California Car Accident Reports

The California car accident lawyers at BISNAR | CHASE have always stood up for the rights of our clients, especially against insurance companies that often try to shortchange or stonewall injured victims claiming damages and loss. I heard last week that our friends at Consumer Watchdog are launching a campaign against CBS Outdoor advertising company's decision to take down Consumer Watchdog's billboard on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles warning the public not to trust Mercury Insurance.
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Luv N' Care Ltd. is issuing a nationwide defective product recall of gel-filled teethers with the brand names "Nuby," "Cottontails" and "Playschool" because the liquid inside the gel-filled teethers has been found to contain a harmful bacteria that can have serious consequences if children ingest the liquid gel. According to a news report in Consumeraffairs.com, the bacteria (Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus circulans), generally do not cause illnesses in adults. But infants and children with weakened immune systems can experience serious symptoms such as stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea and other illnesses if the teether becomes punctured and they ingest the gel. Consumers who have these teethers are asked to stop using them immediately and either discard them or return it to the place of purchase for a complete refund.

The company apparently issued the product recall after learning that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found Bacillus subtilis in the teether and Bacillus circulans in the gel in samples from two lots they collected. So far, no illnesses have been reported. These gel-filled teethers were distributed through retail outlets nationwide. The products were also marketed on the Internet. The company has stopped production and distribution of these teethers and is notifying its distributors to return the products. Read the rest of this entry »

Defective product recalls especially those involving lead-tainted toys have been a major concern to the personal injury lawyers at Bisnar | Chase. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced that nine children's product manufacturers, importers and sellers have agreed to pay more than $500,000 in civil penalties. According to a news report in The Journal Gazette, the penalties settle allegations that the companies knowingly "manufactured, imported or sold toys and other children's articles with paint or other surface coatings that contained lead levels in violation of federal law."

The companies, with this settlement, deny the CPSC's claim that they knowingly violated the law. The lead-tainted items were reportedly recalled in 2007 and 2008 and include toys, metal jewelry, pens, metal water bottles, pencil pouches, sunglasses and Halloween pails and baskets. The firms that were ordered to pay the fines were: Read the rest of this entry »

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has confirmed the presence of a deadly strain of E. coli bacteria in samples of Nestlé Toll House refrigerated cookie dough, which has caused food poisoning, sickening 69 consumers in 29 states including California. According to a news report in Consumeraffairs.com, the E. coli-contaminated cookie dough originated in Nestlé's Danville, Virginia plant. Nestlé recalled 30,000 cases of its hugely popular cookie dough products last month. FDA officials said the bacteria were not found inside the plant or on the equipment, but only in a tub of chocolate cookie dough made at the plant in February. The dough had a June 10, 2009 expiration date.

The FDA initially warned consumers on June 19, 2009 not to eat any varieties of prepackaged Nestlé Toll House refrigerated cookie dough because of the risk of E. coli food poisoning. So far, 34 people have been hospitalized as a result of this E. coli outbreak. Nine food poisoning victims have developed a severe complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). This is a serious condition that can cause life-threatening kidney failure. Most of these cases apparently develop after several days of diarrhea – often bloody – due to infection with a specific strain of Escherichia coli (E. coli). Both children and adults may develop HUS after E. coli infections. Read the rest of this entry »

Crane Plumbing has issued a defective product recall of 5,500 whirlpool bath tubs because the drain covers in the tubs can entangle a bather's hair in the opening causing their head to be held underwater, posing a drowning hazard. According to a news report in Consumeraffairs.com, these recalled bathtubs are acrylic with six to 12 jets. The Crane logo is printed on the whirlpool and on the air control valve. The tubs were sold at home improvement, retail and wholesale stores nationwide from March 2007 through February 2009 for between $700 and $2,700. Read the rest of this entry »