When a child plays with the cords, they can pull, the blind’s weight goes down, the cord slides under the chin of the child and suddenly the child is struggling for breath, not strong enough to lift the blinds or remove the cord.

It can be a parent’s worst nightmare, but what happened in 2009 threw a Tacoma mom into a panic and prompted the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Smith and Noble (a manufacturer and distributor of window blinds based in California) to recall 1.3 million Roman shades and roller shades nationwide.

Blind Recall

Grace Meacham of Tacoma, described the May 2009 incident when her 5 year-old son, Jake, had been playing near the shades cords. “I was looking the other way, and he put it around his neck, and it caught behind his ears.” She said, “He stepped off the ledge, or fell off. He was dangling and couldn’t speak.”

Luckily Jake was able to get untangled and survived to become your typical 6-year-old boy, but he is just one of the thousands of young victims that has prompted millions of blinds and shades to be recalled for posing a strangulation hazard over the past several years.

The CPSC and Smith and Noble in this specific case is recalling 1,160,000 Roman shades and 115,000 roller shades. The CPSC describes on their website:

• Roman Shades: Strangulations can occur when a child places his/her neck between the exposed inner cord and the fabric on the backside of the shade or when a child pulls the cord out and wraps it around his/her neck.
• Roller Shades: Strangulation can occur if the shade’s continuous loop cord is not attached to the wall with the tension device provided and a child’s neck becomes entangled in the free-standing loop.

The Smith and Noble blinds were sold on the company’s website and through its catalog between 1998 through April 2010.

If you have these blinds and have children, often have visiting grandchildren, or have friends with small children who frequently visit you are urged to call for a free repair kit, call 800-506-4636.

Defective Product Lawyers

In June of this year the CPSC warned all window blind and shade manufacturers that their products are responsible for one child strangulation incident each month. The agency warned that the industry must seek safer methods or they will face new regulations.

In reaction to this, Bernie Paul, who owns Horizon Blinds of Tacoma, says companies have developed new technologies specifically to avoid risk. “I often recommend systems that have a cordless built in, so there won’t be any issues,” he told a reporter.

New technology is a step in the right direction, but many times companies aren’t prompted to change their technology without a financial reminder that they cannot create a product that could potentially bring harm to people, especially children, without serious monetary consequences.

Defective product litigation is many consumer’s only recourse to changing corporate policies in the safety of their goods. Corporations naturally go towards the cheapest mode of production and design to achieve the highest profitability. It is the consumer’s right to seek monetary accountability for this behavior.

If you or a loved one have been suffered serious personal injuries or wrongful death due to the defective design of any kind of blind or window shade system call Phillips Webster for a free consultation as to how you can get the compensation you deserve.

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But sometimes things go wrong. There are instances that the devices are flawed, the instructions on using them aren’t clear, or the warnings do not adequately reflect the serious injuries the device can cause. That’s when a device that was supposed to make your child more comfortable and help them through their trying medical issues all of sudden becomes the main medical issue.

Now, a new study shows that injuries from contact lenses, intravenous tubes and other “medical devices” send around 72,000 American children to emergency rooms every year. That is a shocking number of children and it really brings a serious issue to light; testing, warning, and usage on devices do not adequately reflect adolescent patients.

The Study

The team report is published in the August issue of Pediatrics. It spanned over a two-year period, in which the researchers combed through information from a national injury-reporting database. They focused on children treated in emergency departments for medical device-related injuries from early 2004 through late 2005.

They were specifically looking at medical device injuries and found that 144,799 such visits occurred nationwide, encompassing 13 medical specialties. The majority of injuries were from contact lenses (23%) followed by hypodermic needles (8%).

“The device injury rate among the kids were driven by only a handful of device categories,” said lead author Dr. Cunlin Wang, a medical epidemiologist in the Office of Surveillance and Biometrics at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). “Seventy percent of the device injuries are coming from ophthalmic devices, general hospital and ob/gyn devices.”

The study describes ophthalmic devices as contact lenses, eye glasses and eye protection devices. They define general hospital devices as infusion pumps, catheters and even hospital beds. The ob/gyn devices include contraceptive devices and injury from vaginal exams.

