Ford has issued an auto product defect recall for about 33,000 midsize vehicles and SUVs in the United States to fix front-seat recliners. According to a news report in the Detroit Free Press, this vehicle defect recall affects some versions of the 2010 Ford Fusion, Explorer, Explorer Sport Trac and Mercury Milan and Mountaineer with front seat manual recliner mechanisms.

Defective Seatbacks Can Cause Catastrophic Injuries

According to the alert issued by the auto maker, the recliner’s gears could have problems that would lead to the seatback and head restraint moving backward in a car accident. This could significantly increase the risk of serious personal injuries to the vehicles’ occupants. According to federal government officials, these vehicles don’t even comply with the federal requirements for head restraints. When this recall begins, dealers will replace the manual seat recliners free of charge.
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Toyota Motor Corporation has issued a vehicle defect recall for about 50,000 Sequoia SUVs from the model 2003 year because of an issue with its stability control system. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, in this latest recall, Toyota officials are saying that the SUV’s vehicle stability control can get “too aggressive.” Toyota officials are also saying that they have known about this problem for many years and issued a technical service bulletin in 2003. The remedy for this issue is to upgrade the vehicle’s computer system. However, in vehicles that do not have this upgrade the vehicle stability control system could activate at low speeds (as low as 9 mph). As a result the vehicle may not accelerate as quickly as the drivers expect.
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Dung Hua, 50, of San Jose, was killed and three members of his family were injured in a car accident after Hua lost control of his 2005 Toyota Tundra pickup truck and crashed in Napa Valley. According to a report in the San Jose Mercury News, the fatal car crash occurred the afternoon of April 25, 2010 on Highway 29. Napa police officials said Hua was traveling south on the highway close to Butler Bridge, when the truck suddenly moved left for unknown reasons and entered the dirt median. Hua then over-corrected, attempting to get back onto the roadway.

The pickup truck rolled over about five times. The cab of the driver’s side caved in causing fatal injuries to Hua. His wife, 41-year-old Chi Mai sustained moderate injures as did 15-year-old Quan Hua and 12-year-old Stanley Lam. All three were taken to a local hospital. Police say speed or alcohol were not factors in this crash. An investigation is ongoing.
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The California personal injury lawyers at BISNAR | CHASE have filed a lawsuit against Toyota alleging that a seatbelt failure, in a 2006 Toyota Tacoma, caused the wrongful death of Jacquelyn Ardalan.

On May 11, 2009, Jared Berggren was driving Jacquelyn Ardalan in his 2006 Toyota Tacoma when the unexpected happened. While driving down Coyote Hills Drive near Foxwood Drive, in Fullerton, Jared began to lose control of the car. The car left the road and entered an embankment area. After striking a tree Jacquelyn Ardalan was ejected from the vehicle.
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Brian Flores, 27 was killed in a Los Angeles car accident after the SUV in which he was a passenger went off the roadway and rolled down an embankment, The Santa Clarita Signal reports. The fatal rollover accident occurred the night of April 25, 2010. The Ford Expedition was traveling north on the Highway 14, near Agua Dulce Canyon Road, when the driver, 28-year-old Robert Alaniz, lost control and crashed through a guardrail. The Expedition rolled over several times down an embankment, ejecting Flores. Alaniz and another passenger, 19-year-old Anthony Holguin, were transported to an area hospital for treatment of their injuries. California Highway Patrol officials do not believe alcohol or drugs were a factor in this fatal car crash.

I offer my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Brian Flores for their tragic and heartbreaking loss. Please keep them in your prayers. I also hope Alaniz and Holguin did not sustain any serious injuries and wish them the very best for a speedy and complete recovery.
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Auto product safety has become a much-talked-about issue after the massive Toyota sudden acceleration recall, which resulted in nearly 10 million vehicles being recalled worldwide. With the spotlight on auto product defects these days, the American Association for Justice (AAJ) has released a report: “Driven to Safety: How Litigation Spurred Auto Safety Innovations.” This report explains that since the 1960s, design defect litigation has not only enforced safety standards, but also revealed previously concealed defects and regulatory weaknesses. Auto defect litigation has also helped deter auto makers from cutting corners on safety to boost profits, the report states.
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Setting up a special needs trust for a beneficiary with a mental or physical disability is a good idea to ensure that the beneficiary’s needs and livelihood are appropriately met, especially if governmental benefits change for the client.

Some create a special needs trust with personal injury awards won by the beneficiary or someone close to him or her. It is a good way to set money aside as a back-up plan, but needs to be very carefully overseen by a special needs trustee.
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Le Hing Inc. is issuing a defective product recall for about 200 baby walkers because of a serious design defect that does not allow the walker to stop at the edge of a step. Babies using this product are at risk for serious injuries and even death, according to a news report in Consumeraffairs.com. The walkers involving in this product recall are intended to be used by babies 6 months or older.
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Jennifer Foster, 38, and a 7-year-old boy were killed in a San Diego car accident the evening of April 16, 2010 after the 2004 Land Rover they were in overturned and crashed on the Interstate 8, close to Alpine. According to a news report in The San Diego Union-Tribune, the fatal rollover accident occurred in the westbound lanes of the freeway near Tavern Road. The SUV, which was traveling at an unknown speed, swerved left and rolled over numerous times, before coming to rest in the center divide. California Highway Patrol officials said both, Foster, who was driving the Land Rover, and the boy, were ejected and were pronounced dead at the scene.

I offer my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Jennifer Foster and the little boy for their tragic and heartbreaking loss. Foster’s relationship to the boy has not been confirmed yet. This family will certainly be in my thoughts and prayers.
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One person was injured in an Anaheim car accident after two cars collided at a local intersection the morning of April 21, 2010. The Orange County Register reports that the injury crash occurred at the intersection of Stonybrook Drive and Gilbert Street and involved a Honda Accord and a Ford taxi van. The driver of the Accord was transported to the hospital with injuries. The taxi driver was uninjured. Anaheim police said it was a T-bone crash, but have not said who was at fault for the accident. An investigation is ongoing.

I hope the driver of the Honda Accord has not suffered any major injuries. I wish him or her the very best for a speedy and complete recovery. This injured victim will be in my prayers.
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