Fresno Personal Injury Lawyer - Defective Products

Defective Products Tested for Lead by County

David Rowell — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 16:09:15 GMT

Most consumers are aware of the tidal wave of toys and other defective products containing excessive levels of lead that have been offered to American consumers lately. As noted in a recent report

Recently recalled toys from China include 675,000 Mattel Barbie accessories, 49,000 Disney Deluxe Winnie-the-Pooh play sets and about a million Fisher-Price character toys such as Elmo and Dora the Explorer, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Consumers, especially parents, are rightly concerned and, at least in Tulare County, public health officials are doing something to help. Tulare County officials were at various clinics in Visalia on Wednesday, testing toys and other products for lead. Citing concerns over the accuracy of the test kits, Fresno County officials declined to participate. Concerned parents should contact the Consumer Products Safety Commission for more information.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Defective and Dangerous Products.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Rowell

Hannah Montana Boots Recalled for "Trip and Fall" Risk

David Rowell — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 07:19:58 GMT

Payless ShoeSource, Inc. has announced the recall of about 90,000 girls' boots, made in China, because of a risk of injury due to "slip and fall" accidents. The jeweled, "Hannah Montana" engraved boots have guitar-shapped zipper pulls, which can get caught on each other as the child walks, causing the child to trip. Payless has received reports of five instances of children tripping due to this issue, although no serious injuries have been reported. The boots were sold from August through September 2007 at Payless ShoeSource stores nationwide, and at Payless.com. Consumers are advised to contact Payless or the Consumer Products Safety Commission for more information, and to return the boots to Payless for a refund or exchange.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Defective and Dangerous Products.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Rowell

Injured Students Sue Isuzu Over Defective Design

David Rowell — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 07:07:30 GMT

Tyhler Carron and Nikko Landeros are students at Berthoud High School. The two boys, both 18, were on their school's wrestling team. On January 15 thery were on their way home in Carron's Isuzu Trooper, Carron was driving, when their vehicle got a flat tire. Carron pulled over to change the flat, and he and Landeros got out. They went to the back of the car and opened the rear doors to get the jack and other tools. That's when Michelle Berra, a classmate, drove into the back of Carron's car, pinning Carron and Landeros between the two vehicles.

Carron and Landeros both lost their legs in the crash.

They've filed a lawsuit against Isuzu, claiming that Carron's 1999 Trooper was a "defective product," that it was "unreasonably dangerous," and that the defect was the cause of the accident. More simply, Carron and Landeros claim that the Trooper was designed so that, when the rear doors were open, other drivers could not see its rear lights and reflectors. This is why, they claim, Berra didn't see them and why they lost their legs.

The lawsuit does not state the amount of damages they are asking Isuzu to pay.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Defective and Dangerous Products.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Rowell

More Tainted Beef Recalled

David Rowell — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 13:00:36 GMT

About ten days ago consumers saw Topps Meat Company of New Jersey recall almost 22 million poinds of frozen ground beef patties, the second-larges ground beef recall in U.S. history, followed by Topps closure late last week. That recall was followed by a small recall by Impero Food & Meats, Inc., of Baltimore, Maryland. What was troubling about the Impero meat recall was that the same organism involved in the Topps recall, E. coli O157:H7, was involved. Yesterday, the USDA announced still another ground beef recall, this by Cargill Meat Solutions Corporation, involving about 845,000 pounds of frozen ground beef patties because they, too, may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7,

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Defective and Dangerous Products.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Rowell

Huge Recall by CPSC for Lead Danger

David Rowell — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 07:01:56 GMT

The Consumer Products Safety Commission on Thursday may have hit a new high-water mark for defective and dangerous product recalls based on violation of the lead standard. On October 4 alone, the CPSC announced: the recall of about 150,000 bookmarks and journals that contain lead; the recall of almost 200,000 toy key chains containing high levels of lead; the recall of about 15,000 toy decorating sets that contain excessive levels of lead; the recall of almost 65,000 children's toy tumblers that contain high levels of lead; the recall of almost 80,000 toy flashlights that contain excessive levels of lead; the recall of about 35,000 "Baby Einstein" Color Blocks that contain excessive levels of lead; and the recall of about 10,000 wooden toys that contain excessive levels of lead.

According to the EPA,

Lead is a highly toxic metal that was used for many years in products found in and around our homes. Lead may cause a range of health effects from behavioral problems and learning disabilities to seizures and death.

Lead is especially dangerous to children, for several reasons: babies and young children naturally put objects, and their hands, in their mouths, absorbing any lead that is on them; children's growing bodies absorb more lead than adult's; children's brains and nervous systems are more sensitive to the damaging effects of lead.

Children who ingest lead can be treated but, if not treated in time, they can suffer from damage to their brains and nervous systems, behavioual and learning disabilities, slowed growth, hearing problems and other diseases and death. In a tragic case in 2006, the CPSC recalled about 300,000 children's bracelets containing lead that were implicated in the death of a Minnesota child. About 500,000 of the bracelets had been given away by Reebok as a "Gift with Purchase" of certain Reebok girl's shoes. In that case, the bracelet was tested following the child's death and found to be "99.1% lead."