Adolescent Personal Injuries

The study put injuries into two categories, the types of injuries, which is the actual injury itself and the causes of the injuries, such as the type of device itself. These two categories are necessary because some devices can cause similar injuries.

• Type – The researchers found that most common types of injuries were contusions and abrasions, foreign-body intrusions, punctures, lacerations and infections. Most often, injuries affected the eyeball, pubic area, fingers, face and ears.
• Cause – As the researchers examined further they found that the most common injuries overall were related to contact lenses causing damage to the eyeball, the researchers found. Among young children, the most common problems are with shunts (implanted devices that allow passage of fluid within the body), intravenous tubes and tubes placed in the stomach.

The study also had some interesting and unexpected results. It found that as children progressed from early to late childhood the frequency of injuries linked to medical devices dropped, but they rose again after age 10. The reason was somewhat unexplained, but we can speculate that children at home may be more inclined after the age of ten to use the devices without adult supervision.

There was also some interesting data that specifically targeted gender lines. The study found that for children aged 10 and younger, boys were more likely to be injured than girls, while in the 16-to-21 age group girls had more injuries than boys.

Defective Medical Device Lawyers

This type of research is rare because the funding is equally as rare unless a causal link can be shown up front. But this study shows what has been suspected by some in the medical community and defective device legal community for a long time. There needs to be more regulation and better information provided. The researchers involved in the study agree.

“This study is an important estimate of device injury that we have in the pediatric population,” Wang said, noting that before this study there was no such estimate.

Wang contends that there needs to be a focus on the most notorious devices to lower the number of injuries.

“The scope and severity of pediatric device-associated adverse events underscore the need for more intensive preventive efforts,” he and his colleagues wrote.

A pediatric expert Dr. Valerie T. Thompson, an assistant professor of clinical pediatrics and division director of pediatric emergency medicine and medical director of the pediatric emergency department at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine said that her institution sees multiple examples of medical device injuries every week. She also agreed that, among young children, the bulk of device-linked injuries are tied to tubes placed in the stomach, shunts or IV tubes.

“We need to find a window of time to educate parents” on the dangers of medical devices and their safe use, Thompson said.

We at Phillips Webster agree. The problem we’ve seen with regards to this type of information is that the corporations that produce the devices are reluctant to change their instructions and warnings because they generally feel as if that type of action is tantamount to admitting fault or liability.

Further, the FDA is very reluctant in changing their policy on drugs and devices they have approved because they too are reluctant to admit fault. But they are more afraid what mistakes will do to their funding and have been known to drag their feet on decisions until optimum times or the changes can be implemented quietly.

All this, while almost 200 kids a day are rushed through the sliding doors of emergency rooms across the country.

If your child is seriously injured by a defective medical device, this injury could effect their quality of life for the rest of their lives and may hamper them from future employment, relationships, and may make them reluctant to seek medical attention due to mental trauma. This is not a reasonable result of the negligence of a medical device manufacturer. Call Phillips Webster today to find out how you and your child can get the compensation you deserve in order to make an easier transition into adulthood.

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Larry Newkirk claimed Conagra and a host of other companies did not warn people about the dangers of an additive that has now been taken out of microwave popcorn. He claims he got sick from eating up to seven bags of microwave popcorn a day.

In Judge Rosanna Peterson’s ruling earlier this month, she focused on one expert’s testimony, Dr. David Egilman, and ultimately decided it was contradictory and flawed.

Dr. Egilman testified about a condition known as “popcorn lung,” which some say is formed by inhaling the fumes with the additive Diacetyl, which gives the buttery flavor and is blamed for making some factory workers sick already resulting in a major legal settlement of an undisclosed amount.

Yet, in Newkirk’s case, the judge found Dr. Egilman’s testimony full of opinions and conclusions that were not substantiated by evidence such as a biopsy, which apparently wasn’t done.

He also is accused of giving little external support for his conclusions and took some reports that he cited too far.

Judge Peterson concluded that since Dr. Egilman’s testimony cannot be trusted, neither can the lawsuit.

All-in-all, it results in the judge throwing the case out and leaving Mr. Newkirk with no real recourse. Since this case did result in settlement for the workers it may have been a very legitimate claim, yet, detailed evidence and plausible expert testimony is the foundation of a case like this. Unfortunately, neither was present according to the judge.

