Product Defect Liability Lawyer Blog

California-based Season Produce Inc. has recalled its Roasted & Salted Pistachios and Raw Shelled 80 percent Whole Pistachios for possible salmonella poisoning. According to Consumeraffair.com, the salmonella-tainted pistachios were shipped from Setton Pistachios of Terra Bella, which was at the center of a massive product recall of the salmonella contaminated nuts. The recalled pistachios were available from Season Produce for cash and carry and shipped to food service distributors in Los Angeles. The affected products include: 5-pound Roasted & Salted Shelled Pistachios in a Wild Rose Label Box (lot numbers 775 and 6990). It also includes lot numbers 3672, 3399, 3288, 3905, 4421, 4536, 5970 and 6010.

These pistachios are possibly contaminated with salmonella, a bacterium that can cause serious and potentially fatal infections particularly in young children, frail or elderly people and others with weakened immune systems. However, Bisnar | Chase has represented victims of salmonella poisoning, who were perfectly strong and healthy before the onset of the infection and then suffered the debilitating effects of the poisoning. Healthy people can certainly get infected with salmonella. Symptoms include fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and severe abdominal pain. In rare cases, the bacteria can get into the body's blood stream affecting the vital organs.

Continue reading " Salmonella Poisoning: Tainted Pistachios Shipped to Los Angeles Recalled " »

Three people were personally injured in a motor vehicle defect accident due to a tire tread separation defect. The passengers where injured in the rollover accident after a minivan carrying a driver and four farm workers in Taft, California, overturned and crashed the afternoon of May 27, 2009, the Taft Midway Driller reports. California Highway Patrol officials said the accident occurred when the tread separated from the left rear tire of the minivan causing the van to go off onto the right shoulder. The driver then overcorrected and the van went across the roadway and overturned landing on its roof at the base of an embankment. The three injured men were taken to area hospitals. One passenger was uninjured. However, the driver fled the scene after the California car accident. He is being sought on felony hit-and-run charges.

It is indeed fortunate that no one suffered fatal personal injuries in this minivan rollover accident. I wish the three injured victims the very best for a quick and complete recovery. I also hope the driver is apprehended not only because he committed a crime by leaving the scene of the car crash, but his testimony can help investigators determine the facts of the case.

Continue reading " Tire Tread Separation Defect Causes California Minivan Rollover Accident " »

The E. coli food borne illness death of a 7-year-old girl in Cleveland has been linked to E. coli-tainted beef, which was recalled about a week ago. Valley Meats of Coal Valley recalled close to 100,000 pounds of ground beef patties tainted with E. coli last week. The recalled brands involve 3S, Grillmaster, J & B, Klub, Thick 'N Savory and Ultimate. Three people in the Cleveland area are said to be recovering from food poisoning illnesses linked to the same E. coli contaminated beef. Health department investigators are looking into whether the beef was distributed to grocery stores or exclusively to restaurants. Many reports of illnesses have also come from Pennsylvania and Illinois, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Web site.

This food-borne illness was initially discovered through an epidemiological investigation of illnesses. Officials were alerted on May 13, 2009 to a cluster of E. coli O157: H7 infections in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Illinois. This particular strain of E. coli bacteria is a potentially lethal bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration and in the most severe cases, kidney failure. Very young people, persons with a weak immune system and the elderly are the most susceptible to food-borne illnesses.

Continue reading " E. Coli Food Borne Illness Found In Beef Linked to Child's Death " »

A defective product by Gothic Cabinet Craft Inc. is being recalled. The product recall includes about 1,500 of the company's twin, twin extra-large and twin over full bunk beds in cooperation with U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) because of a fall, entrapment and strangulation hazard. According to a CPSC alert, these defective bunk beds do not have sufficient headboards, footboards or guardrails and have gaps between parts of the upper bunk that could allow a child's body to pass through, but not a child's head. These bunk beds essentially pose a fall, entrapment and strangulation hazard to children and violate the spacing requirements of the federal bunk bed safety standard.

