Missouri Injury Lawyers Blog

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada, in cooperation with BSH Home Appliances Corporation, announce a voluntary recall of Tassimo Single-Cup Brewers. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.

About 835,000 units in the United States and an additional 900,000 in Canada are affected by this recall.

The plastic disc or T Disc, which holds the coffee or tea can burst and spray hot liquid and coffee grounds or tea leaves onto consumers and onto bystanders, posing a burn hazard.

There have been 140 reports of incidents with the brewers spraying hot liquid, coffee grounds or tea leaves onto consumers, including 37 reports of second-degree burn injuries. In one incident, a 10-year-old girl from Minnesota received second-degree burns to her face and neck and had to be hospitalized.

Details: This recall involves Tassimo brewers with the Bosch brand name and Tassimo Professional brewers. The brewers use plastic T Discs that are filled with coffee or tea to brew hot drinks. "BOSCH" and "TASSIMO" are printed on the front of the brewers. "TASSIMO PROFESSIONAL" is printed on the front of the professional model. The Bosch-brand brewers were sold in black, white, anthracite, gray, silver, red, titanium and white/gray colors. The Tassimo Professional brewers were only sold in black.

Read more, and get further details involving this recall here.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with Blount International, Inc. of Kansas City, Missouri announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.

About 950 units of Oregon® Replacement Lawnmower Blades manufactured by Blount International Inc., of Kansas City, Missouri have been recalled. It has been found that the replacement lawnmower blades can break during normal use, which poses a laceration hazard to user and bystanders. Seven reports of such incidents have been reported to the manufacturer. No injuries have been reported.

Details: This recall involves Blount lawnmower replacement blades for Ariens 48-inch lawnmowers. These products are sold under the Oregon® brand name. "Oregon®," part number "91-003" and "PA" or "PJ" are printed on the surface of the recalled blades. These were sold at independent lawn and garden sales and service stores nationwide for the time period January 2010 through September 2011.

Consumers should immediately stop using lawnmowers with the recalled blades and return the blades to the store where purchased or directly to Blount for a free replacement.

For additional information, contact (866) 685-5449 between 6 a.m. and 4 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm's website at www.blount.com.
Read more here

An investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has resulted in BMW recalling around 89,000 of its turbocharged Mini Coopers. A computer circuit board controlling a turbocharger cooling system can fail. The result is a smoldering water pump. In some cases, a fire in the engine compartment may ignite.

There have been 81 cases of water pump failure in Mini Coopers globally so far. Of these cases, four engine compartment fires have been reported. No accidents or injuries have been reported as a result of this issue.

Worldwide, the Mini recall covers a total of 235,535 cars. The cars being recalled include some model year 2007 - 2011 Mini Cooper S hatchbacks and convertibles, Mini Cooper Clubman S (which is the longer three-door Mini), and Mini Cooper Countryman S (the larger, four-door SUV Mini), as well as John Cooper Works high-performance versions of the Mini Cooper.

Non-turbocharged Minis are not involved in the recall. Mini Cooper dealers will replace the auxiliary water pumps on all recalled cars.

BMW had previously recalled 32,000 BMW cars and 600 Rolls-Royces for possible turbo-related fires.

For more information on this recall, read this article.

The Missouri Department of Transportation maintains an interactive map to keep people informed about roadway conditions throughout the state. This is particularly helpful when winter weather hits and you need to know the condition of the roads you plan to travel. Visit the MODOT Traveler Information Map and stay safe.

Sleep apnea is extremely common among truck drivers, which makes sense considering their lifestyle. Studies have shown that 20 to 30 percent of automobile accidents that involve tractor-trailers occur due to sleep apnea. Proper diagnosis of the disease can be made by having a sleep study performed. There are different treatments for sleep apnea which could help reduce the amount of accidents on the road.

What is sleep apnea?
Sleep apnea occurs when normal breathing is reduced due to the muscles in the back of the throat becoming too relaxed.
When this occurs usually the person wakes up. Some people can wake up several times a night which can cause them to be extremely drowsy the next day.

Risk factors include:
Obesity- Over half of people with sleep apnea are obese.
Age- A person is more likely to suffer from sleep apnea if they are over age 40.
Nasal Obstruction- People with allergies, sinus problems, and/or a deviated septum can be more prone to sleep apnea.
Male- Men are twice as likely as women to have the disorder.
A large neck- Men- larger than 17 inches, women- larger than 15 inches.

• Signs and symptoms include:
• Trouble concentrating
• Forgetfulness
• Difficulty staying asleep
• Loud Snoring
• Gasping and snorting
• Excessive daytime sleepiness

For more information on this please see the Federal Motor Carriers website.

Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster issued a warning to consumers about an email scam involving the popular ticket sales website, StubHub. StubHub is a legitimate online business that scam artists are posing as in emails asking people to provide confidential information, including credit card numbers, via a link in the emails. To read more about the warning, see this news article.

Summer may be over, but that doesn't mean that the risk of children drowning is over. Unfortunately there are still other places your children can drown besides the backyard pool. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has highlights from 2005- 2006 of nearly 600 reports with children under five years old involved in "submersion incidents." The majority of those incidents involved bath and bath related materials with children under two. Out of 431 reported fatalities, 92 percent of those occurred in homes.
Below are a few tips on keeping your children safe in the bathtub:

• Don't leave a baby or young child in a bathtub under the care of another young child.

• Always keep a young child within arm's reach in a bathtub.

• If you must leave, take the child with you.

• Never leave young children alone near any water or tub or basin with fluid. Young children can drown in even small amounts of water.

Other safety precautions:
• Consider placing locks on toilet seat covers in case a young child wanders into the bathroom.

