October 14, 2011

Nearly 600,000 Contact Lenses Recalled Due to Injuries

Contact lens manufacturer CooperVision Inc. has announced a recall of nearly 600,000 contact lenses, close to two months after reports of eye injuries associated with their use began to emerge. That's not all. The Food and Drug Administration has been very critical of the manner in which the company has gone about the recall, and the limited information it has provided consumers.

The recall was first announced on August 19, when the Food and Drug Administration announced a class I recall of the Avaira Toric lenses manufactured by CooperVision and sold at retailers like Costco, Wal-Mart and others. Class I recalls are the most serious recalls that the agency can announce, and Indiana product liability attorneys expect such recalls only when there is a risk of serious injuries or death associated with the product.

Reports of eye injuries associated with the CooperVision contact lenses began to surface in April, when some consumers began to report problems including corneal infections, scratches, and chronic pain. However, CooperVision announced the recall only in August.

It's highly likely that users in Indiana are not aware of this particular recall, because the company hardly bothered to publicize it at all. For the first few days after the recall was announced, the company had only the minimal information available on its website, merely informing consumers that there had been a recall, and that their contact lenses were likely included in it. There was no mention of lot numbers, and little information that would allow consumers to determine whether their lenses were included in the recall.

The company has now assured the Food and Drug Administration that it will take more steps to publicize the recall. The company’s website now has a checkbox that allows consumers to enter their lot number, to determine whether their contact lenses are included in the recall. There's also an FAQ as well as a consumer hotline number that consumers can call to find if their contact lenses are included in the recall.

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October 12, 2011

Contaminated Prep Pads Raise Patient Safety Concerns

There has been another recall of contaminated alcohol prep pads, the second one by manufacturers in the past year. Indiana medical malpractice lawyers wonder how concerned we need to be about the infection risks from pads and wipes used in hospitals.

This newest recall was announced by New York-based Pacific Disposables International Inc. after the company found that its alcohol pads may have been contaminated with Bacillus cereus. This is a potentially deadly organism that can cause serious infections. The recall was triggered after a patient who suffered from hemophilia, contracted an infection from the use of the contaminated wipes. The alcohol wipes were used before an infusion, causing the patient to contact the Bacillus cereus infection. The Food and Drug Administration had pressured the company to recall its pads in June, when the incident occurred, but the company only announced a recall in September.

This is the second recall involving contaminated alcohol prep pads and wipes that Indiana product liability lawyers have come across. The first recall involved hundreds of millions of alcohol and iodine wipes and pads manufactured by Triad Group and H&P Industries Inc. Those wipes have been blamed for several deaths and infections across the country, and these companies already face lawsuits related to those deaths.

Questions are being raised about the safety of both sterile and non-sterile pads and wipes, and whether there is a need to ban these products altogether in hospital settings. Overall, the market contains about 70% of sterile pads and 30% of non- sterile pads. Part of the problem is that when home kits come with alcohol prep pads, healthcare professionals and homeowners who are using these home kits, may erroneously assume that these prep pads are sterile when they are not. In many cases, the packaging does not mention if the wipes are sterile or not.
Many hospitals are wondering whether it's worth it to continue using these pads, in light of these infection risks.

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June 10, 2011

Avandia Use Restricted Due to Heart Attack Risks

Last month, the Food and Drug Administration finally took the much-anticipated decision to restrict the ability of diabetes drug, Avandia. Under new rules, patients who take Avandia and doctors who prescribe it will be required to enroll themselves in a federal registry. Avandia will no longer be made available on pharmacy shelves, but through a mail-order system.

What the Food and Drug Administration has done here is severely limited a person's accessibility to Avandia, making sure that the drug reaches as few people as possible. In fact, the Food and Drug Administration has made the process of acquiring Avandia so cumbersome, that doctors are very likely to now prescribe other substitutes instead.

The concerns with Avandia have to do with its link to an increased risk of heart attacks. Several studies have shown that diabetic patients who are already at a high risk of heart attacks, have their risks of a heart attack increase through Avandia use. Avandia has also been linked to a number of other problems, including osteoporosis and eye conditions, but its links to heart disease have been the most worrying to Indiana product liability attorneys. It's very likely that prescriptions for Avandia will drop as doctors look for other substitutes instead.

If you are an Avandia user, don't simply stop taking the medication. Discuss alternatives with your doctor.

Unfortunately, Avandia substitutes have also been in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Avandia’s closest competitor Actos has been linked to an increased risk of bladder cancer. A study has shown that patients who were on Actos had a much higher risk of suffering bladder cancer than those on other diabetes drugs.

