Washington Personal Injury Lawyer & Attorney : Regan Zambri & Long Law Firm : DC Metro Area Personal Injury Law Blog

Posted by Salvatore Zambri, founding partner

Hundreds of thousands of Simplicity and Graco cribs were recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on April 29, 2010.  Parents should stop using these cribs immediately and follow the advice on CPSC recall notices.  We have reproduced the recall notices below in their entirety for our readers. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 29, 2010
Release #10-211 CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908
Simplicity Cribs Recalled by Retailers; Mattress-Support Collapse Can Cause Suffocation and Strangulation - One Infant Death Reported

"WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is announcing the recall of all Simplicity full-size cribs with tubular metal mattress-support frames. This recall includes fixed-side and drop-side cribs. These cribs pose a risk of serious injury or death due to entrapment, strangulation, suffocation and fall hazards to infants and toddlers.

The crib's tubular metal mattress-support frame can bend or detach and cause part of the mattress to collapse, creating a space into which an infant or toddler can roll and become wedged, entrapped or fall out of the crib.

CPSC has received a report of a one-year-old child from North Attleboro, Mass. who suffocated when he became entrapped between the crib mattress and the crib frame in April 2008. CPSC is aware of 13 additional incidents involving the recalled cribs collapsing due to the metal mattress- support frame bending or detaching, including one child entrapment that did not result in injury, and one child who suffered minor cuts to his head when his mattress collapsed and he fell out of the crib.

CPSC staff urges parents and caregivers to stop using these cribs immediately and find an alternative, safe sleeping environment for their baby. Do not attempt to fix these cribs.

Due to the fact that Simplicity and its successor, SFCA Inc., are no longer in business, CPSC has limited information about the number of cribs sold. All Simplicity drop-side cribs have previously been recalled for a hazard involving the drop side. Simplicity drop-side cribs could still be in use by parents or caregivers who are unaware of the recalls or by those who received a repair kit to immobilize the drop side from Simplicity when the firm was still in business. This recall involves ALL Simplicity cribs with tubular metal mattress-support frames regardless of model number.
Crib Name Model Number
All Simplicity Cribs with tubular metal mattress-support frames regardless of model number Model numbers unknown
Some of the known model numbers include:
Aspen 4-in-1 8755
Chelsea Deluxe 4-in-1 Convertible Sleep System 8324
Graco 4-in-1 Ultra Sleep System 4600
Graco Aspen 3-in-1 8740
Simplicity Crib and Changer Combo 8994
Simplicity Ellis Deluxe 4-in-1 Convertible Sleep System 8676
Simplicity Nursery-in-a-Box Convertible Crib 8910

Some model numbers are followed by letters, indicating the color or finish of the crib. The name "Simplicity Inc." or "Simplicity for Children" appears on a label on the crib's mattress-support frame and/or the crib's end panels. The cribs were manufactured in China.

The recalled cribs were sold at Walmart, Target, Babies R Us and other stores nationwide for between $150 and $300. Consumers should contact the store where the crib was purchased to receive a refund, replacement crib or store credit.
Important Message from CPSC:

CPSC would like to remind parents not to use any crib with missing, broken or loose parts. Make sure to tighten hardware from time to time to keep the crib sturdy. When using a drop-side crib, parents should check to make sure the drop side or any other moving part operates smoothly. Always check all sides and corners of the crib for disengagement. Any disengagement can create a gap, which could fatally entrap a child. In addition, do not try to repair any side of the crib with tape, wire, rope or by other means. Infants and toddlers have died in cribs with makeshift repairs.

For more information on Crib Safety, visit CPSC's Crib Information Center.

CPSC is still interested in receiving incident or injury reports that are either directly related to this product recall or involve a different hazard with the same product. Please tell us about it by visiting https://www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/incident.aspx

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from thousands of types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard. The CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals - contributed significantly to the decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.

To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC's Hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (301) 595-7054. To join a CPSC e-mail subscription list, please go to https://www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx. Consumers can obtain recall and general safety information by logging on to CPSC's Web site at www.cpsc.gov."

Any questions about this post?

About the author:

• Send To A Friend
• Print This Article
• Comments
• Trackbacks

Posted by Salvatore J. Zambri, founding partner

As I have frequently blogged before, the dangers of distracted driving cannot be under-estimated, especially for teen drivers.  In her new book "Spoken from the Heart," former First lady Laura Bush describes her deadly teen auto accident in which a high school friend was killed.  According to Mrs. Bush, she and her friend were chatting when she ran a stop sign that caused the crash. She suffered years of guilt as a result of the accident.  Mrs. Bush brings one more celebrity voice to the devastating life-long effects that a deadly accident can have on young drivers.

