Recent Posts in Defective Products Category

At least six children and one adult were injured in two car auto accident in North St. Louis. The driver of a van said she could not see the Mercedes as a bush in the median was obstructing her view.  The driver of the van was transported to the hospital as well as the six children who were passengers in the van.  The van struck a three-foot brick was that was attached to an apartment building.  Two of the children were transported to the hospital urgently with one possibly having critical injuries.  The occupants of the Mercedes refused treatment.

Spring and summer can sometimes be hazardous when foliage is in the peak of growing season.  Drivers must use extra caution at intersections when gaining a clear view ever mindful of landscape growth, motorcycles and bicycles.

Have you or a loved one been the victim of a moving vehicle accident?  

    If you or a loved one has been injured in an moving vehicle accident such as a car, bicycle, motorcyle or Jet Ski accident;  Zane Cagle at the Cagle Law Firm can assist you to determine if you have a claim or lawsuit.  Using a St. Louis attorney such as Zane Cagle allows you the resources to pursue damages and recover medical bills that are overwhelming after an injury.  At the Cagle Law Firm, an experienced St. Louis Accident Attorney can review your claim and help you file a lawsuit against the person responsible for your accident or injury or to help you to determine if you have a wrongful death claim or a claim for personal injury damages contact the Cagle Law firm today.
    To schedule a consultation to discuss your claim, please contact the firm today at (800) 716-2621

A  St. Peters man was killed in an auto accident on Interstate 70 when the Dodge Durango he was driving was struck by the wheel of a tractor trailer.  Equipment failure caused the truck to lose two wheels from the rear axle. The wheel struck the front windshield of the victim's  Durango. After the collision, the Durango then traveled to the right and struck the side of a Nissan Altima in oncoming traffic on I-70. The driver of the Nissan was transported via ambulance to a hospital with minor injuries, however, the St. Peters man was pronounced dead at the site.  While this is the first fatality of May, it is the 44^th  highway fatality of the year in the St. Louis area.

No charges have been filed as of yet, however, the family of the victim may have a wrongful death claim. Were you injured or have you lost a loved one because of a defective product or an auto accident?  If so, you may have grounds to a file legal claim for compensation for your medical bills, pain and suffering, lost wages, property damage, and emotional distress. Contacting an attorney early after the accident is crucial in many instances for thorough investigation. At the Cagle Law Firm,  an experienced St. Louis Auto Accident Attorney can review your claim and help you file a lawsuit against the person responsible for your accident or injury or to help you to determine if you have a wrongful death claim.

To schedule a consultation to discuss your claim, please contact the firm today at (800) 716-2621. 

The Ticklish Turtle, a baby's water float manufactured by Aqua-Leisure Industries, faces a potential nation-wide recall after a Boston news channel investigation team uncovered evidence that the company has received multiple consumer complaints of near child drownings.

Among the internal corporate documents, statements included phrases such a, "10-month-old went right through the seat," and "child almost drowned."  Despite these reports, however, Boston Channel stated that the company continued to allow the defective product to be sold in stores.

Former Aqua-Leisure customer service supervisor Robert St. Jacques worked with the company when the complaints came in about the Ticklish Turtle and put his concerns in writing to his supervisors.  "I am not shy to let them know if a product has a potential injury or serious drowning issue.  That's my job."

According to Boston Channel's Team 5 Investigates, a product nearly identical to the Ticklish Turtle, SunSmart Float, was recalled in 2001 following a dozen complaints to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission that the product was defective and children were falling into the water.

So far, Aqua-Leisure has not recalled the toy, but insists that it has stopped selling it.  It plans to market a similar floating device this year that has a stronger leg divider.

If you have experienced injury due to a defective product, you may be entitled to a product liability claim against the manufacturer and/or the company who sells it.  Most product liability cases in Missouri and Illinois generally involve products that have a poor design or a manufacturing defect.  Contact an experienced Defective Product Lawyer at Page Cagle in St. Louis today for a free consultation.

The parents of 12-year-old Dereka Williams filed a lawsuit last week against Worldwise Inc. and the parent company of Dollar General after a retractable leash malfunctioned and caused significant damage to their daughter's eye last April.  The family alleges that the companies failed to warn pet owners of the risk, thus allowing a dangerous product to make it on the shelves.

At the time of the accident, Dereka was walking her puppy when the leash suddenly popped and hit her directly in the eye.  When her mother looked at it, she saw a piece of metal lodged in her pupil.