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February 15, 2011

Strangulation Deaths Prompt Recall of Baby Monitors

For Indiana product liability attorneys who monitor product safety issues, especially those related to children's products, this recall is yet another reminder of the progress we need to make towards complete safety for children. The Consumer Product Safety Commission and a company called Summer Infant Inc. have announced a recall of more than 1 million baby monitors with cords, after two reports of infant strangulation deaths.

According to the CPSC notice posted on its website, over the past year, the agency and the company have received two reports of strangulation deaths of infants who became strangled by the cords of the Summer Infant baby monitors. The first death occurred in March 2010, and involved a 10-month-old baby girl from Washington DC. She was found strangled in her crib from the electrical cord of the monitor. Then in 2010, the Consumer Product Safety Commission received another strangulation report, this time involving a six-month-old boy from South Carolina. He was found strangled by the cord of the monitor which had been placed on the changing table affixed to the crib. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, it was only last month that the agency found out that the baby monitors in both the cases were manufactured by Summer Infant.

Besides these two fatalities, the Consumer Product Safety Commission is also aware of at least one other near strangulation incident involving the Summer Infant baby monitor. In this incident, a 20-month- old boy was found with the electrical cord from the baby monitor wrapped around his neck. The baby monitor had been fixed on the wall, but the baby was still able to reach the cord and wrap it around its neck. Fortunately, caregivers were able to get to the baby in time.

These baby monitors were sold between January 2003 and February 2011. The CPSC is urging parents to monitor the location of the device, and make sure that the electrical cords are out of reach of the child. Besides, Summer Infant is also handing out instructions about how to mount the device safely and keep the cords out of an infant’s reach.

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November 30, 2010

Many Children's Medications Come with Dosage Inconsistencies, Increasing Injury Risks

A new study indicates to Indiana product liability attorneys that there are serious injury risks to children, when liquid medications do not come with correct or appropriate dosage measurements. The study, which has been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, studied about 200 popular children's liquid medications, including over-the-counter painkillers, stomach and allergy medications and cold and cough syrups.

They found that approximately 25% of the products they researched, failed to include a measuring device, like a dropper or a syringe. Parents, in such cases, would be forced to use tablespoons or teaspoons to measure dosages. This is highly inadvisable. Using the wrong measuring devices could actually lead to an overdose.

The researchers found that even with those products that did come with a measuring device, there was at least one inconsistency between the instructions printed on the label and the device that was included. An example would be a label mentioning teaspoons for instructions, and a measuring device marked out in milliliters. The researchers also found inconsistencies in the kind of measurement units and abbreviations that were used.

When there are inconsistencies in dosage measurements on the packaging, or when the right kind of measuring devices are not supplied with the product, parents may use teaspoons or tablespoons to measure the dose. That can mean vastly inaccurate dosages, and even the risk of an overdose. Pediatricians prescribe medication doses in milliliters, depending on the weight of the child, and when a parent uses a teaspoon, it's hard to get the dose right. Pharmaceutical companies that spend a lot of time and effort marketing children's over-the-counter medications, also need to look closer at the packaging of these products, and especially dosage measurements.

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August 22, 2010

Keep Your Baby Safe in a Drop Side Crib

In a few months time, the Consumer Product Safety Commission is expected to announce a complete ban on the manufacture, sale, distribution and import of drop side cribs. That ban will come in response to the dozens of deaths and hundreds of injuries linked to the use of these cribs.

However, it could be a while before we have a complete ban on these dangerous cribs in place. In the meantime, millions of these cribs continue to be sold, gifted, or used in homes, hotels and day care centers. If you already have a drop side crib, and don't want to dispose of it soon, there may be ways that you can use it safely.

Whether it's a drop side crib or a fixed side crib you are buying, make sure that the crib is steady and well constructed. Give the crib a good shake right at the store. If it seems wobbly, shaky or unsteady, look for another crib.

Never buy used cribs or hand-me-downs. Older cribs don't come with many of the safety features that newer cribs have. Besides, it's going to be hard for you to find out whether these older cribs were ever involved in the recall. However, if buying a brand-new crib is not an option, make sure that the used crib you buy. has all parts in place.

Inspect the crib every time you change the sheets. Look for missing bolts and nuts, loose joints and other features that can alert you to a problem. Many of the cribs that were involved in the recent massive recalls were assembled. The problem with assembled cribs is that if the manufacturer’s instructions are not followed properly, it may create suffocation and entrapment hazards that could have lethal consequences for your baby. Follow all instructions while assembling the crib. If you have doubts, call the manufacturer or visit their website to find out how to assemble the crib.

