Dangerous Products
Ford Motor Company Recalls Over 1 Million Lincoln and Ford Vehicles
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Ford Motor Company is recalling certain model and model year Fords and Lincolns due to a driver side air bag defect that could increase the risk of an auto accident. The recall has been ongoing since March 2011, but an expanded population recall campaign will begin in early May 2011.
Ford is recalling 1,325,000 potentially affected model year 2004-2006 F-150 Ford pick-up trucks and model year 2006 Lincoln Mark LT vehicles due to the possibility of a driver side air bag malfunction. Faulty wiring may create a short circuit which could turn on the airbag warning lamp, and/or can cause the air bag to deploy unpredictably. This poses a danger the owners of these cars in Oklahoma. Whether or not the car is in motion, if the driver’s seat is occupied at the time, the air bag could potentially cause injury to the face, neck, and/or spinal cord. If the car is in motion at the time of an inadvertent airbag deployment, it not only risks injury to the driver, but can also potentially cause an Oklahoma traffic accident.
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Testing & Lead Content Certification in Children’s Products Extended by CPSC until December 2011
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has extended its testing and certification of lead content in children’s products until December 31, 2011. The decision was voted in on January 31 and requires importers and manufacturers of children’s products outside of the United States to have the proper certificates stating that the lead content in their products meets U.S. limits. If a certificate is not obtained from a CPSC-approved third party laboratory, then a manufacturer’s children’s products may not be sold in the U.S.
There are already federal restrictions in place regarding the total lead content in children’s products, but despite the extension of testing and certification, any manufacturer, importer, or retailer of children’s products must still adhere to these regulations.
Single-Vehicle Car Crash Leaves Enid Man Dead
On January 29, an auto accident occurred when a 2007 Nissan pickup ran off the road on Oklahoma 58, according to EnidNews.com, and the 69-year-old driver was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. When the man tried to correct himself, he over-corrected, which caused his pickup truck to veer right and flipped over at least three times. Unfortunately, he was not wearing his seat belt, and the man was ejected from the vehicle, suffering fatal head and chest injuries. It is not known why the vehicle left the road.
While the article states that the cause of the Oklahoma car crash was likely because the driver was “possibly sleepy,” further investigation will determine whether or not that was the true cause. Investigators will want to examine the vehicle to see if one or more of the pickup truck’s components could have failed or if there was some sort of defect that may have contributed to the accident. If it is found that a defective part or mechanical failure contributed to the crash, the victim’s family may be able to file a product liability lawsuit.
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Family Dollar Recalls Children’s Toy Tanks Due to Fire Hazard
Family Dollar Stores, Inc., of North Carolina is recalling approximately 67,000 children’s remote control tanks because of a fire hazard, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The Authentic Heroes Target Practice Tank play set was sold nationwide at Family Dollar Stores between September 2010 and December 2010 for about $5 each.
There have been five reports of the toy’s controller overheating and melting, posing a fire hazard to children. So far, no injuries have been reported. However, parents should immediately take away the toy, remove the batteries and return the tank and controller to the Family Dollar to prevent a fire or injuries from occurring. Full refunds of the toy will be issued upon return.
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Family to Pursue Lawsuit against Manufacturer of Playground Equipment Following Death of 9-Year-Old
A fatal playground accident that took the life of a 9-year-old girl was ruled accidental after an autopsy was performed according to Fox 23 News. The incident occurred in August of 2010 in Wyandotte, but only recently were the results of the autopsy made available. The child sustained a fatal concussion after falling off of a playground device called the X-wave, which is similar to a teeter-totter and manufactured by Minnesota-based Xccent.
The girl’s family was informed of the results of the autopsy and the family’s attorney is pursuing a settlement with the manufacturer of the playground equipment. So far, no settlement has been reached; however, a lawsuit may be filed if the family and Xccent cannot come to an agreement.
Dangerous Toys: An Alarmingly Common Occurrence Part 2
Part one of this two part blog series discussed the increase in child injury in direct correlation to the increase of foreign-manufactured toys and the changes seen from previous generations to today’s toy manufacturing process. This second part discusses common defects in toys as well as other aspects of a toy that can harm a child, such as its composition.
The risks that a child faces when playing with a dangerous or defective toy may not always be seen, even by the most observant parent. The most common defects in children’s products today involve lead poisoning and other dangerous substances, as well as choking hazards, magnets and small parts that may become detached from the toy exposing sharp edges or pieces that could seriously injure or even kill a child. Other hazards include the risk of toys exploding and shooting acid into a child’s eyes.
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Dangerous Toys: An Alarmingly Common Occurrence Part 1
Over the past few decades, mass production of children’s toys has become increasingly popular. Toy manufacturers have seen their profit margins increase with the ability to produce more toys in a shorter amount of time. However, with more toys being produced at a faster rate than ever before, the chances of defective or dangerous toys sold to consumers and the risk of child injury and death also increases dramatically.
Previous generations saw the manufacturing of not only toys but cars as well as other products here in the United States. However, today many products are imported to the U.S. from other countries and according to the recent article Playing with Safety: Dangerous Toys and the Role of America’s Civil Justice System, the number of child injuries and deaths directly corresponds with the rising number of imported toys. Nearly 30,000,000 toys are imported from foreign countries every year, which accounts for 95 percent of all toys that are sold in the U.S.
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Over a Quarter of a Million Eggs Recalled in 8 States, Oklahoma Included
Cal-Maine Foods has voluntarily recalled about 288,000 eggs which may have been contaminated with salmonella, according to The Los Angeles Times. The company issued the recall after a routine sample tested positive for the bacteria. At the time the article was written, no cases of salmonella infection linked to the recalled eggs had been reported. Citations were issued by the FDA.
When a person contracts the bacteria salmonella enteritidis, they may experience symptoms similar to the flu, such as nausea, fever, vomiting, headaches and chills. In more severe cases or in those with weakened immune systems, gastroenteritis or typhoid fever may develop, which can be fatal.
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Evenflo Voluntarily Recalls Nearly 14,000 Booster Seats in the U.S.
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.
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DePuy Announces ASR Hip Implant Recall
After receiving complaints about the product, orthopedic manufacturer DePuy has issued a recall of its ASR hip implants. This hip system has a shockingly high rate of failure, and many of the victims of these failures have had to undergo a second, painful surgery to remove and replace the defective hip.
Due to a fairly high percentage (12-13%) of five year revision or secondary hip surgeries DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc. reported based on this year’s data from the National Joint Registry (NJR) of England and Wales, the manufacturer announced this week it is voluntarily pulling the ASR™ XL Acetabular System and DePuy ASR™ Hip Resurfacing System from the marketplace. DePuy has notified the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other regulatory agencies globally of the voluntary recall.
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