Dereka had emergency surgery to remove the metal and has undergone two corrective surgeries since then.  Immediately following her injury, she was forced to spend the rest of the school year on bed rest, often complaining of headaches and trouble balancing.  Despite the multiple surgeries, her vision in the one eye is still very poor.

After Dereka's accident, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Worldwise recalled nearly 223,000 SlyDog leashes, acknowledging that the product posed serious risk for injury.  The company received five reports of injuries, all concerning the upper body and face.

When someone is injured by a dangerous or defective product, the manufacturer can be held liable for damages.  Most product liability cases in Illinois and Missouri involve products with defective designs or improper warnings.  If you have been injured by a defective product, do not hesitate to contact us at Page Cagle in St. Louis, as we have the experience and know-how to successfully litigate your claim.  Call us today for a free consultation.

Yesterday, a Tippecanoe jury awarded Carol Simonton a $157 million verdict in the wrongful death suit she filed against companies responsible for manufacturing the type of tree stand tied to the death of her husband. 

Timothy Simonton was 42 years old when his stepson found him hanging from a defective tree stand in October 2005.  At the time, he was scouting for deer in the stand; and when he failed to return to his family's campsite that evening, his family went looking for him.

In the suit, Carol Simonton requested damages for funeral expenses and lost wages totaling more than $1.5 million. 

According to newspaper reports, no one showed up to represent the defendants- L & L Enterprises, Ol' Man Tree Stands, and TSR Inc.  Simonton's attorney, Mike Phelps, claims that he will do whatever is necessary to collect the verdict from the defendants, but states that, "No amount of money could replace the love and affection Carol had for Tim."

Whenever a product fails to perform safely or causes injury or death, the manufacturer can be held liable for medical bills, lost wages, or other expenses.  If you have been injured or lost someone because of a defective product, the experienced legal team at Page Cagle Law Firm is here to help.  We can sift through the facts of your case and fight for the compensation you deserve.  Call us today!

One year after her death, the family of Karlene Willemsen has filed a wrongful death and product liability suit against several companies associated with a motorized wheelchair that was allegedly defective and caught fire while Willemsen was in her home. The suit was filed Monday against Invacare Corporation of Ohio and other companies responsible for the manufacture, lease, or retail of the chairs.

The plaintiffs claim that the wheelchair malfunctioned and caught on fire, burning Willemsen who was unable to move as she had multiple sclerosis.  At the time of the incident, she was in a motorized hospital bed, which was also built by Invacare Corp., and conscious when the fire started.  The suit states that an autopsy demonstrated that Willemsen, "suffered significant pre-death burns, physical injury, and psychological terror."

For Invacare, this suit is not the first to claim injury or death due to a defective wheelchair.  In 2002, the company settled a $7 million suit when a quadriplegic incurred burns when her wheelchair sparked and caught fire due to defective wiring.  Furthermore, Invacare was sued three other times for fatal fires linked to the chair's battery-charging system. 

If you or a loved one has suffered injury or death due to a defective product, the Page Cagle Defective Products legal team is here to help.  Our experience has lead to several successful litigations in Missouri and Illinois in which consumers suffered injuries directly caused by an error in product design.  Call us today for a free consultation to see if you are entitled to compensation.

According to a Texas newspaper, Railserve Inc. is left as a lone defendent in a FELA suit filed by Perry Ashworth, an employee of the company, who lost part of his leg in 2007 after a railcar rolled over him.

When the accident occurred, Ashworth was working at a Huntsman Petrochemical Corp. refinery attempting to rearrange the rail cars when one of the cars rolled and entangled his right leg, servering it below the knee.  Huntsman was originally names in the suit, but was dismissed after granting Ashworth worker's compensation benefits totaling around $290 thousand. 

Another defendant in the case, Rescar, Inc., an affiliate with Railserve, motioned to appeal Huntsman's summary judgment but dropped the appeal after reaching settlement with Ashworth.  This now leaves Railserve, Inc. as the only defendant in the case, and Ashworth continues to pursue a Federal EMployer's Liability Act claim alleging that his employer, "failed to provide him with a safe place to work and failed to comply with government regulations."

If you are a rail worker who suffered an injury on the job, and you feel your employer was responsible, contact the experienced FELA Lawyers of Page Cagle law firm in St. Louis.  Our knowledgeable legal team can answer all you questions and help you get compensation for lost wages, medical expenses, and more.