Product Liability | Grant Law Office - Part 4

CooperVision Recalls More than a Half Million Contact Lens Products

By Grant Law Office on October 24, 2011

CooperVision, one of the country’s biggest eye product providers, recently announced its second recall in about two months time. The latest was for approximately 600,000 of their Avaira Toric model lenses after widespread reports were received by users of blurred vision and eye trauma, including torn corneas. More than 7,000 retailers sell the eye products.

In an ongoing dialogue, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has commented on the need for CooperVision to expand and accelerate their efforts in alerting consumers about the dangerous product. The agency told the Associated Press it would take additional public communication measures on the issue if the Pleasanton, CA, company did not resolve its concerns.Read more…

CPSC Announces Expansion of Recall of Little Tikes Toy for Choking Danger

By Grant Law Office on October 14, 2011

As any parent or guardian knows, children have a tendency to put almost anything in their mouths. That’s why it’s critically important that household items that present choking or ingestion hazards be kept well out of children’s reach. Unfortunately, even the items which are designed for child use must be very carefully monitored. Toy companies are subject to government safety standards, but when a manufacturing error slips through the cracks, it is up to the consumer (in this case an adult guardian) to identify the danger and report it, hopefully before a Georgia child injury occurs. Unfortunately, the full effect of a dangerous product recall often takes time to unfold.

The kids toy giant Little Tikes, from Hudson, Ohio, recently increased a recall of their Workshop and Tool Sets that was initially started in August 2009, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Over 1.7 million total products have been recalled to this point. The product was sold at many large retailers across the country from 1990 to 2004 and was made in the United States and China. The cause of the recall was toy nail components that were too large in size, thus posing a choking danger to kids. Parents and guardians are instructed to immediately take the faulty toys away from children and contact the company for replacement or refund information.Read more…

Amputation and Fall Hazards Prompt CPSC Recall of Phil & Teds USA Table-Top Clip-on Chairs

By Grant Law Office on September 9, 2011

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has announced the voluntary recall of 54,000 “Metoo” Clip-on Chairs by Colorado-based Phil & Teds USA Inc. due to reports of fall and amputation injuries. There have been 19 reports of the chair falling from a variety of table surfaces, including 5 reported injuries. An additional three reports documented bruising injuries and two more documented children’s fingers being severely pinched, crushed, lacerated, or amputated.

Injury Causes

These injury hazards are caused by missing or worn clamp pads which can cause the chairs to detach from the table inadvertently. Furthermore, children’s fingers can be caught between the clamping mechanism and cross bar, posing an amputation hazard. The user instructions are also considered inadequate.Read more…

How Boat Defects Can Ruin Your Summer Fun

By Grant Law Office on August 2, 2011

Boats, jet-skis and other personal water crafts (PWC) are like other forms of transportation in that they are produced, usually en masse, by a manufacturing company. As with car manufacturers, sometimes a boat or a jet ski is manufactured with poor quality materials, with defective parts or with a faulty production process. Unfortunately, a defective boat or jet ski has the potential to cause serious injury or death.

According to U.S. Coast Guard recreational boating accident statistics, there were 4,604 accidents in 2010. These caused $35.5 million in property damage, 3,153 injuries and 672 fatalities.

Of the 4,604 recreational boating accidents, there were 366 accidents caused by boat or boat equipment failure, including:Read more…

Child Entrapment Death Prompts CPSC Recall of Big Lots Metal Futon Bunk Beds

By Grant Law Office on June 20, 2011

The Ohio-based company, Big Lots, and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) have announced the recall of around 30,000 metal futon bunk beds as a result of entrapment hazards. The death of one child has already been reported.

Potential entrapment may occur if a child is behind the futon or in the ladder area when the futon and its metal frame lowered into the flat position. This, in fact, happened to a 3-year-old boy in Burlington, Iowa, in March of 2010. The heavy metal frame prevented the boy, who was entrapped at the head and neck, from escaping or breathing. Although CPR was performed, the boy died in the hospital of compression asphyxiation.Read more…

The Risks of Defective Products in Georgia

By Grant Law Office on May 23, 2011

Georgia consumers are at risk of being injured by defective products every day. Although it is the duty of product manufacturers and distributors to provide safe products for public use, many defective products stock Georgia’s retail stores, car dealerships, and pharmacies. These products can be children’s toys, kitchenware, furniture, tools, drugs or even motor-vehicles. When a product is determined to be defective or dangerous, a recall is often issued to remove that product. Unfortunately, many dangerous products are not recalled in time to prevent injury, and some are never recalled at all.

Defective products often result from poor manufacturing or design and can cause a wide array of injuries, both minor and severe. The injuries associated with dangerous products, however, depend on the type of product as well as its defect or malfunction. A poorly attached component to a children’s toy may cause a piece to fall off as the child holds the toy over their head; this may cause simple bruising, cuts to the skin, or even a head injury. In another situation, a defective auto component or auto component malfunction can cause a serious injury or even fatal Georgia auto accident.Read more…