California Ranks Fourth on Most Expensive Auto Service State Study

According to a recent national survey, California car owners pay 11% more on auto service fees than 49 other states.

The results are not surprising as California residents have to cope up with high cost of living, demanding labor fees, and expensive auto parts.

The CarMD.com Corporation released the survey results, showing California as fourth among US states to charge additional auto service fees. The Golden State has charged customers 20% more on labor fees and 7% more on replacement parts, reports said. Cal has outbeat 46 other states in collecting higher service fees.

Reports said Arizona ranked number one in the survey, collecting 18% more on repair fees. New Mexico followed by 14% and Colorado by 12%.

The CardMD.com Corporation is an auto information company which partners with more than 80,000 car repair shops in the United States to produce car trends update and data.

The results are quite predictable as most of car owners dwell in the Golden State to take advantage of higher paying jobs. Ironically, the high cost of living and expensive auto repair fees make one’s pocket essentially empty. Perhaps a taste of the nation’s finest living can make a Cal resident say, “It’s worth it”.

However, even after you’ve spent hundred of dollars for car repair and the vehicle still won’t work, you may file a complaint to your dealer. Or, if you’ve suffered injuries caused by the faulty auto part, you may file a Product Liability lawsuit and seek compensation.

Consult with a Personal Injury lawyer in Los Angeles to help you prove the liability of the manufacturer and receive damages. You may dial our toll free number at 1-866-772-2889, or email us at info@mesriani.com for a free case analysis.

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Possible Salmonella Contamination on Recalled Ready-to-Eat Salads

Food manufacturers should be cautious in processing ready-to-eat products as contamination presents a serious risk to their consumers. So, before releasing these products out in the market, they must make sure that it is safe and consumers need not to worry about poisoning or catching an illness in them.

Chiquita Brands International subsidiary, Fresh Express, has recently announced recalls of its ready-to-eat salads after one of their products tested positive for Salmonella in one of the random tests conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

(photo credit: ctv.ca)

The Romaine-based products have expiration dates between May 13 and16 and its product code has a letter “S” on it. The products were said to be distributed on the states of Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North and South Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

The company said that it is unlikely that anyone will still consume the salads because of its expiration date but they still want people to discard it immediately to avoid possible contamination.

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Massive Drop-Side Crib Recall Announced in US and Canada

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada issued the voluntary product recall of about 2 million drop-side cribs manufactured by Stork Craft.

The product recall covers about 1.2 million cribs in the US and about 968,000 cribs in Canada.

At least 147,000 of the cribs carried the brand Fisher-Price logo.

The product recall was prompted by reports of incidents where the drop-sides got detached.

All in all, there were 110 reported incidents received by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, health Canada and Stork Craft.

Of those 110, 15 children were trapped and four of them suffocated. Another 20 children fell from cribs that resulted in bumps, bruises and concussions.

The parents of the children who got injured and most especially those, whose children died, should consult a lawyer about filing a personal injury or a wrongful death lawsuit against the manufacturer.

Under the product liability lawsuit, all they have to prove to win is that the crib actually has a safety defect that could cause the injury or death of their child.

For the parents who lost their children, winning the lawsuit will not bring their sons or daughters back but it will be a way to hold the manufacturer accountable for their deaths.

For consumers who have questions about the product recall and the supposed safety defect, you can call Stork Craft at (877) 274-0277.

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Petsmart Announces Product Recall of Dog Treats

Petsmart is expanding their product recall to include a dozen more dog treats made by Pet Carousel of Sanger.

It all started last week when Petsmart recalled its Dentley’s brand of Bulk Cattle Hooves and Choobles 10-Pack Beef Hooves after Pet Carousel informed them that the products may have been contaminated with salmonella.

The FDA then warned the public against using beef hoofs and pig ears made by Pet Carousel.

The affected products were marketed under the names:

• Doggie Delight
• Choo Hooves
• Dentley’s
• Pet Carousel

The FDA reportedly found Salmonella to be present in the pig ears, beef hooves and manufacturing environment.

Petsmart took the best move they can make and announced a voluntary product recall of the said products.

It should save the company from further embarrassment because of their swift action on the matter.

