School Bus Recall Affects 53,528 Buses Nationwide
Thomas Built Buses announced in October that it is recalling 53,528 buses nationwide to fix a problem with seats that don’t meet federal regulations for leg protection if a crash occurs. Specifically, the seats may have been manufactured with styrene blocks that may not provide acceptable impact absorption in some areas around the steel seat frame of the back support. The recall was filed Oct. 4, 2019 with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Office of Defects Investigations. According to the recall notice, there have not been any reports of injuries related to the defective seats. Official notifications are scheduled to be sent out Dec. 2, 2019.
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Honda Recalls 1.1 Million Vehicles After Air Bag Injury
In another blow to airbag manufacturer Takata, Honda chose to recall 1.1 million Acura and Honda vehicles in the United States after a Takata air bag inflator injured a driver. The Takata airbags, that are already linked to the biggest automotive recall in U.S. history, can explode and shoot pieces of sharp metal at the driver and passengers when the air bag inflator is deployed during a crash. Ironically, the air bag inflators are meant to be a safety feature.
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Jimmy Dean Sausage Recalled after Pieces of Metal Found
CTI Foods LLC was forced to recall 29,028 pounds of Jimmy Dean frozen, ready-to-eat (RTE) pork and poultry sausage links products after five customers reported finding metal in their meals. Specifically, the contaminated meat is in the 23.4-oz. pouches of Jimmy Dean Heat ‘n Serve Original Sausage Links Made with Pork & Turkey. The product has a January 31 use-by date with case code A6382168 and establishment number EST. 19085. The meat was made on August 4 and sent to Tennessee.
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2018 Car and Booster Seat Recall Updates Released
On November 23, 2018, The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration updated information for multiple existing recalls of booster and child car seats, affecting thousands of products from different manufacturers.
If your child was injured because of a defective car or booster seat, contact a personal injury lawyer with experience in product liability claims in your area. He or she can discuss your legal rights and may be able to fight on your behalf for an appropriate settlement.
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Breaking News: Ford, Honda Add Over 1 Million Cars to Takata Airbag Product Recall
On Thursday, January 12, 2017 it was announced that Honda Motor Co. is issued a product recall for an additional 772,000 Honda and Acura vehicles in the U.S. for defective front passenger seat air bag inflators made by Japanese supplier Takata Corp. Ford is recalling more than 816,000 vehicles in North America in the product recall.
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What are the Three Types of Defective Product Liability Claims?
If you or a loved one was injured or suffered other damages because of a product; you may have been the victim of a defective product. Defective product liability attorneys help victims file claims to recoup damages for their personal injury.
Defective product liability claims typically fall into three categories:
(1) Defective manufacture / manufacturer error;
(2) Defective / dangerous design; or
(3) Failure to provide adequate warnings or instructions for the proper use of the product.
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Companies Rush to Buy Product Liability Insurance!
A business purchases product liability insurance to protect themselves from liability against the allegation of negligence in the manufacturing, packaging/labeling, warranty, distribution, or sale of its products. The 1987 Consumer Protection Act holds manufacturers, distributors, retailers and others liable for products that are not “fit for purpose” and personal injuries or illness to a third party that may result from their unfitness.
The year 2006 saw the peak in product liability lawsuits; accounting for 20 percent of all cases tried in federal court compared to about 12 percent the following year. Product litigation tends to go in trends with people jumping to sue on common issues such as asbestos in the workplace or prescription drug side effects. Some jurisdictions require that companies carry product liability insurance to protect consumers in the event of widespread consumer injury.
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Avoid a Deep Fried Turkey Accident this Thanksgiving!
If you haven’t had a chance to try deep fried turkey for Thanksgiving then you are missing out. The fact is that deep fried turkey has soared in popularity over the last decade and it has been the cause of many thanksgiving accidents. According to the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), about 4,300 house fires are started on Thanksgiving every year, accounting for 15 deaths and almost $27 million in property damage, many of them due to deep fried turkey accidents. Interestingly, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) says that most turkey frying accidents occur while the oil is being heated, before the turkey is even in the fryer.
Safety Tips for Deep Frying your Turkey
- Deep fry the turkey outside, a fair distance from the house and never under an enclosure.
- Make sure the turkey is completely thawed and dry when placing it in the fryer (oil and water don’t mix).
- Keep animals and kids away from the deep fryer for their own safety and so they don’t accidently knock it over.
- Do not drink or do drugs; you will need all your wits about you.
- Do not use too much oil as many accidents occur when excess oil spills over the pot.
- Oil should be no more than half an inch above the turkey.
- Turn off the fryer immediately if any smoke appears.
- Never leave a fryer unattended.
- Center the pot over the burner.
- Raise and lower the turkey slowly to reduce the chance of splatters and burns.
- Make sure your skin is completely covered when you deposit, check on or remove the turkey.
- Check on the oil temperature frequently.
- If a fire ignites, call 911 immediately. DO NOT attempt to extinguish the fire with water.
If you have been injured or suffered other damages because of a faulty deep fryer, you may have a legitimate defective product liability claim. If you are not sure whether you have a case, it would be helpful to be familiar with the basics of proving product liability.
