All Topics

• Lead and Other Harmful Substances Found in Toys

  Greg Webb | December 17, 2007 8:55 AM | 0 CommentsCharlottesville, VA

  In the last six months, more than 1,200 toys have been taken of the shelves of Wal-Mart, Toys-R-Us, and Babies-R-Us to be tested for excessive amounts of lead and other harmful substances in toys. These tests, led by a Michigan-based Ecology Center along with help from eight other states and the Center for Health, Environment and Justice, have shown thirty five percent of the toys tested...

• Tractor Trailer Crash Yields $36.5 Million Award To Crash Victim's Family

  Greg Webb | December 16, 2007 3:44 PM | 0 CommentsCharlottesville, VA

  In April 2004, Thomas Steven, a Wichita businessman and father of eight, was killed in an automobile accident due to the negligence of Steven Jones, a Swift tractor trailer driver. Swift is one of the largest trucking companies in the United States, hauling goods and cargo for such companies as Wal-Mart, Target, and Rite-Aid. Jones failed to slow down on a sweeping flat curve leading to an...

• Mining Death Toll Rises Due To Poor Inspections

  Greg Webb | December 16, 2007 3:26 PM | 0 CommentsCharlottesville, VA

  Last year the total number of workers who died in mining accidents more than doubled to an astonishing 47. This sharp increase in casualties could be, at least in part, due to the fact that over one in seven of the United State's 731 mines were not inspected at all by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), although they were required to under the Federal Mine and Health Act of 1977,...

• Ford Recalls 1.1 Million More Vehicles

  Greg Webb | December 11, 2007 10:20 AM | 0 CommentsCharlottesville, VA

  Ford Motor Company is recalling 1.1 million more vehicles. This time, Ford is recalling more than 1.1 million heavy-duty trucks with diesel engines because of a problem that could lead to engine stalling. When an engine stalls, particularly when the vehicle is moving, this may present a safety problem for the driver and occupants because the driver may lose control of the vehicle. Ford's...

• Federal Regulation on Amusement Parks Needed

  Greg Webb | December 06, 2007 2:16 PM | 0 CommentsCharlottesville, VA

  While amusement park thrill rides are only supposed to seem dangerous, many people are injured each year due to negligence in the operation of these rides. On average, four people are killed each year while riding amusement park rides, while injury reports average in the thousands. A man was killed in 1999 riding the Shockwave at Paramount's King's Dominion in Doswell, Virginia.The Consumer...

• Lexus Model Recall Annouced by Toyota

  Greg Webb | December 06, 2007 2:12 PM | 0 CommentsCharlottesville, VA

  Over 264,000 luxury vehicles, made by Toyota, have been recalled due to faulty exhaust pipes. Forty thousand of these recalled vehicles are from the Lexus branch of the company. These flawed exhaust pipes on the recalled models could lead to fuel leaks, cracks, and corrosion. Although most of the recalls are being made in Japan, the Toyota company, along with the National Highway Traffic Safety...

• Study Shows Medical Malpractice Suits Tied Closely to Quality of Care

  Bryan Slaughter | December 03, 2007 11:27 PM | 0 CommentsCharlottesville, VA

  A new study of medical malpractice cases shows what ethical trial attorneys have always known -- medical malpractice settlements are closely tied to merit and quality of care. Although tort reformers have claimed settlements in malpractice suits are a "lottery", where fault and settlement are not related, a new analysis of eleven studies of medical malpractice settlements and claims have shown...

• Ford Settles Lawsuits Involving Its Rollover Plagued Explorer

  Greg Webb | December 03, 2007 9:56 PM | 0 CommentsCharlottesville, VA

  The Ford Motor Company has settled a class-action lawsuit in California, Illinois, Connecticut and Texas regarding its 1991-2001 models of the Explorer sports utility vehicle (SUV), which has come under fire for being prone to rollovers. The claimants have said the Ford Motor Company used false advertising to sell the SUV. They knew the automobile was prone to rollovers, but marketed it as a...

• Harmful Toys Bring New Safety Warnings

  Greg Webb | November 28, 2007 1:37 PM | 0 CommentsCharlottesville, VA

  With the holiday season approaching, many toys are being inspected by consumer groups for potentially harmful manufacturing violations, including choking hazards and excessive amounts of lead. The Center for Environmental Health, for example, found nine out of one hundred toys purchased from stores such as Wal-Mart, Target, and K-Mart had illegal amounts of lead in them, reaching as high as nine...

• Toy Recall Due To Excessive Lead

  Greg Webb | November 26, 2007 5:34 PM | 0 CommentsCharlottesville, VA

  Mattel Inc., Fisher Price, and eighteen other companies have been accused of having illegal amounts of lead in their products, the legal amount being 600 parts per million. Lead is a toxic substance that damages the nervous system and many other organs. There are many toy recalls each year, but this year's recall is especially damaging because it deals with very popular toys, such as Barbie...