Even as two Wisconsin women, 22 and 33, filed a food poisoning lawsuit after suffering a bout of salmonella infection from contaminated sushi, a controversy has erupted over the use of “Nakaochi Scrape” or backmeat that is scraped off fish bones for use in sushi. According to a Reuters news report, the backmeat is added to products such as yellowfin tuna that is used in sushi. California-based Moon Marine USA has recalled 59,000 pounds of raw, ground yellowfin tuna from India, which was packaged as “Nakaochi Scrape AA” or “AAA.”

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Thomas Abdoyan, 28, of Burbank, was killed in a San Juan Capistrano car accident after the vehicle he was driving went out of control and crashed near Pacific Coast Highway. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, the fatal car accident occurred during the early morning hours of April 22, 2012 on the northbound side of the Interstate 5 close to Capistrano Beach.

According to California Highway Patrol officials, the 2006 Mini Cooper that Abdoyan was driving careened into the center median and rolled over several times before coming to rest on its roof about 650 feet from the first point of impact. Abdoyan went into cardiac arrest and died shortly afterward at the hospital. The 29-year-old male passenger sustained non-life-threatening injuries. Both were wearing their seatbelts at the time. Officials are still investigating the cause of this fatal accident.

I offer my deepest sympathies to everybody who knew and loved Thomas Abdoyan for their terrible loss. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers. My heart also goes out to the passenger who was injured. I wish him the very best for a speedy and complete recovery.

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A defective product recall has been issued for nearly 90,000 STOK gas grills due to fire hazards. According to a news report in Consumer Affairs, there have so far been 569 reports of the regulators on the grill leaking propane gas. The propane leak at the regulators of these grills can could ignite, posing fire and burn hazards to consumers. The recall involves STOK Island and STOK Quattro gas grills. The grills were sold by Home Depot stores nationwide and in Canada and Direct Tools Factory Outlet stores nationwide from March 2011 through February 2012 for between $79 and $350. The defective grills were manufactured in China. Consumers are asked to immediately stop using the recalled grills and contact One World Technologies at (800) 867-9624.

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Rafael Gonzalez, 46, Isabel Arellano, 29, and Eddie Gonzalez, 33, all Las Vegas residents, were killed in a San Bernardino car accident after their Ford SUV went out of control and overturned. According to a news report in The Press-Enterprise, the fatal rollover accident occurred the night of April 18, 2012 on the Interstate 15 just south of Halloran Summit Road near Baker. Rafael Gonzalez was driving a 2002 Ford Expedition SUV north on the freeway when he lost control and swerved into the center divider. The SUV rolled over several times. The victims suffered fatal injuries. It is not known if there were any survivors. An investigation is ongoing.

I offer my deepest condolences to the family members and friends of Rafael Gonzalez, Isabel Arellano and Eddie Gonzalez for their tragic and heartbreaking loss. Please keep them in your thought and prayers.

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Federal safety regulators have found 16 car accidents and five injuries in an eight-month investigation of transmission control problems with BMW 7-Series luxury cars. According to an Associated Press news report, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched the investigation in August. The probe has now been “upgraded” to an engineering analysis, which takes it a step closer to a recall. However, no recalls have been announced yet.

This probe covers approximately 122,000 BMW vehicles from the 2002 to 2008 model years. These cars have a push-button start and electronic transmission controls. In some cases, the car owners may believe that their vehicles are in “park,” when they actually may be in neutral. The cars could roll away unexpectedly and crash. So far, the German automaker and federal investigators have received 50 complaints from consumers about this problem.

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A new study from Carfax shows that choosing to ignore auto defect recalls can seriously jeopardize public safety. According to a news release issued by Carfax, which serves as a vehicle history expert for used cars, in 2011, more than 2.7 million used cars were on sale online with safety issues that were never fixed. Carfax recommends that car owners and sellers can greatly improve public safety by actively checking for open recalls and having their vehicles repaired by franchise dealers. Not doing so is inexcusable because these fixes are always free and finding cars with open recalls is as easy as getting on a computer and checking the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s web site.

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A baby girl and her parents were killed in a Long Beach car accident after the Ford Explorer SUV in which they were traveling crashed. The father has been identified by Coroner’s officials as 20-year-old Abel Israel Gutierrez and the infant has been identified as 2-month-old Sophia Gutierrez. The child’s mother, 19, has not yet been identified. According to a news report in The Press Telegram, the fatal rollover accident occurred the night of April 16, 2012 on the southbound 710 Freeway near Long Beach Boulevard. California Highway Patrol officials say the Explorer, which was driven by the 19-year-old woman, for an unknown reason, went out of control and overturned. Gutierrez and his daughter were pronounced dead at the scene. The mother was transported to an area trauma center where she too died from her injuries. CHP officials are still looking into what caused this tragic accident.

I offer my deepest condolences to the family members and friends of these three deceased car accident victims for their tragic and devastating loss. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.  More

Nan Far Woodworking has issued a defective product recall for about 16,700 of its Rockland Furniture drop-side cribs that were sold exclusively at JC Penney because of potential entrapment hazards. According to Consumer Reports, the drop sides on these cribs can malfunction creating a space in which a child can become wedged. This could lead to strangulation or suffocation. It could also cause the child to fall out of the crib and suffer serious injuries. Incidents involving drop-side cribs can also occur when the cribs are not properly assembled or when the parts wear out over time.

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If you own a Todson bicycle child seat, it may be in your best interest to make sure that it is not one of the 40,000 potentially defective products that have just been recalled. According to an article in Consumer Reports, the defective child seats have a grab bar hinge mechanism that can cut or even amputate a child’s finger. Officials say there have already been two reports of near amputations that resulted in stitches and a crushed finger.

These potentially dangerous child bicycle seats were sold at J&B Imports, REI, Action and Hawley between January 2009 and April 2012. According to Consumer Reports, the recalled Topeak Babyseat II bicycle carrier seats have the following model numbers: TCS2100, TCS2101 and TCS2102. Owners of Todson bicycle seats can find the model number printed either on the packaging and the name “Topeak” is on the black foam protector of the grab bar and on the back of the seat. Owners should stop using the carrier seats right away. By contacting Todson directly, they can receive a hinge cover that will prevent children from getting their finger cut or crushed.

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Reuben Alvarez, 43, who was injured in a motorcycle accident in Whittier says he crashed because of motorcycle problems and not because he was popping a wheelie. According to an article in The Whittier Daily News, Alvarez’s motorcycle crashed the morning of April 6, 2012 on Whittier Boulevard at Painter Avenue, when he was on his way home after a night shift. Alvarez stated he was having problems with his bike, which accelerated and threw him off.

Whittier police had indicated earlier that a failed stunt caused the crash. Traffic officers are still trying to determine if they should cite the motorcyclist for reckless driving. Alvarez says he understands said why witnesses may have thought he was trying to perform a stunt. When he let the clutch go, the motorcycle went up and it may have looked like a wheelie, Alvarez says. He maintains that he has a family to care for and would never attempt something as irresponsible. Alvarez was airlifted to a hospital after the crash, but was not seriously injured and is recovering.

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