So far no personal injuries or fatalities have been reported as a result of these recalled bunk beds. Both the metal and wooden variety are being recalled. The bunk bed styles include dark oak, metal and solid pine. Others come with six drawers as part of the base. The recalled beds, manufactured in the United States, were sold in retail stores from June 2000 through October 2008 for between $225 and $850.

Continue reading " Defective Product: Defective Bunk Beds Recalled for Entrapment Hazard " »

A 9-year-old girl was killed in a Lake Forest car accident on May 24, 2009 after the Chevrolet Tahoe she was a passenger in spun out of control and struck a light pole. According to an article in The Orange County Register, a BMW clipped the Tahoe in the rear as the cars were traveling in the same direction on El Toro Road near Pino. The 9-year-old girl, whose name has not been released, was reported to have been ejected from the Tahoe. Orange County Sheriff's Department officials said the fatal car accident occurred when both drivers were trying to make a lane change.

The girl died at the scene. Both drivers apparently tested below the legal limit for alcohol. The girl was in the Tahoe with her aunt's friend, who was driving at the time. The driver of the BMW sustained minor personal injuries.

My heart goes out to the family of this little girl for their sudden, tragic and heartbreaking loss. I offer my deepest sympathies to them. Please keep them in your prayers.

According to California Highway Patrol's 2007 Statewide Integrated Traffic Reporting System, there was one fatality and 211 injuries involving car accidents in Lake Forest. In Orange County as a whole, there were 178 fatalities and 14,185 injuries as a result of car collisions in 2007.

Continue reading " Orange County Car Accident Kills 9-year-old Girl " »

Raptiva brain damage attorneys have continued to see new causes of the drug's side effects. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently recalled the popular psoriasis drug Raptiva because it was linked to progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, a debilitating condition, which causes deterioration of the nervous system and irreversible brain damage. This is often fatal and so far three Raptiva patients have reportedly died as a result of these serious drug side effects.

What is PML? According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), PML is caused by the reactivation of a common virus in the central nervous system in patients with weakened immune systems. The symptoms of PML are the result of an infection that causes the loss of white matter, which is made up of myelin, a substance that surrounds and protects the nerve fibers in multiple areas of the brain. Without the protection of myelin, nerve signals cannot travel successfully from the brain to the rest of the body.

Continue reading " Raptiva Brain Damage Attorneys: PML is Fatal and Irreversible " »

Norco is recalling about 3,600 defective bicycles because their frame can crack and separate causing riders to fall and get injured. According to a news report in Consumeraffairs.com, Norco has so far received one report of a rider who fractured a collar bone after falling from the defective bicycle.

The recalled bicycle frames include: 2007 Team DH, 2008 Team DH, Aline Park, Aline, Atomik, Shore 1,2,3, 2009 Atomik. All colors are included in this product recall and the name of the model is printed on a decal on the top tube of teach frame. The bicycles were made in Taiwan and sold at various bicycle distributors nationwide from September 2006 through February 2009 for between $2,000 and $7,000.

Anyone who owns one of these defective bikes is asked to stop using them and contact a Norco dealer or Norco directly for information about getting a possible replacement frame. For more information call 1-800-663-8916.

Continue reading " Defective Bicycle Frames Recalled " »

Sheri Byars, 48, of Garden Grove was killed in a Westminster rollover car accident on the 405 Freeway in Westminster the night of May 16, 2009 after she was rear-ended by another driver, The Orange County Register reports. California Highway Patrol officials say Byars was driving a Chevy Astro van and had not yet merged into the 405 lanes when a Nissan Sentra driven by Nancy Marie Carels struck the van from behind.

Byars suffered major personal injuries including a skull fracture. She died in the hospital two days after the car accident. CHP officials say alcohol or drugs were not involved. They are still looking into how or why the car collision occurred and who is at fault. Byars' van that was struck from behind, hit a raised median and then rolled several times before coming to rest on its wheels in the northbound lanes of the 405 Freeway. Carels was not personally injured in the car accident. Two passengers in Byars' van ages 17 and 22 suffered injuries, but they were not life-threatening.

I offer my deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Sheri Byars. My heart goes out to everyone who knew and loved this woman. Please keep them in your prayers.