Distracted driving, whether caused by other passengers in the vehicle, eating while driving, playing with the radio, talking on the cell phone, texting, or any number of other reasons for not paying 100% attention to driving, is a serious and very real danger for all drivers, as I have emphasized repeatedly in my talks with high school groups. As posted in a previous entry on this blog, Motor Vehicle Accidents Continue to Be the Leading Death Cause for Teen Drivers.  Please be careful on the road and don’t hesitate to contact me if you would like to learn more about my presentations concerning distracted driving. You can call me at (202) 822-1899 or email me at szambri@reganfirm.com.

About the author:

Mr. Zambri is regularly asked to give presentations to lawyers and businesses regarding product defects, automobile accident litigation, and safety improvements.

Mr. Zambri has authored an article regarding how automobile collision cases are evaluated. To read it, please click here.

To read an article published by one of Mr. Zambri's clients, who was injured in a tragic automobile collision, please click here.

Many Americans are killed or critically injured each year in vehicular collisions. If you want more information about your legal rights, please email Mr. Zambri at szambri@reganfirm.com or call him at 202-822-1899.

• Send To A Friend
• Print This Article
• Comments
• Trackbacks

Posted by: Salvatore J. Zambri, founding partner

Following the unprecedented number of toy and child furniture recalls in 2007, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) was enacted to address safety issues, including mandatory third party testing for certain children's products, lead certifications for both domestic products and imports, and tracking labeling requirements. 

In a recent unanimous ruling, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) voted to allow toy giant Mattel Inc. to conduct in-house safety testing in their "firewalled laboratories" rather than submit to third party testing.  According to CPSC, the approval was granted because Mattel could prove that its in-house testing could provide equal or improved consumer safety than that provided by an external laboratory.  Consumer advocate Don Mays, senior director of product safety at Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports,  protests that, "It's a little bit like the fox guarding the henhouse." and added that " There is a potential conflict of interest."   Smaller companies which don't have the resources for internal testing laboratories criticized the CPSC's decision as being "extremely frustrating and unfair."

Confidence in the safety of children's products is of extreme concern for every parent.  I am inclined to agree with Mr. Mays--it smacks of a conflict of interest to have Mattel police its own products without independent oversight.  Too much is at risk--the safety of kids.  The CPSC ought to seriously and quickly reconsider its position.

Any questions or comments? 

About the author:

Mr. Zambri is a Past-President of the Trial Lawyers Association of Metropolitan Washington, D.C. and has been rated by Washingtonian magazine as a "Big Gun" and among the "top 1%" of all lawyers in the Washington metropolitan area.  The magazine also describes him as "one of Washington's best--most honest and effective lawyers" who specializes in personal injury matters, including product defects, medical malpractice and serious truck and car collisions.  Mr. Zambri has also been repeatedly named a "Super Lawyer" by Law and Politics magazine--a national publication that honors the top lawyers in America.  

Mr. Zambri was sought after to publish a chapter regarding product liability litigation in Aspatore Books - a company that is touted as "the largest and most exclusive publisher of C-1 Level executives (CEO, CFO, CTO, CMO, Partner) from the world's most respected companies and law firms."  To read Mr. Zambri's publication, entitled "Constantly Preparing To Win", please click here.

Mr. Zambri is regularly asked to give presentations to lawyers and businesses regarding product defects, automobile accident litigation, and safety improvements.

If you want more information about your legal rights, please email Mr. Zambri at szambri@reganfirm.com or call him at 202-822-1899.   

• Send To A Friend
• Print This Article
• Comments
• Trackbacks

Posted by: Salvatore J. Zambri, founding partner

For those of you who have been following my posts, you know that I often blog about the catastrophic consequences of distracted driving.  I am also a frequent lecturer to students about the ills of distracted driving.  Oprah Winfrey recognizes the dangers of distracted driving too.  In fact, she has publicly spoken out against driving while using a  cell phone or texting.  Click here to read an article she recently published in the New York Times.

We should all be grateful to public figures who use their recognition for positive change.  Brava, Oprah!  Keep up the good work.

Any questions about this post?