The product recall, though costs a lot of dollars, should save a lot of money for the company in the long run because it prevented possible product liability lawsuits from angry consumers.

Salmonella infections can make our beloved pets suffer severe symptoms like fever, abdominal pains, diarrhea, bloody diarrhea and vomiting.

And aside from making the pets sick, it can also affect humans.

Salmonella can be transmitted by contact so all consumers are advised to wash their hands after handling the products.

To help you identify if the dog treat your using is affected, here is a complete list of the products included in the product recall including their description, SKU, and UPC.

• Dentley’s Bulk Cattle Hoof: 1611247, 73725703323
• Dentley’s Choobles 10-Pack Beef Hooves: 5019015, 73725736055
• Choo-Hooves Stuffed with Cheese-Bacon: 1611993, 3465190058
• Choo-Hooves Stuffed with Peanut Butter: 611994, 3465190056
• Flossy Chews Choo-Hoove Roper Two-Hooves: 1813131, 3465117005
• Flossy Chews Roper Bone Buddy: 1815505, 3465190002
• Flossy Chews Beef Bones with Rope Toy: 5080721, 3465117055
• Flossy Chews White Bone Rope: 5147942, 3465117065
• Knucle Steaks 2-Pack: 5084141, 3465190046
• Choo-Hooves Dog Chews 3-Pack: 1611410, 3465184103
• 3-Pack Smoked Hooves: 5042279; 3465114003, 4651140037
• 5-lb. Cow Hooves: 5042275; 34651150609, 3465115060
• 5-lb. Smokies-Hooves: 5042277; 34651140556, 3465114055
• 60-Piece Smoked Hooves: 5042278, 3465112122

For additional information about the product recall you can visit www.petsmartfact.com, www.petsmart.com, or www.fda.gov
You can also contact Petsmart at 888-839-9638.

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Car Fume Detoxifier Causes Wildfire near the 60 Freeway

The wildfire near the 60 Freeway may have been caused by sparks that flew from a defective catalytic converter of a pickup, authorities said.

The wildfire caused a big traffic jam on the 60 and 57 Freeways, as commuters were advised to take alternative routes to their destination.

Several fires started almost at the same time at about 11:45 a.m. and spread to about 50 acres.

It gave a lot of people a scare as most believed that this is another case of arson.

Fire officials announced that the fire was mostly out by 2 pm.

The fire caused 4 smoke inhalation injuries, plus one firefighter being treated for heat exhaustion.

Fire officials later said that an overheated catalytic converter – a device that converts exhaust before it exits the tail pipe- may have triggered the fire.

If that is the case, the manufacturer of the catalytic converter may be held liable for the property damage and personal injuries that the fire caused.

Under the product liability law, if a product is proven to have a safety defect that caused injury or death, the manufacturer of the product will assume responsibility despite the lack of negligence.

Besides, a cataclysmic converter is a device that is supposed to help the environment.

Once it becomes defective, it ceases to serve its purpose and may even cause an environmental accident.

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Baby Food Recalled; Botulism Cases Feared

Plum Organics of California have recently announced their food recalls on some of their baby foods in portable pouch as they suspect of botulism contamination in their products.

Botulism is an illness caused by toxins which is normally found in a person’s digestive tract. It usually results to facial paralysis that may spread to the limbs. The illness is life threatening and so those who ingested the product must immediately have themselves checked for toxins.

The company’s action team announced that the recalls on all 4.22-ounce pouches with the expiry date of May 21 2010 were because the product did not meet the FDA standards regarding the acidity level.

There were no reported incidents of botulism yet but the company urged the public not to feed their babies with these products as they present serious health risks.

In cases of product recalls, the public must be aware so as not to use products which present threat to one’s safety.

For victims of these defective products, they are urged to contact personal injury lawyers who will efficiently handle their claims and make sure that compensatory damages will be paid.

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Swing Set Recalled for Lack of Assembly Instructions

A product must not come out in public unless it has been tested as safe to use. Tests for safety should be made especially if it is intended for children.

Moreover, whenever a defect has been found to exist in certain products, the same should be recalled immediately. Recall should be made without waiting for any report of injury.

Recently, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled 1,950 Little Tikes Clubhouse Swing Set because it did not include assembly directions for its seat harness.

