Philadelphia Injury Attorney Blog

The U. S. Consumer Products Safety Commission has recently issued a voluntary recall of Bella Bliss children’s pajamas because they failed to meet federal flammability standards. The CPSC noted that there is a risk that children could be burned if the pajamas catch fire. The pajamas were imported from Peru and sold through the Bella Bliss catalog and on certain retailers’ websites between January 2008 and June 2011 for approximately $48 to $58. According to the CPSC although no injuries have been reported, they announced the risk that children could be burned should the pajamas catch fire.

Depending on the type of textile weave, weight, and finish, as well as looseness of fit, clothing can pose a serious risk of burns and, unfortunately, even death if it catches fire. Many parents safely assume that children are safe in their beds and cribs as long as they are wearing pajamas. However, this is not the case if the clothing has not met federal flammability guidelines and safety standards. A burn resulting from flammable materials often leads to permanent disfigurement, nerve damage, and death. Burn injuries often require lengthy rehabilitation and reconstructive surgery. Often times the surgeon may have to perform skin grafts to allow the burn injury to properly heal.

The experienced Philadelphia product liability lawyers of Reiff and Bily understand that if a victim’s clothing caught fire as a result of a failure to conform to flammability standards, a lawsuit can be filed against the parties who are involved in the chain of distribution of the clothing as well as the company that sold the product responsible for igniting the fire. Victims and their families have every reason to expect that clothing sold will be safe and free from danger and flammability defects. Our skilled defective product lawyers understand that safety should never take a back seat to profitability of products particularly when it involves children.

The Philadelphia product liability lawyers of Reiff and Bily are committed to representing victims and their families who have been injured by defective products that have been placed in the stream of commerce by irresponsible manufacturers and retailers. We always offer a free, no obligation consultation. For more information, contact us toll free at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.

Okay, I admit it. I like to drink a martini now and then. However, I am now going to order my martinis with a twist of lemon instead of olives due to the fact that I have just learned of a new defective product recall of certain organic olives in all size glass jars, cans, and different lots that have the potential to be contaminated with clostridium botulinum, a bacteria which can cause life threatening illnesses or death.

Unfortunately two adults were hospitalized and diagnosed with botulism after consuming stuffed olives produced by Bio Gaudiano, Lot Number H2510X, expiration date 09/2012. Consumers are now being warned not to use the product even if it does not look or smell spoiled. Botulism, a potentially fatal form of food poisoning, can cause general weakness, dizziness, double vision, and trouble with speaking or swallowing, as well as difficulty breathing, weakening of muscles, and abdominal distension. People experiencing these symptoms should immediately seek medical attention.

As an experienced Pennsylvania product liability and Philadelphia product defect lawyer, I urge all of you to subscribe to www.recalls.gov, a fantastic online resource for recalls of consumer products, boats, motor vehicles, food, medicine, cosmetics, and environmental products. There is even a recalls.gov mobile application and links to other valuable product recall websites such as www.safercar.gov, NHTSA, USDA, and FDA.

The experienced Pennsylvania product liability and defective product law firm of Reiff and Bily is committed to consumer safety and believe that profitability should never take a back seat to consumer safety. Our experienced Philadelphia-based Pennsylvania product liability lawyers always offer a free, no obligation consultation and a no recovery, no fee guarantee if we decide to accept your case. For more information, contact us toll free at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.

I remember walking with my parents and as I grew older, walking with my friends on brisk Halloween evenings wearing a close fitting Halloween mask with only two small holes for breathing, I remember distinctly the warm condensation building up under the mask as I went door to door “trick or treating". What many parents never think of and should be on alert for is the risk of suffocation by your child under too tight a Halloween mask with spaces too small for proper and safe breathing. This risk can be even greater when children running with their friends up and down steps, doorway to doorway, exert themselves and the body has a greater need for oxygen.

Recently Target recalled thousands of frog theme Halloween masks citing just a suffocation risk. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a recall for children’s frog masks imported by Target Corporation citing that the plush frog mask lacked proper ventilation when secured in place across a child’s face presenting a suffocation hazard. Thankfully no injuries were reported at the time of the recall. The mask was manufactured in China and sold at Target stores nationwide from August 20 to September 2011 for approximately $1.00. Consumers have been advised to take the masks and return them to Target for a full refund.

