Washington Injury Attorney Blog

Liebherr-Hausgeraete Ochsenhausen GmbH, of Germany has recalled approximately 2,700 refrigerator units after 13 reports of doors falling off and two injury reports including bruises and sprains.

The units recalled were sold between January 2005 and November 2009 and include models
 SBS240, SBS24 I0, SBS245, SBS24I5.

If you own a Liebherr refrigerator, you should call Liebherr  toll-free at (877) 337-2653 or visit their web-site, www.liebherr-appliances.com.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured by dangerous and defective products and the family of those killed.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

Starbucks Coffee Company of Seattle, Washington, along with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada has issued a voluntary recall of approximately 11,000 glass water bottles sold in the United States and 1,200 in Canada.

The recall was issued after there were 10 reports of the glass stoppers or water bottles shattering and eight reports of hand lacerations. Starbucks has recalled the water bottles because they pose a hazard to consumers.

The water bottles in question was sold at Starbucks stores and in Safeway and Target stores.

If you have a Starbucks Glass Water Bottle printed on a blue label, return the bottle to the Starbucks location where you purchased it for a refund and a complimentary beverage.

See the USPC web-site for more information.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured by defective and dangerous products.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

A 2-year-old boy was killed after a television that was sitting on top of a chest-of-drawers fell on him reports James Queally for The Star-Ledger. The toddler was apparently watching TV with his brother when he opened one of the dresser drawers causing the dresser and the TV to become unbalanced and fall on him.

Unfortunately, this not an uncommon home accident. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission warns parents and daycare providers about the danger of appliances -- and especially TV sets -- tipping and falling on small children and seriously injuring and killing them. The CPSC published a report in 2008 entitled Instability and Tipover of Appliances, Furniture and Televisions: Estimated Injuries and Reported Fatalities. According to the report, in one year alone -- 2006 -- 16,3000 children ages five and younger were injured due to TVs or other pieces of furniture or appliances falling on them.

Tipover injuries typically when children climb onto furniture or appliances or when a heavy appliance like a TV is perched on a piece of furniture that was not designed for it. The CPSC recommends using straps to secure TVs and furniture to the wall so they can not tipover. Children injured in these types of accidents often suffocate or suffer severe brain injuries.

Education and prevention are certainly the keys to avoiding this type of injury.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured due to dangerous or defective products and the families of those killed. With our help, you may recover compensation for your damages.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

The Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers to avoid purchasing fake Alli sold to consumers over the internet, especially on online auction sites. Allis is a over-the-counter weight-loss drug containing orlistat as an active ingredient.

The counterfeit drug does not contain orlistat but instead sibutramine which is a stimulant medication. While sibutramine is an FDA-approved weight loss drug, the amount contained in the fake Alli is three times the recommended dose and can cause anxiety, nausea, heart palpitations, racing heart (tachycardia), insomnia and increases in blood pressure. In increased amounts, patients are three times at risk for heart attack or stroke.

See the FDA web-site for photos and information which will help you identify the differences between the authentic Alli and the counterfeit medication. If you believe your Alli is counterfeit, stop taking it and call the FDA's Office of Criminal Investigations (OCI) at 1-800-551-3989.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber law Group. We represent people who have suffered serious injury due to dangerous products. With our help, you may recover compensation for your damages.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) along with St. Martin's Press LLC, have issued a voluntary recall of "Big Rex and Friends cloth books manufactured in China due the due to high levels of lead contained in a red plastic dot sewn in the book. Lead poisoning in high levels can be toxic to children, causing severe illness and permanent learning and behavior disorders.

The Big Rex books have ISBN number 031249260X and were manufactured in China and distributed through St. Martin's Press to Barnes & Noble, Toys "R" Us, Amazon, Borders and other booksellers between 2004 and 2009.

Consumers can contact St. Martin's Press at (800) 347-9411 or visit the firm’s Web site at www.priddybooks.com/recall for information on returning the books and obtaining a refund.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured by dangerous products. With our help, you may recover compensation for your damages.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

An Issaquah woman, Xin He, the former owner of a the Natural Beauty Salon located in Bellevue was sentenced to 13 months in prison for injecting Restylane into customers instead of Botox.

He was sentenced after pleading guilty to one count of " misbranding of a drug and two counts of receipt and delivery of an adulterated device," according to the Bellevue Reporter.

He's conduct came to light after a Snohomish woman's face became inflamed after being injected at the salon. The woman sought treatment by a dermatologist and she had to undergo plastic surgery after her face became hard and swollen.

