Illinois Injury and Mass Tort Lawyer Blog

Published on: July 19, 2022

Chicago Lawyers for Camp Lejeune Claims

america-gbcda51e3a_640 Camp Lejeune is a military training facility for the United States Marine Corps. Water treatment facilities that supplied water to Camp Lejeune Marine Corps base were contaminated. The volatile organic compounds dumped there from 1957 – 1987 may have caused serious injuries to Marines, Sailors, and their families on the base. Civilian employees may have been affected, too. Recently, a change in the law allows those living on the base and injured by the water to pursue financial compensation from the federal government. If you were harmed by toxic water at Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base you should discuss your situation with the seasoned Chicago-based product liability lawyers of Moll Law Group. You may be entitled to compensatory damages including medical expenses, lost wages, loss of enjoyment of life, pain and suffering, and more.

Call Moll Law Group About a Camp Lejeune Claim

In June, the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 was passed. The bill was passed after investigators discovered that water supplies at North Carolina’s Camp Lejeune were contaminated with toxins between 1953 – 1987. The result was many different serious injuries including cancer, birth defects, miscarriage, and neurological defects like ALS or Parkinson’s. The Lejeune Justice Act permits military personnel and their families to pursue a claim within two years. If you lived or worked at Camp Lejeune between August 1953 – December 1987 and you suffer a serious injury like cancer or your baby suffered birth defects, you may be able to recover compensation for those injuries under the Act. The law is part of broader legislation that seeks to redress the problems of veterans exposed to toxic materials during service.

According to the Centers for Disease Control’s Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry, two toxic chemicals contaminated the Hadnot Point Treatment Plant and the Tarawa Terrace Treatment Plant. The former plant was contaminated by trichloroethylene (TCE), which is a volatile anesthetic. The sources of TCE contamination include underground storage tank leaks, water disposal sites, and industrial area spills. Percholoroethylene (PCE), which is often used for dry cleaning, was found in highly damaging quantities in the Tarawa Terrace Treatment Plant, arriving there because of an off-base dry cleaning company’s disposal practices. Other toxins found in drinking water include benzene and vinyl chloride.

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Published on: July 12, 2022

FDA Warns About Baby Neck Floats

By Moll Law Group

baby-g3f121741c_640 Sometimes baby neck floats are used on babies with spina bifida, spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type 1, cerebral palsy, and Down syndrome. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued warnings not to use neck floats with babies with special needs or developmental delays, even when interventions such as water therapy are being provided. If your baby was injured or killed by a baby neck float, you should call the seasoned Chicago-based lawyers of Moll Law Group.

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Some neck floats, inflatable plastic rings worn around a baby’s neck, permit babies to float in the water freely. They can be marketed for premature infants or even as young as two weeks old. Parents and caregivers use the products during babies’ baths or when their baby is swimming as a physical therapy intervention because they have developmental disabilities or delays. Some manufacturers claim that using these neck floats allows for increased lung capacity, muscle tone, flexibility and motion range, and stimulation of the brain and nervous system. They claim they can build strength or promote development, but these claims are not fully supported.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned parents and others not to use neck floats with babies, even for therapy, especially when babies have developmental delays or special needs, such as cerebral palsy, spina bifida, Downs syndrome or spinal muscular atrophy type 1. Using floats can lead to death or severe neck strain and injuries.

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Published on: July 5, 2022

Electrolux Recalls Frigidaire and Electrolux Refrigerators Because of a Choking Hazard

By Moll Law Group

ice-g77a4b3b5f_640-e1655157714382 Thirteen models of Frigidaire refrigerators and an Electrolux model refrigerator have been recalled by the manufacturer. The recall was issued because the ice makers on the affected models present a choking hazard. If the ice maker in your refrigerator injured you or caused a loved one’s death and you suspect it’s because the ice maker was defective, you should call the experienced product liability lawyers of Moll Law Group. Billions have been obtained in cases with which we’ve been involved.

Give Moll Law Group a Call About Injuries From a Defective Product

Electrolux’s recall of its white and black stainless steel refrigerators involves their ice makers. The company has received 185 reports of the ice makers’ ice level detectors breaking. If an ice level detector arm in the ice maker breaks into pieces, it can fall into the ice bucket and present a choking hazard. One consumer reported injury involving gum lacerations.

The affected units are Frigidaire and Electrolux Side-by-Side, Top Freezer and Multi-door refrigerators. The refrigerator was sold at Lowe’s, Home Depot, and appliance stores nationwide and online at Frigidaire.com between April 2020 -March 2022 for $1,200 – $4,300.