Never try do-it-yourself repairs of your crib at home. If the thought of assembling a crib is intimidating, spend a little more money to buy a fully assembled preassembled crib. These are now becoming more popular, because of all the bad press associated with cribs that require assembling.

The Indiana product liability attorneys at Theodoros and Rooth represent victims injured by defective products around the state of Indiana.

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August 11, 2010

NHTSA Investigating 3 Million Jeep Cherokees for Gas Tank Explosion Hazards

More than 3 million Jeep grand Cherokees have come under the scanner at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The federal agency is investigating whether the design and placement of the gas tank in the Cherokees, increase the risks of a gas tank explosion and fire during impact.

The agency is specifically looking at more than a dozen incidents in which the gas tank of the Grand Cherokee caught fire after an accident. In the early stages of the investigation, the agency will focus on accidents that have resulted in 13 fatalities. However, there are other fatal crashes that have involved Jeep Grand Cherokees and gas tank fires.

The Center for Auto Safety a nonprofit auto safety group had petitioned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to begin an investigation into the placement and design of the fuel tank. According to the Center for Auto City, the plastic fuel tank in the Cherokee is placed below the rear bumper and behind the rear axle. This makes it especially vulnerable to damage and possible rupture, during an accident. The Center for Auto Safety also alleges that the gas tank is made of a plastic material that is not protected from puncture. The auto safety group informed the NHTSA that its own data from the NHTSA fatality analysis reporting system shows a total of 172 fatal accidents and 254 fatalities involving Cherokees that resulted in fires.

Even a layperson would admit that the possibility of a gas tank explosion and fire after an accident in the Grand Cherokee is one with potentially lethal consequences for the occupants of the car. The last time we had a major nationwide crisis with exploding gas tanks was in the 70s, when hundreds of people were injured and many killed in gas tank fires during accidents involving Ford Pinto vehicles.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration currently says there is no information to indicate that the Jeep Grand Cherokee has a higher risk of bursting into flames after an accident compared to other vehicles. However, only a complete investigation will tell.

The Indiana product liability attorneys at Theodoros and Rooth represent victims injured by defective products around the state of Indiana.

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June 30, 2010

Children's Products Now Come with Registration Card to Inform Parents of Recalls

An entire range of children's products must now come with registration cards that will allow the manufacturer of the product to contact the parents in case of a recall. The rule is one of the provisions of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008, and went into effect this week.

The lack of a registration card has made it harder for manufacturers to send out recall information to parents as quickly as possible. The Consumer Product Safety Commission and manufacturers may announce a recall to the media, but very often, parents continue to remain unaware of recalls. With a product registration card, the company will have access to consumer information, and can contact them to inform them about a recall. This enhances the power of a recall, and increases parents response to a recall notice.

The cards will soon be required with a number of products including
• Play yards
• Cribs
• Toddler beds
• Swings
• Stationary activity centers
• Highchairs
• booster shares
• Bassinets
• Strollers
• Walkers
• Baby carriers
• Baby slings

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has failed to require such cards for all children's products. However, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has required product registration cards for child car safety seats for years now. That's the reason why child safety seat recalls have a better response rate than other recalls.

Indiana product liability attorneys, child safety groups and consumer advocates believe that extending the product registration card requirement to a larger number of children's products, will keep parents better informed and children safer. Parents are required to register the product with the manufacturer, and this will allow the company to immediately contact the parent if there's a recall.

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March 18, 2010

One Million Baby Slings Recalled after 3 Infant Suffocation Deaths

Parents who use two models of Infantino baby slings have been requested to get these replaced for free after the Consumer Product Safety Commission was able to confirm three infant deaths from suffocation linked to these slings.

The CPSC request is part of a recall announcement involving more than 1 million baby slings manufactured by Infantino. The slings that are being recalled are the Wendy Bellissimo and the Sing Rider models. . Parents are advised not to use these slings for infants below four months of age. They can contact the company for a free replacement. The call comes just a few days after the CPSC issued a warning about the dangers of placing infants in the fashionable slings.

Slings made of soft fabric have become very popular in recent years, and are increasingly preferred to strollers. Fans of the slings claim these help babies sleep better, soothe them, and keep them healthier. However, bag-style slings have come under a lot of scrutiny as they have been linked to the deaths of at least three infants from suffocation. These bag-style slings seem to be especially risky when used to carry newborn babies, whose heads can fall forward onto their chests. Slings have also been linked to several reports of fall accidents after babies fell off the slings.