 About the author:

• Send To A Friend
• Print This Article
• Comments
• Trackbacks

Posted by Salvatore J. Zambri, founding partner

In a feature, front-page article, the New York Times reports, "The numerous and very public violations and fatalities at Massey-owned mines over the years may leave the impression that all mines are run this way." However, "a comparison between Massey's safety practices and those of other operators in the coal industry shows sharp differences, helping to explain why Massey mines led the list of those warned by federal regulators that they could face greater scrutiny because of their many violations." The Times compares Massey's Upper Big Branch mine to the E3-1 mine in Kentucky, which is operated by the TECO Coal Corporation and "has not had an underground fatality since it opened in July 2004; nor does it have anywhere near the number of violations accumulated by Upper Big Branch."

Safety inspectors' notes tell of "reckless disregard" for safety at Massey mine. The Washington Post reports, "Federal safety inspectors who visited Massey Energy's Upper Big Branch coal mine early this year said senior managers showed 'reckless disregard' for worker safety by telling a foreman to ignore a citation the mine had received for faulty ventilation, according to the inspectors' handwritten notes." Written in January of this year, "the notes...illustrate the growing frustration of regulators about safety issues in the West Virginia mine and the resistance of Massey officials to enforcement action in the weeks before an explosion." They also "suggest friction between the mine management and [MSHA] inspectors." According to the notes, "the president and a vice president of Massey Energy's Performance Coal subsidiary told a foreman at the Upper Big Branch mine 'not to worry about it' when he spoke to them about a ventilation problem cited by federal mine safety inspectors three weeks earlier."

Coal-miners are among some of the hardest working Americans, and their jobs are inherently dangerous.  That's why it is so shocking to learn that employers often increase their workers' risk by ignoring safety procedures.  Putting greed above safety is what leads to catastrophic injuries and even death.

My thoughts go out to the families of the victims.  I hope they obtain justice.

If you have questions about this issue or others concerning your safety or the safety of your family, please feel free to email me at szambri@reganfirm.com or call me at 202-822-1899.

About the author:

Mr. Zambri is a Past-President of the Trial Lawyers Association of Metropolitan Washington, D.C. and has been rated by Washingtonian magazine as a "Big Gun" and among the "top 1%" of all lawyers in the Washington metropolitan area. The magazine also describes him as "one of Washington's best--most honest and effective lawyers" who specializes in personal injury matters, including work accidents and premises liability cases, as well as medical malpractice and serious truck and car collisions. Mr. Zambri has also been repeatedly named a "Super Lawyer" by Law and Politics magazine--a national publication that honors the top lawyers in America.

Mr. Zambri is regularly asked to give presentations to lawyers and businesses regarding work safety issues, product defects, medical errors, automobile accident litigation, and safety improvements.

• Send To A Friend
• Print This Article
• Comments
• Trackbacks

Posted by Salvatore J. Zambri, founding partner

If you believe in urban legend, you might think that lawn mowers attack their victims. In reality, lawn mowing is an extremely dangerous activity that is frequently viewed as just one of those chores routinely delegated to children. 

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), about 230,000 people are treated in hospital emergency rooms each year for accidents related to lawn and garden tools.  Most lawn mower-related injuries, including limb amputations, broken bones, severed toes and fingers, burns and eye injuries, are caused by carelessness and can be prevented by obeying simple safety tips.

"CPSC advises consumers to learn about the hazards of each piece of equipment, and take the following precautions to prevent injuries to children and themselves:

• Children should never be in the yard while you're mowing, and they should never ride on the mower. More than 800 young children get run over or backed over by riding mowers each year. This happens when children fall while being given rides, or when they approach the operating mower.
• Never assume children will remain where you last saw them. Be alert and turn off the mower if children enter the mowing area. Use extra care when backing up or going around corners, shrubs, trees or other obstacles.
• Many children suffer serious burns to their hands and arms when they touch the hot muffler of running or recently running engines. Keep children away from power equipment.
• Be sure you know how to operate the equipment. Know where the controls are and what they do. Make sure the equipment is in proper operating condition and guards or other safety devices have not been removed or disabled.
• Dress appropriately for the job. This includes: sturdy shoes with slip-resistant rubber soles, long pants and long-sleeved shirts, close-fitting clothes, eye protection, heavy gloves, hearing protection when needed, and no jewelry, which can get caught in moving parts.
• Before mowing, walk around the area in which you will be working to remove any objects like sticks, glass, metal, wire, stones and string that could cause injury or damage equipment. Nails and wire are the most hazardous objects thrown by mowers, capable of killing bystanders.
• Never work with electric power tools in wet or damp conditions. For protection against electrocution, use a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI). GFCIs come in several models, including portable plug-in types and as part of some extension cords.
• Be sure that extension cords are in good condition, are rated for outdoor use, and are the proper gauge for the electrical current capacity of the tool.
• Before making adjustments or clearing jams near moving parts, unplug electric tools and disconnect spark plug wires on gasoline-powered tools.
• Be sure that power tools are turned off and made inoperable if they must be left unattended. This will help prevent use by children.
• Handle gasoline carefully. Remember never to fill gas tanks while machinery is operating or when equipment is still hot. Do not fuel equipment indoors. Wipe up spills. Store gas in an approved container away from the house. Finally, never smoke or use any type of flame around gasoline."

