MINNESOTA AND WISCONSIN BICYCLE ATTORNEYS DISCUSS SALSA STEM RECALL

Product Liability Attorney in Minnesota Discusses the Salsa Bicycle Stem Recall

 

On February 26, 2009, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a recall of about 8,600 handlebar stems Used on Salsa Bicycles.  This recall involves all CroMoto S.U.L. stems sold as individual aftermarket units and on these models of complete Salsa bicycles: Ala Carte, El Mariachi, Casseroll Triple, Casseroll Single and La Cruz. The aftermarket stems are black and have the word “Salsa” painted on the extension. The complete bike stems are painted to match the bike model color and have the word “Salsa” painted on the extension. The stems look like this:

 

Salsa Stem Reccall

 

These Salsa bicycle stems were manufactured in Taiwan and sold by specialty bicycle retailers across the country from November 2007 through December 2008.  The recalled stems range from 75 through 105-degree rise and extension length from 90 to 120mm. Please visit the firm’s web site at www.salsacromotostem.com for a complete list of model numbers and names included in this recall.

 

Sold by: Specialty bicycle retailers nationwide from November 2007 through December 2008 for between $880 and $1870 for complete bikes. The aftermarket stems were sold at specialty bicycle retailers nationwide and via web sites from March 2008 through December 2008 for between $60 and $65.

 

If you have one of these Salsa bicycle stems, stop riding these bicycles immediately and contact an authorized Salsa Bicycles dealer for a free inspection and replacement stem by visiting www.salsacromotostem.com.

 

To see this recall on CPSC’s web site, please go to: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09135.html

 

If you would like more information about bicyle law, safety or product liability law, contact the bicycle attorneys at Champion Law by calling 651.766.5886 or log onto  our web-site at www.Champion-Law.com. 

 

 

Nissan Truck Recall – Minnesota Product Liability Attorney

Nissan Truck Recall Includes:  Frontier, Pathfinder, Xterra 2005-2009

Nissan Motor Company is recalling more than 240,000 trucks in Minneosota, Wisconsin and 19 other cold weather states to fix an airbag defect.  The defect  involves a problem that could prevent the vehicles’ front air bags from deploying in a crash. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Web site, the recall affects the Frontier, Pathfinder and Xterra from the 2005 to 2009 model years.

 

In cold-weather states where winter time road salt is used, a mix of snow, water and salt could get into a crash zone sensor area of the airbag system causing rust that could disable the signal and thus, the entire airbag system. Nissan says it discovered the problem through warranty claims, but there were no  injuries or fatalities from this airbag defect.  [CAN WE LINK AIRBAG DEFECT TO THAT PAGE ON OUR SITE?]   Apparently, the red airbag warning light in the vehicle will illuminate indicating a problem.

 

The 242,720 vehicles involved in this recall are trucks sold or registered in Iowa, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. Owners should have received the recall notice in the mail by the end of January. After the recall begins, dealers will install a redesigned sensor at no cost.

 

Airbag defects can be extremely serious. In this case, the rust in the crash sensor causes the airbag to not deploy, which means the occupants of a vehicle would be unprotected in the event of an auto accident. The technology of airbags has improved tremendously over the last decade. But we continue to see a number of defective airbag recalls involving several auto makers. In some cases, the airbags fail to deploy and in other cases, they deploy at the wrong time, both of which are dangerous.

 

If you have questions or would like more information about airbag defects, call the product liability attorneys 651-766-5886 at Champion Law or visit our web-site at www.Champion-Law.com. 

A Minnesota and Wisconsin Product Liability Attorney – Jetboil Outdoor Stove Recall

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Jetboil Announce Recall – MN and WI Product Liability Attorney

 

Attention campers!  The weather is warming up.  You may be thinking about heading to your favorite camping spot for a weekend away.  I’m sure you always check your gear before heading out, but here’s one more thing to check: your portable stove. 

 

If you a Jetboil outdoor stove, it may have just been recalled due to a product defect that can lead to burns.  The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Jetboil announced on February 11, 2009 recall of Jetboil’s Personal Cooking Systems and Group Cooking Systems.  Jetboil sold about 15,000 of these defective products.  This recall involves personal and group cooking stoves often used during outdoor camping. The recalled models include: Personal Cooking Systems in black (PBL075-BLK-(PCS) and camo (PBL075-CAMO-(PCS), Backcountry Gourmet Set (BDLFRY), Personal Cooking System with Companion Cup (BDL001), Personal Cooking System with Pot Support & Stabilizer (BDL002), Personal Cooking System with Coffee Press (BDL003), and Personal Cooking System Java Kit (BDLJAVA) and Group Cooking System (GCS150).

