Alabama Product Injury Lawyer Blog

Some new and interesting recalls this week. Everything from snowmobiles, to children's clothing to some "oversized" pills. Here's the latest and greatest:

1. Ski-Doo Snowmobiles: Over 400 of these snowmobiles imported to the U.S. by BRP U.S. Inc. have been recalled due to friction between the fuel hose and cylinder head cover which can cause the hose to pierce. As a result, fuel can leak out and cause a fire. The recall includes 2007 and 2008 Expedition TUV V800 in Deep Red/Black and the 2007 and 2008 Skandic SWT V-800 in Yellow/Black. If you have one of these snowmobiles, you should stop using it immediately and contact a Ski-Doo dealer to get a free repair. For more information, go here. Considering global warming and how hot it is already, guess now is a good time to get that snowmobile fixed up anyway.

2. Playsafe Spinning Quad Merry-Go-Rounds: Last week, I reported on a swing set that was being recalled and this week its a Merry-Go-Round. Of all things, products made for children's use must be manufactured with all do care. However, often it seems its all about the money. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, about 15,000 of these Merry-Go-Rounds were sold at Toys R Us between January and March 2008. A bearing on the merry-go-round can fail, causing the seat assembly to break off and fall to the ground. Clear hazard to those children riding the merry-go-round. Consumers are instructed to immediately take the merry-go-round away from children (that will be fun) and return to Toys R Us for a full refund. Go here for more information.

3. Children's Overalls by Sara Lynn Togs: This is one hitting close to home. All you Auburn and Alabama fans play close attention. If you purchased for your child or your friend's child some overalls with the Auburn or Alabama emblem on them and they were made by Sara Lynn Togs, you need to get those overalls back to the store for a refund. The buttons on the shoulder straps can detach and children can then choke on them. Go here, to see what the overalls looked like. The specific overalls/shortalls are in gingham or flannel. Sizes included in the recall are 6/9 months, 12 month, 18 month, 2T, 3T and 4T. These overalls were sold at college bookstores, fan stores, children's boutiques and gift shops from March 2007 through February 2008. You need to return them to Sara Lynn Togs for a full refund. Roll Tide/War Eagle!

4. Sauna by Airwall: Ever lay there in a nice hot sauna and think to yourself...."what would I do if I got locked in here and the heat never went off"...at the least claustrophobia hits in. Well, Sauna by Airwall, Inc. distributes the Infra-Red Sauna Rooms which were sold by Sauna By Airwall dealers nationwide between November 2006 and April 2008 which can have a failure of the heating unit and fuse, leading to overheating of the saunas. These saunas are made of wood and include model numbers IC I, IC II, IC III, IC IV and IC V. If you have one of the saunas, you should immediately stop using it and disconnect it from the power source and call collect to 562-630-2283 to get a full refund. Go here for more information and to see photos of the saunas in question.

5. Morphine Sulfate Extended Release Tablets: This is an expanded recall of this drug. More lots of 30 mg and 60mg morphine sulfate extended release tablets are being recalled due to the possibility of the tablets being oversized and therefore giving the patient more of the drug then was intended. The oversized tablets could contain as much as twice the labeled amount. The lots in question were distributed by ETHEX Corporation between June 2006 and May 2008. Go the the FDA website regarding the recall for the specific lot numbers involved. The risks involved in taking these potentially double dose tablets include difficulty or lack of breathing, low blood pressure and apnea. The 60mg tablet is white, oval, with "60" on one side and "E" on the reverse side. The 30mg tablet is pink, oval and "30" on one side and "E" on the reverse side. You can contact ETHEX at 1-800-321-1705.

Busy week in recalls. Remember, be careful out there. Until next time....

Posted by Craig P. Niedenthal | Permalink | Email This Post | Comments (0)

Posted In: FDA Recalls , Recalls , Recalls of the Week

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Yesterday was my birthday and spent most of the afternoon at the office writing this post. Such is life. Just another day in the life. My philosophy on aging is age is just a number. Your "real" age is your state of mind....and body. I stopped counting at about 39 and just concern myself with keeping mentally and physically in shape. Enough of my theories on aging up there; on with the Recalls of the Week.

