A Northridge family is warning others about a bug repellent contained in wristbands that children can wear to keep insects away.
According to a KCAL news report, the family says their daughter suffered a severe skin reaction from wearing the wristband.
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The measurement of whole blood metal ion levels in patients who have undergone total hip replacement with metal-on-metal implants is often useful for identifying patients whose new hips are functioning poorly and may be likely to fail.
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The Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a recall of 19,000 Arctic Cat snowmobiles due to a crash hazard. About 7,100 of the models in question were recalled in December of 2011 due to a headlamp fuse failure.
Arctic Cat, Inc., a company out of Thief River Falls, Minnesota, is cooperating with the recall after four reports of incidents stemming from a loosened tie-rod attachment. This issue can cause loss of steering control, leading to a crash.
So far, no injuries have been reported as a result of the failure, even in models in which users have experienced separation of the tie rod attachment. However, both Arctic Cat and the CPSC warn that the problem could have potentially dangerous results for users and those with these models are asked to cease use immediately and contact a local dealer for inspection and repair.
Consumer Reports has put the “Do not Buy – Safety Risk” stamp on two stroller models – iCandy Cherry and the Mutsy Evo — because these pose a potential strangulation hazard to young children. According to Consumer reports, both these stroller models have a removable grab bar that attaches above the child’s legs. When a child is placed with the grab bar in its normal use position, the opening between the bar and the seat may be large enough to allow the child’s torso, but not the child’s head to pass through. As a result, the child’s head could get caught on the bar causing the child to potentially asphyxiate.
Consumer Reports states that this hazard, also known as “submarining” exists only when a child is not buckled up into the stroller. Between 1995 and 2008, at least 10 children were reported dead as a result of submarining in strollers. It is not clear if any of these fatalities involved the two stroller models in question. Consumer Reports suggests that anyone who owns these strollers remove the grab bars. The stroller is safe to use if the child is always harnessed. These stroller models have not yet been recalled and are still sold in the United States.
The U.S. Public Interest Research Group last week released its 27th annual Trouble in Toyland report, noting that there are still many toxic and dangerous toys on store shelves. Risks posed by these toys, according to a CNN news report, include choking, strangulation, lead poisoning and lacerations. The toy industry has, of course, flippantly referred to the group’s report as “needlessly frightening.” But hard numbers tell a different story. Over the years, the organization’s findings have led to more than 150 product defect recalls and other regulatory actions.
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Federal government officials and the New York Attorney General’s office are investigating claims that the drink 5-Hour Energy led to 13 deaths and 33 hospitalizations over the last four years. According to an ABC news report, the popular energy shot, which comes in two-ounce packages and packs a powerful caffeine punch, is being linked to serious side effects and death. Researchers are particularly looking into the effects of using multiple cans of the drink at once. Each can is said to have the caffeine content of two cups of coffee.
This is the second time in one month that the Food and Drug Administration has singled out energy drinks. In October, Monster Energy was linked to five deaths. The manufacturers point out that these are just claims and allegations and that there are no proven links. Company officials maintain that their products are harmless and that there is no evidence to show that the drinks directly caused the deaths.
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The past few years have been overrun with products liability cases, but few are getting the type of exposure that they deserve; manufacturers of defective medical products are flying under the radar, at least to those who have not been affected by their dangerous goods. In the last year California product liability attorneys have had their phones ringing off the hook with victims who claim to have suffered dearly due to the defective Bard Avaulta vaginal mesh, and the flood of claims does not seem to be dwindling, but actually growing.
Most recently, a woman in Texas filed a lawsuit against a vaginal mesh product’s manufacturer claiming that it contributed to her injuries and complications following pelvic organ prolapsed (POP). The Bard Avaulta mesh was designed to help those who suffer from P.O.P., but it is becoming evident that the risks associated with the device far outweigh the benefits.
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An arbitrator has ruled that a former Toyota Motor Corp. attorney can use internal company documents to support his claim that the Japanese auto maker deliberately hid evidence in their auto products liability lawsuits. According to a news report in the Los Angeles Times, the former attorney, Dimitrios Biller, alleges that Toyota officials hired him to plan and carry out discovery fraud on behalf of the company.
Internal Documents to Tell the Story
The arbitrator’s ruling clears the way for internal memos, e-mails, test reports and other documents to be used as evidence in this case. It is no doubt a major legal setback for Toyota and a victory of plaintiffs attorneys in numerous pending auto products liability cases against the auto maker – most of them related to faulty gas pedals and defective floor mats that resulted in unintended acceleration. Now these auto product liability lawyers can subpoena the documents as evidence to help bolster their cases.
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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.
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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.
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California Injury Blog