 

The defect involves a tight valve attached to the stove’s fuel source that can allow gas to leak, posing a fire hazard to consumers. Jetboil has received five reports of fires resulting from leaking fuel, but fortunately, no injuries have been reported.

 

If you own one of these stoves, stop using the recalled product and contact Jetboil for a repair or replacement.

 

If you or someone you know has been injured by this or any other defective product in Minnesota, Wisconsin or anywhere else in the country, contact the product liability and safety attorneys at Champion Law by calling 651.766.5886 or visit our web-site at www.Champion-Law.com to find out more about product liability in general. 

  

 

 

Nate Bjerke

Champion Law LLC

3252 Rice Street

St. Paul, MN 55126

(t)651.766.5886

(f)651.766.5235

www.champion-law.com

 

Licensed in Minnesota, Wisconsin and California

MN AND WISCONSIN PRODUCT LIABILTIY LAWYERS TEACH YOU HOW TO MAKE SURE YOUR SEAT BELT KEEPS YOU SAFE – Part 5

The Final Installment of Seat Belt Safety by a Product Liability Attorney in MN

This is the last segment of my series in Seat Belt Safety.  Seat Belt Safety and knowledge can save you or your loved ones life.  Some of the things I have touched on, we take for granted and are overlooked.  I will continue with the last thing that needs to be checked also, Seat Belt Buckles/Latches.

I’ve seen cases where seat-belt buckles didn’t latch properly, opened up in a crash and left the occupant utterly unprotected.  There are a lot of things that may cause buckles to latch improperly: buckle defects are one big reason.  So again, check the NHTSA web-site for defects or recalls at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/recalls/recallsearch.cfm.  Also, check for things lodged in the buckle – things like coins or food can cause problems inside the buckle that may lead to buckle unlatching.

After you’ve checked the buckle for contaminants, insert the tongue into the buckle.  Then pull on the webbing to see if you can pull the latch plate out of the buckle without depressing the button on the buckle.  If you can, you have a problem and need to replace the buckle immediately.  
 

And last – and this is especially important with children – make absolutely certain you hear the audible “click” every time someone in the vehicle fastens their safety belt. 

If you have any questions or concerns about Seat Belt Safety, please call Champion-Law in St. Paul: 651-766-5886 or Minneapolis: 612-743-4918, or visit our website www.champion-law.com
 

MINNESOTA AND WISCONSIN PRODUCT LIABILITY AND SAFETY ATTORNEYS SPEAK OUT ON PEANUT SALMONELLA OUTBREAK

Corporate greed appears to have taken over the peanut industry.  So far, nine deaths – including the deaths of three Minnesotans – have been linked to the peanut salmonella outbreak.  Federal investigators seized documents from the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) – Georgia plant — for suspected criminal activity on February 9.  Investigators suspect that PCA knew there was a salmonella outbreak, but sold tainted products anyway to avoid losing money.  PCA closed its Plainview, Texas facility Monday night. 

If this turns out to be true that PCA knew about a potential salmonella outbreak but sold its products anyway, this is a tragic and stomach-turning example of big business putting profits over people. 

On February 11, Stewart Parnell, PCA’s owner and president, appeared before the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations amid revelations that he gave staff the go-ahead to ship peanut products that initially tested positive for salmonella but were clean in retests.  Parnell appeared, but refused to testify.  When the committee was asking him questions, Parnell repeatedly invoked his right not to incriminate himself as he declined to answer questions. The House panel released internal company e-mails showing him complaining about lost revenue while the outbreak was being investigated.

In an August e-mail, Parnell, advised that products initially identified with salmonella had come up clean in retests, said, “okay, let’s turn them loose then.” In another, from October, Parnell complained that delays related to positive tests were “costing us huge $$$$$$.”

After the national outbreak was tied to his company in mid-January, Parnell wrote to Food and Drug Administration officials saying his workers “desperately at least need to turn the raw peanuts on our floor into money.”

Testimony suggested that the problems at PCA are not new. A lab tester said the company discovered salmonella at its Blakely, Ga., plant as far back as 2006. FDA officials also told legislators that more federal inspections could have helped prevent the outbreak.

 

PCA needs to be held accountable and the families who have been hurt by their reckless acts causing salmonella poisoning and deaths need to be compensated.  If you or anyone you know has been hurt by PCA’s recklessly selling salmonella tainted peanuts, contact the product liability and safety attorneys at Champion Law by calling 651.766.5886 or log onto our web-site at www.Champion-Law.com and fill out the form for a free case review. 

