Kirk Bernard – Seattle Personal Injury Lawyer

Britax is recalling about 15,000 of its Blink brand umbrella strollers for a defective hinge mechanism, which could pose a fingertip amputation and laceration hazard to children. Injuries could occur when the stroller is being unfolded or opened. According to a news report in Consumeraffairs.com, this defective product recall involves all Britax Blink single umbrella strollers. The word “Blink” is printed on the metal frame on both sides of the stroller as well as below the hand grips.

The strollers involved in this recall were manufactured in China between May 2009 and September 2009. They were sold by retailers such as Buy Buy Baby and online at Amazon, babiesrus.com, target.com and diapers.com from July 2009 through February 2010. The products were sold for about $150 each.

This product defect recall is only one in a series of identical stroller recalls involving defective hinges that have caused serious injuries to young children. In January, Graco recalled 1.5 million strollers for the same problem with the hinge mechanism. In November, UK-based Maclaren recalled about 1 million strollers for a similar problem. Also in January, Regal Lager Inc. recalled about 1,200 Cybex strollers because the stroller’s hinge mechanism poses a fingertip amputation and serious injury hazard to young children. Seattle recalled products injury attorneys hope that consumers understand that the recalled strollers are a serious issue that may result in permanent injuries or disfigurement to young children.

If your child has been injured as a result of one of these defective products, please contact an experienced products liability attorney with The Bernard Law Group for a FREE, comprehensive and completely confidential consultation. Please call us at 1-800-418-8282 or e-mail us at info@bernardlawgroup.com. We can also send you our FREE brochure about Washington product defect cases, which has useful, educational information to help you understand your rights. Get in touch with Kirk Bernard and his skilled legal team today.

Source:http://www.consumeraffairs.com/recalls04/2010/britax.html

The Seattle Times tells the story of a West Seattle man whose Toyota Prius was totaled a year ago as a result of “unintended acceleration.” According to the news report, the driver lost control of his Prius, knocking down a fence post and jumping a retaining wall in West Seattle. In this particular case, the driver escaped without injuries. However, the vehicle was declared a total loss by insurers and he filed a complaint with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). This driver is not alone. This man’s complaint was one of more than 100 submitted by American drivers who had issues with Prius speed controls for 2004 to 2010 models.

Last year, Prius models were involved in Toyota recalls where consumers were advised to remove floor mats in order to prevent the gas pedals from getting jammed. Now, the company in the process of looking into brake failure problems reported by drivers of 2010 Prius models. In the West Seattle incident, the driver reported that as he slowed down his Prius to make a right turn to park, his car raced forward. His brakes did not work.

I hope Toyota is seriously investigating both the unintended acceleration and brake failure problems in the Prius. It is indeed fortunate that this West Seattle driver did not get seriously injured or killed in this accident apparently caused by either brake failure or unintended acceleration. If you are a Toyota owner and have sustained injuries because of these or other product defects, please contact a Seattle auto products liability lawyer to find out about your legal rights and options. Knowledgeable auto product defect lawyers would advise victims to preserve the crashed vehicle in its current condition until it can be properly examined for auto defects or malfunctions. In any auto products liability case, please remember that the vehicle is the main piece of evidence.

If your loved one has been seriously injured by a defective auto, please contact the reputed Washington auto products liability lawyers at The Bernard Law Firm to find out about your legal rights and options. Please call us at 1-800-418-8282 or e-mail us at info@bernardlawgroup.com to schedule your FREE, comprehensive and confidential consultation. We can also send you our FREE brochure about Washington auto product defect cases, which has useful, educational information to help you better understand your rights. Get in touch with Kirk Bernard and his skilled legal team today.

Source:http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2010986936_toyotaseattle05m.html?syndication=rss

Honda has issued a global auto product defect recall for about 646,000 of its Fit models. Of those, 140,000 cars in the United States are subject to the vehicle defect recall. According to a report in The Car Connection, the compact hatchback vehicles have been recalled for a defective master switch that could allow water to enter the power window switch and potentially cause a fire. This recall involves 2007-2008 model year cars.