If you or a loved one is seriously injured due to the negligent policies of a company then you need a legal representative that is experienced in personal injury lawsuits that can protect your best interests and assure that you get the compensation you deserve. Call Phillips Webster for a consultation.

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That’s why they are voluntarily recalling certain Romaine lettuce salad products because they may be contaminated with E. coli.

The affected Romaine lettuce products have use-by dates of July 8, July 9, July 10, July 11 and July 12, and have an “S” in the product code. The salad products were distributed in California, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wyoming, Washington and Nevada.

No other Fresh Express salads are included in the recall and no illnesses have yet been reported in association with the recall.

The recall was announced due to a random sample test conducted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which detected a positive result for the bacterium in one package of Fresh Express Hearts of Romaine salad.

This is the second recall by Fresh Express in two months. In May, the company recalled Romaine ready-to-eat salads due to a possible salmonella contamination.

Both salmonella and E. coli cause severe digestive problems and can lead to death in elderly people, children, and people with low or compromised immune systems.

Consumers or retailers with any remaining expired product should not consume it, but rather discard it, the company said. Anyone with questions may call the Fresh Express Consumer Response Center at (800) 242-5472, Monday – Friday, 5 a.m. – 8 p.m., Pacific Time.

If you or a loved one are severely sickened or hospitalized by Fresh Express Salad Mixes then you need a skilled lawyer with experience in Product Liability Litigation to assure that you get the compensation you deserve. Call Phillips Webster for a free consultation.

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Many don’t remember the 1982 debacle in which Tylenol users were literally getting poisoned. Seven unfortunate customers died from cyanide poisoning. The company had to recall all 31 million bottles of Tylenol in the first recall of its size ever in the country. That inspired legislators to change the rules and require all over the counter drugs have tamper proof packaging.

The crime was never solved.

But in this instance the culprit is fully known and that culprit would be McNeil, the manufacturer of many of the adult and children’s over the counter drugs J&J produces. Most of the recalls are due to the conditions of the plant in which the drugs are manufactured leading to the various complaints that spurred the recall, foreign particles floating in the products, inconsistent doses, antibiotic resistant bacteria, and the reason for today’s recall, a musty odor due to the wooden pallets the products are transported on.

Tylenol Recalls

J&J announced the recall of 21 more lots of Tylenol and other over-the-counter medicines. The giant pharmaceutical company said the action, like one announced three weeks ago involving Tylenol and Benadryl, is a follow-up to a recall on January 15 that involved 53 million bottles of various products including many of the children’s medicines they produce.

McNeil Consumer Healthcare said today that it was now recalling various brands of Tylenol for children and adults and several forms of its Benadryl allergy tablets and Motrin painkiller.

“These lots are being added to the list of recalled products as a precautionary measure after a continuing internal review determined that some packaging materials used in the lots had been shipped and stored on the same type of wooden pallet that was tied to the presence of TBA in earlier recalled lots,” J&J said in a release. ” The lots were sold in the United States, Fiji, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica,” they added.

TBA ( 2,4,6-tribromoanisole) is a chemical the company uses to treat the wooden pallets.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has come down hard on the company. One of McNeil’s three main factories, located in Ft. Washington, Pennsylvania, has been shut down while the company tries to fix multiple deficiencies cited by the FDA. The factories in Puerto Rico have also been cited and are under investigation for serious sanitation violations.

Johnson & Johnson’s other recalls:

• November 2009 - five lots of Tylenol Arthritis Pain 100 count with the EZ-open cap were recalled for unusual odor leading to nausea, stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhea.
• December 2009 - the recall was expanded to include all product lots of Tylenol Arthritis Pain caplet 100 count bottles with the red EZ-open cap.
• January 2010 - the recall was widened to an undisclosed number of Tylenol, Motrin and other over-the-counter drugs after complaints of consumers feeling sick from an odor.
• May 2010 - 50 children’s versions of these nonprescription medicines were also recalled because of quality and safety concerns. Following the pediatric medicine recall, Johnson and Johnson suspended production at McNeil’s facility in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, that manufactured the children’s drugs.
• June 2010 - McNeil disclosed it was voluntarily recalling four lots of Benadryl Allergy Ultratab Tablets (100 count) and one lot of Extra Strength Tylenol Rapid Release Gels (50 count).