Continue reading " Orange County Rollover Accident Kills One " »

Raptiva recall lawyers continue to see the defective drugs effect. Gloria, a nurse from Memphis, Tennessee, talks about her Raptiva side effects in an article in Lawyers and Settlements. Gloria has been a registered nurse for 30 years. When she was prescribed the drug Raptiva for severe psoriasis, Gloria says it "worked like a charm." She stayed on Raptiva for four years and then the troubling side effects began. The muscle aches, back pains and nervous disorders were unlike any before and Gloria immediately associated them with Raptiva. She even had to use a walker for a while because of the neurological problems.

And then, last month, she got a call from her doctor saying that she needed to get off Raptiva -- that there was this severe neurological defect -- a brain damage disease called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) -- associated with Raptiva. Once you get PML, you go nowhere but down, Gloria's doctor told her.

This made Gloria mad, understandably so. It further aggravated her when she heard from a pharmacist that the drug company, Genentech, knew about these defective drug side effects from clinical trial overseas. They knew about the negative findings, but never shared that information here in the United States. Patients also say that there are no prominent warnings of any side effects in the literature provided with the prescription drug.

Continue reading " Raptiva Recall Lawyers: Drug Linked To Brain Damage in Psoriasis Patients " »

An 86-year-old man died in a fatal Orange County car accident on May 16, 2009 after his sedan hit another vehicle on the 55 Freeway in Orange and overturned several times down an embankment, ejecting the motorist into a nearby parking lot. According to an article in The Orange County Register, the fatal rollover accident occurred on the southbound 55 south of Lincoln Avenue when the Yorba Linda man, driving a 1998 Honda, tried to change lanes and struck a 2005 Ford driven by a 22-year-old Anaheim man, California Highway Patrol officials said. The driver of the Ford was not personally injured. The elderly driver of the Honda has not yet been identified.

I offer my deepest sympathies to the family of this deceased victim who died in this horrific car accident. Please keep them in your prayers. I'm relieved that the other driver was not injured in this Orange County car collision.

According to California Highway Patrol's 2007 Statewide Integrated Traffic Reporting System, there were 10 fatalities and 814 injuries relating to car accidents in the city of Orange. In Orange County as a whole, 178 deaths and 14,185 personal injuries were reported as a result of car accidents in 2007.

Continue reading " Orange County Car Accident Is Fatal After Car Rolls Over " »

Hydroxycut recall lawyers have been notified of the recent dietary supplement defects. The recent recall of dietary supplement Hydroxycut, which has been linked to serious liver damage among users, has prompted the call for a review of regulations governing dietary supplements in the United States. According to a recent news report, an anti-obesity group called Reality Coalition is asking Congress to protect consumers by taking a closer look at the current Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA). The group would like to increase the regulatory bar for weight loss supplement manufacturers to be accountable for the safety and efficacy of their products. Apparently, Hydroxycut is the latest in a string of problematic weight loss supplements that have caused adverse side effects.

Earlier this month, 14 different products in the Hydroxycut line were recalled by the supplement's manufacturer, Iovate Health Sciences, after a number of reports from consumers stating they suffered serious liver damage as a result of using Hydroxycut. So far, one death has been linked to Hydroxycut use. Hydroxycut has been aggressively marketed and has found millions of buyers worldwide. In the United States alone, more than 9 million packages of the product were sold in 2008.

Continue reading " Hydroxycut Recall Lawyers: Better Regulation of Dietary Supplements Necessary " »

A 22-year-old Montclair man suffered major injuries in a San Bernardino rollover accident the morning of May 13, 2009. According to a news report in the San Bernardino Sun, the driver was in a Toyota PreRunner heading west on the 10 Freeway near Central Avenue when he lost control and the vehicle rolled over. He was ejected from the Toyota and thrown onto the roadway. The victim was taken to an area hospital with serious personal injuries, California Highway Patrol officials said.

My heart goes out to this young man and his family. I hope and pray that he makes a full and complete recovery from this San Bernardino rollover accident. Please keep him in your prayers.

