Gair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman & Mackauf is a New York Plaintiff's personal injury law firm specializing in automobile accidents, construction accidents, medical malpractice, products liability, police misconduct and all types of New York personal injury litigation.

Articles Posted in Product Liability

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Defective%20Kettle.jpgYou won’t believe how many things can go wrong with this simple kettle: the spout is defective and water can spill posing a burn hazard, the steam can travel up to the handle and burn your hands. Additionally the leaking steam can prevent the kettle from whistling and if all the water evaporates the kettle may actually melt on your stove!

If you recently bought a Chefmate Tea Kettle at Target please stop using it immediately. This defective product has been recalled because it poses a serious burn hazard. For more info visit the Consumer Product Safety Commission website

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Nine Lawyers from The New York Personal Injury Firm, Gair Gair Conason Steigman Mackauf Bloom&Rubinowitz were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2014.

Jeffrey B. Bloom, Seymour Boyers, Anthony H. Gair, Howard S. Hershenhorn, Jerome I. Katz, Stephen H. Mackauf, Ben B. Rubinowitz, Ernest R. Steigman and Richard M. Steigman were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2014.

The above lawyers were selected in the following practice areas:

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Char-Broil has received 26 reports of defective products including four reports of burns, including one with burns to the nose, chin and hair, and seven other reports of “burned” or “singed” hair. Reports indicated that the burner flame was going out and then unexpectedly reigniting when the consumer turned the control knob to “OFF.”

Two models are being recalled: the model 240 Full Size grill and the model 180 Table Top grill. Consumers should stop using the product and contact the manufacturer for repair.

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Black & Decker Spacemaker Coffeemaker coffee pot handle can break, causing cuts and burns to the consumer. So far Black and Decker has received 1607 reports of handles breaking with 83 reports of burns and cuts. Consumers who own this product should stop using it immediately and contact Applica Consumer Products Inc. of Miramar, Fla. for a full refund.

For more info go to the Consumer Product Safety Commission webiste.

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If a car, a motorcycle or a small truck is defective, the manufacturer has to initiate a recall campaign to correct the defect by repairing or replacing the vehicle or by offering a refund to the consumer. Despite the manufacturer’s efforts, recall campaigns are not always successful especially when the cars, motorcycles and trucks being recalled are older and are likely to have been resold at least once. Too many vehicles owners are not aware of recalls and continue to drive unrepaired cars, trucks or motorcycles unknowingly exposing themselves, their passengers and other road users to potential accidents, damages or injuries.

Starting next year every owner or potential buyer of a car, a motorcycle or a small truck will be able to check if all recalls related to their vehicle were addressed. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) just announced its plans to require automakers and motorcycle manufacturers to provide consumers with a free online tool that will enable them to search recall information by Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). Consumers will be able to instantly check if their vehicle is safe and address any defect related issue if necessary.

This new measure is a step ahead to protect consumers from the harm and property damage that can be caused by a vehicle with a serious safety defect.

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football%20helmet.jpg“No helmet system can protect you from serious brain and/or neck injuries including paralysis or death. To avoid these risks, do not engage in the sport of football” is the type of language that consumers will read on most warning labels when they purchase a football helmet these days.

Football has a very high incidence of catastrophic personal injuries with traumatic brain injury and cervical spinal cord injury being the most common. Recent lawsuits have accused the league and some product manufacturers of hiding evidence or not properly warning about the dangers of repeated head trauma.

In a recent article, Ken Belson, a sport reporter for the New York Times, gives a complete overview of what type of warning helmet manufacturers are using Today to warn the players and to protect themselves from a product liability lawsuit.

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product%20recall.pngMillions of toys that contained dangerous levels of lead paint and other toxins as well as dangerous children products have been recalled since the Consumer Safety Improvement Act was signed into law 5 years ago.

This bipartisan legislation made a real difference in protecting young Americans from personal injury and wrongful death.

Read more in Consumer Reports.

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car_seat_safety.jpgLATCH stands for “Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children”. They became mandatory in vehicles in 2002 to help parents better secure the baby seat in the car and eliminate seat belt incompatibility. Pursuant to the actual law the lower anchors are designed to support a maximum weight of 65 lbs. Most parents are not aware that this weight includes the child and the child seat. When the total weight exceeds 65 lbs the child seat must be secured with the car seatbelt.

In order to make this information clear to parents the new LATCH law effective in February 2014, will require child seat manufacturers to modify their label to make sure parents understand that their child weight determines how long they can use the lower anchors.

This legislation was heavily pushed by automakers in order to protect themselves from product liability lawsuits as baby seats these days are heavier than those manufactured in 2002 and are putting increased strain on the lower anchors.

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Lead poisoning is the primary environmental health threat to young children because they are more likely to put lead contaminated toys in their mouth than older children or adults. Lead poisoning does not cause immediate symptoms but it can permanently damage children’s brains and cause serious developmental problems.

The recent statistics from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on port surveillance show that during the fourth quarter of the 2012 fiscal year, toys containing lead represented 62% of the children products that have been refused at port entries because they were violating US safety rules or were found hazardous. A significant amount of children products with small parts representing a choking hazard and child care articles with excessive phthalate level were also kept away from young american customers. Children’s product represented 87% of all stopped products in the fourth quarter of the 2012 fiscal year.

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Last August Sears recalled Kenmore Dehumidifiers after they received 107 reports related to burns and fire with more than $7 million in property damage and 3 reports of smoke inhalation injuries. However it seems like many consumers were still not aware that their product was defective as after last year recall Sears continued to receive more incident reports including a severe burn to a consumer’s foot and 3 fires resulting in significant property damage. Therefore Sears is once again asking consumers who bought Kenmore 35-, 50- and 70-pint dehumidifiers made by LG and manufactured between 2003 and 2005 to immediately turn off and unplug their dehumidifier and to contact the Recall Fulfillment Center.

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