Defective Product Lawyers

J&J had learned as early as November 2008 that certain Motrin pills wouldn’t dissolve appropriately, thus reducing or completely negating their effectiveness. The company put a hold on lots at its distribution center. Then, instead of issuing a recall, they hired a contractor to sample some of the eight-count packages on store shelves to see if a recall was necessary, according to an FDA document.

The contractor, according to documentation provided to the FDA as part of their investigation, was then ordered to buy the pills from the shelves rather than announcing their findings to the public or to the FDA. This may have put the public whom had already purchased the product in jeopardy.

Then, last year, J&J announced plans to cut 8,200 jobs, or 7% of its work force, as part of a broad restructuring that aims to achieve $1.7 billion in yearly savings by 2011. J&J executives also recently moved to standardize compensation across the company.

During a U.S. House Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions hearings into the recalls speculated that it was the cost cutting measures that led to the serious sanitation and quality control problems. J&J’s consumer business, which includes the McNeil unit and other companies, had $15.8 billion in sales and $2.48 billion in profit in 2009.

Phillips Webster represents consumers and their loved ones in personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits resulting fromdefective drugs. If you or someone you know has been affected by the serious problems surrounding Children’s Tylenol or PediaCare products it is important to have experienced representation on your side to assure that your voice will be heard and that you receive the compensation that you deserve. Call the defective drug lawyers at Phillips Webster for a free consultation on your legal options.

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Ready Pac Foods Inc., a large southern California produce company based in Irwindale, has recalled some 700 cases of bagged spinach salad that they suspect might be contaminated with E. coli.

The recall applies to salad mixes in the Spinach Temptations line of six-ounce bagged salads with a July 4 use-by date and product code I1707B, IR127121 and to products with a July 8 use-by date and code I2007B, IR130373.

The bags of tainted spinach were sold in California, Washington and Arizona.

For more information, call Ready Pac Consumer Affairs at 800-800-7822 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to obtain information about a refund.

E. coli is a potentially deadly germ that can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration and, in the most severe cases, kidney failure. It is especially detrimental to young children, the elderly, and people with sensitive immune systems. Food-borne illnesses like E.coli cause approximately 81 million illnesses in the US every year causing around 9000 deaths.

If you or someone you know has been rendered severely ill leading to debilitating medical issues or death it is imperative that you find skilled legal counsel right away to assure that you receive the compensation you deserve. Call the defective product lawyers at Phillips Webster.

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This has prompted many car companies to initiate recalls before problems are reported by customers in order to avoid the large class action lawsuits Toyota is now facing and the massive fines that governments are not shy about levying to punish for dishonest behavior that might put their citizens in danger. But apparently not every car company has learned its lesson.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) began a massive investigation into a very serious problem regarding 293,787 Mazda3 cars from the 2007 to 2009 model years and 48,764 BMW Z4 sports cars from 2003 to 2005.

The NHTSA initiating an investigation prior to a recall does not bode well for either car manufacturer and could lead to massive fines and a wider recall later this year.

NHTSA Investigation

Both investigations stem from a serious problem with the power steering which fails typically occurring at higher vehicle speeds over 45 miles per hour and at warmer temperatures above 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

The government agency said it received 33 complaints about Mazda3 vehicles that alleged a loss of power steering assist while driving. The sudden defect required excessive force by the driver to maintain control of the vehicle. Three of the complaints alleged that the loss of steering control caused car crashes.

Mazada3 vehicles use an electrically actuated hydraulic power steering system, the agency said.

The NHTSA also said it received 107 complaints alleging a loss of power-assisted steering in BMW Z4s. The complaints stated that the steering wheel sticks, binds or locks up, requiring increased steering effort to maintain control and increasing the potential to over-steer the vehicle.

The problem has not caused any reported fatalities as of yet, but now that the problem has been revealed there may be new investigations into previously unexplained fatal car accidents that have led to wrongful death.

Both Mazda and BMW have not made statements on their websites regarding this very serious investigation.