I have read other blogs stating that you “get what you pay for". However as an experienced product liability attorney who has handled many dangerous and defective toy cases where children have choked or suffocated due to a loose part, I believe that safety rather than profitability should always be priority number one and if there is a risk of suffocation or hazard to a child, it doesn’t matter what you pay. The product simply should not be on the market.

If you have one of these masks, it is probably best to simply throw it out to avoid your child accidentally putting it on as chance favors the prepared mind. The experienced Pennsylvania child injury and defective toy and product liability law firm of Reiff and Bily have been steadfast consumer stalwarts for product safety for over three decades and always offer a free, no obligation consultation to victim’s and their families of those catastrophically injured or wrongfully killed due to the negligence of others or product liability defectively designed or defectively manufactured products.

For more information, please contact us toll free at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.

How many times have you been driving down the highway and seen treads, shredded tires, or torn pieces of tires sitting on the side of the road on the shoulder. The sale of used tires and retreaded tires is booming. While a significant number of vehicle crashes are caused as a result of tire failures, and even though the purchaser believed they were getting safe tires based upon the visual conditions, many times the bargain leads to a catastrophic accident. Many times tires possess defects that cannot be easily detected visually. Oxidation or micro-cracks in tires can lead to a catastrophic tread or belt separation. However, unfortunately, the age of a tire does not prevent it from being sold at a cheap price on the used tire market or the retread market.

We recently successfully resolved a case where a tire experienced a belt separation causing the vehicle to lose control. The tire manufacturer claimed there was no defect on the tire. Most times, the tire installer or customer does not possess the ability to spot loose cords or belt separation in a tire, and unfortunately used tires are not subject to any federal standards. The road fitness of a tire is governed only under state tread depth laws.

Every year thousands of people will die and even more will be catastrophically injured due to the use of defective retread tires on vehicles. Environmentalists claim that retreading tires saves huge amounts of natural resources as opposed to replacing worn tires. However, safety should always take priority over profitability. Simply put, retread tires are second hand tires that have just been recoated with a tread veneer creating a potentially volatile situation.

Continue reading "A Tire Tread Separation Often Results In Lose Of Control Of A Vehicle With Tragic Consequences" »

When you purchase a child restraint car seats for your infant or small child, you trust that the child restraint car seat will protect them in the event of a car accident. Studies have revealed that a small child or infant in a car traveling at 30 miles per hour, can be hurtled forward with a force 30 to 60 times their body weight. The National Highway and Safety Administration (NHTSA) recommends that small children weighing less then 40 lbs be securely fastened into a child safety seat to maximize their safety should the car come to a sudden stop or is involved in a car accident. Since 2005 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) along with manufactures have recalled millions of defective child car seats designed to protect small children and infants traveling in cars. The child car seat and safety bench recalls included booster, convertible and infant seat models, as well as seat benches found to be improperly mounted in Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner Vehicles. A list of recently recalled seat benches and child car seats include but are not limited too;

- 2011 Sprinter 2500 Seat Benches

Seat benches were found to have inadequate latch brackets that were not properly welded.

- Dorel Infant, convertible and booster child restraints car seats

Child and infant car seats were were found to have a defective lock and release button that did not always return to the locked position.

- Chaperone Infant car seats

Chaperone Infant car seats were recalled due to findings that a number of harness chest clips came apart creating a potential choking hazard to infants.

While government standards set fourth the guidelines manufactures must follow in the production and design of child and infant car seats, oftentimes manufacture defects are not identified until a car accident or other tragic event catastrophically injures or claims the life of a small child or infant.

The experienced defective child car seat and product liability lawyers of Reiff & Bily have over 30 years experience representing generations of Pennsylvanians in product liability and defective child car seat cases. The lawyers of Reiff & Bily’s product liability litigation team have recently joined forces with the Beasley Firm to create the Beasley Reiff Law Group. Together our attorneys have been awarded over $2 billion dollars since 1958 representing the interests of catastrophically injured victims and their families. We always offer a free, no obligation consultation.  For more information contact us toll free at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com. 