Washington law prohibits anyone who is not a licensed health-care provider or doctor to inject prescription medications including Botox and Restylane.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been injured by dangerous products or because of the negligence of another. With our help, you may recover compensation for your damages including pain and suffering.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

"E-cigarettes" are advertised as a 100% healthy alternative to regular cigarettes and are they are promoted as a safe alternative to smoking and a way to help people quit smoking. The only problem, says the Food and Drug Administration, is there is no scientific evidence to back up the claims made by the e-cigarette manufacturers, distributors and marketers. The FDA fears that e-cigarettes could endanger a user's health and are analyzing the electronic cigarettes.

Electronic or "e-cigarettes" use a battery and LED light to simulate smoking. The products contains nicotine and other compounds are atomized and inhaled by the user. The FDA says that some analysis of electronic cigarettes show they contain carcinogens and toxic chemicals including diethylene glycol which is an ingredient used in antifreeze. Nicotine is a highly addictive drug and it is very difficult to abstain from once a user becomes addicted, regardless of the delivery method.

The FDA is also concerned that there are no age restrictions on the sale of electronic cigarettes, especially to teenagers.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We are a product liability law firm who represents people who have been seriously injured by dangerous products and the families of those killed. With our help, you may recover compensation for your damages including pain and suffering.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

For more information on electronic cigarettes, see the FDA web-site.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission along with Sagittarius Sporting Goods has recalled approximately 10,000 Master Forge Five-Burner gas grills due to a defect in the design which could pose a burn risk to consumers.

According to the news release, there have been two reports of a hose melting and rupturing. No burn injuries or property damages has been reported.

If you have a Master Forge Five-Burner Gas Grills, contact the manufacture (Sagittarius) at 1-800-444-6742 to obtain a repair kit.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have serious burn injuries due to defective products or accidents. With our help, you may recover compensation for your damages including pain and suffering.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission warns parents about the dangers of heavy furniture, appliances and -- especially TVs -- tipping and falling on small children and seriously injuring or killing them. In a report entitled Instability and Tipover of Appliances, Furniture and Televisions: Estimated Injuries and Reported Fatalities, 2008 report the CPSC urges parents to secure TVs, furniture and appliances to avoid tip-overs. The CPSC has also prepared a video about furniture tip-overs that you can watch on YouTube.

According to CPSC estimates, in 2006 alone 16,300 children age five and younger were injured due to TVs or furniture falling on them. Between the years 2006 and 2008, they estimate that there were 134 deaths in this same age category. The real tragedy of these accidents is that they are totally preventable.

Injuries typically occur when children climb up onto furniture or push themselves against furniture. Children can suffer severe crushing injuries when this type of accident occurs including brain injuries and suffocation.

The CPSC say they are seeing a rise in the number of TV tip-overs, perhaps due in part to many families purchasing new flat-panel TVS and putting their older sets on a chest of drawers or other piece that can tip. They recommend parents, daycare providers and others secure furniture and TVs to the wall using straps designed for that purpose.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured due to dangerous or defective products and the families of those killed. With our help, you may recover compensation for your damages.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission in cooperation with Amby Baby Motion Beds/Hammocks have issued a voluntary recall of Amby Baby Motion beds after reports that two babies died in the hammock over the summer. According to the media release, both babies suffered suffocation deaths, one was a 4-month old girl from Lawrenceville, GA; the other a 5-month old boy from Gresham, Oregon.

The Amby Baby Motion bed has a steel frame with a soft fabric hammock. The hammock is attached to the steel frame with a spring. Because the hammock moves from side to side, babies can either roll out or shift against the hammock's sling or mattress causing suffocation.

The CPSC advises consumers stop using the product immediately and to contact Amby Baby USA for a repair kit at 866-544-9721.

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This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured by dangerous or defective products and the families of those killed. Washington state has a statute called the Washington Products Liability Act which contains tests for determining whether a product is unreasonably dangerous. Consumers who are seriously injured due to a defective or dangerous product may be able to obtain compensation for their damages with the help of a knowledgeable personal injury attorney. Families of those who have died of their injuries may file a wrongful death suit on behalf of their deceased loved one.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

Toy safety is especially important this time of year when people are shopping for gifts for children. Consumers should check on product labels and make sure the toys that they buy are age appropriate. The Child Safety Protection Act sets forth U.S. safety standards to prevent toy-related accidents which might cause in an injury to a child or even death.

Toy-related accidents and deaths are quite common. More than 200 thousand children are treated in U.S. emergency rooms every year for toy-related injuries and approximately 20 children are killed each year by a toy-related accident. Toys can pose the following types of hazards to children:

• choking or aspiration on small parts or on balls or balloons.
  
• strangulation
  
• injury by projectiles which can cause a child to lose an eye or suffer lacerations or puncture wounds
  
• drowning
  
• motor vehicle accidents which involve toys like scooters, tricycles and ride-on toys
  
• lead paint caused poisoning.