Defective Design Lawyers

Investigations like this are going to become much more prevalent. In fact, the investigation may be a little late in coming if the NHTSA has received this many complaints and suggests that perhaps the investigation may have needed to be begun earlier.

Also the investigation and number of complaints to the government regulatory agency leaves one to wonder just how many complaints went directly to the car companies, how they dealt with them, and how many of the complaints they relayed to the NHTSA within the week period as dictated in the NHTSA rules.

These types of concerns are what consumers may want to bring up if they are Mazada3 or BMW Z4 owners who are potentially at risk for being effected this summer as they drive on the freeway at highway speeds in higher temperatures this summer.

If you or a loved one is affected by faulty power steering that lead to car accidents and/or serious personal injuries then it is extremely important that you contact a skilled attorney with experience in negotiating with car companies regarding defective product lawsuits. Call Phillips Webster from where ever you are in the country and get your free consultation into your legal options.

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Drop-side cribs are popular with parents because one side can be raised or lowered on tracks, providing easier access to the bed. Infants can suffocate or be strangled when the hardware fails and a side detaches, creating a gap.

The CPSC has since revealed that as many as 32 children have suffocated or been strangled in the last decade when the “drop sides” of their cribs separated from the frame enough for them to slip through. Many others have suffered serious personal injuries resulting in brain injuries due to lack of oxygen, which can limit the child’s development and affect them throughout their adult lives.

Tenenbaum, who took office in June of last year, made all crib safety her top priority. To show how serious she and the agency is about this issue, she also said that the CPSC was investigating other crib-makers for drop-side hazards, whether they knew about the hazard, when, and what they did to remedy the defective product.

Now that investigation has come to fruition and resulted with the recall of 2.2 million drop-side crib recalls over seven manufacturers. An eighth manufacturer of a fixed side crib with a bad design was also mentioned in the recall.

“This new recall announcement is part of a larger effort by CPSC to clean up the marketplace,” Tenenbaum said in an e- mailed statement. “Many of these recalled cribs have dangerous drop sides.”

Drop-Side Crib Recall

This recall is extensive and detailed. Please find your brand to learn the details.

Jenny Lind drop-side cribs from Evenflo Inc. – 750,000 units – Sold at stores nationwide from January 2000 through November 2007 for about $200. Evenflo received 31 reports of malfunctions leading to the recall. Nine children fell out of the crib when the drop side detached. The CPSC received two reports of children becoming entrapped when the mattress support detached in one corner of cribs manufactured between 2000 and 2004 in Mexico and China.

The model numbers are: 012614; 0126141; 012615; 012616; 012617; 014614; 014615; 014616; 014617; 0151614; 0151615; 0151616; 0151617; 0161614; 0161615 and 0161617 Contact Evenflo at (800) 356-2229 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern time Monday through Friday.

Delta drop-side cribs – 747,000 units - The recalled cribs were sold between 2000 and 2009 for $100 to $300. The company received 57 reports of malfunctioning paarts on the cribs, resulting in three entrapments and one crib fall-out. The CPSC is also aware of 19 reports in which stabilizer bars were installed upside-down, resulting in 10 mattress platform collapses.

Delta cribs were manufactured in China, Indonesia, Thailand, and Croatia. Parents have been advised to stop using the cribs immediately. Specific unit numbers were not provided, but visit the Delta Enterprise recall center for a full description of the products. You may also call Delta at (877) 342-3418 between 9 a.m. and 5p.m. Eastern time Monday through Friday to find out specifics on your product.

Bonavita, Babi Italia and ISSI drop-side cribs by LaJobi Inc. – 306,000 units – Sold nationally from 1999 through 2009 for between $300 and $430. The company has received 40 reports of drop-sides that detached or malfunctioned. In one incident, a child fell out of the crib and was bruised when the drop-side detached. The cribs have drop-side hardware that contains pegs recessed into either the drop-side or the headboard and footboard of the crib, according to the CPSC.

The cribs were manufactured in China, Italy, Vietnam, Thailand, and the United States. Parents are advised to stop using the product. Contact the company at (888) 738-5676 anytime or visit the firm’s website to order a repair kit to immobilize the drop-sides.

