2010 August Archive

In a year full of noteworthy auto recalls, Honda has issued a recall for 384,000 of its Accord and Civic models for a defect in the shift interlock system. An investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration into earlier recalls to address the same problem prompted Honda to add 2003 Accords, 2003 Civics and 2003 and 2004 Elements to the recall. The shift interlock problems in these models allow owners to turn the vehicle off and remove the key without the automatic transmission being in the Park position.
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The U.S. Government’s investigation into the sudden acceleration problems in many Toyota vehicles has produced no evidence of faulty electronics in any of the 58 crashed Toyotas that it examined. Federal regulators recently released a report on the vehicles, saying that only one of the vehicles had an accelerator that became stuck under a floor mat and that none of the other vehicles had gas pedals that became stuck or went back into position too slowly. Although the investigation is ongoing, the early evidence is troubling as Toyota has recalled around nine million vehicles to correct floor mats and sticky accelerator pedals.
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A group of people enjoying a day of fun and adventure at a Denver area amusement park had a bit more adventure than they bargained for recently when a train at the park tipped over, injuring 19 of them. Fifteen of the amusement park accident victims received treatment at area hospitals for injuries that occurred at Tiny Town, a replica of an old frontier town scaled down for children in the foothills near Denver. The accident happened when the engine of a small, open-car train that runs through the amusement park left the tracks and tipped over, causing the five attached train cars to tip over and spill the occupants.
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A minor Orlando amusement park accident sent one worker to the hospital briefly for treatment and shut down Walt Disney World monorails for a short time recently. Early reports say the worker was a monorail pilot at the popular amusement park who suffered an electric shock when he flipped a switch. Flipping the switch created a short and caused electrical sparks to shock the worker on his hand and arm.
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A Florida distributor has recalled around 324,000 bamboo torches due to a sharp edge on a fuel canister that holds the wick, which can cause laceration when owners attempt to remove the wick for lighting. Atico International USA Inc. of Fort Lauderdale, FL distributes the Chinese-made torches, and the firm has received reports of five people experiencing injury due to the sharp edge, one of whom required stitches to close the wound. Four victims reported cuts from the sharp edge as they attempted to retrieve a wick that had fallen into the fuel canister.
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture and food processing giant Perdue have announced a recall of more than 90,000 pounds of chicken nuggets due to the possibility of contamination. The food recall affects Great Value brand frozen chicken nuggets sold exclusively at Wal-Mart stores as the USDA and Perdue believe there is a possibility that the food contains “foreign materials.” Perdue reportedly found small pieces of blue plastic in samples of the nuggets after receiving complaints from consumers.
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A jury decision in a recent California case involving whether or not the legal term “common carriers” applies to amusement parks as well as bus companies, airlines and other businesses classified as common carriers favored Disney and other amusement park operators. The ruling in this case is very important as five years ago, the California Supreme Court declared that amusement park operators are common carriers and subject to strict safety regulations for rides and other attractions. Amusement parks are, of course, subject to safety standards, but those that govern businesses classified as common carriers are far stricter.
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Officials investigating circumstances surrounding Michael Jackson’s death have decided not to pursue charges against seven physicians who treated him before his death. There was a referral of the case of one doctor under investigation for prescribing medication to a Jackson alias to the California Medical Board. While there won’t be any filing of criminal charges against the doctors, their legal troubles may not be over. The Jackson estate can still pursue wrongful death claims against them for a variety of different circumstances that may have led to the entertainer’s death.
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Public health officials are admonishing reptile owners to observe proper hand washing procedures after a massive recall of mice prompted by hundreds of cases of Salmonella. More than 400 people in Britain and the U.S. have become ill, most reptile owners and their children, from handling mice or living in the same home as a reptile owner. Investigators have traced the Salmonella source to a Georgia company called MiceDirect, which produces and ships rodents and other animals to owners of reptiles.
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Police investigating a fatal bicycle accident have determined that the victim was a 39-year-old Orlando man. Police say the victim was riding his bike around 2:30 in the morning recently near the intersection of Landstar Boulevard and Pinnacle Cove Drive when a 31-year-old man, also from Orlando, driving a motorcycle struck and killed him.
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