Following are the safety rules provided by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission:

• Balls with a diameter of less than 1.75 inches should not be used by children under the age of 3 as they pose a choking hazard.
  
• Any toy or game intended for children between 3 and 8 must be labeled as a choking hazard if they contain a small ball of if they have small parts.
  
• Latex balloons pose a choking hazard and should not be used or given to children under the age of 8.
  
• Marbles should not be given or used by children under the age of 3 as they pose a choking hazard.
  
• Toys that produce noise that are close to children's ears cannot exceed 65 decibels.
  
• Toys that are used 25 centimeters or further from the ears cannot exceed 85 decibels.
  
• Children's products cannot contain phthalates in excess of 1,000 parts per million.
  
• Children's products cannot contain lead in excess of 300 parts per million.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured by defective or unsafe products. Washington State has a Products Liability Act which protects consumers from dangerous products and also helps them recover damages if they or a loved one is injured or killed.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

The family of Peter Dzioba, age 60 of New Britain, Connecticut, who was killed in a pedicab accident in Seattle in August of 2008, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the pedicab company, Cascadia Cabs, and the pedicab manufacturer, Ningbo Nanyang Corporation of China reports The Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Dzioba was killed in the Belltown neighborhood of Seattle when the pedicab he and his wife were riding in could not stop at a red light and was hit by a minivan. Dzioba was thrown from the pedicab and he was run over by the minivan. Dzioba's wife Mary and the pedicab driver were also injured in the accident.

The lawsuit claims that the brake design on the pedicab was not adequate. The suit also claims that Cascadia did not properly train their drivers on how to drive and stop safely. The lawsuit cites the Washington Product Liability Act, RCW 7.72 which describes the responsibility of a manufacturer for the sale of defective and dangerous products to consumers.

Mary Dzioba filed the suit as the representative of her husband's estate. The wrongful death lawsuit was also filed on behalf of Dzioba's children, Patrick Andrew Dzioba, Colin Thomas Dzioba, Matthew Joseph Dzioba and Kelly Malarkey Dzioba. Washington state has a wrongful death statute which allows the family members of a person killed because of another's wrongful or negligent act recover damages.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We are a personal injury law firm with expertise in product liability and wrongful death claims.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) just released their annual report entitled Toy-Related Deaths and Injuries Calendar Year 2008. The report found that there were fewer toy-related deaths among children under the age of 15 in 2008 compared to 2006 and 2007. In 2008, there were 19 children whose deaths were reported as toy-related. The number of toy-related injuries averages around 229,600 each year.

The CPSC relies on data obtained at Emergency Rooms as to the cause of the injury and the toy involved. This information is not always obtained but it helps the CPSC identify dangerous toys.

Toy-Related Deaths

In 2008, there were 19 toy-related deaths among children under 15 years of age. Most deaths resulted from drowning, being hit by a motor vehicle or choking/airway obstruction caused by a small toy like a ball or a small toy part.

Riding toys continued to be the most dangerous. There were four deaths associated with tricycles: two children were killed while riding a tricycle when they were hit by a motor vehicle and two died when they rode their tricycles into swimming pools and drowned. Four deaths were related to non-motorized riding toys: two children were hit by motor vehicles, one while riding in a wagon and one while riding a toy motorcycle. One child rode his toy into a pond and drowned and the other fell from a toy and suffered fatal internal injuries.

Two toy-related deaths involved balls, one in which a child chased a ball into the street and was hit by a motor vehicle and the other death involved a child drowning when a ball obstructed a bathtub drain.

Toy-Related Injuries

In 2008, approximately 235,300 children under the age of 15 were treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms. 47% of the injuries treated were classified as lacerations, contusions or abrasions with 45% of these to the head or face.

Non-motorized scooters were the toy most closely related to injury to children under the age of 15. The CPSC has seen an increasing trend of injuries related to non-motorized scooters for all age children.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured by dangerous and defective products and the family of those killed. With our help, you may be able to recover compensation for your damages including hospital costs and for pain and suffering.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

Information for this post is from:
Toy-Related Deaths and Injuries Calendar Year 2008
Sarah Garland, Ph.D. Division of Hazard Analysis
Directorate for Epidemiology
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

The Office of the Washington State Fire Marshall just provided a media release warning smokers about the fire danger caused by cigarettes. According to the release, approximately 1,000 people die each year in smoking-related home fires including four people so far this year in our state.

The Fire Marshall recommends purchasing reduced ignition propensity cigarettes, smoking outdoors and never smoking in sleeping areas or homes where medical oxygen is used.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have serious burn injuries due to the negligence of another.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

The Underwriters Laboratories (UL) and the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) is warning consumers to be on the lookout for counterfeit electrical products including Christmas lights. Counterfeit electrical products cause fires, cause severe burn injuries and kill.