This is an extremely dangerous vehicle defect. What this means is that the car fire could start at any time in the vehicle and cause serious personal injuries or property damage. It could be lethal if it happens when a vehicle is traveling down a highway or parked in a garage. Several Honda Fit fires have been reported. Honda officials say they will fix the problem by retrofitting the recalled vehicles with a waterproof skirt or by replacing the defective switch.

A number of Washington car accidents are caused by auto product defects. Very often, most people just don’t know that a defective auto had anything to do with it. This is why it is important to preserve a vehicle involved in an auto accident in its current condition so it can be examined by an accident reconstruction expert for any evidence of vehicle defects or mechanical malfunction.

If you or your loved one has been seriously injured by a defective auto, please contact the reputed Washington auto products liability lawyers at The Bernard Law Firm to find out about your legal rights and options. Please call us at 1-800-418-8282 or e-mail us at info@bernardlawgroup.com to schedule your FREE, comprehensive and confidential consultation. We can also send you our FREE informational brochure about Washington auto product defect cases, which has useful, educational information to help you better understand your rights. Get in touch with Kirk Bernard and his skilled legal team today.

Source:http://www.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1042115_honda-fit-fire-recall-646000-cars-globally-140000-in-u-s

St. Martin’s Press has issued a defective product recall for more than 200,000 copies of “Big Rex and Friends” books because of a red plastic dot sewn into the book, which contains excessive levels of lead. According to a news report in Consumeraffairs.com, this product defect recall involves cloth books, which have a black and white striped border with a red dinosaur on the cover. The books, manufactured in China, were sold at large retailers including Barnes & Noble, Toys “R” Us, Amazon and Borders for about $9. Those who have these books at home are asked to take them away from their children right away and contact St. Martin’s Press for a full refund.

Toys and other items made with high or excessive levels of lead pose serious dangers for children. Infants and toddlers have the tendency to put things, including books and toys, in their mouths. Lead poisoning presents a serious health hazard to children. When children ingest the lead from toys, they could suffer irreversible brain damage. Some of the other health effects include behavioral problems, reduction in I.Q, abdominal pain, fatigue and irritability.

If you or a loved one has suffered from lead-poisoning as a result of defective toys or recalled products, please contact an experienced Seattle personal injury attorney with The Bernard Law Group for a FREE, comprehensive and completely confidential consultation. Please call us at 1-800-418-8282 or e-mail us at info@bernardlawgroup.com. We can also send you our FREE informational brochure about Washington product defect cases, which has useful, educational information to help you understand your rights. Get in touch with Kirk Bernard and his skilled legal team today.

Source:http://www.consumeraffairs.com/recalls04/2010/bigrex.html

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Window Covering Safety Council have announced a massive defective product recall for over 50 million Roman shades and roll-up blinds whose exposed cords can pose a serious strangulation hazard for young children. According to a news report in Consumeraffairs.com, more than 200 infants and young children have died from such accidental strangulation in window cords since 1990. This product defect recall involves all window coverings that can form a loop and cause strangulation. These window coverings were sold at some of the nation’s largest retailers including Wal-Mart, Target, IKEA and Pottery Barn.

Parents and caregivers are being cautioned about these window cord hazards and urged to use only cordless window products in homes with young children. These exposed cords have not only caused fatalities but also near-strangulations that have led to permanent, irreversible brain damage. In strangulation cases, brain injury can occur when oxygen to the brain is cut off.

Parents and caregivers must get rid of these corded blinds and shades to protect young children. If you still have these defective products at home, please make sure that you always move all cribs, beds and furniture away from windows and window cords. Keep all pull cords and inner lift cords out of the reach of children. Lock cords into position whenever horizontal blinds or shades are lowered.

If your child has suffered as a result of these or other recalled products, please contact a skilled Seattle personal injury attorney with The Bernard Law Group for a FREE, comprehensive and completely confidential consultation. Please call us at 1-800-418-8282 or e-mail us at info@bernardlawgroup.com. We can also send you our FREE informational brochure about Washington product defect cases, which has useful, educational information that will help you understand your rights. Get in touch with Kirk Bernard and his experienced legal team today.