1. Shindaiwa Corp. Backpack Blowers: About 23,000 of these blowers have been sold between September 2005 and January 2007. The reported problem leading to the recall is that the blower's fan can separate from its base and then break apart, causing some plastic pieces to blow out of the machine. These pieces can cut and do worse if they hit someone as they come flying out. Apparently these same blowers have been previously recalled due to a fire hazard. It involves Models EB8510 and EB8510RT. There have been 13 incidents reported. The manufacturer, Shindaiwa asks that you immediately stop using the blower and contact Shindaiwa at 800-521-7333. For more information, see here.

2. FireX Branded 10000 Series Carbon Monoxide Alarms and 12000 Series CO/Smoke Combo Alarms: The FireX Carbon Monoxide and CO/Smoke Combo Alarms are being recalled because the alarms can sound a "double chirp"/fault alarm in the presence of CO, before going into full alarm mode. The Owner's Manual advises that if you hear this double chirp, you should take the alarm out of service. Problem is, if you follow that instruction, you may never hear the alarm go off telling you there is CO present in house. CO (carbon monoxide) is the odorless deadly killer. You may never know there is a CO leak without the alarm going off. But if you hear this double chirp and follow the instructions, you will never hear the alarm tell you there is a deadly amount of CO in the air. These alarms are made by a company called Maple Chase Company. There are about 280,000 out there, many of which are installed by contractors in new homes. For more information, see the CPSC's site here. They do instruct you not to stop using your old alarms until you call the company and receive a replacement. If you have moved into a home built in the last year or two, you may want to check out your CO or CO/fire alarms installed in your home and see if it is a FireX Brand.

3. Tumble Tower Infant Rattles: A baby's rattle made by the Manhattan Group is being recalled because the ends can break off and the baby can choke on the parts of the rattle. There have been about 7,000 of these rattles sold through gift and specialty stores around the country, as well as on the internet from September 2007 through April 2008. If you have one of these rattles, you should take it away from the baby and return it to the store where you purchased it or contact Manhattan Group at 800-541-1345. To see a picture of the rattle and for more information, go here.

4. Solodyn Tablets: Just this past Friday, the FDA issued a press release indicating that certain lot numbers of the antibiotic Solodyn, 90 mg tablets, are being recalled because one of the bottles in the lot was found with a completely different medication, Azasan, which is an immuno-suppressive agent used in transplant cases to prevent kidney rejection and for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. If you take Azasan and not Solodyn, it can decrease your number or red and white cells, cause infection, bleeding, chills, nausea and vomiting. The two lots at issue were manufactured in February 2008 and are lot numbers B080037 and B080038. Call 888-656-6381 with any questions or see the FDA's website for more particulars.

That's all for this weeks concerns. As always, be careful out there. If you have any questions regarding any of the above, do not hesitate to contact me and I will try and assist you in any way I can.

Posted by Craig P. Niedenthal | Permalink | Email This Post | Comments (0)

