By Maples Law Firm on October 29, 2010 -
Earlier this month, Toyota announced a new recall of over 1.5 million vehicles for brake problems, according to CNN.com.
Toyota is recalling 740,000 Lexuses, Avalons, and Highlanders in the United States, and over 1.5 million internationally. Honda also announced the recall of an undisclosed number of Acura RL and Honda Odyssey vehicles for brake problems.
According to Toyota, the recall occurred because it is possible for a small amount of brake fluid to leak from the brake master cylinder. This leak could cause the brake light to come on. If the problem is not repaired, the driver will notice the brakes are “soft” and eventually the brakes will be unable to stop the vehicle. Toyota claims the problems originate from using non-Toyota brake fluid.
Since the second half of 2009, Toyota has recalled more than eight million motor vehicles. Most were from unintended acceleration issues. The acceleration problems have been linked to an unknown number of deaths, which may be as high as 100. Toyota paid a $16.4 million fine earlier this year for delaying a recall of its vehicles with the acceleration problems.
Car manufacturers have a duty to manufacture safe cars, as well as to recall cars if they are discovered to have safety problems. If you or a loved one has been injured due to a safety defect in an automobile, contact the Oklahoma Toyota recall injury attorneys at the Maples Law Firm. Our attorneys are experienced in helping accident victims get the compensation to which they are entitled. Call us today at 888-429-0609.
By Maples Law Firm on October 25, 2010 -
Two Oklahoma high school students were killed in a fatal car crash on Sunday, October 24 according to The Sand Springs Leader. The 16-year-old driver of a 2001 Mercury Cougar was heading east on 61st Street South when, for an unknown reason, the vehicle didn’t stop at a stop sign. Also in the Cougar were two 15-year-old passengers and one 14-year-old passenger. Heading north on 161st West Ave. was the 20-year-old driver of a 1998 Dodge Dakota. Upon entering the intersection, the pickup truck struck the second vehicle on its right passenger door. The two 15-year-old female passengers were killed.
Depending on what the investigation concludes, the parents of the deceased high school students may be able to hold the auto maker, the brake manufacturer or a third party liable for wrongful death in Oklahoma if it is found that the brakes were defective in some way. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2009, there were 30,797 fatal crashes resulting in 33,808 deaths. Of those fatalities, 738 occurred in Oklahoma.
If you have lost a loved one due in an Oklahoma auto accident and you think a defective auto part may have contributed to the crash, you could be entitled to compensation for your losses. Manufacturers of vehicles and vehicle components have a responsibility to all motorists to provide safe, durable vehicles which are free of any defects that could cause harm. When auto makers place profit ahead of safety, serious injury and wrongful death can occur. The dedicated Oklahoma City personal injury attorneys at The Maples Law Firm have years of experience handling a wide variety of personal injury cases, including auto product liability, wrongful death, auto accidents and more. You deserve to know your rights and our lawyers can ensure that those rights are not violated in a court of law. To find out more about The Maples Law Firm, call us today at 1-888-429-0609.
By Maples Law Firm on October 22, 2010 -
Two women who were attempting to cross a highway in Oklahoma City three hours apart were both struck by vehicles, according to NewsOK.com.
Around 7 a.m. on October 8, a woman in a wheelchair was crossing Martin Luther King Avenue south of NE 23 in Oklahoma City when she was hit by an SUV, who stopped at the scene. The woman died at the hospital from injuries sustained in the fatal Oklahoma pedestrian accident.
A few hours later, around 10 a.m. another woman was struck by a vehicle as she attempted to cross NE 23 just east of the road’s intersection with Martin Luther King Avenue. According to witnesses, the victim went over the hood and the top of the car. The driver continued driving and witnesses called 911. The victim was transported in an ambulance to the hospital. One of the witnesses followed the car and talked to the police on her cell phone until the police were able to stop the perpetrator and arrest him. His windshield was broken but he was uninjured.
Unfortunately, hit-and-run accidents involving pedestrians are not uncommon. Drivers who hit pedestrians and leave the scene of the accident can be subject to not only criminal charges, but a civil case for damages as well. If you are a pedestrian who has been injured in an Oklahoma traffic accident, contact the Oklahoma City pedestrian accident attorneys at the Maples Law Firm at 888-429-0609. You may be entitled to compensation for your medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering and more. Our attorneys have extensive experience in Oklahoma pedestrian accident cases.