As Indiana product liability lawyers, we would advise parents not to use these slings for

Babies below four months of age
Premature babies
Babies suffering from respiratory problems

If you already own one of these Infantino slings, get a free replacement from Infantino. We also plan to blog some more about this issue, as more updates become available about the safety issues linked with these baby slings.

The Indiana product liability attorneys at Theodoros &Rooth represent injured victims of defective products, including defective automobiles, defective cribs, toys and other children's products, defective drugs and medical devices, across Indiana.


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February 27, 2010

Toyota Hearings Reveal Multitude of Problems at NHTSA

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has long been criticized by product liability lawyers in Indiana and around the country for its failure to come down stronger on automakers who refuse to admit to auto defects. This criticism has become stronger as hearings into Toyota’s failures continue in Washington DC this week.

The hearing saw family members of victims who died in crashes involving Toyota vehicles, as well as Toyota chief Akio Toyoda testifying before a House committee set up to look into the recent massive recalls announced by the company. What the crisis has also done is increase scrutiny of the NHTSA. One victim’s family member criticized the agency openly for its failure to keep Toyota in check. As we know now, the agency had plenty of opportunity to investigate the complaints of unintended acceleration involving Toyota vehicles when they first began to surface several years ago. Complaints had been trickling in since 2002. An investigation by the NHTSA did not reveal defects that were substantial enough to announce a recall, and the NHTSA let the matter lie.

The agency was shaken out of its complacency in August of 2009 after a crash in California involving a Toyota Lexus, killed four people. The crash was traced to defective or incompatible floor mats in the Lexus, which Toyota said, caused the accelerator pedal to jam. The company reacted quickly with a massive recall, and a public apology by Akio Toyoda.

If Toyoda believed the apology and the recall would end matters right there, he was wrong. Since the San Diego crash brought the unintended acceleration problem sharply into the international limelight, other Toyota owners who have experienced the problem themselves, have been coming out with their stories.

Meanwhile, the automaker has said that repairs its engineers had developed to deal with the acceleration problem, may not be the permanent solution that Toyota owners and Indiana product liability lawyers were hoping for.

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January 31, 2010

Toyota Product Liability Nightmare Continues, Halts Manufacture, Sales of Several Models Due to Safety Risks

A few days after Toyota Motor Company announced an extended recall for unintended acceleration issues in some of its vehicles, the company said that it would stop manufacture and sales of several of its models that had been linked to the acceleration safety issues. Production of eight models, including the Corolla and the Camry will be stopped, while Toyota tries to understand the reason for the acceleration, and develops solutions for it.

There is more bad news for Toyota. Consumer Reports magazine has withdrawn its recommendations for 8 Toyota vehicles that have been linked to the jammed acceleration pedals. Consumer Reports says that the massive recalls of the vehicles are behind its decision to withdraw its recommendations. According to Consumer Reports, although the episodes of sudden acceleration are rare, it was withdrawing its recommendations because thus far, Toyota has not been able to find a solution to the problem.

The Consumer Reports decision is the latest drawback for the automaker in a series, which began with a devastating accident in California that was later found linked to a jammed accelerator. Other Toyota owners had reported earlier that their cars began to accelerate suddenly without any input from the driver. But, there had been no major injuries or accidents related to such acceleration, until August when the California crash made headlines internationally.

All this has caused great concern to Toyota owners in Indiana, many of who have no choice but to continue driving these cars, while the automaker grapples with this problem. It could be weeks or months before Toyota finds a solution to the acceleration problem, and until then, owners of the vehicles that have been included in the recall and Indiana product liability attorneys will have to wait patiently for answers.

The Indiana product liability lawyers at Theodoros and Rooth represent victims injured by the use of defective automobiles and other products.

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December 22, 2009

Indiana Product Alert: Millions of Window Blinds, Roman Shades Recalled for Strangulation Hazards

The Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Window Coverings Safety Council, a group of manufacturers and importers of window coverings has announced a recall of 50 million Roman shades and blinds because of their risk of strangulation hazards. The recall comes after 8 strangulation deaths of children linked to entanglement in shades and blinds, and at least 16 other incidents where children got entangled, and were at risk of strangulation.

The recall is the second largest in US history and involves more than 50 million shades and roll up blinds sold at Wal-Mart, Pottery Barn and several of the country’s biggest retailers. The CPSC and the Window Coverings Safety Council is recommending that families with children should avoid rollup blinds and window shades, and have cordless window shades instead. The CPSC is encouraging parents to either get cordless coverings, or ask for a free repair kit to secure the existing coverings.