Source:http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2009/12/blinds_recall.html

Whole Foods Market is recalling several batches of organic raw hazelnuts that were sold in bulk to several states including Washington. According a news report in Consumeraffairs.com, the hazelnuts are being recalled because of possible salmonella contamination. This food-borne illness recall involves non-organic dry roasted hazelnuts sold in bulk through Whole Foods stores in Washington as well as non-organic hazelnuts or filberts sold in bulk through Whole Foods stores in Washington. The possible salmonella contamination was apparently discovered during a routine sweep of one of the Oregon-based company’s production facilities. So far, no illnesses or deaths have been reported as a result of this salmonella contamination.

The most common symptoms of salmonella infection include diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. This illness usually lasts four to seven days and most patients recover without treatment. However, in some cases, the diarrhea may be so severe that the patient may require hospitalization. In these patients, the salmonella bacteria may spread from the intestines to the blood stream and to other body sites causing death, unless the patients is properly treated with antibiotics. Infants, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems are more likely to have severe salmonella infection symptoms.

If someone else’s negligence has caused your serious food poisoning injuries, please contact the skilled Seattle personal injury lawyers at The Bernard Law Group. Please call us at 1-800-418-8282 or e-mail us at info@bernardlawgroup.com. We can also send you our FREE informational brochure about Washington food-borne illness cases, which has useful educational information that will help you understand your legal rights and options. Get in touch with Kirk Bernard and his experienced legal team today.

Source:http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2009/12/hazelnut_recall02.html

A deadly E. coli outbreak, which has killed two and sickened many across the nation, has been traced to a large producer of ground beef who stopped testing certain ingredients years ago under pressure from beef suppliers. According to a news report in the New York Times, AFA Foods specifically stopped testing of the ground beef trimmings. The company recalled more than 500,000 pounds of ground beef last month after it was linked to an outbreak that has caused two fatalities and sickened about 500 others. The Times also reported that there has been a surge in E. coli outbreaks in ground beef. There have been 18 outbreaks since 2007.

E. coli is a potentially lethal food-borne illness. As a skilled Seattle products liability attorney, Kirk Bernard knows that such food poisoning can typically cause abdominal cramping, vomiting, nausea, diarrhea with bloody stools and sometimes, fever. In some cases, victims develop severe complications known as Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS), which can cause life-threatening kidney failure. Most of these HUS cases can apparently develop after several days of diarrhea due to infection with a specific strain of E. coli. HUS can lead to serious kidney damage or even death. E. coli infections can also leave victims with lifelong health problems.

If food-borne illnesses occur as a result of negligence on the part of the food manufacturer or processor, then those parties could be held responsible for the injuries endured by food poisoning victims. In such cases, victims can seek compensation to cover medical expenses, loss of wages, cost of hospitalization, pain and suffering, emotional distress and other related damages. Food poisoning can also occur after you consume contaminated food at restaurants. In such cases, those establishments can also be held liable for your injuries. If you have suffered food-poisoning as a result of someone else’s negligence or willful conduct, please contact the experienced Seattle personal injury attorneys at The Bernard Law Firm to find out more about your legal rights and options.

Source:http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/13/us/13ecoli.html?_r=2&partner=rss&emc=rss

Stork Craft has issued a product defect recall for more than 1.2 million of their cribs because infants could become entrapped and suffocate. At least four infant deaths have been reportedly caused by these defective cribs, according to a news report in Consumeraffairs.com. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued a safety alert cautioning all parents and caregivers who own or have these cribs at their day care facilities. Consumers are asked to stop using these cribs immediately and wait for a free repair kit, which will convert the drop-side on these cribs to a fixed side.

The cribs’ drop-side plastic hardware can break or go out of shape with wear and tear. This could cause the drop side to detach, creating a space between the drop-side and the mattress where infants and toddlers can become entrapped and suffocate. Children also face the danger of falling off these cribs if the drop-sides completely detach. CPSC and Stork Craft have received 110 reports of drop-side detachment in the United States and Canada. The four fatalities involved a 7-month-old and a 9-month-old in New York; a 7-month-old in Louisiana; and a 6-month-old baby in West Virginia. There were also 20 reported incidents of children falling from these cribs, which resulted in bumps and bruises.

These defective cribs were sold from January 1993 through October 2009 for between $100 and $400 at several major retail outlets including JC Penney, Sears, Target, Wal-Mart, Babiesrus.com, Amazon.com, Costco.com and BJ’s Wholesale Club. The products were manufactured in Canada, China and Indonesia.

