Lincoln Personal Injury Lawyer - Defective & Dangerous Products

WoodMaster Outdoor Furnaces Recalled Due To Fire Hazard

Chrissie Cole — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 07:34:00 GMT

WoodMaster AFS 900 outdoor furnaces are being recalled due to a defect in the temperature gauge that poses a fire and burn hazard.

To this date the company has received 12 reports of fire, three of which reported blisters and minor hand burns.

The recalled furances were sold in black, brown, camo, grey, green, red and taupe, with a WoodMaster logo on the front.

Consumers should contact Northwest Manufacturing for a free repair kit. In the meantime, the furnaces should not be used.

Consumer Information: Contact Northwest Manufacturing at (800) 932-3629 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT, Monday through Friday, or visit www.AFS900recall.com.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Chrissie Cole

Jason Evans Associates Recalls Children’s Hooded Jackets

Chrissie Cole — Mon, 11 May 2009 23:12:00 GMT

Jason Evans Assoc. LLC, of New York, recently announced a voluntary recall of Children’s Hooded Jackets because the drawstring can pose a strangulation hazard to children.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued guidelines (pdf) in 1996 to help prevent children from strangling or getting entangled on the neck and waist drawstrings of upper garments.

To date, the company has not received any report of injury related to the recall.

The recalled jackets have a drawstring through the hood of the garment. They were sold in boy sizes 4, 5, 6 and 7 in colors black/grey. The RN number 30842 printed in the center back neck and style number 1708 is printed on the hangtag on the center back neck.

Consumers should remove the drawstrings immediately or return them to the place of purchase or to Jason Evans Associates to receive a refund.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, please contact Jason Evans Associates toll-free at (888) 683-0063 between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Thursday.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Chrissie Cole

Butter Flavoring Chemical Removed From Popcorn Because of "Popcorn Lung" Concern

Jenny Albano — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 00:32:29 GMT

ConAgra Foods Inc., the nation's largest microwave popcorn maker, has decided to remove the chemical diacetyl from the buttery flavoring in Orville Redenbacher and Act II popcorn. This decision came after a pulmonary specialist at Denver's National Jewish Medical and Research Center claimed that a consumer developed lung disease from inhaling the fumes from microwaving popcorn numerous times a day. This would be the first instance of a consumer developing "popcorn lung" from the flavoring chemical.

ConAgra spokeswoman Stephanie Childs said the company decided to remove the butter flavoring diacetyl from its popcorn because of the risk the chemical presents to workers who handle large quantities.

Many workers at popcorn plants have developed bronchitis and asthma, and some have even developed bronchiolitis obliterans, a rare lung disease which can be fatal.

ConAgra stated that they did not know when they would be able to replace the flavoring chemical, but stated that it would be taken out of popcorn within the next year.

The company has been attempting to change things at the popcorn plants to reduce workers exposure to the chemical. ConAgra does not believe that diacetyl has any effect on consumers, and they are making this change to protect their employees.

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Defective and Dangerous Products.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jenny Albano

USDA to Give $5.5 Million to Study Origin of E. Coli in Produce

Jenny Albano — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 23:10:59 GMT

The USDA has announced that they will be giving $5.5 million to study E. coli in produce. Officials from the agency want to make sure the deadly bacteria stays out of food.

The money is being given to a California institute that will study the origin of E. coli 0157:H7, which is a bacteria that can cause diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and some life threatening complications such as Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome.

"This research will help producers identify the sources of E. coli 0157:H7 and ways to avoid contamination," stated Mike Johanns, the Agriculture Secretary.

The Centers for Disease Control identified 17,252 laboratory-confirmed cases of food poisoning in 2006 using a surveillance tool that studies 10 states, or about 15 percent of the U.S. population.

For more information on this subject matter, please refer to the section on Defective and Dangerous Products.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jenny Albano

First Vioxx Trial in Midwest Questions Merck's Motives

Dan Friedman — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 16:22:21 GMT

A jury in Edwardsville, Illinois is listening to the evidence as lawyers for Patricia Schwaller argue that her 2003 death was caused by Vioxx. Ms. Schwaller took the drug for 20 months before she had a heart attack. Her attorneys are arguing that Merck's own documents show that the company put profits ahead of people.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Dan Friedman

$3 million verdict in Prempro case

Dan Friedman — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 15:34:03 GMT

A jury in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has found that the drug maker Wyeth is liable for failing to warn a woman about the risks of breast cancer posed by its drug, Prempro. Wyeth has now lost two lawsuits. It won several others.

