Product Defect Liability Lawyer Blog

A 1993 Chevrolet Blazer with all its occupants from Chowchilla, traveling on Road 16 near the Madera area, overturned and crashed when it blew a tire, according to an article in The Merced Sun-Star.

The Merced auto accident happened on May 18th and killed Martha Alicia Vazquez-Meza, 38, and an 11-year-old boy, while seriously injuring driver Javier L. Vasquez, 40, and another boy Javier M. Vasquez, 7. An earlier report said the tread of the left rear tire separated causing the Blazer to overturn. California Highway Patrol has ruled out alcohol as a factor in this SUV wreck.

Sadly this reminds me of another crash which occurred under very similar circumstances about a year ago on Route 152. That accident involved a Chevrolet Blazer as well, and it crashed when its right rear tire tread separated causing the driver to lose control.
Tire separation is a growing problem - and one that has devastating consequences in any auto accident, especially when you consider that safety experts now believe that even a six-year-old tire can fail this way.

Continue reading " Chevy Truck Accident in Madera Kills Two " »

Pharmaceutical giant, Merck, has agreed to pay out $58 million as part of a multi-state settlement in connection with allegations that its aggressive advertising campaign for its defective drug Vioxx, deceptively understated the health risks associated with the use of the drug. According to a business news report Merck will also be required to submit all new commercials for its drugs to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The civil settlement marks the conclusion of investigations by 29 states and the District of Columbia into the pharmaceutical company’s advertising strategies and practices. Vioxx, a popular painkiller, was pulled off the market in 2004 after patients complained of serious side effects including stroke and death. These adverse effects highlighted the drug’s defects and prompted a wave of personal injury lawsuits against Merck. A pending $4.85 billion settlement, if approved, will put an end to a majority of those lawsuits.

Merck’s deceptive, aggressive direct-to-television advertising campaign was so effective that hundreds of thousands of patients requested the drug before their doctors could know or understand the true side effects associated with its prolonged use. Vioxx was taken off the market in 2004 after research showed it doubled the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Continue reading " Manufacturer Of Defective Drug Vioxx Settles Advertising Case " »

William Finley’s parents can probably now see some sort of future for their boy and worry a tad less. In a recent Sacramento Bee news article posted on the web, the toy manufacturer Rose Art Industries settled a lawsuit for over $1 million involving its “Magnetix” brand toy that had injured 4-year old William.

Apparently, two small and separate pieces of powerful magnets from the defective product had attached themselves within the boy’s pelvis after having been ingested. The combined pieces had to be surgically removed but not before causing lasting damage to William. He’ll have to live with abdominal pain and be on a special diet for the rest of his life among other complications.

The Sacramento federal court said there was inadequate labeling on the toy with no indication of the danger posed because of the foreseeable attaching of the pieces to each other even if ingested.

Continue reading " Defective Toy Injury Results In Product Liability Settlement " »