Personal Injury Law

Toyota Forced To Halt Sales... Again

Posted on May 25, 2010
The Los Angeles Times and The Wall Street Journal have reported that Toyota has been forced to stop selling its 2009-10 LS 460 and LS 600h model vehicles due to a recall for an electronics problem that can cause steering wheels to fall out of alignment...

Ahoy! This Week Is National Boat Safety Week

Posted on May 25, 2010
Memorial Day is just around the corner and many of you will be enjoying the holiday weekend on the water. Safety experts and the National Safe Boating Council remind us all to be safe on the water. According to the Miami Herald, the focus of this year's National Boat Safety Week is the use of life preservers...

US To Ban Drop Side Cribs

Posted on May 24, 2010
The Washington Post reported this weekend that the US will ban drop side cribs amid ongoing safety concerns. The drop side crib has been on the US market since the 1950, although it is unknown how many are still in use. Because many cribs cost $1,000 or more, many are used repeatedly and handed down to family members, making it difficult to estimate their numbers...

Is Toyota More Concerned About Protecting Itself Than It Is About Protecting Drivers?

Posted on May 22, 2010
More news about Toyota's recall for sudden acceleration. Remember when you saw this story here nearly two and a half month ago? That's when I showed you how Toyota's class action litigation lawyers gave an unlimited budget to hired gun, Exponent, to defend Toyota against class action and product defect claims under the guise of a safety investigation...

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"Size of Package" Joke After Full Body Scan Leads To Arrest

Posted on May 21, 2010
It turns out size does matter. NBC Miami reported that a TSA worker was arrested for aggravated battery after attacking a colleague who made fun of his "small package" after using one the new high-tech security scanners during a recent training session (mugshot included in the original story)...

Does Your Pilot Have The Right Stuff?

Posted on May 20, 2010
Future airline pilots will be less experienced, less ethical and in short supply, said a panel of experts at an aviation safety forum as reported by the Associated Press. Following the tragedy of 9/11 and subsequent economic struggles of the airline industry, there have been far more pilots than jobs...

Alert Bus Driver Narrowly Missed Hitting Baby In City Street

Posted on May 19, 2010
An alert Texas bus driver narrowly missed hitting a baby sitting in the middle of a city street. Now the child's parents are fighting to maintain custody after an investigation by the Texas Child Welfare Agency. Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy An incident like this is every parent's nightmare...

Mechanical Defect Found In Runaway Toyota

Posted on May 19, 2010
After being imprisoned for manslaughter, a Minnesota man is asking for a new trial after an expert found a mechanical problem that caused the throttle cable to become stuck and evidence that the driver was applying the brakes at the time of the crash...

Could Eating Your (Canned) Vegetables Be Bad For You?

Posted on May 19, 2010
According to popular site, WebMD, a new study shows that eating canned vegetables could expose you to chemical compound, bisphenol A, more commonly known as BPA. According to bisphenol-a.org, BPA is a chemical building block that is used to make polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins...

Would You Pay A $16.4 Million Fine If You Did Nothing Wrong?

Posted on May 19, 2010
Sources, including USA Today have reported that Toyota cut the US government a check for $16.4 million to pay off its fine for dragging its feet in recalling millions of vehicles because of a "sticky" gas pedal problem. Toyota had said it would pay the penalty, but it's timing couldn't be finer...

Reclined Seat Caused Colorado Teen's Death

Posted on May 06, 2010
Television station Fox 21 in Colorado has reported that a jury determined that a reclined seat caused the death of a 16-year-old Monument, Colorado girl in 2007. Even though most auto passengers do not understand the serious risks from reclining your seat while the vehicle is moving, auto makers (like Ford, GM, Chrysler, Toyota and Hyundai) have known about this danger for more than 40 years! From the Fox 21 report: It was a long, ill-fated drive as her parents painfully recall...

Toyota Sudden Acceleration Recall Spurs Tougher Auto Safety Bill

Posted on May 05, 2010
Toyota's deadly sudden acceleration problem -- full coverage here -- that caused Toyota to shut down production and recall more than 10 million vehicles worldwide has spurred Congress to propose tougher oversight of auto companies. Key provisions of the proposal include: Require automobile to stop within a certain distance when the vehicle's engine is operating with an open throttle...

Government Never Conducted Safety Checks On Hazardous Materials Shipments

Posted on May 04, 2010
USA Today reported that the US Department of Transportation never conducted required safety inspections on 20,000 - 30,000 companies that received special permits to transport risky shipments of hazardous materials by road, rail, water and air. According to the report, some companies that received permits have had serious hazardous materials accidents or safety violations...

Should There Be A National Standard For Teen Drivers?

Posted on May 04, 2010
USA Today featured a story today about national standards for teen drivers. Currently, each states sets its own requirement for driver's education and age limit to obtain a learner's permit. Some states grant driving privileges to those as young as 14, while other states require teens to wait until they are 16 years old...

BP Gulf Oil Spill Liability Capped At Only $75 Million?

Posted on May 03, 2010
Following the explosion and continuing oil leak at the British Petroleum (BP) deep water oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico, reports have surfaced that, under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, BP's liability to fishermen, property owners and other individuals and businesses will be capped at only $75 million for all claims...