Consumers were ordered to stop using the recalled swing sets until they have obtained and read the assembly instructions for its harness by accessing the manufacturer’s website.

In this case, the product was not really defective. The defect, if there was, lies on the non-inclusion of its assembly instructions in the set. Recalling the swing set might be a harsh consequence but the product was complicated to begin with that instruction on how to set up must be at hand during the assembly process.

It is a good thing no children were reportedly injured. However, should someone appear to have been injured, a product liability case may be filed against the swing manufacturer. A damage suit may be pursued through the assistance of a personal injury attorney.

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Public Faces another Salmonella Scare – from Spices

Companies should guarantee the safety and high standards of their product before it is to be put out on market. This would prevent consumers from any incident such as defective products.

The California-based Union International Food Company recently announced its recalls of some of its products because of salmonella contamination.

Reports earlier indicated that there were 33 individuals from California who have been victims of salmonella food poisoning from spices such as black and white pepper manufactured by Union International. No deaths have been reported from the said contamination.

The California Department of Public Health has warned individuals and restaurant owners who have purchased other products of Union International that might also be contaminated with salmonella bacteria.

Other products include black, white, and cayenne peppers, powdered and chopped onions, curry, wasabi, and mustard powder, paprika, and garlic.

The said salmonella contamination on spices has followed a pistachio-related scare manufactured by a company which is also based in California.

These outbreaks could have been prevented with stricter implementation of safety and health standards. Also, the state should be able to monitor and make sure that companies would follow procedures that would ensure their products are safe for people’s consumption.

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Class lawsuit filed against Mattel

Just last week, a class action suit has been filed by a number of American consumers against Mattel Corporation to urge the toy company to pay the cost of their children’s medical examinations. This is on their belief that their sons and daughters might be affected because of playing with the lead-contaminated products of the said company. The full story can be found at http://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/case/mattel-toys-lead-paint-testing.html .

Definitely, their course of action is very much appropriate. They should not wait for the time when poisoning symptoms occur on their children before making such actions. The United States products liability laws do allow citizens to exhibit their rights and incriminate those parties who fell short on their responsibility to produce and market safe and quality products for public consumption or utilization.

This issue has brought great concerns for the parents. More so, the actual upsurge in the complaints received by Mattel compelled the company to recall their lead-contaminated toys from the market, not only in our country but also all over the world. This, I presume, cost them a huge amount of money. But still, thousands of self-affirming patrons keep on complaining.

Well, for me, this is a clear sign that most of our people are quite aware of their rights. It is not merely a result of over reaction to the issue but rather as an indicator that we are very much concerned for that fact that our children’s safety is at hand. To add, toy companies like Mattel should implement the strictest precautionary measure since their target consumers are the young people.

We have to make the necessary actions as provided for by the existing laws. This will certainly force other companies and institutions to follow the safety standards in doing their businesses and might as well prevent further occurrence of this problem in the future.

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Glendale Train Crash, A Messy Accident

If you have already forgotten the Glendale train crash which was reported to be the deadliest incident of train crash in the history of Metrolink located in Los Angeles area, then let me remind you of the devastation and consequent mess of liability claims.

In the Glendale accident of January 26, 2005, eleven lives were taken. Two Metrolink passenger trains and train were involved in the collision. Just try to imagine the horror of double-deck commuter trains colliding with each other carrying hundreds of passengers who are all unaware of the fate that was to come.

What is worse, after the collision, one of the trains overturned and the other caught fire. Aside from broken bones, spinal cord injuries, head injuries and lascerations to different parts of the body, some of the passengers where burned severely by the wreck.

In this accident, who is to blame? Who can those poor people claim against for the deaths of their loved ones, for their medical expenses as a result of treatments, surgeries and future medical treatments? Who can those people sue for damage to their properties, loss of income and more importantly for the pain and suffering that they went through as a result of the accident?

If you will take out Juan Manuel Alvarez from the equation, the person who allegedly left his Jeep Cherokee on the tracks for reason only privy to his own, there are a lot of questions posed as to who could be at fault or liable for the hundreds of injuries. The truth is, depending on the proof, there are product liability issues that can be addressed, train malfunction, and negligence of the operators and management or owners of the commuter trains.

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