By Maples Law Firm on October 21, 2010 -
Earlier this month, Toyota announced that it has already completed 65 percent of the repairs required under its recall for sudden acceleration problems, according to The New York Times.
The Toyota recall of six million vehicles began in November and January. Dealers have repaired 3.7 million of those vehicles. Toyota is still receiving about 150 complaints of sudden vehicle acceleration each week, but that number is drastically down from 800 per week only six months ago.
According to reports, 93 deaths have been attributed to sudden acceleration by a Toyota vehicle. Toyota has been fined $16.4 million for waiting too long after learning of the acceleration problems to recall its vehicles. In addition, Toyota has been sued by Allstate, who argued it should not be required to pay $3 million in insurance claims for crashes caused by Toyota’s sudden acceleration problems.
In addition to repairing the sudden acceleration problem, Toyota is installing a brake-override system which will enable drivers to override stuck gas pedals by using the brakes. All of the 2011 Toyotas will come equipped with the updated system. In addition, every 2011 Toyota will have data recorders that can help crash investigators determine what happened before and after the crash.
Toyota’s sudden acceleration problems have caused countless accidents and cost almost 100 lives. If you have been involved in an accident caused by a defective Toyota vehicle, you may be able to recover damages from the car manufacturer. Contact the Oklahoma City Toyota recall attorneys at the Maples Law Firm today at 888-429-0609.
By Maples Law Firm on October 19, 2010 -
A new study was recently published in the Archives of Surgery that attempted to determine how often certain types of surgical errors occur, according to Time.com.
The study looked specifically at wrong-site, wrong patient or wrong-procedure errors, such as a surgeon amputating the wrong limb, operating on the wrong patient or mistakenly removing a gallbladder instead of an appendix. The authors of the study looked at data from a liability insurance database with claims from January 2002 to June 2008.
Of the 27,370 problems listed in the database, 25 involved wrong-patient mistakes and 107 involved wrong-site mistakes. Of those 132 errors, 43 of them caused the patients serious harm and one led to death. In 85% of the cases, poor medical judgment was involved, and all of the cases involved poor communication. In a little over half of the cases, misdiagnosis of the medical condition also played a role in the mistake.
In about 72 percent of cases, the Universal Protocol was not followed. The Universal Protocol helps to prevent error during surgery, and requires surgeons to go through three steps before incision: verifying the procedure, marking the body, and taking time to check the patient’s identity and the surgery to be performed.
If you have been the victim of a major surgical error, contact the Oklahoma surgical malpractice attorneys at the Maples Law Firm. Our attorneys offer free consultations to medical malpractice victims in order to help them determine whether they have a viable case and how to proceed. Call us today at 888-429-0609.
By Maples Law Firm on October 15, 2010 -
Evenflo Company, Inc. is voluntarily recalling an estimated 14,000 child booster seats because of a crack that occurred in laboratory tests that were done in late September, according to the Office of Defects Investigation in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The company has not received reports of the crack or injuries occurring to consumers.
The recall affects Maestro Combination Booster Seats with model numbers starting with 310. The defective child restraint systems were among those built from November 2009 to April 2010. Another 4,479 seats made during roughly the same time frame are being recalled in Canada. Evenflo has assured consumers the defective child product will immediately be removed from store shelves.
To remedy the problem, Evenflo will be distributing a free bracket to reinforce the booster seat. To request the free reinforcement kit, visit the company’s website or call them toll-free at 800-233-5921.
If your child has been injured by a recalled product, you should consider retaining the services of a skilled Oklahoma dangerous products attorney. The lawyers at the Maples Law Firm have the necessary skills and resources to hold negligent child product companies liable for your child’s injuries. Call the Maples Law Firm for a free consultation today at 888-429-0609.
By Maples Law Firm on October 12, 2010 -
An unfortunate accident claimed the life of an Oklahoma farmer, according to KOCO.com.