Common sense safety precautions are critical in prevention of many accidents.  Of course, sometimes injuries result from product defects.  If a lawn mower is defective, the safety of its user is threatened.  Serious defects can lead to mechanical failures that cause terrible injuries. 

If you have questions about this issue or others concerning your safety or that of your children, please feel free to email me @ szambri@reganfirm.com or call me at 202-822-1899.

About the author:

Mr. Zambri is a Past-President of the Trial Lawyers Association of Metropolitan Washington, D.C. and has been rated by Washingtonian magazine as a "Big Gun" and among the "top 1%" of all lawyers in the Washington metropolitan area. The magazine also describes him as "one of Washington's best--most honest and effective lawyers" who specializes in personal injury matters, including serious truck and car collisions. Mr. Zambri has also been repeatedly named a "Super Lawyer" by Law and Politics magazine--a national publication that honors the top lawyers in America.

Mr. Zambri is regularly asked to give presentations to lawyers and businesses regarding product defects, automobile accident litigation, and safety improvements.

• Send To A Friend
• Print This Article
• Comments
• Trackbacks

Posted by Salvatore J. Zambri, founding partner

On April 15, 2010, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) voted to begin working on a searchable database, www.saferproducts.gov, intended to make complaints about unsafe products visible to the public.  Product recalls have been posted on the CPSC website for some time.  However, the new database will allow consumers to view concerns before any official action is taken on complaints from individuals and safety groups.  Congress ordered creation of the new database in 2008 as part of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) that increased product safety oversight after a series of lead-paint toy recalls.  Consumer groups say the new site will help consumers make better-informed purchasing decisions. 

According to CPSC Chairman Inez Tanebaum, "The database has the potential to create a new generation of consumers educated about product hazards in and around their homes."   The new database is scheduled to go online in March, 2011. 

In its Report to Congress Pursuant to Section 212 of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008, CPSC states that the database "will result in increased effectiveness and greater productivity, as well as earlier product safety hazard detection and more rapid warnings to the public." 

SaferProducts.gov includes the following organizational goals:

• raise public awareness of new, easier methods for reporting product incidents,
• provide the public with new and innovative ways to learn of product incidents and notices of recalls,
• increase public access to product information, including manufacturer comments and CPSC's responses to incident reports, and
• enhance CPSC's ability to share information with other federal, state and local agencies.

Informed consumers make smarter decisions when purchasing products.  The new SaferProducts.gov database should allow American to make better, safer purchasing decisions.

About the author:

Mr. Zambri is a Past-President of the Trial Lawyers Association of Metropolitan Washington, D.C. and has been rated by Washingtonian magazine as a "Big Gun" and among the "top 1%" of all lawyers in the Washington metropolitan area. The magazine also describes him as "one of Washington's best--most honest and effective lawyers" who specializes in personal injury matters, including serious truck and car collisions. Mr. Zambri has also been repeatedly named a "Super Lawyer" by Law and Politics magazine--a national publication that honors the top lawyers in America.

Mr. Zambri is regularly asked to give presentations to lawyers and businesses regarding product defects and safety improvements.

If you want more information about your legal rights, please email Mr. Zambri at szambri@reganfirm.com or call him at 202-822-1899.

• Send To A Friend
• Print This Article
• Comments
• Trackbacks

Posted by: Salvatore J. Zambri, founding partner
                                                                                                     

"Around 33,000 people die in car crashes in the U.S. each year.  About 1 in 41 is a bicyclist."