According to the California's 2007 Statewide Integrated Traffic Reporting System, there were five fatal car accidents and 313 accidents involving personal injuries, in Montclair. In San Bernardino County as a whole, 308 fatalities and 9,920 injuries were reported in 2007 as a result of car accidents.

In this case, based on the newspaper report, it is not clear why the man lost control of the Toyota pickup truck. There may have been many reasons why that could have happened such as driver error, a mechanical problem, a car product defect or a dangerous roadway. However, the other question is that why the man was ejected from the pickup. The article does not say that the man was not wearing his seatbelt. If I were a family member I would want to know whether his seat restraint system was working and whether his major injuries occurred because he was ejected and got thrown on the roadway.

Continue reading " San Bernardino Rollover Accident Injures Man " »

Carlos Mora, 20, a student at the College of the Desert's Public Safety Academy, suffered severe burn injuries the afternoon of May 10, 2009 after a vehicle he was in exploded, The Desert Sun reports. Mora was inside the vehicle when it exploded. The car apparently caught fire while it was stationary and Mora got out before it was destroyed by flames. Mora suffered first- and second-degree burns and is being treated for the non-life-threatening personal injuries, Riverside County Sheriff's Department officials said.

It is indeed fortunate that Mora did not suffer catastrophic or fatal injuries in this serious explosion and car fire. His injuries, although not catastrophic, appear to be rather severe. I can only imagine the pain and suffering this young man must be going through. Please keep Carlos Mora and his family in your prayers. I wish him the very best for a quick and complete recovery from his serious burn injuries.

If I were a member of Carlos Mora's family, I would be very curious to find out what went wrong here? How could an explosion such as this occur at the Public Safety Academy? According to their Web site, the Academy provides training to those in the fields of criminal justice, law enforcement and fire safety. Obviously, something went wrong with the car. It's not clear what Mora was doing in the car when it exploded. The explosion may have occurred because of a mechanical problem or a car product defect. Mora may have been involved in an exercise for which he did not have adequate training. Whatever the reason, there is no question that it is the college's responsibility to provide a safe learning environment for their students.

Continue reading " Student Suffers Serious Burn Injuries at Safety Academy " »

We have been reporting about the Hydroxycut recall of more than a dozen Hydroxycut weight loss supplements, which are apparently causing serious liver damage among users. Among the Hydroxycut products recalled are weight loss supplements, fat burners, energy enhancers, low-carb diet aids and water loss aids. Many experts and consumer safety advocates say that the problem with Hydroxycut and other diet aids is that unlike pharmaceuticals, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not regulate supplements. There are no guidelines, procedures, policies or test results that a company has to go through to put these weight loss products on the market.

It's going to take a class-action lawsuit to stop the sale of these dangerous, unregulated supplements. There are already many of these class-action lawsuits brewing across the country. Bisnar | Chase has also received calls and inquiries from victims and their families on how to go about pursuing their legal options. It is important that consumers protect their rights. If you have suffered liver damage or other serious side effects as a result of taking Hydroxycut, please contact reputed product liability law firms that can help hold these defective product manufacturers accountable.

I've always found it appalling that dietary supplements are not tested for dangerous ingredients that might endanger lives. Prescription drugs must go through rigorous testing to get FDA approval before they can be sold, as they should. However, these supplements are not tested or approved by the FDA. So in the case of Hydroxycut, we actually had to wait until 23 personal injuries and one death were reported. Now lawyers who take on these cases will go out and do the research to prove that the problem was the product to start with.

Continue reading " Hydroxycut Recall: Hydroxycut Class Action Lawsuits Brewing " »

Hydroxycut recall lawyers have noted government health officials who are sending out strong warnings to dieters and body builders to immediately stop using Hydroxycut, a widely sold dietary supplement that has been linked to serious liver damage and at least one death, according to an Associated Press news report. The company that manufactures Hydroxycut has recalled 14 of its products after 23 reports of liver damage and one death of a 19-year-old boy, who died in 2007 after taking Hydroxycut. Apparently, the patients who suffered liver damage were otherwise perfectly healthy until they started using Hydroxycut.