Jardine drop-side cribs – 130,000 units – Sold at Babies “R” Us, Toys “R” Us, Geoffrey Stores, and KidsWorld stores across the country from 2002 through 2009 retailing for between $150 and $480. The company has received 47 reports of drop-sides malfunctioning. In one of these incidents, a child was found unconscious after becoming entrapped and was hospitalized. Nine other reports involving entrapments or fallouts resulted in minor injuries, but one child sustained a broken collarbone.

The model numbers are: 0102B00; 0102P00; 0108C00WP; 0108L00WP; 0115S00; BC-33; BC-66; DA0930B; DA333BC; DA616BC; DA618BC; DA833BC; DV601BC; DV623BC; DV628BC

Contact Jardine at (800) 295-1980 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s website to order a repair kit, and immediately stop using the crib.

Million Dollar Baby drop-side cribs – 156,000 units - Sold at retailers nationwide from January 2000 through March 2010 for between $100 and $330. The company received 43 reports of drop-side failures with the affected models, which were manufactured in Taiwan and China. There were eight reports of children becoming stuck between the mattress and drop side. Three children fell out of the crib when the drop side failed. Injury reports included bruising to the children’s heads and upper bodies.

Look for one of the following model numbers on the crib’s headboard: Alexandria 4191; Alpha 591; Bailey 5201; Caleb 1701; Ellie 5401; Jenny Lind 371 / 391; Lauren (convertible) 4491; Lauren (pine) 5691; Lauren (w/ drawer) 4001; Lauren 4091; Naomi 4291; Oxford 2191; Pine 4-Poster 3991; Sleigh 2991; Twinkle 2301; M0391; M0591; M3691 and M4191; Anastasia M4801; Annabelle 5901 / 5941; Kendall W5921; Kirsten M5941; Leonardo 3101; Michelangelo 3401; Robin M6001 and Roxanne M5921 / 5941.

Parents are advised to stop using the product and call Million Dollar Baby at (888) 673-6488 anytime, or visit the firm’s website to obtain a free repair kit.

Simmons drop-side cribs – 50,000 – The cribs were sold at children’s product stores and other retailers nationwide and online from 2002 through early 2007 for between $100 and $500. The company has received 30 reports of sides that malfunctioned or detached. Two children became entrapped between the drop-side and the crib mattress. Two other children fell out of their cribs when the drop side malfunctioned.

Model number printed on the bottom base of the crib’s headboard: 011641; 011671; 011941; 015341; 016061; 016771; 016821; 016831; 017201 ; 017211; 017351; 018500; 018501; 018502; 018510 ; 018511; 018512; 026261; 028061; 028081; 028180; 029061; 29062; 029071; 029180; 029561; 029562; 029571; 034060; 034560; 039180; 044091; 053091; 065071; 068261; 068271; 068561; 201060; 202060; 202080; 202180; 202181; 203060; 204060; 204180; 205060; 206060; 207060; 209560; 211060; 211080; 212060; 214060; 214080; 215060; 216060; 216070; 216080; 216180; 216180; 216570; 218060; 219560; 220180; 220181; 221060; 221070; 221070; 221077; 222060; 222070; 224060; 225060; 225070; 225080; 227560; 228060; 229060; 230060; 231070; 236180; 236187; 236188; 236189; 238060; 238069; 239180; 239187; 239189; 240060; 248069; 251060; 251069; 257060; 261060; 053091A and 251060M.

The affected cribs were manufactured in the United States, Indonesia, Croatia, Canada and China. For more information visit the company’s recall website or call (877) 342-3439 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern time Monday through Friday.

Child Craft brand drop-sides – Unknown amount – Sold at Babies R Us, Sears, Burlington Coat Factory, Target, and various specialty stores nationwide between 2000 and 2009. The CPSC has received seven reports of children becoming entrapped after the drop-side hardware on these cribs failed, causing the drop-side to detach from the crib or fall to the dropped position.

The model numbers are: F10151; F10171; F10181; F10281; F13311; F13761; F16001; F16011; F16131; F16661; F17001; F17701; F17731; F17801; F17811; F20161; F20181; F20191; F21041; F21081; F21091; F26131; F27301; F27771; F31061; F31701; F32901; F33301; F33601; F33801; F33901; F34101 and F35101.