In addition, an estimated 600,000 people were treated in emergency rooms for bicycle-related injuries, in a single year, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

Chilling statistics, aren't they?  According to BicycleSafe.com, real bicycle safety is about not getting hit even more so than about wearing helmets.  Most bicycle safety guides emphasize the importance of wearing helmets. However, helmets don't prevent bicyclists from getting hit by another vehicle in the first place. BicycleSafe.com focuses on avoiding getting hit by cars. The ten illustrations following explain the most common ways to get hit and how to avoid those collisions:

• Collision Type #1: The Right Cross. This is the most common way to get hit (or almost get hit). A car is pulling out of a side street, parking lot, or driveway on the right.
  
  • Ways to avoid this collision:
    
    • Use headlights, both on your bicycle and on your helmet.
    • Honk your horn.
    • Slow down, especially if you haven't made eye contact with the driver.
    • Ride further left.
• Collision Type #2: The Door Prize. A driver opens his door right in front of you. You run right into it if you can't stop in time.
  
  • How to avoid this collision: Ride far enough to the left to not run into an unexpected door opening.
• Collision Type #3: The Crosswalk Slam. You're riding on the sidewalk and cross the street at a crosswalk, and a car makes a right turn, right into you.
  
  • How to avoid this collision:
    
    • Get a headlight.
    • Slow down.
    • Don't ride on the sidewalk in the first place.
• Collision Type #4:  The Wrong-Way Wreck. You're riding the wrong way (against traffic, on the left-hand side of the street). A car makes a right turn from a side street, driveway, or parking lot, right into you. They didn't see you because they were looking for traffic only on their left, not on their right. They had no reason to expect that someone would be coming at them from the wrong direction.
  
  • How to avoid this collision: Don't ride against the traffic.  Ride with traffic, in the same direction.
  • One study showed that riding the wrong way was three times as dangerous as riding the right way, and for kids, the risk is seven times greater.
• Collision Type #5: Red Light of Death. You stop to the right of a car that's already waiting at a red light or stop sign. They can't see you. When the light turns green, you move forward, and then they turn right, right into you.
  •  How to avoid this collision: Don't stop in the blind spot. Simply stop behind the car.
• Collision Type #6: The Right Hook. A car passes you and then tries to make a right turn directly in front of you, or right into you.
  
  • How to avoid this collision:
    
    • Don't ride on the sidewalk.
    • Ride to the left.
    • Glance in your mirror before approaching an intersection.
• Collision Type #7: The Right Hook, Pt. 2. You're passing a slow-moving car (or even another bike) on the right, when it unexpectedly makes a right turn right into you, trying to get to a parking lot,driveway or side street.
  
  • How to avoid this collision: 
    
    • Don't pass on the right.
    • Look behind you before turning right.
• Collision Type #8. The Left Cross.  A car coming towards you makes a left turn right in front of you, or right into you.
  
  • How to avoid this collision:
    
    • Don't ride on the sidewalk.
    • Get a headlight.
    • Wear something bright, even during the day.
    • Don't pass on the right.
    • Slow down.
• Collision Type #9. The Rear End. You innocently move a little to the left to go around a parked car or some other obstruction in the road, and you get nailed by a car coming up from behind.
  
  • How to avoid this collision:
    
    • Never, ever move left without looking behind you first.
    • Don't swerve in and out of the parking lane if it contains any parked cars.
    • Use a mirror.
    • Signal.
• Collision Type #10. The Rear End, Pt. 2. A car runs into you from behind. This is what many cyclists fear the most, but it's actually not very common, comprising only 3.8% of collisions. However, it's one of the hardest collisions to avoid, since you're not usually looking behind you.
  
  • How to avoid this collision:
    • Get a rear light.
    • Wear a reflective vest or a safety triangle.
    • Choose wide streets.
    • Choose slow streets.
    • Use back streets on weekends.
    • Get a mirror.
    • Don't hug the curb.

Please be careful on the road whether you are driving a vehicle or riding a bicycle. Preventing accidents is everyone's responsibility. 

About the author:

Mr. Zambri is a Past-President of the Trial Lawyers Association of Metropolitan Washington, D.C. and has been rated by Washingtonian magazine as a "Big Gun" and among the "top 1%" of all lawyers in the Washington metropolitan area. The magazine also describes him as "one of Washington's best--most honest and effective lawyers" who specializes in personal injury matters, including serious truck and car collisions. Mr. Zambri has also been repeatedly named a "Super Lawyer" by Law and Politics magazine--a national publication that honors the top lawyers in America.

Mr. Zambri is regularly asked to give presentations regarding product defects, automobile accident litigation, and safety improvements.  If you want more information about your legal rights, please email Mr. Zambri at szambri@reganfirm.com or call him at 202-822-1899.