Posted In: FDA Recalls , Recalls , Recalls of the Week

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My weekly installment of the recalls that hit last week on consumer products. Let's get right to it:
1. MUNCHKIN DELUXE BOTTLE AND FOOD WARMER: When we were new parents with our first born, 17 years ago, the big craze was "wipe warmers". You would put your baby wipes in there and it would keep them nice and warm so at night when you had to change your kid, they wouldn't freak out from the cold wipe on their bottom. Well, Munchkin Inc., a company based out of California, makes a Deluxe Bottle and Food Warmer, which allows you to warm food and bottles of various sizes. (Guess the microwave ain't good enough or fast enough anymore.) Lot number TP-1487 (shown on the bottom of the warmer) is being recalled because it can overheat, leading fire. There were sold between June 07 and April 08. If you have one, call them at 866-619-8673 or see their website, www.munchkin.com.
2. 2008 HONDA TRX500 ATVs: This is a bad one. Many moons ago, as a young lawyer learning to defend auto manufacturers, I got heavily involved in defending various manufacturers of ATVs in cases in which the plaintiff was claiming ATVs were unstable and leading to the death and maiming of individuals, many of them young kids. They were very tough cases to handle as a young lawyer as the plaintiff's lawyers were very aggressive and it was hard to defend a product which was killing young kids who had no idea how dangerous these products could be. However, I always had a hard time understanding how a parent could allow a child to drive a machine which could go anywhere from 35-50mph or more and think they would be just fine with no supervision. I had a hard time letting my 15 year old get behind the wheel of a car, how could a parent allow a 10 or 12 year old child take off on a motorcycle type vehicle, with little or no training or no supervision. Dumbfounded me. Anyway, the 2008 Honda Model TRX500 4 wheeler is being recalled because apparently the electric power steering shaft can break, resulting in the rider losing control. This is BAD. Driving 40 or 50 miles and hour, in an open vehicle, the drive shaft breaks, you lose control and all that can happen is only bad. As Honda represents, "this poses a risk of injury or death to the riders." The problematic models were sold at Honda dealers between October 2007 through March 2008. If you have one of these models, STOP USING IT IMMEDIATELY!! Contact your Honda ATV dealer to get an appointment for a free repair. If you in fact had a problem with one of these ATVs and need some advice, you are welcome to call me for assistance.
3. PLAYWORLD SWINGSETS: Anytime I see problems with products meant for children, I will try and get the word out there to all of you. Children are the innocents (generally that is, don't forget, I do have teenagers). They don't know about "warnings" and "reading directions" and when it comes to taking risks, generally they will do it because of their lack of fear and feelings that they will live forever. A Playground Swing Set manufactured by Playworld Systems out of Pennsylvania, is being recalled becuase a part known as a "clevis bearing" can wear out and the swing can then detach and off the kid will go...or fly. This part appears to be the part that attaches the chain of the swing to the set itself. These sets...worst of all...were generally sold by dealers to daycares and children learning centers between January 2007 and February 2008. Therefore, if the daycare where you send your child got a new swing set in the last year or so, you may want to ask them to check it out and see if its one of these recalled swing sets. The part numbers for the swing sets that have this problem can be found here. Please check it out if you have any concerns. Like they say, better safe than sorry.

That raps up this past weeks significant consumer product recalls. Remember, be careful out there.

Posted by Craig P. Niedenthal | Permalink | Email This Post | Comments (0)

Posted In: Recalls , Recalls of the Week

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The second installment of Recalls of the Week. A few interesting items have shown up this week.

1. BROIL KING GAS GRILLS: These gas grills, which were sold at various independent retailers throughout the country, are being recalled because the cook box where the burners are can melt or crack and cause a grease fire. There are about 4800 of these grills and include the Signet, Sovereign and Sovereign XL series. You should stop using the grill immediately and contact the manufacturer, Onward Manufacturing for a free repair kit. You can find more information at www.broilkingbbq.com or call 886-434-7455. You can also go to the CPSC's website here for more information.

2. CHILDREN'S STORAGE BINS (LOWE'S STORES): Another lead paint issue from China. These are wooden bins with scalloped edges that were painted pink or green. It is requested you take these bins away from children and return to Lowe's for a full refund. For more information, go here.

3. QVC SPACE HEATERS: If you were up late one night with nothing to do and turned on QVC and found the urge to order that bargain of a space heater to keep you warm, you better pack it up and send it back. The SoleusAir Space Heathers can overheat and potentially cause a fire. They were sold through QVC between December 2007 and March 2008. If you bought the heater through QVC.com or the TV program, you should receive something in the mail about how to get your refund. You can look here for more information. Oh yeah, forgot to mention, made in China again.

4. CARDINAL HEALTH MOUTHWASH: Hydrox Labs, who manufactures Cardinal Health alcohol-free mouthwash is recalling the mouthwash because it apparently contains a bacteria which is known to cause infections in patients in the hospital. It is especially serious in consumers who have Cystic Fibrosis. It is the 4 oz. size that is at issue with lot number 26228. The FDA has issued a statement about this recall which can be reviewed here. It's interesting to note that apparently this mouthwash is placed in Personal Hygiene Hospital Admissions Kits and this same mouthwash, if you decide to use it in the hospital, may in fact make you a lot sicker than when you got there. Not a good thing.

Until next week, please be careful out there. Also, if you do need any help or guidance on any of these recalls, please feel free to contact me.