Rebates towards the purchase of a new, fixed-side Child Craft brand crib will be offered by Foundations Worldwide (which bought the brand name in July 2009). For more information and to request a rebate, call Foundations Worldwide at (866) 614-0557 anytime or visit the company’s website.

Child Craft brand fixed-side cribs – 40,000 to 50,000 units - Sold at Babies ‘R Us and other stores across the country between 1998 and 2009 and retailed at $600 and $650.The cribs’ side panels can be assembled upside-down but appear to be constructed correctly, leaving a gap at the top of the crib where a child can become trapped. The CPSC has received four reports of children becoming stuck between the dowel and the crib’s stationary front side either by their heads or their arms.

If you have one of the recalled cribs, examine it immediately to determine whether it has been put together correctly. You should measure the gap between the front and back panesl of the crib and the wooden dowel that runs along the top. The space between the parts should be no more than 2 and 3/8 inches wide – otherwise the panel has been attached upside-down and must be reassembled.

Contact the company at (866) 614-0557 anytime, or visit the firm’s website.

Product Liability Lawyers

Just in the last five years, the CPSC has forced 11 recalls involving more than 7 million drop-side cribs due to suffocation and strangulation hazards. CPSC recalled 170,000 drop-side cribs under the names C&T International, Sorelle and Golden Baby and thousands of Simplicity and Graco cribs were recalled due to infant injuries already this year so these recalls may not be the end of it.

No one knows how far or how deep into the issue this probe by the CPSC will go, yet, this is good news for consumers, parents, and most of all, those innocent babies that have just joined us. It is important that manufacturers are held accountable for bad design, inadequate testing, and using cheap materials that can be fatal to the most innocent members of society.

If you or someone you know has had the devastating experience of losing a child to a drop-side crib or their child is seriously injured, it is important that you find a lawyer that has the experience and successful track record in defective product litigation. Call Phillips Webster for a free consultation and to find out your legal options. Learn More About:

• Manufacturer Defect Lawsuits and Liability
• The Drop-Side Crib Recall
• Defective Design

That has all changed. Now as a matter of PR, car companies are recalling early and often and with much notice to the public to avoid the thousands of expensive lawsuits that come with defective vehicles. The evidence of this is overwhelming as almost every domestic car manufacturer has recalled millions of models of car for everything from fires to brake problems before anyone has a chance to get hurt. Unfortunately for a family in Texas, the trend was 5 years too late to save their two daughters.

Enterprise Recall Policy

Their daughters, Raechel and Jacqueline Houck, 24 and 20, of Santa Cruz, were returning from their mother’s home in Ventura when the PT Cruiser, headed north along Highway 101 in their rented Chrysler PT?Cruiser, which was subject to a safety recall. The sisters suddenly lost control of the vehicle, crossed the grass median, and hit a southbound big rig, bursting into flames. They both died in a crash.

A jury has awarded $15 million to parents who filed the wrongful-death lawsuit against Enterprise Rent-A-Car in 2005 after the fatal 2004 crash. Revealed in the lawsuit was that a month before the accident, Daimler Chrysler had sent out recall notices for 435,000 PT Cruisers from 2002 through 2005. The notice stated that the power steering hose could leak, resulting in a fire.

Enterprise records showed the PT Cruiser the Houck sisters died in had not been repaired for the recall defect and it had been rented four times since the company received recall notice. The Houcks were in fact the fourth people to have rented the vehicle on Oct. 7, 2004 since the recall notice.

Wrongful Death Lawsuit

The vehicle crash experts who were hired by the parents’ law firm, after examining the wreckage, came to the conclusion that Raechel Houck had lost steering ability because of a power-steering fluid leak.

Enterprise Rent-a-Car argued that the crash was caused by Houck’s negligent driving.

But after the nation’s largest rental car company and its corporate parent fought the suit for five years, they finally admitted in May that they were negligent and “their negligence was the sole proximate cause of the fatal injuries,” according to a document signed by their attorneys.

The Alameda County Superior Court jury awarded damages June 9. The defendants have 30 days to appeal. Company attorneys at Yukevich Calfo & Cavanaugh in Los Angeles were not available to comment, but have indicated that they will comment on the verdict as soon as they have made a decision on whether to appeal.

