Washington DC Injury Lawyer Blog

Despite Fewer Recalls, Defective Children’s Products Cause Increased Number of Injuries and Deaths in 2012

April 23, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

According to a recent report by product safety advocacy organization Kids In Danger (KID), the frequency with which children’s products were recalled in 2012 does not correlate with the increased number of injuries and deaths cause by products in the same year.

While only 97 children’s products were recalled in 2012, which is coincidentally the lowest number since 2004, when compared with 2011, the occurrence of incidents related to defective children’s products was as follows:

Overall incidents were up 49%
Injuries were up 42%
Deaths increased 200%
The number of children’s products recalled dropped by 20%

In fact, according to the KID report, most parents reported hearing of product recalls around once or twice a month, even though in 2012 a children’s product was recalled every three and a half days on average.

In addition to the new data above, the study put forth two main conclusions regarding the safety of children’s products. First, many of the well established standards, such as those relating to flammability, drawstrings, or small parts to name a few, continue to be commonly violated. For example, children’s clothing must have the drawstrings anchored in place to avoid posing a strangulation risk, and several recalled products during 2012 were recalled for failing to meet that rule. According to the study, 22 products were recalled for failing to meet these and other standards.

Secondly, many products that are intended to be used by infants and small children are not subject to any formal safety standards. These include things like travel beds and crib tents. These kinds of products were associated with several deaths in 2012.

It is important for the consumer to note that products are not usually recalled following a single incident. Unfortunately, it may take many injuries and in some cases deaths before the manufacturer will decide to voluntarily recall the product, or until the Consumer Product Safety Commission requires it to do so. Therefore, it is important to seek out reviews of children’s products, and be sure to check governmental and company websites for updated information regarding potential recalls.

Parents Call for Passage of Federal Rear View Camera Law

April 16, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

This week a group of parents spent time in Washington, D.C., urging lawmakers to act on a law, initially introduced some five years ago, which is aimed at preventing tragic accidents by requiring rear view cameras on cars.

It has been estimated that over 1,500 kids have been killed as a result of limited visibility in blind spots. Many parents who’ve tragically lost their children in these types of accidents believe that rear view cameras may have prevented these tragedies. At least one graphic claims that up to 62 children can be hidden within a Chevy Suburban’s blind spot.

One mother recounted the tragic death of her one and a half year old son two years ago, whom she accidentally hit when she didn’t see him as she backed her car out. The car the mother was driving did have motion sensors, but did not detect her son. A week after the accident, the woman and the rest of her family got cars which were equipped with rear view cameras. She has been advocating for them to be installed in cars ever since.

The legislation that would require rear view cameras has allegedly been tabled four times, with lawmakers citing concerns over technology and additional costs. The ‘Kids and Cars‘ advocacy group claims that adding a rearview camera to a car only adds an additional $175 to a car’s sale price, and that for parents it is a small price to pay.

U.S. Supreme Court to Rule on Liability of Generic Drug Manufacturers

April 9, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

The U.S. Supreme Court is set to make a ruling on a very important pharmaceutical case this term. At issue is whether a generic drug manufacturer can face a lawsuit for their inability to warn consumers of potentially dangerous side effects.

The case at issue involves the drug manufacturer Mutual Pharmaceutical Co., which has appealed a jury award of $21 million in a case where the plaintiff took a generic NSAID drug made by the company for shoulder pain as prescribed by her doctor, and instead suffered incredibly serious complications. The verdict was affirmed at both the trial and appeal levels.

In this case, three weeks after the woman took the drug at issue, she developed a rare and severe reaction, which caused her skin to peel off, leaving her with burn-like lesions over two-thirds of her body. She spent some of the nearly two months during which she was in a hospital burn unit in a medically induced coma, and has had to undergo 13 eye surgeries.

The reaction, which is considered to have been a severe form of Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, caused the woman to suffer permanent near-blindness, scarred lungs and a constricted esophagus, making it difficult to swallow. She originally sued the manufacturer under state law in 2008 for alleged design defects. Following a 14 day trial, the jury awarded her $21 million for her injuries and suffering.

The appeal centers on the applicability of two prior court rulings, particularly PLIVA v. Mensing, which held that generic drugmakers cannot be sued for failing to warn about certain health risks due to the fact that federal law requires generic drugs to carry the same warning label as their brand name equivalents. Therefore, it remains unclear whether the court will choose to distinguish this case in that it does not solely claim a failure to warn, but also argues a design defect, which again may potentially be excludable under prior case law.