Toys, like those recalled on October 4, are a major source of lead danger to children, but not the only source. The U.S. Centers for Desease Control say that "Lead-based pain remains the most common source of lead exposure for children aged under six years." Even so, the CDC recognizes that lead exposure of children often results from "items containing lead that had been brought into the home" . . . including "candy . . . and metallic toys and trinkets," and that these exposures "can result in life-threatening" lead-levels in children.

The on-going risk to our children from lead-based paint in our homes, and lead in toys, remains. The EPA has enacted regulations to address the danger from lead-based paint in homes, and the CPSC is acting, together with the Chinese government, to reduce the risk of lead from toys and other products imported from China.

We have to hope that those efforts are working, and will continue to work although, ater reviewing the many recalls on October 4, its not clear that the effort to improve manugacturing standards is having an effect. In the meantime, parents can review information from the EPA about the dangers of lead to children here and on protecting their children from the dangers of lead here, and can contact the National Lead Information Center here or at 800-424-5323

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Defective an Dangerous Products.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Rowell

Topps Meat Closes After E. coli Contamination

David Rowell — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 07:00:19 GMT

Last week, almost 22 million pounds of tainted ground beef, produced by Topps Meat Company of Elizabeth, New Jersey, was recalled by the USDA, the second-largest beef recall in U.S. history. On Friday, the CDC announced that an E. coli outbreak in 8 states, Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Maine, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania, was linked to Topps Brand Ground Beef.

The recalled beef constitued "an entire year of Topps' production." Topps, which began producing ground beef before World War II, could not withstand this crisis. Late Friday Topps announced that it was going out of business effective today, because of losses caused by the recall.

Although no deaths have been reported, the tainted meat has sickened at least 32 people in eights states, according to the CDC. Topps already faces at least two lawsuits over the tainted ground beef, including claims by a New York girl and a Florida girl who became ill after eating the product.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Defective an Dangerous Products.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Rowell

Children's Toys With Lead Paint Recalled

David Rowell — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 07:00:59 GMT

The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the voluntary recall of about 350,000 children's gardening tools and chairs due to a violation of the lead paint standard. The defective products, made in Taiwan, are imported and sold nationwide by Taget, of Minneapolis, Minnesota. According to CSPC's press release, the surface paint on the toys contains excessive levels of lead, which poses serious health risks to children. Consumers can contact the CSPC, or Target at (800) 440-0680, for further information. Consumers should immediately take the toys away from children and return them to the nearest Target store for a full refund.

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Defective and Dangerous Products.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Rowell

USDA Expands Ground Beef Recall for E. Coli

David Rowell — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 13:00:13 GMT

The USDA recently announced an expanded recall of certain ground beef products due to possible contamination with E. coli bacteria. The recall concerns 21.7 million pounds of frozen ground beef produced by Topps Meat Company of Elizabeth, New Jersey.

This is an expansion of a recall originally announced on September 25, 2007. The USDA issued the expanded recall because the New York Health Department identified an additional case of contamination. At this time, 25 cases of illness are under investigation.

The frozen ground beef was distributed to food service establishments in the New York area, and to retail establishments nationwide, where it is sold under various names including "Kohler Foods Hamburger," "Sam's Choice Backyard Gourmet Beef" and others.

Under the laws of most states, the contaminated beef would be considered a dangerous or defective product, and consumers who ingest the contaminated beef and become ill would have a claim for damages for personal injury.

Consumers with questions about the recall are advised to contact Topps at 888-734-0451, or the USDA at 888-674-6854. Consumers can also contact the USDA's virtual representative "Ask Karen" at AskKaren.gov. The USDA also maintains a website at www.fsis.usda.gov where additional information can be obtailned.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Defective and Dangerous Products.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Rowell

Fresno Man Killed in Collapse of Trailer

David Rowell — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 07:00:07 GMT

Chris Beintker, 52, of Fresno, was killed Monday night when a trailer at his east-Fresno home collapsed as he was working underneath it. According to news reports, Fresno County Sheriff's Office responded to the scene, where Beintker was found pinned underneath the trailer. It is not clear whether the trailer, a jack or some other defective product collapsed, killing Beintker.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Defective and Dangerous Products.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Rowell

CPSC Recalls Millions of Toys for Lead Paint Violation

David Rowell — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 13:00:00 GMT

In June, the Consumer Products Safety Commission announced the recall of about 1.5 million defective products, toys, for violation of the lead paint standard, which poses very serious health risks to children. The recall concerned "Thomas & Friends" wooden railway toys manufactured in China and imported by RC2 Corporation of Oak Brook, Illinois. Last week the CPSC announced the recall of an additional 200,000 of these defective products, again because of a lead paint hazard.

The CPSC reccomends that parents immediately take the recalled toys away from young children, and contact the CPSC, or RC2 at (866) 725-4407, for more information.

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Defective and Dangerous Products.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Rowell