an investigative news report done by Denver's 7News in 2004, five years before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cautioned consumers that use of Zicam can result in the loss of sense of smell. In 2004, Matrixx Initiatives, the manufacturer of Zicam, admitted that they did not know if their nasal gel could cause loss of smell.

Continue reading "Zicam Class Action Suit Pending in California? Zicam Defects Surfaced Five Years Ago" »

A Riverside County tour bus accident on the 215 Freeway the afternoon of May 2, 2009 injured 25 people and at least eight suffered critical injuries, according to an article in The Desert Sun. The Inland Empire Stages Ltd. bus was returning to Colton from a San Diego area casino when it veered to the right crossing two lanes and crashed into a cinder-block wall. California Highway Patrol investigators are looking into what caused the 56-year-old bus driver to lose control of the 2003 MCI E-Series Renaissance Coach, which was northbound on the freeway with 27 passengers.

The eight victims who were critically injured were taken to area hospitals. There is no word on how these victims are doing. This Riverside County bus crash occurred three days after a similar bus accident in Soledad took the lives of four French tourists and bus driver, 69-year-old John Agnew of Corona. That investigation is still continuing.

Continue reading "Perris Tour Bus Accident Injures 25" »

A man has suffered critical injuries in a Newport Beach hit-and-run accident, The Orange County Register reports in this article. The man was attending to a disabled vehicle in the curb lane of westbound Hospital Road near Placentia Avenue on February 1, 2009 when he was struck by a white sport utility vehicle, possibly a Ford Explorer. The victim suffered serious injuries and was taken to a local hospital where he is listed in critical condition. If you have any information about this Orange County hit-and-run accident, please call the Newport Beach Police Department’s Traffic Division at 949-644-3717 or Detective Beverly at 949-644-3747.

My heart goes out to this victim who got struck down as he was attending to his disabled vehicle. It is appalling that the driver of this SUV did not have the human decency to stop at the scene of the accident and help the man he had hit. The injured victim and his family will be in my prayers and I hope and pray that he makes a quick and complete recovery.

There is no question that the hit-and-run driver in this case should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. There is no excuse for such negligence and callous disregard for a fellow human being. I would not be surprised if alcohol or drugs were involved in this accident. This individual must be found, brought to justice and held criminally as well as civilly responsible for what happened to this victim.

Continue reading "Newport Beach Hit-and-Run Accident Critically Injures Man" »

Toy manufacturer Mattel Inc. will pay $12 million to 39 states in order to settle an investigation over lead-tainted toys made in China and sold in the United States in 2007.
Mattel and its subsidiary Fisher Price recalled more than 21 million of these defective toys fearing that excessive lead in many of these toys can cause brain damage in young children. Many of these toys also contained tiny magnets that young children could swallow accidentally. Our source for this blog was this Associated Press news report.

Mattel, as part of this $12 million settlement, has agreed to lower the acceptable level of lead in toys to 90 parts per million down from 600 parts per million, which is the federal standard now.
When new regulations go into place next year, the federal standard will also fall to 90 parts per million. California was one of the states that took part in negotiations for Mattel’s 12 million settlement, but also reached a separate agreement under its Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act. Nine toy companies, including Mattel, will pay California $1.8 million in this separate settlement.

Continue reading "Lead Tainted Defective Toys Cost Mattel $12 Million" »