Arkansas Injury Lawyer BlogThe death of a driver who was using a driverless automobile is causing great concern as the number of driverless cars reach the road in substantial numbers. Over the past year I have read story after story describing the coming day when driverless cars take over the roads. According to the news reports, the driver died because the cameras on the Tesla Model S failed to distinguish the white side of a turning tractor trailer from the sky and didn’t automatically brake to stop the car. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will investigate how Tesla’s Autopilot system performed at the time of the crash. Continue reading ›
Articles Posted in Product Liability
Johnson & Johnson – Profit over People
Johnson & Johnson has faced numerous lawsuits regarding their talcum baby powder, and their legal problems are not over. The company is now being federally investigated. One issue being investigated is whether Johnson & Johnson took steps to hide evidence that their product is linked to asbestos and ovarian cancer in females.
Thousands of lawsuits have been filed against the company, with thousands of plaintiffs prevailing against the big company. Continue reading ›
Baby Product Recall
If you have an Angelcare Movement and Sound Monitors with Sensor Pad, and purchased it between October of 1999 and September of 2013, please stop using it until you have checked the model number which is located on the back of the handheld monitor. 600,000 of these monitors are being recalled due to infant deaths. Please check to make sure you do not have model numbers AC1100, AC201, AC300, AC401 and 49255. THESE MODEL NUMBERS HAVE BEEN RECALLED AND SHOULD NOT BE USED.
My wife and I are expecting our second child soon, and we used the Angelcare Movement and Sound Monitors with Sensor Pad with our first child, which we just learned is now being recalled due to a product defect which has led to infant deaths. It’s alarming to read that a piece of equipment that is marketed to keep your baby safe is now being recalled because it has caused harm, even death, to your baby.
Apparently the company is sending out repair kits to remedy the defect situation. A repair kit seems insignificant in my opinion. Because of the safety concern, I feel the company should be offering to replace the monitors. Product liability cases are not something to take lightly and the company should step up and make it right with their customers. They are offering a repair kit which includes rigid protective cord covers, a permanent warning label and revised instructions. When my wife called the recall number given, she received a message which stated their voice mailbox was full. I’m not sure my wife and I will be using this monitor with our second child.
Fracking Causes Damages in Arkansas
Recent reports in the news media have shown that livestock on farms near oil and gas drilling operations have been falling sick and dying. Many scientist and residents suspect chemicals used in drilling and fracking operations are poisoning animals through the air, water or soil.
Earlier this year, Michelle Bamberger, an Ithaca, N.Y., veterinarian, and Robert Oswald, a professor of molecular medicine at Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine, published the first and only peer-reviewed report to suggest a link between fracking and illness in food animals.
The report listed 24 case studies of farmers in six shale gas states whose livestock experienced neurological, reproductive and acute gastrointestinal problems after being exposed to fracking chemicals in the water or air. The article, published in “New Solutions: A Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health,” describes how animals died over the course of several years.
Arkansas Product Liability Law – Dangers of BPA
The hormone damaging chemical BPA, or bisphenol-A, can no longer be used to make baby bottles and sippy cups. The mandate of the Food and Drug Administration will have limited impact, because manufacturers have already stopped using BPA in these beverage containers. However, the FDA did not ban BPA use in other products.
BPA is still found in other plastic products. These products include water bottles, metal can linings and thermal cash register receipt. Some studies have linked BPA to cancer, birth defects and reproductive problems. A current study ties BPA found in kids’ tooth fillings to a slightly higher risk of children developing behavioral problems such as depression and anxiety. According to medical experts, BPA leaches from food and beverage packaging and trace amounts have been found in the urine of at least 90% of Americans.
Some food manufacturers have voluntarily removed BPA from the linings of cans, especially those containing infant formula. However, the FDA and industry actions are not strong enough. Dangerous products continue to be sold in Arkansas and the rest of the county. Lawyers and persons injured by dangerous products need to use Arkansas product liability laws to hold companies that put profits over the health of their customers accountable. The Arkansas Products Liability Statute can be found here.