Birmingham Personal Injury Lawyer

Contaminant Found in Blood Thinner Herapin

Jenny Albano — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 21:01:05 GMT

A contaminant has been found in the blood thinner herapin that has been associated with 19 deaths. U.S. health officials are trying to figure out how the chemical made its way into the drug. The contaminant is called oversulfated condroitin sulfate, which does not naturally occur.

The herapin in question was recalled on February 28 and the FDA says there have not been any new deaths since that time. The main ingredient from the blood thinner was imported from China.

Condroitin sulfate is a natural compound that occurs widely and can be used as a dietary supplement, but the oversulfated version has not been widely studied. The FDA does not know whether the chemical was accidentally or deliberately added to the herapin and are investigating. The FDA has started testing all imported herapin into the U.S. so doctors and patients can use the product safely.

Condroitin sulfate is a compound in the same family as heparin, so preliminary testing did not identify it, but more exacting tests by the government and some university researchers found the contaminant.

Oversulfated condroitin sulfate would be less expensive to make than heparin, but FDA officials said they could not estimate the cost difference. The lots of heparin linked to hundreds of allergic reactions were marketed by Baxter International and produced in China. FDA said Chinese officials have been highly cooperative in the investigation.

The FDA said that they could not conclusively link the oversulfated condroitin sulfate to the deaths and side effects, but they have not identified any other contaminant.

John Deere Tractor Recall- Pedal Sticks

Gregory Zarzaur — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 15:55:12 GMT

The Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) has announced that John Deere has voluntarily recalled over 5,000 tractors because the forward drive pedal can get stuck which may lead to serious injury. The tractor model involved is John Deere 3203.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Defective and Dangerous Products.

President Global Corp. Recalls Uni-President Red Bean Flavor Ice Bars and Red Bean Tapioca Flavor Ice Bars

Jenny Albano — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 20:23:48 GMT

President Global Corp., in conjunction with the FDA, is recalling its Uni-President Red Bean Flavor Ice Bars and Red Bean Tapioca Flavor Ice Bars because they may contain skim milk that was not on the label of ingredients. If a consumer who is allergic to milk consumes this product he/she may have serious allergic reactions that could result in death.

Each product comes in a box containing 6 bars. UPC code on boxes of Red Bean Flavor Ice Bars is 4 710608 813600. UPC on boxes of Red Bean Tapioca Ice Bars is 4 710088 070968. There are no expiration dates on the products.

So far there has been one illness from the ice bars reported in Canada. The recalled product was sold in Asian Retail Food Markets in Southern California.

The Uni-President Red Bean Flavored Ice Bars and Red Bean Tapioca Ice Bars were recalled when the company realized that products' label did not mention that they had skim milk or milk protein in the bars. The FDA has suspended distribution of the ice bars until the agency and the Presidential Global Corp. are sure the problem has been remedied.

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Defective and Dangerous Products.

President Global Corp. Recalls Uni-President Red Bean Flavor Ice Bars and Red Bean Tapioca Flavor Ice Bars(2)

Jenny Albano — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 20:23:48 GMT

Each product comes in a box containing 6 bars. UPC code on boxes of Red Bean Flavor Ice Bars is 4 710608 813600. UPC on boxes of Red Bean Tapioca Ice Bars is 4 710088 070968. There are no expiration dates on the products.

So far there has been one illness from the ice bars reported in Canada. The recalled product was sold in Asian Retail Food Markets in Southern California.

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Defective and Dangerous Products.

Foam Baby Seats Recalled

Gregory Zarzaur — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 12:19:24 GMT

MSNBC is reporting that the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) has announced the recall of over one million foam baby seats that were sold in stores such as Sears, Target, WalMart and Kmart. The recall comes in the wake of several reports received by the CPSC of children falling out of the foam seats when they are placed on top of tables. The child seat in question is called the Bumbo Baby Sitter Seat and it is manufactured by Bumbo International.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Defective and Dangerous Products.

Alabama Jury Finds Faulty Water Heater Causes Wrongful Death

Gregory Zarzaur — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 21:04:10 GMT

Last week, a Baldwin County jury found for the family of Baldwin County man who was killed when the water heater at his home exploded. The family presented evidence that a faulty valve was the cause of the explosion. The jury awarded a total of $50 million in damages including both compensatory and punitive damages.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Defective and Dangerous Products.

Jury Finds Broker Mishandled Investments

Gregory Zarzaur — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 20:55:51 GMT

A Florida jury recently found that a Merrill Lynch broker mishandled the investments of an elderly couple whose mental conditions were declining. The broker was changing the couples investments in order to gain higher commissions even though the broker tricked the couple by saying the investments did not pay any commissions. The jury is still considering whether to award punitive damages in addition to the millions of dollars in compensatory damages.

Ford Documents reveal defect on millions of cars

Tedford Taylor — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 17:25:52 GMT

Many fire investigators hired by insurance companies and many other automobile engineers agree that a $20.57 switch, installed in millions of Ford vehicles from 1992 to 2003, is causing some Ford vehicles to ignite. An Iowa family has filed a lawsuit over the defect alleging that the defective switch caused their F-150 pickup to ignite, destroying their house and killing a 74-year-old-woman. Ford has already recalled more than 1 million cars in two seperate recalls, however Ford documents reveal that the switch has been placed in more than 16 million vehicles. NHTSA has received 559 complaints of spontaneous fires and 253 of those fires on on vehicles which have not been recalled.

For more information on this subject matter, please refer to the section on Defective and Dangerous Products.

Pilots awarded $53M in Florida plane crash

Tedford Taylor — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 16:46:39 GMT

A Volusia, Florida jury awarded two men, a flight instructor and former student pilot, $53M against two manufacturers. The jury determined the manufacturers were liable for the airplane crash which caused serious injury to both men. The plaintiffs argued, and the jury agreed, that the manufacturer of the carberator, and the engine maker of the Cessna 150, knew about defects which caused the carburator to fail, engine to stall, and plane to crash. The carburator manufacturer must pay 70% of the personal injury verdict and the engine maker must pay the remaining 30%.

For more information on this subject matter, please refer to the section on Defective and Dangerous Products.

Insurance a Scam Game for many Insurers

Tedford Taylor — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 16:29:16 GMT

The insurance industry's drive for profit has overwhelmed its obligation to policyholders, and insurance companies abide only by the first commandment of insurance--Thou shalt pay as little and as late as possible.

Tension between insurers and their customers has long existed, but it was the 1990s that saw insurance companies looking for ways to systematically streamline the process to increase profits. In 1992 Allstate sought advice from consulting firm McKinsey & Co, to help increase profits. The firm compiled 13,000 pages of documents which amounted to advice on how Allstate could increase profits by paying out less in claims, according to the court record relating to a Fayette County, Kentucky car wreck. Allstate's profits increased 140% from 1996 to 2006. State Farm, who has routinely undercut Katrina claims amounting to bad faith, also hired McKinsey & Co.

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, insurers reported their highest ever profit, $73 billion, up 49 percent from the previous year. With 60 million customers paying more than $50 billiion in premiums per year, homeowners are often surprised to find out that insurers won't pay the full cost of rebuilding their damaged or destroyed home.

The insurance companies routinely refuse to pay market prices for homes and replacement contents, they use computer programs to cut payouts, they change policy coverage with no clear explanation, they ignore or alter engineering reports, and they sometimes ask their adjusters to lie to customers, according to court records and former employees.