It’s important that parents be alert to the possible hazards from dangling cords. We don’t think of window shades and Venetian blinds as being dangerous, but there have been far too many instances of children getting entangled in the cords, and being strangled to death. It is clear that whatever existing safety standards are being used to manufacture these shades and blinds, they are simply not strong enough to protect children. The CPSC chairwoman Inez Tenenbaum has confirmed as much. She says her agency is working with the Window Coverings Safety Council to develop stronger standards for these products.

The CPSC is encouraging parents to have a close look at all shades and blinds at home, to ensure that there are no cords accessible on the front, side or back of the window covering
Place cribs and other baby furniture away from windows, so children can’t access the cords
Tuck away loose cords, so children can’t reach them. If your shades come with looped chains or cords, install tension devices to stretch the cord and reduce the strangulation hazard.

The Indiana product liability lawyers at Theodoros & Rooth represent victims injured by defective products including, toys, cribs, car seats and other children’s products, auto defects, and unsafe pharmaceutical drugs and medical devices. .

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November 26, 2009

Indiana Product Liability Lawyers Discuss Safety of Drop Side Cribs

As Indiana product liability lawyers, we are worried about the increasing hazards linked to drop side cribs. These cribs have been linked to several incidents of suffocation and entrapment, contributing to multiple fatalities.

This week, the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a recall of 2.1 million drop side cribs manufactured by Stork Craft Manufacturing Inc. The CPSC has asked parents to stop using the Stork Craft cribs and make alternative sleeping arrangement for their babies. According to the CPSC, the problem is a familiar one - the drop side can detach unexpectedly, generating a gap between the wall and mattress, where an infant can easily become trapped and suffocated. There have been 110 incidents of such detachment of the drop side, of which 67 events occurred in the US. Out of these, four infants suffocated to death, and 20 infants fell from the crib, suffering bumps and concussions.

The Stork recall is the largest involving cribs, but it’s the most recent in a series of recalls involving defective drop side cribs. This year alone, there have been several recalls involving these drop side dropsied cribs.

1. In January, 535,000 Stork Craft cribs were recalled.
2. In October this year, Delta Enterprise recalled 600,000 recalls cribs due to suffocation hazards.
3. In July, 400,000 Simplicity drop side cribs were recalled after multiple infant fatalities.

As Indiana product liability attorneys, we are concerned about the frequency with which drop side cribs seem to feature in reports of falls, suffocations, entrapments, and consequently, recalls. Child safety groups are already calling for a ban on drop side cribs. Toys R Us says that it may stop ordering drop side cribs, and may even stop stocking these by the end of 2009. In Suffolk County, NY, there is now a ban on the sale of drop side cribs.

So how unsafe are these cribs? It’s definitely reason to wonder when we see the same styles of cribs subject to recalls for the same types of defects and causing similar injuries. For starters, we would like to see more coordination between the Consumer Product Safety Commission and crib manufacturers and importers about safety standards. Stricter rules have to be set to prevent such accidental detachments that seem to occur so frequently now.

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November 18, 2009

Indiana Product Liability Lawyers Recommend Resources for Safe Toxin-Free Toys this Holiday Season

It’s that time of the year when we have to make some very important decisions - buying the perfect holiday gift for the children in your life. Across Indiana, parents and relatives will begin looking for the perfect gift for their kids. Unfortunately, shopping for toys is not the easy hassle-free process it used to be. With 80 percent of toys sold in the US manufactured outside the country, and the revelation of lead content in several popular toys from Mattel and other companies, buying a toy is not just about how much a child will enjoy it, but also how safe it is.

As Indiana product liability lawyers and parents ourselves, we’re constantly looking for resources that can help parents make smart and informed choices while shopping for their kids. We came across this comprehensive safe shopping list on CNet News, which provides parents the tools they need to make a safe decision.

At the top of the list is, not surprisingly, the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The CPSC has come under fire from Indiana product liability lawyers and child safety advocates for its failure to crack down on companies selling defective and hazardous toys. However, the agency’s website is a terrific source of information for parents who want to know if the toys they are considering have been recalled for safety reasons. The website features information and pictures of recalled toys, which may continue to be available on store shelves and online stores for weeks after a recall is announced.

GoodGuide rates toys and several other consumer products for harmful chemicals including lead and mercury. The rating system ranges from green which is the safest rating, to red which indicates that the toy has high levels of lead and other chemicals, and should be avoided.

