Haeger Revisited: Faulty Goodyear Tires and the Statute of Repose

Recently the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened a preliminary investigation into the field performance of tire manufacturer Goodyear line of "G159" model tires. According to records that were ordered unsealed by a judge last year, the tires--often used on motor homes despite being unfit for the purpose--may have caused wrecks that injured or...

Asbestos Continues to Wreak Havoc on Generations of Workers

Society has a complicated history with technological progress. It seems like many major developments in the industrial and consumer sectors were found to be pretty awful ideas after a generation or so of use. Just think about it: From the 1930's through the 50's, cigarettes were endorsed by doctors for the pep that a jolt...

Positive Train Control: What Use is an Inactive or Absent Safety Feature?

The past few months have certainly not been good for trains. Multiple high-profile wrecks--three in as many months--have brought the public's gimlet eye down upon Amtrak, one of the most recognizable names in train transportation. For those who don't follow the news (who could blame you these days?), here's a quick summary of the most...

Don’t Take Airbags For Granted. They Don’t Always Work As Intended.

One of the most recognizable developments in vehicle safety, since the first gas-powered carriages wobbled down dirt roads in the late 19th century, is the airbag. Since they were patented in 1951, airbags have gone into almost every vehicle that can carry one. Everyone's aware of them, but I believe many people take their effectiveness...

Some Dangerous Drivers are Following Unsafe Orders.

There are times when we should weigh the morality of a decision against its profitability. Occasionally in the name of progress people in charge make decisions that, while not necessarily illegal, are certainly questionable. This kind of "me first" thinking is often most obvious when looking at certain businesses' expectations of their workers. Trucking companies...

No One Is Above Traffic Laws, So Learn and Abide By Them.

I work in an industry that continually sees the worst consequences of reckless driving, and for all my exposure to these cases, I am still utterly confused as to how they occur. Surely few people truly believe they're justified in running red lights or whipping in and out of traffic lanes, but it happens every...

Who’s Going to Investigate A Semi Truck Crash? Maybe Not Who You Think.

When an accident happens, who's the proper authority to investigate? Check the comments sections of news articles about the wreck and you'll find no shortage of armchair authorities who think they know exactly "who you gonna call." Their ideas on that are often wrong, but they'll treat them as the gospel truth when discussing the...

Some Commercial Drivers Still Hit the Road Despite Being Unfit to Drive.

Some think of the law as a "gotcha" instrument that deals justice indiscriminately, punishing many who don't truly deserve it and ruining lives in the process. On the contrary, it's entirely capable of recognizing different circumstances. For instance, it deals with genuine accidents differently than it does foreseeable events, and it treats each accordingly. The...

Polaris Industries Recalls RZR Vehicles AGAIN for Fatal Fire Hazard

A joint statement between Polaris and the U.S. Consumer Products and Safety Commission (CPSC) was recently added to a series of company recalls related to potential fire issues in some of the company's vehicles, and the circumstances of it are worth talking about. Which Products Are Affected? The company's most recent statement relates to a...

Why Aren’t Drunk Drivers Charged With Murder?

Drunk driving is a terrible crime. Unsuspecting victims are hurt and killed every day by this all-too-familiar pattern: Someone is over-served, stumbles out to his car to go home, and plows into another vehicle or pedestrian to dire effect. If a police investigation proves that the intoxicated driver was responsible for hurting someone, that driver...

Unregulated “Detox” Products and Supplements Just Might Be Dangerous Nonsense.

I've written a couple of times about my general distrust of dietary supplements and homeopathic medicine. I know they carry some psychological benefit and I understand not wanting to lean on prescription medications if it can be helped, but supplements and "wellness" products receive almost zero regulation or oversight in the U.S., which I find...

We Didn’t Stop the Fire: Millions of Extinguishers Recalled for Potential Serious Malfunctions

On November 2 the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) announced a recall of tens of millions of fire extinguishers for several potential malfunctions that might prevent them from being used effectively on fires. Tragically, these malfunctions have already led to one fatality and easily could cause others before the recall can gain significant traction....

BTI Recalls AR-15 Parts Kit for “Incorrect” Part That Could Cause Misfires

The AR-15 platform is a weapon system well-known for its accessories and customizability. Be it paint jobs, picatinny rail attachments, or custom inner workings, you could spend all day looking at AR-15s and not see the exact same one twice. Whole kits are even sold to replace large portions of the guns at once, which...

When Open-and-Shut is Anything But: The Detailed Defenses in Trucking Accidents

Sometimes we at the firm read about cases that seem fairly open-and-shut. Having worked on thousands of personal injury cases, we know they often get a lot more complicated than they seem at first blush. Attorneys are trained to examine those complications--intentionally seeing the trees instead of the forest. Sometimes an accident's details aren't obvious...

The Cliché “Lawsuit Type” Is a Bad and Harmful Misconception.

When people are injured by negligence--by an auto accident or a malfunctioning product, or while on a dangerous property, to name but a few possibilities--they reach out to us to learn about their rights and what they should do next. We welcome their calls, of course, but when we talk to them one puzzling refrain...

Adios Amoebas: Water Parks and Premises Liability

If you run a business, you'd better know what it takes to make sure your customers have a safe and satisfactory experience there. There are genuine accidents--things nobody could possibly have seen coming--and then there are incidents that likely could have been avoided with appropriate levels of pre-emptive caution. For example: If you run a...

A Fatal Caffeine Overdose and the Dishonest Press Blitz About It

When people or companies hurt others intentionally or accidentally, they are accountable per the law's decree. One could say that "blaming people" as a broad definition of the law is part of how America works, in that wrongdoers should be held responsible for their actions. As a law firm we understand that; after all, we're...