For over three decades, our experienced auto and defective seat back lawyers have investigated and litigated auto product defect cases and those which involve catastrophic injury resulting from a defective seat back. Unfortunately many cars have defective seat design and in a low or medium speed collision the seat fails and allows the occupant to be thrust forward or rearward or even ejected from the vehicle. This type of action often results in a catastrophic injury including but not limited to paraplegia, quadriplegia and brain dysfunction. When a seat collapses or is thrust forward, the effectiveness of the restraint system notably fails and injuries may also be caused to passengers in the rear of the vehicle as the seat collapses upon them with increased load and forces.

Automobile manufacturers have been aware of seat back failures and defects for decades and have taken little steps to improve safety due to the fact that the governmental safety standards establish a weak minimum for safety.

Recently there has been a wake of recalls for defective seat backs. In the last year, Ford recalled many 2011 Explorers with allegations that the potential for defective seat backs may not provide required strength in a crash increasing the risk of injury. Unfortunately manufacturers of car seats are not required to test car seats in crash tests and our skilled auto product defect and seat back defect attorneys do not believe that safety standards are stringent enough to prevent fatalities and catastrophic injuries due to lack of proper seat strength standards.

Recently our experienced auto product defect lawyers have joined forces with the legendary Beasley Firm to create the Beasley Reiff Law Group and together have been awarded more than $2 billion dollars in settlements, awards, and verdicts since 1958. For more information, please contact us toll free at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.

For over three decades my partners, associates, and I have investigated and litigated many claims against manufacturers of defective products. A defective product usually involves a design defect, manufacturing defect, or marketing defect. The law holds manufacturers, sellers, and distributors of products responsible for products that pose a danger to users or consumers as a result of a design or manufacturing defect.

Unfortunately many product defect legal cases involve allegations of fraud or unfair business practices and many manufacturers of defective products that cause catastrophic disfiguring injuries or wrongful death will go to great lengths to conceal the cause of an injury or death despite the fact that they knew for decades about root causes of a problem. Many large corporations employ systematic and exact strategies that are carefully hidden from public eye until a skilled and experienced product liability lawyers carefully investigate and dissect these claims based upon a catastrophic injury or wrongful death.

In many of our product liability legal cases, we have reviewed confidential intra and inter-company communications clearly revealing coverups and on many occasions whistleblower employees have come forward with knowledge of evidence concealment involving the manufacturer. Taking on major corporations for product defects litigation requires legal skill and experience that often takes decades to develop. Product liability litigation matters are generally intellectually challenging and complex.

Since 1979 the experienced Pennsylvania product liability attorneys of Reiff & Bily have been researching and litigating numerous product defect and design cases with great success. Recently our skilled product liability trial lawyers have joined forces with the legendary product liability lawyers of the Beasley Firm to create the Beasley Reiff Law Group. Together our job is to determine who is responsible for placing victims and their families in an unforeseen and unimaginable position when tragedy strikes. We believe that manufacturers must be held accountable for product defects and the lack of concern for consumer safety and always believe that safety should never be an option and always trumps profitability.

Since 1957, the combined forces of our lawyers have recovered over $2 billion dollars. We always offer a free, no obligation consultation to those injured as a result of a defective product. For more information, contact us toll free at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.

The Ford Motor Company announced that it will recall over 1 million pickup trucks including the popular F-150 due to corrosion problems involving straps that hold fuel tanks to the truck. The recall effects 1.2 million older trucks sold or registered in 21 states, and it was noted that the corrosion problem was more prominent in colder regions due to corrosion from roadway salt. Ford announced that it will repair the trucks for free.

Models affected are 1997 to 2003 Ford F-150, 2004 F-150 Heritage, 1997-1999 F-250, 2002 to 2003 Lincoln Blackwood. This announcement follows another major recall involving Ford’s F series truck which has been one of the best selling vehicles in America.

In April, Ford expanded a recall of F-150 pickups to about 1.2 million vehicles due to front airbags which could deflate without the vehicle being involved in a crash.

