Toyota Motor Corp. has announced its decision to stop sales and North American production so that the gas pedal issue on the affected models can be fixed. It is not yet known how many vehicles in Europe or Britain could be recalled. According to the UK's Guardian, plans for Toyota to stop production at its British plants have not yet been announced, however the company warned that 750 jobs could be cut in the UK. Toyota also plans to recall over 75,000 RAV4 vehicles made in China between March 2009 and January 2010.

Toyota has also announced plans to inspect 1.1 million vehicles in the U.S. in addition to the 2.3 million it most recently recalled.

The recalls have been prompted by reports of involuntary acceleration resulting from gas pedal defects. Toyota previously recalled over 4 million vehicles in the U.S. in December 2009 due to floor mats that caused gas pedals to become jammed. Several car accidents, and some fatalities, were reported from sudden speed caused by defective gas pedals. U.S. Congress has just announced it will launch an investigation on Toyota's manufacturing problems that may have led to the death of 19 people in the last decade.

The affected models in the U.S. recall include the popular Camry, Corolla and RAV4. For a complete list, visit the Toyota website.

Toyota's cost-cutting methods have been scrutinized in the past few years as the company has aggressively pursued leadership in global sales. Many have blamed Toyota's vigorous growth for the problems in vehicle quality. Toyota's former president, Katsuaki Watanabe, admitted to this after a 2006 criminal investigation was conducted by the Japanese government. Nobody was charged in this investigation, which associated vehicle problems to some car accidents in Japan.

If you have been injured as a result of defective vehicle manufacturing, call us today for a free consultation. Our personal injury attorneys are experienced in handling car accident and dangerous product cases, and will fight to get you the compensation you may be entitled to.

Dan Irving Cytryn is a Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer handling injury and accident cases for more than 29 years. He has received a 10.0 rating on AVVO, a lawyer rating service, which is the highest rating given for a lawyer. He is also rated the highest ability and ethics rating, "AV", by Martindale Hubbell, a company rating lawyers for more than 100 years.

Lynn Wheeler was a passenger in the Explorer when it was struck head on by another driver. She was riding in the back seat between the booster seats her grandchildren were sitting in. The only thing restraining Wheeler was a lap belt. Upon impact, the rear seat latch broke, causing the back seat to collapse on her. Her head and neck were pushed forward into the center console, resulting in devastating spinal cord injuries. She is now in a wheelchair and on a ventilator.

Wheeler's lawsuit challenged Ford's decision to install a lap belt instead of a three-point shoulder belt and accused Ford of negligently designing the rear seat latch. Now, thanks to a law that went into effect in 2007, automobile manufacturers are forbidden from installing lap-only seat belts for rear middle seats.

Ford argued that it met government safety standards and defended its decision to install lap belts in the Explorer's rear bench seat.

The jury sided with Wheeler - Ford was ordered to pay over $16 million in damages. The driver who collided into the Explorer was ordered to pay $1.2 million.

Ford has been in the press several times in relation to rollover accidents. A California woman's rollover accident involving her 1997 Ford Explorer is an example of one major case where Ford was under fire for being prone to rollovers. The woman sued Ford when the roof on her Explorer collapsed on her during her rollover accident. She became paralyzed as a result of the spinal injuries she suffered in the accident. The jury found Ford was aware the roof on the Explorer would collapse during a rollover accident, and awarded her over $82 million.

Each year, thousands of people are injured or killed in SUV accidents. Vehicle manufacturers have a responsibility to make safe vehicles for consumers. At the same time, consumers should be armed with as much knowledge as possible before buying a vehicle. The following websites contain important vehicle information:

Safercar.gov is a government website that has information on crash test ratings, recalls, safer driving tips, etc.

Consumerreports.org is a nonprofit established to protect consumers and offer objective product reviews.

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety provides vehicle ratings, statistics, news and more.

Dan Irving Cytryn is a Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer handling injury and accident cases for more than 29 years. He has received a 10.0 rating on AVVO, a lawyer rating service, which is the highest rating given for a lawyer. He is also rated the highest ability and ethics rating, "AV", by Martindale Hubbell, a company rating lawyers for more than 100 years.

A 6-month-old boy from Iowa died of strangulation after becoming trapped in his own crib due to malfunctioning hardware. The crib was manufactured by Dorel Asia, which has recalled over 600,000 cribs sold by major retailers including Wal-Mart. The company is recalling 20 models of cribs that can pose a suffocation or strangulation hazard if their drop sides detach. The cribs also pose a risk of children becoming trapped in the cribs due to broken slats. The company has received several reports of children being trapped, bruised and scratched due to these cribs.

