Lawrence and Andover Massachusetts Neighborhoods Evacuated as Multiple Gas Blasts Set Fires, Destroy Homes

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Firefighters fighting burning blaze

As reported by news outlets across the US, a series of gas explosions in and around Lawrence and North Andover, Massachusetts have led to more than 70 fires burning in at least 20 homes. Stories in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Boston Globe, and the San Francisco Chronicle detail a wide swath of residential infernos, with at least 23 people injured and scores of others directed to swiftly evacuate their homes. Officials are also cutting electric power to affected areas to prevent stray sparks from igniting additional fires. [Read more…]

Takata Airbag Recall Adds Even More Vehicle Models

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Takata Airbag Recall Adds Even More Vehicle Models

1.2 Million New Vehicles Added to Ongoing Recall in Face of Airbag Explosion Threat

The threat of dangerous Takata airbags have led to yet another round of vehicle recalls, as U.S. safety regulators have named more than 1.2 million additional vehicle models across 14 different automakers to the Takata airbag recall list. The newest round of ongoing recalls includes Ford, Nissan, Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, Daimler Vans, Toyota, Tesla, BMW, Fiat Chrysler, Mazda, Subaru, Jaguar-Land Rover, McLaren, and Volkswagen. [Read more…]

Ford to 2006-Year Ranger Drivers: Stop Driving Your Vehicles Immediately

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Ford to 2006-Year Ranger Drivers: Stop Driving Your Vehicles Immediately

Second Takata Airbag Death Confirmed in 2006 Ford Ranger Pickup

Ford Motor Co has alerted owners and lessees of 2006 Ford Ranger pickup trucks to immediately stop driving their vehicles in the wake of a second confirmed 2006 Ranger death seen as having been caused by an exploding defective Takata airbag inflator. Ford is warning all 2,600 2006-year Ranger owners on record to stop driving the vehicles right away and have the affected parts replaced without delay. [Read more…]

Toyota & Honda Recall Yet Another Million+ Vehicles in U.S. with Defective Takata Airbags

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Toyota & Honda Recall Yet Another Million+ Vehicles in U.S. with Defective Takata Airbags

Right on the heels of a January 8 recall expansion that added 3 million airbags, automakers Toyota and Honda have announced the recall of more than 1 million additional vehicles in the United States that are equipped with defective and potentially deadly Takata airbag inflators. This marks yet another increase to a cumulative recall that was already the largest in U.S. history. [Read more…]

World’s Largest Auto Recall Expands Again, As Takata Adds Another 3 Million Airbags

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World's Largest Auto Recall Expands Again; Takata Adds Another 3 Million Airbags to Recall

Japanese airbag maker Takata is adding another 3.3 million faulty airbag inflators to the world’s largest automotive recall in U.S. history. The newly recalled airbags correspond to vehicles from Honda, Toyota, Audi, BMW, Daimler Vans, Fiat Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Jaguar-Land Rover, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru and Tesla manufactured in 2009, 2010 and 2013. [Read more…]

NHTSA Investigating Ford Explorer SUV Exhaust Fume Leaks

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NHTSA Investigating Ford Explorer SUV Exhaust Fume Leaks

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is expanding its investigation into complaints about leaky exhaust fumes in Ford Explorer SUVs, adding 400,000 vehicles to bring the total review pool up to over 1.3 million Explorers with model years ranging from 2011-2017. Fume leaks inside the Ford vehicles have reportedly led to numerous instances of driver impairment. [Read more…]

Takata Recalls An Additional 2.7 Million Airbags Over Hazardous Defect

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Takata Recalls An Additional 2.7 Million Airbags Over Hazardous Defect

Takata Corp. has announced plans to recall another 2.7 million faulty airbag inflators that were built between the years 2005- 2012 and installed in Ford, Nissan and Mazda vehicles sold in the U.S. This addition expands Takata’s airbag recall, already the largest automotive industry recall in U.S. history, over dangerously explosive airbags that have been tied to at least 11 deaths. [Read more…]

NJ Transit Train In September Hoboken Accident Going Twice Speed Limit At Crash

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NJ Transit Train

According to the New York Times, the New Jersey Transit train involved in last week’s Hoboken crash had accelerated to over 20 miles per hour just before smashing into the terminal, injuring over 100 and killing one commuter. The information came from a report by federal transit officials investigating the accident. [Read more…]

Thousands of Deaths from Hospital Superbugs Are Going Unreported

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Medical Scope Superbugs

The LA Times reports that “many thousands” of patients are dying every year from superbug infections acquired during hospital stays — and that’s only in California. The numbers nationwide would be even higher, perhaps horrifyingly so. And the biggest reason this hideous epidemic remains mostly secret is that patient death certificates almost never include any mention of the infections as a factor in the deaths. [Read more…]

Lieff Cabraser’s Work for the Injured in Mass Disaster Cases

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Helping transportation accident victims

Lieff Cabraser is a national plaintiffs’ law firm with over four decades’ experience successfully handling mass tort injury cases, including numerous cases relating to injuries sustained in large-scale disasters such as aviation and railroad accidents. This includes our work on behalf of the families of 122 of the victims of the January 3, 2004 Flash Airlines disaster in Egypt, as Plaintiffs’ Liaison Counsel representing over twenty families whose loved ones died in the Gol Airlines Flight 1907 crash over the Amazon, representing victims of the July 6, 2013 San Francisco International Airport crash of Asiana Airlines flight 214 from Seoul, South Korea, and as co-counsel in the litigation over a 2013 train derailment in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, that killed 50 people. [Read more…]

GM Auto Recall of 4.3 Million Vehicles Due to Airbag Software Defect

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GM Auto Recall of 4.3 Million Vehicles Due to Airbag Software Defect

General Motors will voluntarily recall nearly 4.3 million vehicles worldwide due to an airbag software defect linked to at least one death and three injuries in the United States. The defect purportedly prevents the airbags from inflating in a car accident. The auto recall affects about 3.64 million vehicles in the U.S., including trucks, cars, and SUVs with the 2014-2017 model years. [Read more…]

Nationwide Ikea Furniture Recall: 29 Million Dressers Recalled after Six Children Killed

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Ikea Furniture Recall: 29 Million Dressers Recalled after Six Children Killed

Swedish retailer Ikea is recalling 29 million chests and dressers in the United States and Canada after the death of six children linked to a severe furniture tip-over hazard when the pieces are not properly secured. All of the children killed were 3 years old or younger. [Read more…]

VW Emissions Settlement Proposal Receives June 28 Extension Due to “Highly Technical” Nature of Case

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VW Emissions Settlement Proposal Receives Week Extension

U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer issued a June 15 order giving the plaintiffs’ steering committee, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the Federal Trade Commission until June 28 at noon – a full week longer than the original deadline – to file for preliminary approval of a proposed emissions fraud case settlement agreement with Volkswagen. [Read more…]

Bridgestone Initiates Voluntary Safety Recall for Defective Tires

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Bridgestone Safety Recall for Defective Tires

Tennessee-based Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations (BATO) announced a voluntary safety recall for one size (255/70R22.5) of its Firestone FS561 tire, installed in trailer applications, that was sold both in the United States and Canada between the dates of April 2015 and January 2016. Other sizes and applications for the FS561 commercial truck tire are not affected by this recall. [Read more…]