• Learn CPR. It can be a lifesaver when seconds count.

• Never leave a bucket containing even a small amount of liquid unattended. Toddlers are top heavy and they can fall headfirst into buckets and drown. After using a bucket, always empty and store it where young children cannot reach it. Don't leave buckets outside where they can collect rainwater.

What is ESC and why is it important? ESC stands for Electronic Stability Control, a safety feature in vehicles that can actually detect and prevent/ recover from skidding in a vehicle. Before a driver has time to panic or lose control when skidding, ESC has already recovered from the skid and has the vehicle under control again. ESC uses sensors that determine the direction of the car and compares that to the direction the car is actually going. If and when the system senses a skid or if the car is already skidding the system begins to apply the brakes on individual wheels to bring the car back on track.

Because of the effectiveness of ESC the US Government has mandated that all vehicles must have ESC by the 2012 model year. Manufacturers may use different names for their ESC, but it still does the same thing.

Crash Test Results
The internet is really the first place a person would need to look for results on crash testing. Websites that are maintained by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) would be the best places to begin looking. Both sites have begun posting the results of "roof" testing. It is now a requirement with the IIHS for all vehicles to get a "good" rating on the roof test before the vehicle can be passed.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol--Water Patrol Division will be conducting sobriety checkpoints for the month of July on the Lake of the Ozarks. The reason for these checkpoints is to increase the boating public's awareness of the potential hazards of operating a boat while intoxicated, reduce fatalities and injuries through vigorous enforcement of Missouri boating laws, remove intoxicated boaters from Missouri waterways, and maximize enforcement efforts in deterring impaired boating. Any vessel that is operating through a checkpoint will be stopped systematically as part of this program and efforts will be made to minimize interruptions to the flow of traffic.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a voluntary recall of Children's Pain & Fever Concentrated Drops. About 898,000 units are being recalled. The hazard with this over the counter medication is that the drops contain acetaminophen and with any medication containing acetaminophen child- resistant packaging is a requirement by the Poison Prevention Packaging Act. The original packaging is child- resistant, but the separate dropper unit used for dispensing the drug is not. A child would be able to access the medication at any time posing serious health problems or death if more than the recommended dosage is consumed.
To find out more about this recall click the following link:Rugby Children's Pain & Fever Drops.

Sparklers may not seem dangerous, especially when compared to other fireworks, but if they are not used properly they can pose a threat. Below are some safety tips for sparklers by the National Council on Fireworks Safety.
1. Teach children not to wave sparklers, especially wooden stick sparklers, or run while holding sparklers.
2. Show children how to hold sparklers away from their body and at arm's length.
3. Never throw sparklers.
4. Always stand at least 6 feet from another person while using sparklers.
5. Never hand a lighted sparkler to another person. Give them the unlit sparkler and then light it.
6. Sparkler wire and stick remain hot long after the flame has gone out. Be sure to drop the spent sparklers directly in a bucket of water.
7. Sparklers and bare feet can be a painful combination. Always wear closed- toe shoes when using sparklers.
8. Never hold, or light, more than one sparkler at a time.
9. Never hold a child in your arms while using sparklers.
10. Always remain standing while using sparklers.
11. Children under the age of 12 should not use sparklers without very close adult supervision.

The National Council on Fireworks Safety recommends "common sense" safety. Below are some safety precautions that should be used when using fireworks this season.

1. Report illegal explosives, like M-80s and quarter sticks, to the fire or police department.

2. Avoid using homemade fireworks or illegal explosives:They can kill you!

3. Soak spent fireworks with water before placing them in an outdoor garbage can.

4. Never relight a "dud" firework. Wait 20 minutes and then soak it in a bucket of water.

5. Wear safety glasses whenever using fireworks.

6. Alcohol and fireworks do not mix. Save your alcohol for after the show.

7. Obey local laws. If fireworks are not legal where you live, do not use them.

8. Know your fireworks. Read the caution label before igniting.

9. Always have water ready if you are shooting fireworks.

10. Fireworks should only be used outdoors.

11. Parents should not allow young children to handle or use fireworks.

12. Parents and caretakers should always closely supervise teens if they are using fireworks.

Move Over America - Protect Law Enforcement & Emergency Responders is a program that was founded in 2007 to help make our officers and emergency responders more safe. It is said that 71 percent of Americans don't know what move over laws are. The following link will take you to the Mover Over America website where you can learn all the facts about the law and why it is important:http://www.moveoveramerica.com/

This link will take you to Missouri's Move Over Law: http://www.moga.mo.gov/statutes/C300-399/3040000010.HTM

There was a recall of Honda and Acura vehicles for replacement of airbags that could possibly deploy because of too much built up pressure. This could cause ranging injuries and possibly even fatalities. Honda is expanding the recall to 833,000 more vehicles for model years 2201 through 2003. There are 2,430 airbags that Honda is searching for that contain the defect. These vehicles were not originally in the recall because the original airbag modules in these models were not affected, but if those airbags have been replaced then they could also be defective.

For more information on specific vehicles click the following link: Honda Motor Co Ltd. Expanded Recall.

What is tribromoanisole(TBA)? It is a fungicide that is used in packaging materials. It is a byproduct of a chemical preservative that is applied to wood and often used in the construction pallets on which products are transported and stored.
Where else can you find TBA? It has recently been found in the HIV drug Prezista. There were four reports from consumers of an "uncharacteristic musty, moldy odor." A small number of patients reported having temporary gastrointestinal symptoms after taking the drug.

What do you need to do if your Prezista 400mg or 600mg tablets have a musty, moldy odor? You need to return them immediately to your pharmacist for immediate replacement.
For more information on the recall please visit the following link: J&J Recall.