Ford Announces Nationwide Recall of Certain Freestar and Mercury Monterey Models

March 28, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this month, Ford announced the recall of several of its Freestar and Mercury Monterey Vehicles. Owners of either of these types of vehicles should check any records they have relevant to their vehicles, and contact the dealer if necessary in order to determine if your vehicle is affected by this recall.

Vehicles subject to this recall meet all of the following criteria:

have a manufacture date falling within the period of March 24, 2003 through November 7, 2006
are equipped with a third row seat
originally sold in, or are now registered in the following states: CO, DE, IL, IN, IA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, VT, WV, WI, and Washington D.C.

The recall has been initiated due to a potential defect in the stowable seat in the third row. The anchor mechanism that is mounted to the rear wheel wells can suffer from corrosion, leading to structural degradation. Thus, as a result of the corrosion, the third row seat may not latch properly into its seating position. This is potentially dangerous, because a rear end collision could cause great personal injury to a person sitting in an unlatched seat.

Ford has said that it will notify owners and that dealers will install replacement third row seat latch striker mounting brackets, which will hopefully rectify the problem.

Judge Finds National Park Service Negligent in Boy’s Fall Death

March 27, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A Sacramento federal magistrate judge handed down his decision last week regarding a summer vacation turned tragedy. A 9-year-old boy was visiting the Lassen Volcanic National Park with his family in July of 2009, when the boy and his sister sat on a retaining wall in order to take some pictures. The wall quickly gave way, throwing both of the children down the mountainside, killing the boy and injuring his sister. The family filed a wrongful death and personal injury lawsuit against the park for its negligence in failing to maintain the wall.

In his ruling, the judge held that negligence on behalf of National Park Service officials caused the boy’s death when the wall gave way. He also reprimanded the park’s superintendent for making several fraudulent statements regarding evidence and interview attempts, and the alleged destruction of critical evidence relevant to the case.

The findings relate to destruction of documents during the discovery (evidence collection) portion of the case, including the shredding of an internal memorandum regarding the potential instability of the wall and other relevant documents. There were also damning statements from a governmental architect, and further evidence that the park superintendent lied about attempts to be interviewed by the park agency’s inspector. The wall was also torn down within weeks following the incident, further disallowing the inspector the opportunity to inspect the wall.

Dialysis Drug Subject of Wrongful Death Suits Countrywide

March 20, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A Texas woman has filed a wrongful death suit against the manufacturers of the drug GranuFlo, alleging that the manufacturer is responsible for the death of her husband.

The drug at the center of the lawsuit, called GranuFlo, is used for treatment in dialysis patients who are suffering from kidney failure. The integral chemical component of the drug acts by removing blood impurities which the kidneys can no longer remove on their own.

Her lawsuit claims that Fresenius USA is responsible for the death of her husband, who died two days after he received treatment with the drug. The suit alleges that the plaintiff’s husband began to feel ill immediately following a dialysis treatment which involved the administration of GranuFlo. Two days after the treatment, the plaintiff called an ambulance for her husband who was complaining of pain in his chest and head. However, her husband had died of a heart attack before any help arrived. Her suit alleges that in addition to being responsible for her husband’s death, the manufacturer may have known of the risks of the product as early as 2003, yet no action was taken. The woman seeks damages for her husband’s pain and suffering as well as for the loss of her spouse.

March 29, 2012 was the date the FDA instituted the initial class 1 recall for Naturalyte and Granuflo Acid Concentrate. A Class 1 recall is the highest priority recall issued by the FDA, and is only issued in cases where there is a significant chance that a drug can cause serious injury or death. These products have been linked to elevated levels of bicarbonate in treated blood, which can potentially cause stroke, heart attack and death. Almost immediately, lawsuits began to be filed nationwide.

D.C. Considering Requirement for Gun Owners to Purchase Liability Insurance

March 6, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

D.C. Lawmakers introduced legislation earlier this week which would require gun owners to maintain insurance policies of at least$250,000. The policies would be in place for gunshot victims, in order to help pay for any potential medical costs, and also to promote gun safety.

The bill is intended to cover, “any damages resulting from negligent acts, or willful acts that are not undertaken in self-defense.” So far, at least six states have introduced similar gun liability insurance laws, but as of mid-February, none of the states have actually passed such measures.

Gun owner liability policies are already offered through organizations such as the National Rifle Association. The only difference that would occur as a result of this bill, and those similar to it, is that in addition to creating a potential fund, the decision to carry coverage would no longer be voluntary. It is estimated that medical care for those killed or injured by gunfire in 2010 cost an estimated $3.2 billion.

Gun owners are already criminally and civilly liable for their conduct, as well as potentially liable for any damage or injuries caused by their guns. The act of requiring an insurance policy merely ensures that there is an accessible fund available for victims and their families to make claims against.