The farmer, who was working in Jackson County, was operating a machine that compresses large amounts of cotton into bales at the time of his death. The specific details of the accident are unknown. The farmer was flown to an Oklahoma City hospital and pronounced dead on arrival.
Farming is a dangerous profession. Agriculture’s death rate is first among all occupations in the United States. Mining is second and construction is third. In 2007, the last year for which statistics were readily available, 715 deaths were attributed to agriculture and 80,000 disabling injuries occurred in the agriculture profession.
Up to 60 percent of farm injuries involve livestock. Most other injuries involve machinery, such as the tragic farm accident in Oklahoma, and these accidents usually happen during crop production. Many farmer deaths involve tractors.
Usually, when someone is hurt or killed on the job, such as this farmer, either the employee or their family is entitled to Oklahoma workers’ compensation. Workers’ compensation is a form of insurance protection under which employees give up their right to sue their employers for their injuries in exchange for workers’ compensation benefits.
This tragic Oklahoma farming accident illustrates the dangerousness inherent in certain professions, such as farming. If you have been injured in an Oklahoma farming accident or another Oklahoma on the job accident, contact the experienced Oklahoma City personal injury attorneys at the Maples Law Firm at 888-429-0609. We can help you get the compensation you are owed.
By Maples Law Firm on October 9, 2010 -
On October 8, a federal jury ordered Transocean to pay over $4 million in damages related to injuries occurring in an offshore oil rig accident in 2007, according to BusinessWeek.com.
The jury ruled in favor of a 32-year-old oil field worker who was injured when an offshore oil rig’s hydraulic basket malfunctioned while he was working on it. He was working aboard the Amirante, which was owned by Transocean.
The employee now has permanent brain damage, among several other injuries. He cannot return to work or be left alone. He will need constant care for the remainder of his life. The jury unanimously found Transocean liable and awarded the injured worker $4,091,867.
As this very tragic story illustrates, working on an oil rig or in an oil field can be a very dangerous and strenuous job. Workers often work long hours in harsh conditions. There are dangers from not only human error from other workers, but also dangers from equipment failure or malfunction and exposure to dangerous chemicals. Some companies choose to save money by skimping on safety equipment or safety training or procedures.
If you or someone you care about has been injured due to an Oklahoma oil industry accident, contact the dedicated Oklahoma oil field injury attorneys at the Maples Law Firm today for a free consultation. Our attorneys are very knowledgeable about the oil industry and will work hard to get fair compensation for your injuries. Call us today at 888-429-0609.
By Maples Law Firm on October 6, 2010 -
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recently ruled that driver fatigue was to blame in a 2009 Oklahoma crash that killed 10 people, according to the Associated Press.
In 2009, a tractor-trailer driver crashed into a line of cars that were stopped on an Oklahoma highway, causing 10 deaths. The truck driver, who was 76-years-old, had only five hours of sleep before beginning work at 3 a.m. By the time of the accident, he had been on the road for over 10 hours. In addition, the driver suffered from sleep apnea.
A minor collision stopped traffic on Interstate 44 near Miami, Oklahoma. The truck, which weighed 40,000 pounds, sped into the line of cars at almost 70 miles per hour. It smashed into one car, knocked it into another car, and both cars left the highway. Then, the truck rode over two cars and came to a stop on top of a minivan. No evidence was shown that the truck driver tried to stop or swerve. The driver was not speeding or using drugs or alcohol at the time of the fatal Oklahoma truck crash.
In 2000, the NTSB recommended that trucking companies be required to use fatigue risk management programs. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is working on a program they plan to implement around 2012. However, it will not be mandatory for trucking companies. About 31% of all large commercial truck accidents are caused by driver fatigue.
NTSB chairman Deborah Hersman was critical of the trucking industry for failing to follow safety recommendations. She pointed out that the NTSB recommended in 2001 that tractor trailers have warning systems, alerting drivers when the truck is close to a collision. The systems could save almost 100 lives each year, but most trucks don’t have them.
If you have been injured in an Oklahoma tractor-trailer accident, contact the dedicated Oklahoma truck accident attorneys at the Maples Law Firm at 888-429-0609 for a free consultation. Our attorneys will work hard to protect your legal rights.