The Philadelphia auto defect product liability and defective airbag law firm of Reiff & Bily salute Ford’s proactive stance in these recalls.

As an  experienced Philadelphia product liability lawyerfor over three decades, I have always believed that manufacturers and distributors of retail products should emphasize safety first rather than bottom line return to shareholders.

Recently a story surfaced whereupon the Viking Range Corporation was aware for years of a defect involving refrigerator door hinge mechanisms that were resulting in incidents and injuries to customers yet they failed to report the alleged defective product situation immediately to the CPSC as required by federal law.

According to news sources Viking first reported the safety defect to the commission in April 2009 and agreed to a recall in June 2009. However a subsequent investigation conducted by the CPSC staff indicated that by the time of the initial report, the firm was aware of at least ten reports of injuries involving Viking refrigerator hinge failures over a period of several years. In June 2009, the CPSC and Viking Range Corporation announced a recall of more than 45,000 Viking Refrigerators and announced a potential hazard where it was noted that refrigerator hinges and hardware that attached to the doors in the refrigerator could loosen, sag, and detach posing an impact injury to consumers if the door detached. Federal law requires manufacturers, distributors, and retailers to report to CPSC within 24 hours after obtaining information reasonably supporting the conclusion that a product contains a defect which can create a potential product hazard or creates an unreasonable risk of injury or death or fails to comply with any consumer product safety or any other rule regulation standard or enforced by the CPSC.

Continue reading "Experienced Philadelphia Product Liability Lawyer Calls Attention To Federal Laws That Require Manufacturers, Distributors, and Retailers To Report Information Concerning Product Defects To CPSC Within 24 Hours" »

Several times a year my wife drops a small fortune to have her hair straightened in what is known as a Brazilian blow out procedure. When she comes home, her hair has an odor that is anything but pleasant and the same lasts for a few days. Although I must admit she looks sexier than ever and loves her straightened hair, I became concerned when I started to review warnings issued by the Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration warning hair salon owners, workers, and consumers about potential exposure to formaldehyde used in some hair smoothing and straightening products including the Brazilian blow out brand. Tests indicated dangerously high levels of formaldehyde in the hair salon using these hair straightening products even though many of the products are often listed as formaldehyde free. Many clients and workers were found to have allergic reactions including nose bleeds and eye irritations. Unfortunately many of the hair straightening products or products used by hair care services are not required to list their ingredients and clients, workers, and consumers may not even know what is in the products they are utilizing.

As an  experienced Pennsylvania product liability lawyer, I think it is essential to the safety of workers and clients and anyone exposed to a potentially dangerous product or material to mandate health warnings on all hair care products including but not limited to hair straightening products. In Canada, many of the products were pulled off the shelves and the FDA now notes that it has begun looking at the complaints about hair straightening products.

Our office has received a number of calls from clients who had the hair straightening solution put on their head and claim that their head or scalp is burned for a number of weeks and some have even claimed a loss of hair. Although every situation must be considerate of “the goods, the bads, and the uglies," one must ask them self if the quest for beauty is worth the risks of potential physical danger or physical harm.

Continue reading "Are Brazilian Hair Straightening Blowouts Dangerous? - Experienced Product Liability Lawyer Weighs In" »

As an experienced Pennsylvania product liability and defective product lawyer for over three decades, I am witnessing an ever increasing call to safety as federal agencies and have put more pressure on manufacturers to recall allegedly dangerous products. As more and more consumers complain about problems over the internet and as more and more bloggers are able to express concerns about potentially dangerous situations and products, recalls seem to be occurring on a daily basis being led by the auto industry.

If you receive a recall notice, this experienced Pennsylvania liability lawyer advises you to act swiftly to avoid injury regardless of whether or not you consider the safety issue to be serious. The internet is turning out to be one of the consumers best friends when it comes to product safety by keeping necessary pressure on manufacturers who are normally accustomed to emphasizing profitability and return to shareholders rather than safety.