• Send To A Friend
• Print This Article
• Comments
• Trackbacks

Posted by: Salvatore J. Zambri, founding partner 

As warmer weather arrives, police are cautioning residents to be careful when they leave windows open to let in fresh air.  Recent serious incidents involving young children falling from windows highlight an often-overlooked safety issue for children.  Community safety experts offer the following guidelines:

"Every year children in our community fall from windows and land in area hospitals.  Remember, children are top heavy; they can be looking out an open window one minute and falling through it the next. A screen offers little protection when the weight of a child pushes against it.

Here are some important safety tips to prevent children falling from open windows:

• Always supervise young children. Life threatening injuries can happen in seconds to a child left unattended.
• Close and lock windows whenever young children are around. If you need ventilation, open windows that children cannot reach (For example, open double hung windows from the top only).
• Keep furniture and beds away from windows. Children can quickly climb onto window ledges and fall.
• Keep window treatments (blinds, cords, drapes, etc.) out of children’s reach. They may injure themselves when climbing or be strangled."

The National Safety Council provides further detailed safety tips for children and windows. "Windows provide a secondary means of escape from a burning home. Determine your family's emergency escape plan and practice it. Remember that children may have to rely on a window to escape in a fire. Help them learn to safely use a window under these circumstances.

• When performing spring repairs, make sure that your windows are not painted or nailed shut. You must be able to open them to escape in an emergency.
• Keep your windows closed and locked when children are around. When opening windows for ventilation, open windows that a child cannot reach, or in the case of a double-hung window, open the top sash only.
• Set and enforce rules about keeping children's play away from windows or patio doors. Falling through the glass can be fatal or cause serious injury.
• Keep furniture - or anything children can climb - away from windows. Children may use such objects as a climbing aid.
• If you have young children in your home and are considering installing window guards or window fall prevention devices, be aware that the window guards you install must have a release mechanism so that they can be opened for escape in a fire emergency. Consult your local fire department or building code official to determine proper window guard placement.
• Some homes may have window guards, security bars, grilles or grates already covering their windows. Those windows are useless in an emergency if the devices on them do not have a functioning release mechanism. Time is critical when escaping a fire.
• Do not install window air conditioners in windows that may be needed for escape or rescue in an emergency. The air conditioning unit could block or impede escape through the window. Always be sure that you have at least one window in each sleeping and living area that meets escape and rescue requirements.
• The degree of injury sustained from a window fall can be affected by the surface on which the victim falls. Shrubs and soft edging like wood chips or grass beneath windows may lessen the impact if a fall does occur."

Many children are injured every year in preventable accidents such as falling from windows.  If you have questions about this issue or others concerning the safety of your children,  please feel free to contact me. 

About the author:

Mr. Zambri is a Past-President of the Trial Lawyers Association of Metropolitan Washington, D.C. and has been rated by Washingtonian magazine as a "Big Gun" and among the "top 1%" of all lawyers in the Washington metropolitan area.  The magazine also describes him as "one of Washington's best--most honest and effective lawyers" who specializes in personal injury matters, including serious truck and car collisions.  Mr. Zambri has also been repeatedly named a "Super Lawyer" by Law and Politics magazine--a national publication that honors the top lawyers in America.  

Mr. Zambri is regularly asked to give presentations to lawyers and businesses regarding product defects, automobile accident litigation, and safety improvements.

If you want more information about your legal rights, please email Mr. Zambri at szambri@reganfirm.com or call him at 202-822-1899.  

• Send To A Friend
• Print This Article
• Comments
• Trackbacks

Posted by: Salvatore J. Zambri, founding partner                                                                   

Bloomberg News reports that according to "company timelines" submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Toyota "knew about flaws that could cause unintended acceleration more than 3 1/2 years before it recalled cars and trucks to fix the defects."  The report points out that the auto manufacturer learned that "floor mats could entrap accelerator pedals as early as Feb. 7, 2006, and that pedals could stick five months later" in July 2006.  The timelines confirm an alarmingly slow response to the problems that ultimately led to the recall of more than 8 million vehicles worldwide.

This development is very concerning, as it suggests that Toyota put profits over safety.   Based upon some recent advertisements and public statements, Toyota seems to what to convince us that it is a caring company that produces safe products.  How they move foreard as a company will determine their sincerity.

Drive safely.

contact me with questions/thoughts

About the author:

• Send To A Friend
• Print This Article
• Comments
• Trackbacks