For those who prefer their toys 100 percent free of chemicals, GreenToys offers a wide range of 100 percent safe toys. .

HealthyStuff is a resource that allows buyers to look for products by name, brand or category and read reviews. Your can find health ratings for a large number of toys, helping you avoid those that have a high toxin content.

As Indiana product liability attorneys and parents, we are particularly impressed with MomsRising, an effective and efficient tool that allows parents to conveniently find out the chemical content level of a toy via cell phone. Simply send MomsRising a text message with the name of the toy, and you will receive a message with information about the chemical content of that particular toy. The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act made it harder for manufacturers, importers and distributors to shirk liability for defective toys by setting down strict lead content standards and imposing heavy penalties for violations. The law is still in its infancy, and we will have to wait to see if it really does help keep defective toys off the market.

In the meantime, these healthy toy resources will help you make safe and smart choices.

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November 11, 2009

Indiana Product Liability Lawyers have Question for Maclaren after Massive Stroller Recall

Maclaren is a name that’s probably more familiar to Indiana parents than product liability lawyers. These expensive, sturdy-looking strollers have been the preferred choice for millions of parents around the country, who have depended on these to cart their little bundles of joy everywhere. This week however, there was major cause for concern after Maclaren USA announced that it was recalling about a million baby strollers because of the risk of finger amputations.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, Maclaren USA has received at least 15 reports of children placing their fingers in the stroller hinge mechanism. In at least 12 those cases, the children got their finger tips amputated or suffered other finger injuries when the stroller was folded or opened up. The CPSC has asked consumers to stop using these strollers immediately, and contact the company for a free repair kit that will fix the hinge problem.

As Indiana product liability lawyers, we would like to ask the one burning question that parents around the country want to know from the stroller manufacturer - Why did the company wait until it found out about 12 injured children to get its strollers of the market?

We may not get any answers from Maclaren anytime soon. The company seems to have its hands full dealing with frantic parents who have crashed the company’s website and overloaded its toll free number, seeking answers to their stroller queries. The company is also dealing with an international backslash from customers in the UK, Canada and Australia who want to know why the strollers are not being recalled in their countries too.

It seems negligent that the company waited for 12 children to have their fingertips sliced off before taking any action. Even if Maclaren assumed that parents were not likely to allow their children to place their fingers in the hinge mechanism, they should have allowed for the exuberance of kids, and children being taken out by older siblings or grandparents, who might not be able to keep a firm hand on the child.

The Indiana product liability attorneys at Theodoros & Rooth represent victims injured by the use of defective products in Merrillville, and around the state of Indiana.

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November 5, 2009

NHTSA Rebukes Toyota for Misleading Statement about Defects in 3.5 Million Recalled Vehicles

As Indiana product liability lawyers, we have been concerned about the uncontrolled acceleration defect in Toyota vehicles that has already led to the death of 4 people in a Lexus crash, and the recall of 3.5 million vehicles. The automaker this week issued a statement that sought to suggest that the NHTSA had found no defect relating to the accelerator in some of its cars, and was almost immediately rebuked by the NHTSA for suggesting that the agency had given it a clean chit over the defect.

The agency has at least eight times investigated Toyota over complaints that the cars were prone to sudden and unintended acceleration. In at least two of those investigations, the agency announced recall of several Toyota models. In the remaining investigations, the agency cited insufficient evidence to show that the vehicles were prone to unintended acceleration. But it did conclude that there were design problems including throttle control issues, in several models that could contribute to unintended acceleration.

All these concerns were amplified in August of this year, when four members of the same California family died when their Lexus accelerated to excessive speeds and crashed. 911 calls made from the car showed that the gas pedal had jammed in the minuets before the crash. Then followed a massive recall of 3.5 million vehicles for, what Toyota called, floor mat compatibility issues. Toyota blamed the accident on the use of floor mats that were not compatible with the Lexus. It this week released a statement saying the agency had confirmed that there were no defects in the recalled vehicles. The agency has rapped Toyota saying that the automaker needs to figure out the cause of the problem, and devise solutions for this.

Millions of people in Indiana drive Toyota's vehicles. The automaker needs to figure out where the problem lies - floor mat incompatibility, push button ignition, or electronic throttle – and come clean about these. There are far too many incidents of uncontrolled acceleration for Toyota to dismiss these anymore.

The Indiana product liability attorneys at Theodoros & Rooth represent victims injured fro defective products in Merrillville and around the state of Indiana.


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