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Published on: July 5, 2022

Recall of Medtronic’s HeartWare HVAD System Batteries

By Moll Law Group

body-ge72aa36f3_640 Recently, Medtronic recalled HeartWare HVAD system batteries because of battery failure. The recall is categorized as Class I, the most significant recall, because the device may result in serious injuries or even death. Suppose you were injured due to a HeartWare HVAD system battery failure. In that case, you should consult the seasoned product liability lawyers of Moll Law Group about whether you have grounds to sue the manufacturer.

Call Moll Law Group About Your Medical Device Claim

The HeartWare Ventricular Assist Device (HVAD) System is utilized to keep the heart pumping blood to the remainder of the body. The system is implanted in patients’ bodies to bridge cardiac transplants used to help the heart when at risk of death from end-stage left ventricular heart failure. Doctors use these systems for heart tissue recovery or destination therapy (DT) in patients for whom heart transplants are not planned. The manufacturer, Medtronic, Inc., has recalled many batteries because they have welding defects. These defects allow the two cell battery packs to separate. This separation can result in a battery malfunctioning because power is not provided, and the battery cannot sustain a full charge or adequately recharge. The battery can fail suddenly.

A Power Disconnect alarm on the controller scene and in the Alarm Log tab is triggered when a malfunction happens. While these alarms may temporarily resolve, the battery may continue to fail. The result may be death or severe injury. The company has reported one death in connection with the recall, along with two complaints about united in the recalled lot. This year, Medtronic sent an Urgent Medical Device Correction letter to those affected, asking them to identify whether they have an affected battery immediately and to quarantine them accordingly. Doctors have been asked to notify patients with affected batteries and remove them from service; they have been given patient templates to inform patients about the harm. If you believe you may have been affected, you should discuss your situation with your doctor. The company is replacing impacted batteries with new ones and implementing actions to improve the batteries.

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Published on: June 28, 2022

FDA Forces Juul To Cease Sales

By Moll Law Group

eliquid-gf058e9070_640 On June 23, 2022, The U.S. Food and Drug Administration created an order against JUUL Labs Inc. to immediately remove their products from the market. These products are the JUUL itself and their entirety of different JUULpod types: Virginia tobacco and menthol flavored pods, both offered at nicotine concentrations of 5.0% and 3.0% respectively.

The company was added to Marketing Denial Orders (MDOs) with over 250 other similar electronic vapor products. This supports FDA belief that the positive aspect of aiding former smokers to quit does not outweigh the harm to young people, including but not limited to addiction, mental illness, and respiratory conditions.

FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf, M.D. shared more on what prompted the movement.

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Published on: June 27, 2022

Volara System Recalled

By Moll Law Group

man-g4698b989e_640-e1655155803670 A broad range of chronic conditions are treated with the Volara System, which provides continuous positive expiratory pressure (CPEP) to expand your lungs and airways, along with continuous high-frequency oscillation pulses to free mucus plugs and make it easier to cough and breathe less effortfully. However, if you use the Volara System, it’s important to be aware that its manufacturer, Baxter International Inc., issued an Urgent Medical Device Correction for the Volara System and then a recall. This is a home care system prescribed by doctors when a patient needs a ventilator in the home environment. Unfortunately, it’s been found that use of the system comes with a possible risk of oxygen desaturation, as well as the danger of overexpansion resulting in lung tissue damage. If you were injured or a loved one was killed due to the malfunctioning of the Volara System, you should give the seasoned product liability lawyers of Moll Law Group a call. You may have grounds to sue for damages, and it is important to seek counsel.

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Baxter voluntarily issued the Urgent Medical Device Correction after receiving a report of a patient suffering from oxygen desaturation while using the device at home. The device was recalled in a class 1 recall because the device poses serious risks such as lung infection that restricts oxygen to the brain, brain injury such as hypoxia, death, and choking on mucus.

Initially caregivers and patients were warned to continue to use Volara therapy as prescribed, but were supposed to monitor for respiratory distress signs such as an increase in breathing rate, bluish color around the mouth or inside it, wheezing, or changes in alertness, when using it. Patients were told potential issues could occur when using the device with a ventilator and adaptor or the patient circuit kit oscillation and lung expansion therapy.

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Published on: June 23, 2022

Supreme Court shuts down Bayer’s attempt to stop Roundup litigation

By Moll Law Group

On June 21, 2022 The United States Supreme Court denied an appeal to put an end to thousands of pending lawsuits tying Bayer’s weedkiller product to cancer diagnosis.

This development comes after a Supreme Court request from May of 2022 to hear from President Biden’s administration. Biden’s solicitor general produced a brief which urged the Court to the similar and recent rejection.

The decision supports a $25 million verdict from Northern California, awarding Edwin Hardeman damages from his continual Roundup use. While this case has been used in a practical sense of applying similar suits, Bayer has recently won four consecutive trials in various state courts.

