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.
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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.
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" »
An Ohio man has filed a federal product liability lawsuit against a West Virginia pharmaceutical company after he reportedly suffered severe side effects as a result of taking Digitek, a recently recalled pharmaceutical drug designed as a heart medicine manufactured by Actavis Totowa LLC. The medicine also known as Digoxin, is distributed by Mylan Pharmaceuticals, according to this news report. Earlier this year, Actavis Totowa LLC recalled all lots Digitek because the tablets contained twice the approved level of the active ingredient.
The lawsuit states that there have been at least 11 complaints relating to Digitek’s side effects, including illnesses and injuries, since 2006. Joe Supinski, who filed the lawsuit, said he started taking the drug for an irregular heart rhythm, but after taking the prescribed dosage, he reportedly experienced visual changes, blurred vision, loss of appetite, low blood pressure, breathing difficulties and other health problems.
Mr. Supinski was not alone in his suffering. Bobbie Dyal and Robert Dyal, an Alabama couple, are also filing a similar lawsuit against the drug manufacturer. According to this lawsuit, Bobbie Dyal suffered permanent heart damage because of digitalis toxicity, a lethal reaction to Digoxin overdose.
We have a number of clients who lost a family member to Digitek (Digoxin) overdose caused by the double dosage of the active ingredient by the manufacturer. We have been in contact with even more people who believe that they have suffered severe side effects from the drug and are considering filing lawsuits. We are in the process of gathering the medical evidence to substantiate their pharmaceutical litigation cases before filing our own lawsuits.
Continue reading "Digitek (Digoxin) Product Liability Lawsuits Filed Against Actavis Totowa" »
QVC is recalling about 28,000 defective SoleusAir space heaters that can overheat, posing a fire hazard to consumers. According to consumer watchdog Web site Consumeraffairs.com, no injuries have been reported as a result of the fire hazard, but the firm has received nine reports of flames inside or coming out of the heaters and 70 additional reports of smoking, overheating, sparking, melting and/or emitting burning odors.
Continue reading "QVC Recalls 28,000 Defective SoleusAir Space Heaters For Fire Hazards" »
In spite of decades of warnings from researchers and doctors that nail guns are dangerous and can cause major injuries or even death, the popularity of automatic nail guns surged during the building boom of the 2000s resulting in skyrocketing nail gun injuries, an in-depth investigation by the Sacramento Bee finds.
According to the report, California companies reported 1,890 nail gun injuries leading to missed work days between 2003 and 2006, according to Labor Department numbers. A national report apparently shows that the number of people affected by nail gun injuries is actually much higher – about 42,000 people a year, more than 100 a day are treated for these injuries in our emergency rooms. The cost is about $338 million a year in emergency medical care, rehabilitation and workers compensation, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Injury victims and their families are increasingly accusing manufacturers of sacrificing safety to boost the sale of these nail guns and nails, which are nothing but mini missiles, which cause injuries to not only the people who work with them, but also innocent bystanders. Consider this for a second – the most powerful nail guns available in the market can send 30 nails blasting out per minute and these things travel up to 490 feet per second.
If the U.S. Supreme Court decides to uphold two lower court rulings, it would provide immunity from product liability lawsuits to major corporations including cigarette and drug companies and auto manufacturers. According to this article, the cases in question particularly involve lawsuits over Philip Morris’ so-called “light” cigarettes and injuries caused by Wyeth’s Phenergan, a nausea medication which caused a Vermont woman’s arm to be amputated after she was injected with it.
What happens if the Supreme Court decides in favor of these giant corporations? Thousands of people suing over serious injuries and deaths caused by defective drugs, lead-tainted toys, deceptive advertising and defective auto products, will lose the right to have their cases heard in court.
We hope the U.S. Supreme Court will think long and hard about these cases and decide to rule in favor of the consumers. A decision for the corporations will seriously hurt consumers and their rights. If the high court rules in favor of the companies, they will get the immunity from litigation that they have long dreamed of. As long as they can pay their high-priced and high-powered lobbyists to convince governmental regulatory agencies to approve their products, they would be free of any liability to consumers. And that would hold true irrespective of what they knew or should have known about the faulty products or the harm done.
A man was dead in Norco after his trailer caught on fire sparked off by an electrical short from a remote-control car battery, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reported. Donald Lee Moss, 38, was asleep in his trailer when flames ripped through the RV he was staying in, the article stated.
Moss had reportedly gone to bed just before the fire broke out and was apparently planning to race his remote-control cars the next day. The battery for the cars was charging as he slept, the newspaper reported.
The fire was so intense and so powerful that that the heat caused the windows to burst out, the article said. Neighbors tried to help Moss, but they didn’t know if he was inside or had made it out. Finally, one neighbor smashed open a window using a hammer. Moss had suffered severe burns and died at the Corona Regional Medical Center shortly after he was taken there.
Continue reading "Man Dies In Trailer Fire Possibly Sparked By A Remote-Control Car Battery" »
While it’s not necessarily a quick fix, there may be a way parents can protect their children from unsafe toys containing lead-based paint this holiday season. According to National Public Radio, there are a few inexpensive testing kits out there that will allow parents to test toys for lead before putting them under the tree.
The test sets usually call for a Q-tip-type instrument (think CSI), to be dipped into a clear solution, which is then applied and rubbed onto the toy for approximately 30 seconds. Apparently, the more lead on the toy’s surface the faster the solution will react. According to Dave Lachance, developer of one of the lead test kits, Abotex Lead Inspector (which sells for $13), if the color changes to dark black it is indicative of high levels of lead. The solution can take up to 10 minutes plus to react to lower lead concentrations, Lachance said. Not surprisingly, the toy Lachance tested for his story came from China, from which many lead-based toys have been recalled this year.
Continue reading "Lead-Tainted Toys Take the Fun Out of Christmas Shopping for Anxious Parents" »