Just over the last two years, more than 4 million cribs have been recalled in the United States. The problems that those cribs had were similar and most were drop-side cribs. The use of substandard parts in the cribs caused the drop-side to unintentionally detach causing serious injuries or death. Several infants and toddlers have died nationwide as a result of these defective cribs.

The product liability attorneys at The Bernard Law Group strongly believe that manufacturers of defective products must be held accountable for them, should they lead to serious personal injuries. If your child sustained major injuries due to these defective cribs, you may be able to file a personal injury or wrongful death claim against the crib’s manufacturer. Our skilled Seattle personal injury attorneys can help you seek compensation to cover medical expenses, even in cases where long-term treatment or therapy is required. Call Kirk Bernard and his experienced legal team today to schedule a free consultation.

Source:http://www.consumeraffairs.com/recalls04/2009/fisher_price_cribs.html

A Nebraska company is recalling nearly 90 pounds of fresh ground beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced. This has been classified as a Class I Recall. What this means is that this is a health hazard situation where there is a reasonable probability that use of this product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death. This is only one of many beef recalls nationwide related to E. coli contamination. So far, there have been no reports of illnesses or deaths caused as a result of this food recall. Apparently, the problem was discovered through FSIS microbiological sampling.

E. coli is a potentially lethal bacterium. The most common symptoms of E. coli-related food poisoning include bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and vomiting. Young children and the elderly are the most vulnerable to E. coli infections and developing a condition known as Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS). This can cause potentially deadly kidney failure. Most of these cases develop after several days of diarrhea – often bloody – due to infection with a specific strain of E. coli. Both children and adults may develop HUS after E. coli infections.

The best way to avoid food-borne illnesses such as E. coli is to safely prepare your raw meats by cooking it to a temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit. You can check whether your ground beef has been cooked to a sufficiently high temperature by using a food thermometer to measure the internal temperature of the meat.

If you or a loved one has been afflicted with E. coli, salmonella or any other food-borne illness, please contact one of the experienced Seattle personal injury attorneys at the Bernard Law Group for a free and comprehensive consultation. Please remember that the food producer, distributor or the establishment that serves you with the contaminated food can be held liable in your case. In such cases, victims may seek compensation to cover medical bills, cost of hospitalization lost wages and other damages. Call the experienced team of legal professionals led by Kirk Bernard today.

Source: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Recall_063_2009_Release/index.asp

Century 21 Promotions Inc., a maker of children’s hooded jackets in Seattle, Washington, has announced a voluntary defective product recall of about 17,000 hooded sweatshirts and jackets that pose a strangulation hazard to young children. According to a consumer safety alert put out by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the sweatshirts have a drawstring through the hood, which can pose a strangulation hazard to children. The CPSC, in February 1996, issued guidelines to help prevent children from getting entangled on neck and waist drawstring in upper garments such as jackets or sweatshirts. So far, no injuries or deaths have been reported in connection with these product defects.

These sweatshirts were sold at several retail and gift shops in Seattle, Washington, New England and Alaska for between $25 and $35. Consumers who own these garments are asked to remove the drawstrings immediately from the sweatshirts to eliminate the hazard or return the clothing to the store for a complete refund. The recalled jackets and sweatshirts were manufactured in China.

There is no question that these articles of clothing pose a significant danger to young children. There have been reports of one case where a child was strangled because the drawstring got caught in playground equipment and another where a boy got entangled in the drawstring when the string got caught in a school bus door. These products continue to be made in China and other countries despite the CPSC-issued guidelines more than 10 years ago.

This is unacceptable. Manufacturers of such products must be held accountable for the defective items they put on the market endangering the lives and well-being of unsuspecting consumers. If you have been injured or if you have lost a loved one because of a product’s manufacturing, design or marketing defect, please contact one of the skilled Seattle personal injury attorneys at the Bernard Law Group. Kirk Bernard and his legal team help injured victims or their families file personal injury claims or wrongful death claims against defective product manufacturers. Call us today for a free consultation and discussion of your product liability or personal injury claim.

Source: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10041.html