- Brett Emison | February 28, 2011 11:44 AM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsSean Kane, founder of Safety Research & Strategies, Inc., is calling on NHTSA and auto manufacturers to work together to make automobile seat heaters safer. In his paper on the subject, Mr. Kane...
- Brett Emison | February 25, 2011 11:48 AM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsNHTSA has reported that Ford Motor Company has recalled their 2011 Explorer models with 60% rear seats with manual recline mechanisms, stating that “in the event of a crash, the seat back may...
- Brett Emison | February 24, 2011 11:09 AM |
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Medical Devices & ImplantsAccording to an Associated Press report last week, “most medical devices recalled in recent years because of deaths or life-threatening problems were cleared for approval under less stringent...
- Brett Emison | February 24, 2011 10:32 AM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsJust days after the NHTSA and NASA reports on Toyota's sudden acceleration problem, Toyota announced it is recalling more than 2 million additional Toyota and Lexus vehicles because gas pedals may...
- Brett Emison | February 23, 2011 3:40 PM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsFord will recall 150,000 Ford F-150 pickup trucks because air bags may deploy without warning.
This latest recall covers trucks from the 2005-2006 model years in the US and Canada for what the auto...
- Brett Emison | February 23, 2011 12:00 PM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsIn a victory for the constitution, states' rights and safety, the Supreme Court of the United States, in Williamson v. Mazda, has unanimously ruled (2 concurrences, no dissents) that federal...
- Brett Emison | February 23, 2011 11:12 AM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsCould it be that the very thing we counted on to keep us sterile is the thing that passed on a deadly infection? This strange event is blamed for the death of 2-year-old boy in Houston.
The family...
- Jessica Agnelly | February 22, 2011 11:35 AM |
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Medical MalpracticeIt is not uncommon for proponents of “tort reform” to claim a direct linkage to the arena of medical malpractice lawsuits brought against doctors and a resulting shortage of physicians...
- Brett Emison | February 22, 2011 10:29 AM |
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Automobile AccidentsI've written before about how defendants -- often represented by an insurance company -- can assert frivolous defenses. Now an animated video describes how some frivolous defenses get...
- Brett Emison | February 21, 2011 11:27 AM |
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Tractor-Trailer AccidentsThe Hours of Service regulations (49 CFR Part 395) were changed this year, but still create a significant potential for accidents caused by tired or fatigued truckers. According to the U.S....
- Brett Emison | February 18, 2011 10:45 AM |
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Medical MalpracticeThere's been a lot of talk about medical liability reform recently. President Obama mentioned it in his State of the Union address and the US House Judiciary Committee just approved HR 5. Ted at POL...
- Brett Emison | February 17, 2011 11:30 AM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsHeading out for hockey practice? Make sure you have all your equipment…
Skates? Check.
Helmet? Check.
Gas mask? Wait, what?!
At many rinks, this might be an essential piece of...
- Brett Emison | February 16, 2011 10:27 AM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsAfter Secretary LaHood made his bombastic comments about the Toyota sudden acceleration investigation, I wrote about how the media was focused only on the Secretary's commentary and not the actual...
- Jessica Agnelly | February 15, 2011 4:29 PM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsAn interesting Consumer Reports project found last year that three servings a day of particular protein drinks could result in daily exposure to arsenic, cadmium, or lead exceeding the limits...
- Brett Emison | February 15, 2011 11:15 AM |
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Medical Devices & ImplantsI've written previously about reported Zimmer knee problems. There has already been a recall of the Zimmer NexGen stemmed tibial component and orthopedic surgeons have called for a recall of the...
- Brett Emison | February 14, 2011 10:50 PM |
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Mass Transit (Airline, Cruise Ship, Train, Bus)This Chicago Sun-Times article describes a somewhat unusual train accident in that it involves a parked train, however, it highlights the dangers that railroad crossings can pose. A freight train...
- Brett Emison | February 14, 2011 10:50 AM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsThree U.S. deaths may be caused by an unlikely culprit—your latest car accessory, the keyless car fob. The keyless ignition on a Lexus sedan is believed to have led to the death of Queens...
- Brett Emison | February 11, 2011 11:08 AM |
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MiscellaneousWould you ever confuse this:
with this:
It seems Ferrari named its new Formula 1 race car the F150 in honor of the 150th anniversary of Italy's unification. Wanting to avoid confusion and make...
- Brett Emison | February 10, 2011 4:13 PM |
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Medical MalpracticeRead more: GOP clashes over medical malpractice [Julian Pecquet at The Hill]
At a Judiciary Committee markup, Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas) accused Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.) of proposing legislation...
- Brett Emison | February 10, 2011 11:43 AM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsA few days ago, I wrote that Distracted Driving Dangers Mount As Cars Become An iPhone On Wheels. This very problem was highlighted in a GM Super Bowl ad focused on a new feature of its Chevy Cruze:...
- Brett Emison | February 09, 2011 11:12 AM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsMost news outlets are reporting only the headline from the NHTSA/NASA report on Toyota sudden acceleration, but not the details. You can read my early takes on the sudden acceleration report here...
- Brett Emison | February 08, 2011 4:53 PM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsI wrote this morning that the joint NHTSA / NASA Toyota Sudden Acceleration Report was expected today. Reports of the study and a quick glance at its executive summary show that most preliminary...
- Brett Emison | February 08, 2011 10:21 AM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsThe Department of Transportation and NASA are expected to release their report on Toyota sudden acceleration today. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has been tight lipped...
- Brett Emison | February 07, 2011 2:47 PM |
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MiscellaneousI've written before about online safety and privacy (and specifically How Facebook Sells Your Friends). St. Louis Today has reported that some Missouri legislators have learned this lesson the hard...
- Brett Emison | February 07, 2011 10:35 AM |
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Medical Devices & ImplantsI reported at the end of January about orthopedic surgeons who urged a recall of the Zimmer NexGen CR-Flex artificial knee. But many are unaware that there has already been a recall of the Zimmer...
- Brett Emison | February 06, 2011 4:19 PM |
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Head & Brain InjuriesIt's Super Bowl Sunday. If you're reading this when it posts... why aren't you watching football (or at least the 4+ hour pregame show)? An estimated 130 million will watch the Super Bowl today...
- Brett Emison | February 04, 2011 10:35 AM |
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Defective & Dangerous Products
Ford Motor Company has recalled nearly 365,000 F-150 pickup trucks (the country's best selling vehicle) because of a defect (every bit as dangerous as a tire defect) in its door handles that...
- Brett Emison | February 03, 2011 10:55 AM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsIn what may become fodder for the tort reform crowd, a French citizen has sued drug maker GlaxoSmithKline, blaming Glaxo's Parkinson's drug Requip for erratic behavior including persistent gambling...
- Brett Emison | February 02, 2011 11:00 AM |
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Medical Devices & ImplantsThe FDA announced yesterday that there is a potential link between breast implants and a rare form of cancer, Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma, (ALCL). According to this FDA report approximately 1 in...
- Brett Emison | February 01, 2011 11:25 AM |
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Automobile AccidentsI've written several times on the dangers of distracted driving. I'd like to say I've seen it all, but I'm sure I haven't. Some of what I have seen:
Bus Driver Reading While Driving Passengers...