If you or a loved one has been injured by a defective product, put decades of legal experience on your side to help you recover the financial damages you deserve. Reiff & Bily has recently joined forces with the Beasley Firm and together our accomplished trial lawyers have been awarded over $2 billion dollars since 1958. For a free, no obligation consultation contact us online at www.reiffandbily.com or toll free at 1-800-421-9595.

When I was a young boy, I slept in a bunk bed with my younger brother on the top. When I went to college, I shared a room with two other men in the dormitory and also slept on the bottom of the bunk bed and one of my pervasive thoughts was what would happen if the top bunk fell on top of me? Just about every bottom bunkers nightmare.

Recently a recall of defective bunk beds was made by Dorel Asia SRL. Dorel Asia SRL recalled approximately 444,000 wooden bunk beds in the United States and a further 21,700 bunk beds in Canada due to wooden side rails that run from the headboard to the footboard and holds the bunk bed’s mattress in place and can split and cause the bunk bed to collapse posing a fall hazard to consumers. The recalled bunk beds were sold at Walmart, KMart, and Target stores and online at www.walmart.com, and www.kmart.com.

If you own a bunk bed, it is important to be certain that your bunk bed is safe and not subject to a product recall. If you or a loved one has suffered an injury from using the affected products or any other defective product, the Pennsylvania product defect lawyers of Reiff & Bily would be glad to offer a free, no obligation and confidential consultation. We always offer a no recovery, zero fee guarantee which means if we do not win your case, we do not charge you a fee. Contact us online at www.reiffandbily.com.

Toyota announced another voluntary recall of approximately 308,000 SUVs from the 2007 to 2008 model years over fears of airbags not working in the event of certain accidents, or in the worse case scenario, opening without reason. The new Toyota recall affects 214,000 RAV and 94,000 Highlander/Highlander HV models from 2007 to 2008 model years with the recall involving the curtain shield airbag sensor assembly. Apparently it seems that sensors are failing which means that in the event of a rollover accident, the airbag may not open or in the worse case scenario, the airbag could open without and without an impact. Although Toyota claims that this is an unlikely event, they are issuing the recall and made a point of mentioning that the same is possible.

As an experienced Pennsylvania airbag defect lawyer, I am well aware of the dangers that can occur from an over-aggressive deployment and non-deployment or a faulty deployment. We urge all of the readers of this article to contact your Toyota dealership and take your car in immediately if it is one of the vehicles embodied by the recall notice. Chance favors the prepared man and we salute Toyota’s efforts in notifying consumers when it became aware of the problem.

If you or a loved one has suffered a catastrophic injury or fatality due to an alleged airbag defect, please feel free to contact one of our experienced Philadelphia airbag defect lawyers for a free, no obligation consultation. The Philadelphia airbag defect law firm of Reiff & Bily has recently joined forced with the legendary Beasley Firm and together have been awarded over $2 billion dollars for injured clients. We always offer a free, no obligation consultation. Contact us online at www.beasleyreifflawgroup.com or toll free at 1-800-588-0130.

I wrote an article a few weeks ago entitled Recalls, Recalls, Recalls, What’s Going On?. Recently an abundance of recalls has been initiated by product manufacturers or by the government regulatory agencies. Typically a recall is only issued when evidence is presented that the product has a potentially dangerous defect that can cause a catastrophic injury or wrongful death to the customers. By the time of the recall, many innocent individuals have been catastrophically injured or killed by the product.

As an experienced Philadelphia product liability and defective product attorney who has successfully fought for the rights of injured consumers for over 3 decades, we welcome the fact that manufacturers are coming forth to recall a product once they are aware of the danger. However, there are still many dangerous products in the marketplace that continue to catastrophically injure and kill innocent children and other consumers.

Since 1979 when I first started to litigate product liability cases, manufacturers would go to great lengths to cover up any and all documentation concerning defects are they were more concerned with shareholders than consumer safety. I am not so sure that the situation is greatly different today due to the fact that most times when our skilled Pennsylvania product liability lawyers resolve a claim, manufacturers still insist on confidentially and no publicity.

Continue reading "Product Recalls Represent Only The tip Of The Iceberg Of Defective Products On The Marketplace" »