AstraZeneca Fined $520 Million For Seroquel Kick Back / Marketing Scheme

Posted on April 28, 2010
I reported last year about AstraZeneca's ongoing problems with its antipsychotic drug, Seroquel. The pharmaceutical giant denied Seroquel's link to diabetes in the US years after acknowledging the danger in Japan. There were also verified reports that the drug maker paid doctors to promote Seroquel to patients despite the doctors' concerns about Seroquel's dangerous side effects...

Man Killed In Atlanta RV Fire

Posted on April 28, 2010
News outlets in Atlanta have reported that a man was killed in North Fulton County in Johns Creek when an RV apparently exploded and burned. Details are still sketchy, but authorities have reported that a body was found in a burning recreational vehicle behind a home of Forrest Lake Drive in Johns Creek...

Ford Posts $2.1 Billion Profit

Posted on April 27, 2010
The Wall Street Journal and USA Today have reported that Ford Motor Company earned a $2.1 billion profit during the first quarter of 2010. From the Wall Street Journal: "We remain cautiously optimistic about positive signs emerging in the global economy while knowing the recovery is fragile and the global auto industry continues to deal with excess capacity," Ford Chief Executive Alan Mulally said in a statement...

Kirksville, MO Man Killed When Run Down By Tractor Trailer

Posted on April 27, 2010
The Kirksville Daily Express reported that a Kirksville, Missouri man was killed when he was run down on his bicycle by a semi truck early this morning. According to reports, the victim was in his early 40s and was riding his bicycle when he was struck by a 2005 Freightliner eighteen wheeler driven by a Springfield, Missouri man...

Negligence at West Virginia Coal Mine Months Before Blast; President Honors Victims

Posted on April 25, 2010
We reported weeks ago about the tragic West Virginia coal mine explosion at Massey Energy's Upper Big Branch Mine. We also followed up on the story and reported about Massey CEO Don Blankenship's tried to "buy" a West Virginia Supreme Court Judge...

Ford Recalls 33,000 Cars and SUVs For Seat Recliner Problem

Posted on April 24, 2010
The Detroit Free Press has reported that Ford Motor Company will recall 33,000 midsize vehicles and SUVs because of serious safety defect involving front seat recliner mechanisms. The seat recliner's gears could allow the seat back and head restraint to fall backwards in a collision...

UPDATE: Chicago Area Train Crash Crossing A Concern For Years

Posted on April 23, 2010
We reported earlier on the tragic train crash in University Park, Illinois -- near Chicago -- that killed a popular dance instructor and performer last week. Within days, Canadian National Railway officials had confirmed that the warning lights and crossing gates were not working when the train crash happened...

UPDATE: CN Railroad Officials Admit Warning Lights, Gate Not Working In Deadly Chicago Train Crash

Posted on April 20, 2010
The Canadian National Railway has admitted that the railroad crossing where Chicago area dancer Katie Lunn was killed did not have working warning lights or crossing gates, officials learned yesterday. The Chicago Tribune reported that Canadian National Railway workers "inadvertently turned off the gates and warning lights" at the railroad crossing in University Park...

Toyota Recall: Toyota To Pay Record $16.4 Million Fine... Admission of Guilt?

Posted on April 19, 2010
Would you pay a $16.4 million fine if you did nothing wrong? That, apparently, is what Toyota wants you to believe. According to the Los Angeles Times, Toyota has agreed to pay a record $16.4 million fine, but continues to deny it hid a deadly gas pedal defect that Toyota admits can cause sudden acceleration...

Update: Questions Raised After Dance Teacher Killed By Amtrak Train Crash In Chicago

Posted on April 19, 2010
We reported yesterday about the tragic death of a Chicago dance teacher who was killed in a crash with an Amtrak train when the railroad crossing signal lights and gate failed to activate. Now safety investigators are asking why the warning lights and gates did not activate...

Dancer Killed In Chicago Train Crash

Posted on April 18, 2010
Chicago news outlets have reported that a popular teacher at the Joffrey Ballet School and Naperville's School of Performing Arts was killed when an Amtrak train crashed into her vehicle at the Stuenkel Road railroad crossing in University Park, IL, near Chicago...

Another Toyota Recall: Company Recalls 600,000 Toyota Sienna Minivans

Posted on April 17, 2010
After recalling more than 10 million vehicles worldwide for sudden acceleration problems, Toyota has issued another recall... this time recalling more than 600,000 Toyota Sienna minivans because of rusting spare tire cables that could break and cause a serious safety and road hazard...

Toyota SUV "Safety Risk": The Next Ford Explorer?

Posted on April 16, 2010
We learned earlier this week that Consumer Reports declared the Toyota-made Lexus GX460 a "safety risk" because of stability problems. Is Toyota's SUV the next Ford Explorer? The Ford Explorer has a long history of rollover and stability problems...

SEC Files Charges Against Goldman Sachs For Sub-Prime Mortgage Fraud

Posted on April 16, 2010
News outlets across the country have reported that the Security and Exchange Commission ("SEC") has charged Goldman Sachs with defrauding investors in a sale of securities tied to subprime mortgages. The Wall Street Journal explains: So here's how we understand it...

Baby Slings Get Additional Warnings After Infant Deaths

Posted on March 13, 2010
NBC News and the Associated Press have reported that chic baby slings will get additional warnings after several infant suffocation deaths. Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy The Consumer Product Safety Commission has confirmed at least 13 deaths associated with sling-style infant carriers...

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