 

Nate Bjerke

Champion Law LLC

3252 Rice Street

St. Paul, MN 55126

(t)651.766.5886

(f)651.766.5235

www.champion-law.com

 

Licensed in Minnesota, Wisconsin and California

MN AND WISCONSIN PRODUCT LIABILTIY LAWYERS TEACH YOU HOW TO MAKE SURE YOUR SEAT BELT KEEPS YOU SAFE – Part 4

Product Liability Attorney’s Fourth Installment on Seat Belt Safety in Minnesota

In this installment of the Seat Belt Safety concerns, I want to discuss the seat belt, the belt itself.

Make sure your seat-belt webbing isn’t frayed or torn.  If a belt rips apart in a crash, it obviously won’t provide a whole lot of protection to the occupant.   The seatbelt webbing is the fabric portion of the belt that goes across your lap and torso.  Some cars have poor designs that cause the webbing to rub against metal parts – maybe even sharp parts – that cause tear or rip the webbing after extended use.  Likewise, if webbing is shut in car doors repeatedly, it may fray.  So check the webbing in all of your seatbelts for fraying or tearing.  If the webbing is frayed or torn, contact a certified dealer to get the webbing replaced immediately. 

If you have any questions, please call Champion-Law in St. Paul: 651-766-5886 or  Minneapolis: 612-743-4918 or visit our website www.champion-law.com.

MN AND WISCONSIN PRODUCT LIABILTIY LAWYERS TEACH YOU HOW TO MAKE SURE YOUR SEAT BELT KEEPS YOU SAFE – Part 3

Product Liability Attorney on Seat Belt Safety – Part 3

I am here again with the Third Installment to the Seat Belt Safety Concerns.  I am going to be discussing the fit.  The fit is really important.

Seatbelt fit is critical – especially the shoulder portion of the seatbelt.  The shoulder belt should cross your clavicle – not your neck and not across the front of your shoulder.  The belt across the clavicle means that the hardest part of your body – your sternum and rib-cage – will load into the belt rather than your neck or abdomen.  Most seatbelts in newer cars have upper anchors – the part of the belt that attaches to the car above your shoulder – that are adjustable.  In other words, you can move them up and down.  So the next time you sit in the car and buckle up your seatbelt, take note of where the belt comes across your body.  Adjust the upper anchor until the belt crosses your clavicle. 

In the next installment to this series I will be discussing the belt itself.  Come back again and continue to read the safety issues with seat belts.  If you have any questions please call St. Paul: 651-766-5886 or
Minneapolis: 612-743-4918 or visit our website www.champion-law.com

MN AND WISCONSIN PRODUCT LIABILTIY LAWYERS TEACH YOU HOW TO MAKE SURE YOUR SEAT BELT KEEPS YOU SAFE – Part 2

Product Liability Attorney On Seatbelt Safety in Minnesota and Wisconsin

This is part Two in my series about Seat Belt Safety.  We want you to be safe, that is our mission.

Check for defects that lead to recalls on your vehicle’s seat belt systems.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) tracks and controls automobile defect recalls and publishes them at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/recalls/recallsearch.cfm.  You can search for recalls and service bulletins that may relate to safety issues by vehicle model, make, year and component.  So before you and your family buckle up, log on and make sure the seatbelts you’re buckling haven’t been recalled. 

If you have any questions, please call:

Champion Law
Nate Bjerke
Champion Law LLC
3252 Rice Street
St. Paul, MN 55126
(t)651.766.5886
(f)651.766.5235
www.champion-law.com

Licensed in Minnesota, Wisconsin and California

 

MN AND WISCONSIN PRODUCT LIABILTIY LAWYERS TEACH YOU HOW TO MAKE SURE YOUR SEAT BELT KEEPS YOU SAFE – Part 1

Product Liability Attorney on a Four Part Series – Seat Belt Safety In Minnesota

We all think that when we buckle up, we’re safe – or at least safer.  And usually buckling your seatbelt does make you safer.  But misuse or defects in seatbelts can cause them to lose their ability to protect us in crashes.  For the next few installments of this blog, I’m going to discuss a few common problems that may render seatbelts unsafe and even dangerous.  I would love to hear your comments if you have additional thoughts or stories on these issues. 

Keep watching for the next installment of Seat Belt Safety.  Until then, any questions, call St. Paul: 651-766-5886; Minneapolis: 612-743-4918, or visit our website at Champion-Law.com