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Published on: June 21, 2022

Asweets Recalls its Baby Activity Push Walker

By Moll Law Group

nepali-boy-gd20405235_640-e1655154307548 Parents may be alarmed to learn that Asweets has recalled its wooden baby activity push walker due to a strangulation hazard. The rubber rings on the rear wheels of a walker may separate from the wheels and detach, and this can result in a young child being at risk of strangulation. Asweets has received 10 reports of the rubber rings detaching from the wheels, though no injuries to babies have been reported. On June 2, 2022, the company recalled these walkers. If your baby is injured by an Asweets walker, or another walker that may be defective, you should give the experienced product liability lawyers of Moll Law Group a call. Cases with which we’ve been involved have resulted in damages in the billions.

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The remedy for the recalled Asweets baby walkers is a repair of the walker. The repair involves free replacement rear wheels. It’s important to take recalled walkers away from your children and stop using them until they are repaired. Around 13,300 units were affected by this recall. You can contact Asweets directly to get instructions on how to get replacement rear wheels. Retailers that sold the affected walker included Crate and Barrel, Nordstrom, Albee Baby, Bloomingdale’s, The Tot, and children’s boutiques.

However, in some instances, babies are injured by defective walkers, and a simple replacement really part doesn’t address the family’s needs. When you buy your baby a walker, you anticipate that it will be reasonably safe to use, and you don’t expect to incur medical bills because you allowed your baby to use it. Unfortunately, babies have been seriously injured while using various types of walkers their parents or caregivers assumed were safe. If your baby is injured by an Asweets walker, or any other kind of walker, you may not have enough saved to address the injuries and you may wish to consider bringing a product liability lawsuit for damages.

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Published on: June 14, 2022

Safety Hazards Cause Recall of Thousands of Units of Bed Rails

By Moll Law Group

healing-gbed9cb701_640-e1655154009557 Portable bed rails are installed on the sides of beds used for the elderly or those with medical conditions that increase the likelihood of falls from the bed. Unfortunately, bed rails can also present dangers. In April, the Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled thousands of units of bed rails over the last several months. Unfortunately, bed rails can present a safety hazard such that a consumer is entrapped and in danger of asphyxia and brain injuries or even death. The seasoned product liability lawyers of Moll Law Group may be able to help you if you or a loved one was injured as the result of using a bed rail.

Call Moll Law Group If You Were Injured or Lost A Loved One Due to a Defective Bed Rail

CPSC has issued warnings in connection with bed rails made between 1992 and 2021 by Mobility Transfer Systems Inc. It also issued warnings to stop using bed rails made by Metal Tubing USA Inc. in 2021-2022. The bed rails that were the subject of warnings were sold several places online including Amazon.com, Walmart.com, Alimed.com, VitalityMedical.com, MTS MedicalSupply.com, and eBay.

It has been reported that at least three people in different states died after entrapment in connection with the recalled models of the bed rails. These included a 78-year-old woman in an assisted living facility in, an 85-year-old man in a nursing home, and a 90-year-old disabled woman. The bed rails are made of white or chrome metal tubing, ad are labeled on the grip handle with “Mobility Transfer Systems.” The models include Freedom Grip, Freedom Grip Plus, Freedom Grip Travel, Reversible Slant Rail, Transfer Handle, Easy Adjustable, 30-inch Security Bed Rail, both single and double sided.

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Published on: May 31, 2022

Generac Electric Start Pressure Washer Recall Based on Malfunctions

By Moll Law Group

cleaning-gba057c9bd_640 Generac and DR Power brand electric start pressure washers with certain model numbers have been recalled. The washers have gasoline-powered engines, but electric start/stop buttons that are powered by a rechargeable battery. If you are a consumer, you should check whether your pressure washer is one of the models that has been recalled. Additionally, consumers injured by these washers or the families of loved ones who have died as the result of defective washers, may have a claim for damages and should call the experienced lawyers of Moll Law Group for a consultation.

Consult Moll Law Group About Your Pressure Washer Claim

Model numbers DPW3100DEN, DPW3101DEN, DPW3102DEN, G0071320, G0071321, G0071430 and G0071431 of the Generac and DR Power brand electric start pressure washer have been recalled. Their electronic start/stop buttons can malfunction, which means the means that the machine may self-start and thereby create a danger of carbon monoxide poisoning when the unit is located in a closed space.

Around 53,000 units of this washer were sold from February 2018 through February 2022 for $450 -$650. They were made in the United States and sold in major home improvement and hardware stores. Online retailers who sell them have included Home Depot, Ace Hardware, Lowe’s Stores, Amazon, Walmart, City Electric Supply, Costco, Do It Best, eBay, Essendant, Fastenal, Menard’s, Orgill, Power Equipment Direct, Ravitsky Bros., Tractor Supply, and True Value.

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