The verdict included money for compensatory damages, but not punitive damages. There are between 5,000-10,000 such cases nationwide.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Dan Friedman

Recall on Honda Civic Hybrids

Christina Cole — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 23:18:40 GMT

Honda Motor Company is recalling 45,335 Honda Civic Hybrid sedans all over the world to replace an electrical defect that can cause the engine to stop running without any warning.

Most of the recalled vehicles were sold within the United States. To date, Honda has not received any reports of injuries related to the recall.

The hybrid sedans all have a defective voltage converter which could cause a short circuit stopping the engine and preventing it from restarting.

Honda will be notifying owners by mail. They will be replacing the voltage regulator when the recall officially begins.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Christina Cole

IKEA Recalls Vases

Christina Cole — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 01:32:07 GMT

Nearly 1 million PARODI Glass Floor Vases are being recalled by IKEA worldwide. The base of the vase can break off unexpectedly, posing a laceration hazard to consumers.

To date IKEA has received 17 reports of the vases breaking, seven have been with injury. In the U.S. a single incident has been reported, with a woman sustaining a cut to her foot. Six reports involving injuries have been received from outside the US with five consumers sustaining cuts to the hand the required a trip to the hospital.

The recalled vases have thick black, white or clear glass walls. They stand about 28 inches high and weigh about 11 pounds. The base diameter is about 6 inches and the top diameter is about 9 inches. The IKEA logo and one of three article numbers are printed on the underside of the base. The article numbers are 201-102-34 (black), 501-121-99 (white) and 000-795-45 (clear).

Consumers should return the vase to their local IKEA store for a full refund.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Christina Cole

Graco highchair recall

Staff Writer — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 10:13:51 GMT

Graco is recalling 100,000 of their highchairs after more than one dozen reports of collapse and one child getting injured as a result. The defective product is the Graco Contempo Highchair.

According to an article from the Atlanta Business Chronicle, Graco Children's Products Inc., a subsidiary of Newell Rubbermaid Inc., has voluntarily recalled the Graco Contempo Highchair because of 18 reports of its collapse when not locked into place and one report of an 18-month-old's bruised foot in a collapse incident.

The highchairs were apparently sold at a variety of retailers from Dec. 2005 to Dec. 2006.

The recalled highchairs have model numbers that begin with 3800, 3803, 3804, 3805, 3810 and 3811 followed by a three letter fashion code. Model numbers included in the recall include: 3800COU, 3800DRB, 3800FMT, 3800GGG, 3800GRM, 3800HEM, 3800JEN, 3800LEG, 3800MNS, 3800OWD, 3800SND, 3800TFE, 3800RIT, 3803HRL, 3804CNR, 3805BDA, 3810PEW, 3810PST and 3811PST.

For more information, visit www.gracobaby.com.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Staff Writer

Contact Water Coolers Recalled

Christina Cole — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 20:40:50 GMT

DS Waters of America Inc. are recalling their "Contact" water coolers. A water leak inside the cooler can create an electrical arc that can pose a fire hazard.

To date, DS Waters has received twenty reports of the water coolers making a crackling noise or catching on fire. Five reports include property damage but no injuries have been reported.

The recall involves the Contact Hot and Cold Water Coolers with the serial numbers that start with the letter "J" followed by nine numbers. The serial numbers are located on the lower right-hand side of the serial plate.

DS Waters distributed the recalled Contact Hot and Cold Water Coolers through direct sales nationwide from April 2004 to August 2006 for about $220.
Consumers should stop using the recalled water coolers, unplug them and call DS Waters for a replacement water cooler at no additional cost.
Consumer Contact: For more information, call DS Waters at (800) 480-1434 anytime, or visit the firm"s Web site at www.water.com/ContactRecall.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Christina Cole