However, Iovate Health Sciences, the manufacturer of Hydroxycut has stated that the death of the teenager in 2007 was not caused by Hydroxycut. In fact, the company claims that the "adverse events" reported are minuscule compared to the large number of people who have used and benefited from the drug Hydroxycut. Last year alone, 9 million packages of the dietary supplements were sold. Hydroxycut is advertised and marketed as a dietary supplement made with natural ingredients. Iovate officials say that their assessment of the drug's side effects is very different from that of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Unfortunately, no one really knows how many have been affected by this defective drug.

There is no question that dietary supplements fall through the crack when it comes to regulation. Dietary supplement manufacturers do not have to undergo a rigorous FDA screening process as other medications. However, in recent years, companies have been put under stricter requirements to alert the FDA when they learn of problems. In 2004, the government banned ephedra, an ingredient in many dietary supplements, which was linked to heart attacks, seizures and strokes. The problem is that the FDA relies on voluntary reports to get a grip on these problems and many cases are never reported.

Continue reading " Hydroxycut Recall Lawyers: Many May Have Suffered Harmful Hydroxycut Effects " »

A man was killed in an Orange rollover accident the morning of May 8, 2009 on the 241 toll road near Santiago Canyon Road, The Orange County Register reports. California Highway Patrol officials said the white Honda Accord rolled over several times, ended up in the center median and caught fire. The driver, who was the sole occupant of the car, was partially ejected from the car and pronounced dead at the scene. The driver has not yet been identified.

I offer my deepest condolences to the family and friends of this fatal car accident victim for their tragic and heartbreaking loss. My heart goes out everyone who knew and loved this man. Please keep them in your prayers.

According to the California Highway Patrol's 2007 traffic accident statistics, there were 10 deaths and 814 injuries involving car accidents in Orange. In Orange County, there were 178 fatalities and 14,185 injuries involving car accidents in 2007. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that on an average about 10,000 people die in rollover crashes in the United States each year.

Continue reading " Orange County Rollover Accident Kills Man " »

Two women suffered injuries in a Riverside rollover accident after a van collided with a car while making a turn, The Desert Sun reports. Cathedral City police officials say that the Cathedral City car accident occurred when a Mazda MPV minivan traveling east on Ortega Drive the afternoon of May 6, 2009 made a left turn in front of a Chrysler Le Baron at the intersection of Cathedral Canyon Drive and Ortega Road. The minivan apparently halted at the stop sign and then made the left turn into the path of the Le Baron. The Le Baron broadsided the minivan, which flipped and landed upside down on its roof trapping the female driver. She was trapped for 10 to 15 minutes before she was extricated by Cathedral City firefighters. Both drivers were taken to a local hospital with personal injuries.

I'm relieved that neither driver suffered major personal injuries in this car accident. I wish them both the very best for a quick and complete recovery.

According to California Highway Patrol's 2007 Statewide Integrated Traffic Reporting System, there were seven fatalities and 126 injuries involving car crashes in Cathedral City. In 2007, in Riverside County, 279 fatalities and 9,925 personal injuries were reported as a result of Riverside car accidents.

Continue reading " Riverside Rollover Accident Injures Two " »

Tameka Ballou, 23, died in an Los Angeles car accident after she crashed her car the morning of May 3, 2009 on the La Cienega overpass at the 405 Freeway, according to a CBS news report. Ballou's passenger, whose name was not released, was taken to a local hospital in critical condition. Ballou died at the scene of the car crash. There is still no word on what caused the fatal Inglewood car accident on the curving overpass where the speed limit is 25 mph. The injured passenger is expected to recover.

My heart goes out to the family and friends of young Tameka Ballou who died in this tragic car crash. I offer my deepest sympathies to everyone who knew and loved Ballou. Please keep them in your prayers.

According to California Highway Patrol's 2007 Statewide Integrated Traffic Reporting System, there were six fatal car accidents and 563 injuries involving car accidents in Inglewood. In Los Angeles County as a whole, 712 deaths and 56,475 injuries were reported as a result of car accidents in 2007.