The specifics in the law differ from state to state but in most places you need to prove all the following “elements” in order to win your case:
You were injured or suffered losses. For example, you were splashed with scalding oil and burnt badly while deep frying your thanksgiving turkey. You suffered a lot of pain, had to go to the emergency room for treatment and it cost time and money.
The product is defective. The simplest angle to prove is that there was something actually wrong with the deep fryer such as a manufacturing error that caused the oil to get too hot or leak. Although this could be a much harder point to make, you could also try to prove that the product was manufactured according to design but that the design itself is flawed and thereby caused your injury. You could also have a case if the product’s package lacked reasonable warnings about its potential dangers. This, however, could also prove to be difficult in the case of a deep fryer which is meant to get very hot.
The defect caused your injury. You will not win a case by showing that you were injured while using the product; you need to prove that the defective product caused your injury.
You were using the product as it was intended. You must have been using the deep fryer in a reasonable manner for cooking your turkey.
It is always tricky to prove a defective products claim and the law varies from state to state. It would be in your best interest to contact an experienced product liability lawyer if you get injured while deep frying your thanksgiving turkey. The experienced product liability attorneys at Tario & Associates, P.S. are here to help; call us today!
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Avoid a Shaving Accident When You Shave that Movember Mustache!
Growing a movember mustache is fun and for a great cause; raising money and awareness for men’s health issues is a noble goal. The only trouble is that when the month is over you’ll want to shave and you could get injured in the process.
If you have been injured or suffered other damages because of a faulty razor, you may have a legitimate defective product liability claim.
If you are not sure whether you have a case, it would be helpful to be familiar with the basics of proving product liability.
The specific details may be different from state to state but in most places you need to prove all the following “elements” in order to win your case:
You were injured or suffered losses. For example, you were cut deeply while shaving and had to go to the emergency room for stitches which was a painful injury and cost time and money.
The product is defective. The simplest angle to prove is that there was something actually wrong with the razor such as a manufacturing error that caused the blade to be misaligned or sharpened dangerously. Although this could be a much harder point to make, you could also try to prove that the product was manufactured according to design but that the design itself is flawed and thereby caused your injury. You could also have a case if the product’s package lacked reasonable warnings about its potential dangers. This, however, could also prove to be difficult in the case of a razor which is meant to cut.
The defect caused your injury. You will not win a case by showing that you were injured while using the product; you need to prove that the defective product caused your injury.
You were using the product as it was intended. You must have been using the razor in a reasonable manner for shaving your face and replacing the blades after they became dull.
Just for Fun: 30 Myths and Facts about Shaving Facial Hair!
1. Human hair grows 0.35 millimeters a day or one centimeter per month.
2. Almost 90% of adult men shave at least once per day.
3. Over the course of his life, a man will shave at least 20,000 times.
4. The average American male starts to shave between 14 and 16 years of age.
5. The average person has about 615 hairs per square centimeter.
6. Men’s facial hair grows at a rate of about half an inch per month although it varies from man to man and even on different areas of the face.
7. The average man’s face contains anywhere from 5,000 to 25,000 whiskers.
8. Most shaving accidents occur when people use dull and/or dirty razor blades and poorly prepare their skin and hair before shaving.
9. When saturated with water, hair strands are weakened by about half, which makes them much easier to shave.
10. The average man spends 60 hours shaving every year.
11. On average it takes a man between 100 and 600 strokes to shave his entire face.
12. The average man spends about five months of his life shaving.
13. The average man removes over 27 feet of hair in his lifetime through shaving.
14. Since body fluids are low in the morning, men should avoid shaving at this time of day.
15. Alexander the Great thought that beards could be grabbed in battle and enforced clean-shaven faces in his troops.
16. 75% of men shave their face every day.
17. 85% of men who shave, prefer to shave with wet skin and hair.
18. 1.3 billion men around the world choose a razor blade to shave.
19. Cave drawings from as early as 10,000 B.C. show men with clean-shaven faces and short beards.
20. Ancient Egyptian barbers kept their customers clean shaven with razors and pumice stones. A beard was considered an indication of personal neglect.
21. The straight cut-throat blade was invented in the Middle Ages.
22. The first safety razor was patented in 1901.
23. 84% of men shave at the sink and the other 15% shave in the shower.
24. Men between the ages of 18 and 24 shave an average of four times a week.
25. Men over the age of 35 shave an average of six times a week.
26. The first narrow-bladed folding straight razor was introduced in the year 1680.
27. About 30% of men who shave use an electric razor.
28. Archeologists believe that caveman used clams and shark teeth to shave 20,000 years ago!
29. Nearly 70% of American women prefer a clean-shaven man.
30. The Reason Fidel Castro originally grew his beard is because his supply of Gillette Blades was cut off.
It is always tricky to prove a defective products claim and the law varies from state to state. It would be in your best interest to contact an experienced product liability lawyer if you have been injured while shaving. The dedicated product liability attorneys at Tario & Associates, P.S. are here to help; call us today!
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