Posted by Craig P. Niedenthal | Permalink | Email This Post | Comments (0)

Posted In: Recalls , Recalls of the Week

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Today is officially my one month "blogging" anniversary. What, no candles??? I have decided in honor of this significant event that I am going to begin a new weekly feature. You guessed it.....RECALLS OF THE WEEK. My plan is to provide short blurbs about various recalls that have occurred in the past week in the world of drugs, medical devices and general consumer products, providing a link to where you can obtain more information regarding these recalls. It will not be all inclusive, but I will do what I can to provide you some information on recalls which may impact your daily life. So, without further adieu (or something like that), here is the first installment of RECALLS OF THE WEEK:

1. LAWNBOTT LAWN MOWERS: The Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) and the manufacturer, Kyodo America are recalling these lawn mowers because the blades continue to rotate when the mower is lifted from the ground and there is enough space on the side of the mower that your foot could get caught and struck by the blades....ouch. These mowers were sold between Jan. 2006 and Dec. 2007. Here is the link to the CPSC's page regarding this recall and Kyodo America's web page.

2. ELECTRIC SIMMER POTS: CPSC and Waxcessories, Inc recall electric simmer pots which are used to melt scented wax in a ceramic cup. The pots have wire connections that can become loose, potentially causing shock or a fire. These were sold at gift and novelty shops between 2002 and April 2008. Yup, made in China. This is the CPSC link to this recall and here is Waxcessories link.

3. BECO BUTTERFLY INFANT CARRIERS: CPSC and Beco Baby Carrier, Inc. issued a recall of the Baby Butterfly Carriers. They are infant carriers used to hold a baby like a back pack, but the baby is on the front of your body. The buckles on the shoulder straps can lose tension, potentially allowing the baby to hit the ground. These were sold between January 2008 and February 2008. The CPSC link to this recall is here and the Beco Baby Carrier's website is here.

4. 2006-2008 HYUNDAI SONATA: Hyundai is recalling these vehicles because of a significant problems with its advanced air bag system. In the right front seat, the vehicle features what is known as an Occupant Classification System (OCS) which is suppose to determine when there is a small child sitting in the front seat and if so detected, automatically disable the right front airbag. This is because an airbag can do more harm than good to a small child or infant in a car seat. Apparently, the system is misclassifying a small adult as a small child and disabling the front air bag. This is not good. The recall is to begin in about a month. You can contact Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151. The information provided does not indicate what you should do in the meantime i.e. until you have the recall fix performed. You might want to consider not having small adults sit in the front passenger seat. The link to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administrations' discussion of this recall is here.

5. DIGITEK (DIGOXIN TABLETS): A recall has been announced of the generic drug Digitek, all strengths, which is the drug known as Digoxin. This is a drug used to treat heart failure and abnormal heart rhythms. It is reported that double the appropriate thickness of the pill has been released which means the patient will essentially get twice the dose they should be getting. This poses a risk for patients taking this drug who are in kidney failure. It can cause nausea, vomiting, dizziness, low blood pressure and cardiac instability. Death can also occur from taking too much of this drug. The information regarding this recall from the FDA can be found here, and the manufacturer's information regarding this recall can be found here.

That's the most significant recalls I could find for the past week. If you have been effected by any of these recalls and need legal advice, I am available for a free consultation. Be careful out there.

Posted by Craig P. Niedenthal | Permalink | Email This Post | Comments (0)

Posted In: FDA Recalls , Recalls , Recalls of the Week

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Sorry its been almost a week since I've posted, but been running around looking at colleges with my oldest son who is a senior in high school and graduating in about a month. Amazing the way these almost 18 years have flown by. All I can tell you is no matter what you save for your child's college education, it will never be enough. The college financial system is broke and needs to change soon or it will all come crashing down.

Anyway, saw this little blurb that I just had to comment on. The fake "Hillbilly Teeth" have been recalled because the paint used has too much lead in it. When we first moved to Alabama almost 11 years ago, I think I bought a pair of these and wore them to my old law firm's main office in Florida. Since I knew what some at my old firm thought of those in Alabama, thought I'd show them I fit in now that I lived there. What they have never figured out is Alabama is the best kept secret. Figured this would help keep them away and leave all the great things we have here to those of us who know how truly amazing this place is. Of course, that was before the days of everything made in China and the lead paint they love to use over in China. Well guess what??? The "Hillbilly Teeth" are made in China and they continue to use lead paint. Guess if you wear these fake teeth long enough you won't need them because your real teeth...what you have left....would look just like the fake ones.

Posted by Craig P. Niedenthal | Permalink | Email This Post | Comments (0)

Posted In: Consumer Products , Recalls

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