“This is a consumer issue of vital importance,” said Carol “Cally” Houck, mother of the two young women, citing a deposition from a company official indicating Enterprise had no plans to change policies regarding recalled cars in their fleets.

Wrongful Death Lawyers

Company policies are there to let all employees and executives know what the standard procedures are within the corporation for any given situation, but they are not set in stone. The policies are there to protect the company from liability, but if a company has millions of customers using their products, if they simply geared their procedures toward the safety of the customers instead of avoiding liability and saving money, then they wouldn’t be in this situation.

Many times families chose to risk a substantial wrongful death lawsuit settlement from the company to go to court in order to force an ethical change within the company policy. The Houck’s were successful in forcing the company to admit fault, which is a major triumph, but why the company would resist changing their policy from renting defective recalled vehicles is beyond reason and, most likely, a completely profit driven decision.

If you or a loved one are injured or killed due to the negligent recall policies of a rental car agency then it is important that you find skilled representation that is experienced in Product Liability Lawsuits and Wrongful Death Lawsuits. Call Phillips Webster for a free consultation.

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• Wrongful Death Lawsuits
• Washington Wrongful Death Statute of Limitations
• Elements of a Wrongful Death Case

The reason they gave on their website was that the drugs were “inadvertently omitted from the initial recall action” of January 15. McNeil disclosed it was voluntarily recalling four lots of Benadryl Allergy Ultratab Tablets (100 count) and one lot of Extra Strength Tylenol Rapid Release Gels (50 count).

Consumers have complained that the drugs emit a moldy or musty smell. The company has said that it’s because of  the product’s contact with the chemical 2,4,6-tribromoanisole (TBA) that was applied to shipping pallets, the company said.

Tylenol Recall

The recall covers specifically the products with lot number (found on the bottle label) ASA202, AJA008, ADA194, ABA022 and ABA264. If you have these products in your medicine cabinet then the company recommends customers should call 1-888-222-6036 or use the website www.mcneilproductrecall.com for information on how to receive a refund or replacement product. The drugs were sold in the United States and in Bermuda, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago.

The recalls are bad news for what seems to be systemic problems with sanitation throughout the McNeil Corporation where multiple manufacturing facilities that have been inspected by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in North America and Puerto Rico have been found to be in serious violation of material and bacterial contamination.

Many of these facilities produce a variety of children’s medicines and other products for Johnson & Johnson. The problems have had some serious problems such as traces of floating foreign materials, inconsistent dosage, and antibiotic resistant bacteria.

Johnson & Johnson’s other recalls:

• November 2009 - five lots of Tylenol Arthritis Pain 100 count with the EZ-open cap were recalled for unusual odor leading to nausea, stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhea.
• December 2009 - the recall was expanded to include all product lots of Tylenol Arthritis Pain caplet 100 count bottles with the red EZ-open cap.
• January 2010 - the recall was widened to an undisclosed number of Tylenol, Motrin and other over-the-counter drugs after complaints of consumers feeling sick from an odor.
• May 2010 - 50 children’s versions of these nonprescription medicines were also recalled because of quality and safety concerns. Following the pediatric medicine recall, Johnson and Johnson suspended production at McNeil’s facility in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, that manufactured the children’s drugs.

Drug Recall Lawyers

These products can be highly detrimental to children and elderly people and are particularly dangerous for people with compromised immune systems or naturally low immune systems that have adverse reactions to pathogens and chemicals. It is very important that you are aware of these possible hazards and take extra precautions to minimize risk.

The manufacturing facilities are under a heated investigation by the FDA, but that should take time and doesn’t exonerate them from what has been revealed as less-than ethical behavior revealed recently involving the mass repurchasing of products rather than announcing a recall thus not informing the public whom had already purchased the products.

Phillips Webster represents consumers and their loved ones in personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits resulting from defective drugs. If you or someone you know has been affected by the serious problems surrounding Tylenol, Benedryl or PediaCare products it is important to have experienced representation on your side to assure that your voice will be heard and that you receive the compensation that you deserve. Call the defective drug lawyers at Phillips Webster for a free consultation on your legal options.

Learn More About:

• Defective Products
• Defective Drugs
• Medical Malpractice