The counterfeiters have become very skilled in creating knock-off products, products that look authentic but are actually very dangerous. Often counterfeit electrical products don't provide shock or electrical fire protection.

Counterfeiters have been knocking off all different kinds of electrical products including circuit breakers, fuses, extension cords, power strips, toasters, hair dryers, decorate lights, irons, space heaters, and cell phone batteries. These counterfeit products have been known to catch on fire or even explode and they pose an enormous safety hazard.

Consumers need to be very savvy to avoid counterfeit and dangerous products. Here are some tips from the ESFI:

• Only buy electrical appliances from reputable retail stores. Avoid buying electrical products at flea markets, dollar stores or unknown web-sites.
  
• Avoid deeply discounted products.
  
• Buy branded products that you know and avoid brand-less products.
  
• Read the packaging and make sure they list the manufacturer name and address and a UPC code.
  
• Make sure the packaging is professional and doesn't have grammatical errors. Examine warning labels.
  
• Look for certification labels and make sure that it has a UL certification.

Underwriters Laboratories

The Underwriters Laboratories® Inc. (UL) is an independent product safety certification organization. The UL is committed to product safety and evaluates products and their components and allows acceptable products to carry a UL certification mark.

Currently, UL warns of that the following products have counterfeit UL marks and do not comply with UL safety requirements: "Santa's Magic Christmas" decorative lighting string and "100 sphere light" decorative outfit have a counterfeit UL Mark and do not comply with UL safety requirements.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured by dangerous or defective products and the families of those killed. With our help, you may obtain compensation for your damages.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission along with Maclaren USA, Inc, of South Norwalk, Conn. Has announced a voluntary recall of approximately one million strollers after reports of 12 children having the tips of their fingers amputated by the stroller's hinge and other children suffering lacerations.

The recall involves the following strollers: Volo, Triumph, Quest Sport, Quest Mod, Techno XT, TechnoXLR, Twin Triumph, Twin Techno and Easy Traveler. These strollers are manufactured in China and were sold by Babies "R" Us, Target and other vendors between 199 and 2009.

If you purchased one of these strollers, contact MacLaren USA. They plan on providing consumers with a hinge protector.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured by dangerous or defective products. With our help, you may recover compensation for your damages.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission along with Target Corporation has issued a voluntary recall of Halloween Flashlights imported by Target and manufactured by DGI LLC, of Warren N.J. and Tien Hsing of Wanchai, Hong Kong. The flashlights are dangerous and pose a burn hazard as they can overheat and melt.

The recall involves two types of flashlights: the mini flashlights and flashlights with stencils. The mini flashlight sold for $1 and the flashlight with stencil sold for $2.50

Consumers can return the flashlights to any Target store for a full refund.

See the CPSC web-site for a full description.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured by dangerous and defective products and those who have suffered burn injuries.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced that Dublin Energy Solution Roman Shades which are sold locally in Washington state by IKEA and Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. are being recalled because they pose a strangulation risk. There have been two reports of children who were nearly strangled after they became entangled by the cords.

The blinds are imported by Louis Hornick & Co. Inc, of New York, N.Y. All sizes and colors of the blinds are being recalled and were sold between August 2007 through September 2007. Contact Louis Hornick & company at 800-517-3612 for more information.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured by dangerous products and the family of those who have been killed.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that Blair LLC, of Warren, PA is expanding their recall of chenille bathrobe after nine fire-related deaths have been linked to the product. The CPSC recalled 162,000 robes manufactured by A-One Textile & Towel, of Karachi, Pakistan. They say the robes failed to meet federal flammability standards and people who use the product have a serious risk of burns if the product is exposed to flame.

The recall includes women's full length chenille robes, women's chenille jacket, women's chenille lounge jacket and women's chenille top.

There have been reports of deaths of women who were wearing the chenille products and were cooking or tending a pellet stove. Nine deaths have been linked to the products prior to April 2009.

See the CPSC web-site for more information.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured, including burn injuries, and the families of those who have been killed to defective or dangerous products.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

Washington State Fire Marshal Melissa Gannie, in a press release, warns of the dangers of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. As we approach the winter months, the incidence of carbon monoxide poisoning is increased. The Centers for Disease Control and prevention estimates that every year 500 people die and another 20,000 are sickened in the United States because of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Causes of CO poisoning include gas-fired appliance including ranges and heaters, gas-powered tools, charcoal grills, wood-burning furnaces or fireplaces and motor vehicles. Some times a defect in a product, improper installation or misuse can cause the release of this deadly gas.

CO poisoning is a silent killer as the fumes cannot be seen, smelled or tasted. The Fire Marshall recommends that all homes have carbon monoxide detectors installed.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured by dangerous and defective products and the family of those killed.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.