3 Pedestrian Deaths in 3 Weeks in Montgomery County

February 27, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

In what may come as a surprise to some readers, within the past three weeks in Montgomery County, three pedestrians have been killed in three separateincidents. Additionally, in all three instances, it appears, the pedestrians were not only obeying traffic rules, but rather should have had the right of way. Although one of the pedestrians was struck while walking on the sidewalk, one was on a median waiting for a safe cross (the law requires that drivers slow to let a pedestrian standing on the median cross), when he fell and was struck; and the other man was attempting to cross a street where the nearest cross walk was a long way off.

What is troubling about these circumstances, is that authorities are apparently attempting to shift the blame onto the pedestrians. Granted, visibility is certainly a part of pedestrian safety, it can’t be the case that pedestrians have to dress in neon colors and carry large signaling devices in order to merely cross the street.

Authorities could consider measures such as lowering speed limits, installing stop light signals for pedestrians, or lights in the street at busy intersections, such as those used throughout many Californian cities. Additionally, police could enforce the rules protecting pedestrian safety, both through the means of advertising campaigns, and by ticketing drivers who fail to yield. Other measures could include engineering changes to increase visibility, or the installation of speed bumps near common crossways. At the very least, marking crosswalks, by painting the familiar white or yellow lines, could go a long way at helping pedestrians cross safely.

Additionally, the area where one of the men crossed was allegedly a legal crosswalk, but was unmarked. Several of the commenters in the various articles linked to questioned what the public safety benefits were, if any, of having a crosswalk remain unmarked.

Class Action over Alleged Shuddering of Ford F150s

February 20, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A class action lawsuit was filed today against Ford Motor Company, alleging that the company’s Ford F150 trucks contain a dangerous safety defect which causes the trucks to shudder or shake violently, and even stall when the driver attempts to accelerate.

The complaint, filed on behalf of at least 20 owners, arises out of frightening situations in which the trucks stall suddenly as the drivers were attempting to change lanes or pass, while driving in dense freeway traffic. It is scary to imagine attempting to navigate dense traffic and having your truck or car’s engine suddenly cut off completely. It’s not immediately clear whether this stalling occurred only at slower speeds, or if it also occurred while drivers were driving at full freeway speeds.

One theory is that the problem is caused by moisture moving into the engine as the drivers attempt to accelerate,causing the vehicle to shudder. In some severe cases, it is alleged, the F150’s computer system senses the change in the engine, and thus forces the vehicle into a so called “limp mode” in order to prevent incurring engine damage. It is believed the problem may lie within the Charge Air Cooler (CAC) system, which regulates cooling and temperature in the engine.

The suit further claims that Ford has been aware of the issue, and not only failed to address the issue, but may have even gone so far as to warn dealers of the potential defects in an internal document, stating that the vehicles may, “stumble and/or misfire on hard acceleration after an extended drive at highway speeds during high humid or damp conditions.”

City Argues the Police Had No Affirmative Duty to Assist Civilian Who Stopped Spree Killer, Suffered Injury in the Process

February 12, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Police had no duty to assist or protect a civilian who risked his life to stop a killer on a New York subway car, according to the defendant’s arguments in Lozito v. City of New York. The plaintiff sued the city and the NYPD after a suspect wanted for several murders attacked him in view of two officers. Unfortunately, caselaw going up to the U.S. Supreme Court may support the city’s argument, as it pertains to civil liability for failure to prevent or investigate individual crimes. In the absence of a specific duty established by statute, law enforcement is generally not liable to crime victims for such omissions.

The plaintiff, Joseph Lozito, was on a subway train on the morning of Saturday, February 12, 2011, when Maksim Gelman boarded the train at Manhattan’s Penn Station. Gelman was the subject of a citywide manhunt for a crime spree that left four people dead. Gelman pounded on the door of the motorman’s car, where two NYPD officers were stationed as part of the manhunt. Gelman turned and ran towards Lozito when the officers refused to open the door. Using a move he learned from watching mixed martial arts on television, Lozito knocked Gelman to the ground, and the two fought. By the time police officers intervened, Lozito had at least seven knife wounds. Gelman was later sentenced to two hundred years in prison.

Lozito filed suit against the NYPD for failing to protect him. The NYPD’s account of the incident states that Officer Terrance Howell tackled Gelman, but Lozito claims that Howell locked himself and another officer in the motorman’s car. A grand-jury member allegedly told Lozito that Howell admitted to staying put during the attack because he thought Gelman might have a gun. The city’s argument that the NYPD does not owe a duty of protection to any individual, but rather to the public at large, is fairly well-settled as the “public duty doctrine.”