Following five reports of finger amputations and two reports of cuts due to the hinges in stroller canopies, Graco has recalled 1.5 million strollers manufactured from October 2004 to February 2008. The recall affects the Spree, Passage and Alano Strollers and Travel Systems. The manufacture dates can be found above the back wheels, on the lower inside part of the back frame.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced the strollers present a laceration and amputation threat to children when canopies were opened or closed. The commission has advised consumers to stop using the strollers and contact Graco to obtain a free repair kit.

A personal injury lawyer experienced in handling dangerous and defective product lawsuits can protect your rights and fight for the compensation you may be legally entitled to. If you or a loved one has been injured as a result of a dangerous product, contact us today for a free consultation.

Dan Irving Cytryn is a Board Certified Trial Lawyer handling injury to children and dangerous product cases for more than 29 years.

Heparin is a blood thinner (anticoagulant) used to prevent blood clots in veins, arteries, and lungs, which is often used prior to surgery or as a coating for medical devices. In 2008, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) identified an increase in the number of deaths and adverse events, such as anaphylactic-type reactions (allergic reactions) and acute hypotension (extremely low blood pressure), associated with Heparin use. Scientists identified a contaminate in the Heparin described as oversulfated chondroiton sulfate which mimicked heparin activity and eluded routine testing. Because of the contamination, the FDA adopted a new standard for testing Heparin in 2009.

Baxter and other manufacturers began recalling suspected contaminated Heparin in 2008. Investigations have shown that the problem may stem from Chinese producers of crude heparin. A key ingredient in Heparin is made from pig intestines in China because of the large number of available animals. Although the source of the contamination has not yet been determined according to reports, some lawsuits are alleging that the China production facilities did not meet U.S. regulation and were not inspected or approved by the FDA.

TNF blockers such as Humira, Enbrel, Remicade and Cimzia are used to treat children and young adults with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (also known as Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis), Crohn's disease and other diseases. The drugs work by suppressing the immune system to block the tumor necrosis factor which causes inflammation and immune system related diseases.

The black box warning for TNF blockers comes after approximately 30 reports of cancer in children and young adults under the age of 18 taking TNF blockers were reported to the FDA between 1998 and April 2008. The concern included the development of lymphoma (cancer of the cells in the immune system) and other cancers such as leukemia, melanoma and solid organ cancers in children taking TNF blockers such as Humira, Enbrel, Remicade and Cimzia. In August 2009, the FDA announced that it had tracked 48 malignancies from 2001 through 2008 associated with the use of TNF blockers in children after an average of 30 months of treatment. The FDA will continue to investigate and analyze data from long-term studies of the potentially dangerous drugs.

In Florida, juries tend to punish drunk drivers more than drivers who simply cause an accident with no evidence of intoxication or impairment.  Insurance companies tend to offer more money, generally, in drunk driving cases, as well.  If the insurance company refuses to offer a reasonable settlement in an intoxication case, a lawsuit will often bring about the desired result of a larger settlement or large jury verdict.  Florida law allows punitive damages to be sought against drunk drivers in civil cases under certain circumstances.  Even if punitive damages are not awarded, or the defendant driver is "judgment proof", there is a punitive element in most of these verdicts.  Drunk driver accident cases are more persuasive to most jurors and tend to entice insurance adjusters to offer more reasonable settlements.

According to the U.S. Coast Guard's Recreational Boating Statistics 2008, collision with another vessel ranks first among all boating accidents with 1237 incidents, 856 injuries, and 60 deaths for the year.  The leading cause of boating accidents is careless or reckless operation of the vessel.  Airboat accidents represent only a small percentage of the total recreational boating accidents with 2 reported drowning deaths attributed to airboat operation and 25 injuries.  In Florida, there were 616 total boating accidents with 55 fatalities and 371 injured people in 2008.

The initial recall of potentially defective Toyota and Lexus vehicles began in September when Toyota warned that owners of specific models should immediately remove the floor mats to help prevent unanticipated acceleration from pedal entrapment.  This most recent recall includes Toyota technicians physically modifying the gas pedal to reduce the length by three-quarters of an inch, replacing genuine Toyota or Lexus all-weather floor mats, and installing a brake override system that will cut engine power when both the accelerator and the brake are pressed at the same time.  Some vehicles will also have the padding beneath the gas pedal replaced with a thinner pad to increase clearance between the pedal and the floorboard.

The latest rounds of repairs are scheduled to begin January 2010 and are estimated to exceed $250 million in parts and labor.  The potentially defective pedals that are modified during this time are anticipated to be replaced by properly manufactured parts when they become available.  The brake override system, which is often referred to as "smart pedal" technology and utilized by other auto manufacturers, is scheduled to be implemented as standard equipment on all Toyota and Lexus vehicles manufactured after January 2010.

