Defective & Dangerous Products

• Picking A Safe Halloween Costume

  Bob Carroll | October 09, 2006 5:00 AM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  A safe Halloween starts with a safe costume. Don't let your child's costume cause injury. Expert Offers Tips For Picking Safe Halloween CostumesWhether your child wants to walk down the aisle as a beautiful bride, go on an adventure as Dora the Explorer, spin webs like Spiderman, or sail the high seas of the Caribbean like Captain Jack Sparrow, there's one thing they all should have in common...

• Window Cords Are A Strangulation Hazard For Children

  Bob Carroll | October 04, 2006 9:40 AM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission once again is reminding us the cords for window coverings pose a serious risk of strangulation for children. CPSC Warns Older Window Coverings Pose Strangulation Risk to Children From 1991 through 2004, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has received reports of about 200 strangulation deaths involving cords and chains on window...

• Gentlemen, Check Your Batteries

  Bob Carroll | October 04, 2006 5:11 AM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  Ross Ipsa Loquitur posts on the subject of the self-immolating Sony-built batteries.It is just a matter of time before one of these batteries ignites in a particularly bad place and time. It could happen in Clearwater, Dunedin, Largo or Tampa, Florida, just as easily as in New York City or Chicago. And, a battery could combust during the night just as easily as during the day.The situation with...

• You Have The Right To Sue The Cigarette Companies But Must Act Quickly

  Bob Carroll | September 19, 2006 1:31 PM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  The Florida Supreme Court has issued an opinion in the Engle case holding that cigarette smoking causes or substantially aggravates the following medical conditions:aortic aneurysm, bladder cancer, cerebrovascular disease, cervical cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, coronary heart disease, esophageal cancer, kidney cancer, laryngeal cancer, lung cancer (specifically, adenocarinoma,...

• Canon Copiers Recalled For Fire Hazard

  Bob Carroll | September 18, 2006 4:41 PM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is now alerting us to another potential fire source in our offices. This time it is the copiers, not the computer batteries, that are igniting. Certain Canon copiers are being voluntarily recalled by the manufacturer and the CPSC.WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced...

• Exploding Battery Causes Facial Injuries

  Bob Carroll | September 16, 2006 10:53 AM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  When a battery for your CD player fails the worst thing you expect is that you have to replace it with one that works. In this report of a recently filed lawsuit the Panasonic battery exploded and injured a minor. It appears that this product could be described as unreasonably dangerous. Lawsuit cites burst batteryA Jeanerette woman is suing the Panasonic Corp. for injuries she claims her son...

• "Light" Cigarettes Exposed As Deceptive Marketing

  Bob Carroll | September 15, 2006 3:50 PM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  A tip of the hat to John Hopkins, a fellow InjuryBoard.com blogger from West Palm Beach, for his post on why Big Tobacco uses Light to market many of its products.Light Cigarettes Sound Better--and That's What Tobacco was Going For!Smokers came to know that smoking was not good for them, but Big Tobacco had an answer for them: "light cigarettes". Lower in tar; lower in nicotine; keep on...

• Even Popeye Should Avoid Spinach Right Now

  Bob Carroll | September 15, 2006 7:11 AM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  All of our mothers told us to eat our spinach. But, now is not the time. One Dead, 50 Sick in US E. Coli Outbreak Traced To Bagged SpinachA Wisconsin resident died and at least 50 people in eight other US states are ill as a result of an E. coli outbreak that has been traced to fresh bagged spinach. The Food and Drug Administration issued an alert on Wednesday.Dr. David Acheson of the Center...

• Segway May Be Highway To Hospital For Riders

  Bob Carroll | September 14, 2006 9:06 PM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  Segway Personal Transporters were supposed to usher in a new way to get from spot to spot. It appears that one of the spots may be nearest Emergency Room.Segway Recalls 23,500 TransportersSegway is recalling about 23,000 of its Personal Transporters. The company said the transporter can unexpectedly apply reverse torque to the wheels, which can cause a rider to fall. This can occur when the...

• Defective Defibrillator Was No Big Deal...To Its Manufacturer

  Bob Carroll | September 12, 2006 4:09 PM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  When does an implantable defibrillator manufacturer have an obligation to inform patients and doctors of a defect? I respectfully suggest the answer is as soon as the defect is determined to exist and known to present a risk to the patient. In this report of defective defibrillators the manufacturer apparently decided otherwise.Defective Guidant Defibrillators Continue to Haunt Boston...