Continue reading " Los Angeles Car Accident Becomes Fatal " »

Hydroxycut recall attorneys are seeing more dietary supplement recalls.The manufacturer of the dietary supplement Hydroxycut has agreed to recall 14 of its defective products amid complaints that the widely sold supplement has caused serious liver damage, other health complications and at least one death. According to an Associated Press news report, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials said at least 9 million packages of this popular diet supplement were sold just in the last one year.

The FDA so far has received 23 reports of liver problems, including the death of a 19-year-old boy as a result of taking Hydroxycut. The teenager died in 2007, but the fatality wasn't reported to the FDA until March. Other patients experienced symptoms ranging from jaundice or yellowing of the skin to liver failure. One patient received a liver transplant and another awaits a liver for transplant.

Hydroxycut's U.S. distributor is Iovate Health Sciences headquartered near Buffalo, N.Y. It is manufactured by a Canadian company and is commonly available in drug stores and grocery stores nationwide in the United States. Hydroxycut is used by people who are trying to lose weight and by body builders who want to sharpen their muscles. Unfortunately, dietary supplements don't come under the same scrutiny as other prescription drugs. They are not as tightly regulated by the FDA. These dietary supplement manufacturers do not need to prove to the FDA that their products are safe and effective before selling them to consumers.

Continue reading " Hydroxycut Recall: Dietary Supplement Linked to Liver Damage " »

Jose Diaz Lopez, 20, of San Juan Capistrano, was killed in a Newport Beach truck accident on the 73 Freeway the morning of May 1, 2009, the Daily Pilot reports. Lopez apparently lost control of a white 2003 Ford F350 truck that he was driving and crashed into the guard railing on the freeway near Newport Coast Drive. California Highway Patrol officials say the truck was traveling about 65 mph when it went out of control. Eyewitnesses who saw the Orange County truck accident are saying that the truck began swerving from left to right until it eventually crashed into the right shoulder.

Lopez was pinned under the truck and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Jose Luis Arevalo Flores, a passenger in the Ford truck, suffered minor cuts and swelling. He was taken to an area hospital where he received treatment for his personal injuries.

My heart goes out to the family of young Jose Diaz Lopez for their tragic loss. I offer my deepest condolences to them. Please keep them in your prayers.

Continue reading " Fatal Newport Beach Truck Accident Kills Driver " »

Susan Jacobson, 52, suffered serious personal injuries the afternoon of April 21, 2009 in a SUV rollover accident after she lost control of her 1997 Ford Explorer on the Interstate 15, according to a 10news report. California Highway Patrol officials said Jacobson's Ford Explorer went out of control for unknown reasons on the freeway in the Rainbow area. The SUV then struck the guardrail, a tree on the shoulder, rolled over and tumbled down a 40-foot embankment. Jacobson was airlifted to a local hospital where she is receiving treatment for to her ribs, face and severe neck injuries.

My heart goes out to Susan Jacobson who has been severely injured in this Southern California SUV rollover accident. I hope her injuries were not catastrophic. I wish her the very best for a speedy and complete recovery.

According to California Highway Patrol's 2007 traffic accident statistics, there were 268 traffic and car fatalities and 14,641 personal injuries involving traffic accidents in San Diego County.

Continue reading " San Diego County Ford Explorer Rollover Accident " »

Dorothy Keefe Crosby, 76, of Santa Maria was killed in a Ventura rollover car accident not far from the Los Angeles County line. According to a news report in the Ventura County Star, Crosby was traveling on Highway 126 the morning of April 29, 2009 when she lost control of her car. The car rolled over several times before coming to rest on its roof on the shoulder of the roadway, California Highway Patrol officials said. Crosby was pinned in the vehicle. She was extricated from her car, but was pronounced dead at the scene.

My heart goes out to the family of Dorothy Keefe Crosby for their tragic loss in this rollover accident. I offer my deepest sympathies to everyone who knew and loved Keefe. Please keep them in your prayers.

According to California Highway Patrol's 2007 traffic accident statistics, there were 71 fatal car accidents and 3,993 injuries involving car accidents in Ventura County. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that at least 10,000 people die each year in the United States as a result of rollover accidents.

Continue reading " Ventura Rollover Car Accident Kills Woman " »