Although Toyota seems to deny that an actual defect exists in the affected vehicles, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released a statement to correct what it described as "inaccurate and misleading information" being propagated by Toyota.  The NHTSA stated that removing the floor mats in these potentially dangerous vehicles was only an interim measure and did not correct the underlying defect in the vehicle which causes pedal entrapment.  The NHTSA assured consumers that it would continue to investigate the issue until the defect is corrected with a vehicle-based solution.

According to the FDA, the failure of the device can lead to neural injury, pain, kyphosis, and the need for corrective surgery. Because of the danger associated with this defective medical device, surgeons and hospitals have been ordered to cease using the vertebral body replacements immediately. The defective products subject to recall were manufactured from June 2007 through September 2009. A complete list of the vertebral body replacement part numbers subject to the Class I recall can be found on the FDA's website.

Action by the FDA comes after Synthes USA began recalling the Synex II device in September amidst six adverse incident reports of the vertebral body replacements' failure. Patients with increased pain or other symptoms are advised to contact their surgeon for evaluation. Patients can report adverse incidents to the MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program established by the FDA.

Although the accident is still under investigation, reports claim that witnesses at the scene told investigators that warning lights were flashing at the time of the accident.  The Miami-Herald reported that traffic often backs up onto the tracks at the Commercial Boulevard crossing especially during rush hour.  According to the report, there have been seven accidents at this specific crossing which resulted in three deaths and two injuries since 1989 despite unsuccessful or unimplemented experimental safety measures including cameras to warn conductors of vehicles in the crossings.  Statewide in 2007, there were 90 accidents at rail-road crossings between trains and cars or pedestrians that resulted in 20 fatalities and 63 injuries in Florida according to the U.S. Department of Transportation State Transportation Statistics.

This deadly car accident, while tragic, also serves as a reminder of the importance for South Florida drivers to carry uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage.  Uninsured/underinsured motorist policies provide coverage from your insurance carrier when you are involved in an accident and the negligent driver either has no insurance coverage or not enough insurance coverage.  Uninsured/underinsured insurance policies also usually cover accidents that involve a hit-and-run, or phantom, driver that cannot be identified after the accident.

Although the identity of the at-fault driver is likely known in the Hollywood, Florida, car accident, often times negligent drivers flee the scene of an accident and are never identified.  Many times, negligent or reckless drivers flee the scene of an accident because they do not have insurance.  Regardless of whether the driver flees or remains at the scene, if he or she is underinsured or uninsured, your UM/UIM policy will contribute to your compensation for the accident if you have elected such coverage.

However, with the enactment of Fla. Stat. § 112.182, the Florida legislature statutorily defined firefighters and police officers as invitees and effectively abolished the common law Firefighter Rule.  Under this statute, property owners owe a duty of care to firefighters and police officers lawfully on the premises to maintain the premises in a reasonably safe condition and to correct and warn of dangers the owner either knows of or should have known of with reasonable care and inspection.  This change put police officers and firefighters into the same status as any other person lawfully on the property.  See Potts v. Johnson, 654 So.2d 596 (Fla. 3rd DCA 1995).

Law Offices Cytryn & Velazquez used § Fla. Stat. 112.182 to the benefit of one of its clients early in the statute's infancy.  Our firm represented a police officer that was injured on county property while responding to an urgent call.  As he stepped out of his vehicle, the officer stepped into a drainage ditch that was inadequately marked and blocked off, and the officer suffered a broken leg.  The abolition of the Firefighter Rule in Florida levels the field for police officers and firefighters that are lawfully upon the property of another while on duty, and allows them to recover for injuries sustained do to the property owner or occupier's negligence in maintaining the property.

The potentially dangerous Zicam products contain zinc gluconate (labeled "zincum gluconicum") as the active ingredient.  The FDA warns on its website that although these products are marketed to reduce the duration and severity of the common cold, the products have not been shown to be effective in doing so.  Consumers are advised not to use the potentially dangerous drugs for any reason and to throw away any remaining product.  Matrixx Initiatives has since pulled the products in question from the market, but the FDA fears that unknowing consumers will use products still stored in their medicine cabinets.

In the June 2009 warning letter, the FDA accused Matrixx Initiatives of failing to provide any data to establish that Zicam Cold Remedy intranasal products are safe and effective for the uses identified in their labeling.  On the contrary, the FDA said that there is published scientific literature that evidences various salts of zinc can damage olfactory function in humans.