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Fisher Price recently announced the biggest toy recall of the year, according to CBS News. The company is recalling 10.1 million dangerous toys and high chairs.

The recall includes 7.15 million tricycles, 2.9 million baby toys, 1 million high chairs, and 120,000 toy cars and ramps. Some of the injuries that have been incurred by those playing with the toys include choking and cuts. Some injuries were caused by a tricycle’s protruding key. The high chairs have pegs on the rear legs that have injured seven children. The cars, ramps and infant toys have parts that can pose a choking hazard. No deaths have been reported from the unsafe toys.

The Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) says this recall should serve as a warning that it will be very diligent in examining products for children in order to ensure children will not be injured by those products. Fisher Price says it will provide replacement kits for its recalled products. If you own one of the defective child products, stop using it and call the manufacturer for a replacement kit and more information.

It is the responsibility of toy manufacturers to create safe products, which are properly designed, labeled and manufactured. Negligent toy manufacturers must be held liable for injuries caused by their defective products. If you or a loved one has been injured by a defective toy, contact the Mandell Law Firm. Our skilled San Fernando Valley child toy injury attorneys will help you recover compensation for your injuries. Call us today at 818-886-6600 for a free evaluation of the merits of your case.

A new program is studying brain injuries in athletes to attempt to better understand the long-term effects of repeated concussions, according to FoxNews.com.

Over the past two years, 300 athletes have agreed to undergo a series of tests every year as well as donate their brains after death as part of a program at Boston University Medical School conducted by the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy. In addition, families of 40 deceased athletes have donated brain and spinal tissues from the athletes. Those tissues will be studied to see if repetitive head injuries led to chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

Most of the athletes participating in the program are professional wrestlers, hockey players, or football players. The study would like to have 50 athletes from each sport. Most participants are men, but there are some women athletes who are participating as well. Those athletes who are enrolled complete a medical history and perform cognitive tests each year.

Those conducting the study are hoping to learn how much head trauma produces chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Many athletes participating in the study currently have side effects from blows they sustained during their sports careers.

Unfortunately, over a million Americans are affected each year by injuries to the head, brain and spinal cord. Most are caused by traffic accidents, but they can be caused by other activities, such as sports.

If you or a loved one has suffered a brain injury as the result of someone else’s negligence, you may be able to file a claim to recover damages for that injury. The Mandell Law Firm is very experienced in helping accident victims who have suffered brain injuries. Contact the North Hollywood traumatic brain injury attorneys at the Mandell Law Firm today at 818-886-6600.

Tragically, a man was killed and several people were injured in an SUV accident on the Ventura Freeway in Encino, according to ABC12.com. The vehicle hit the center divider for an unknown reason.

Unfortunately, automobile deaths occur on a regular basis as a result of vehicles hitting the concrete center dividers on highways. Typically, the center dividers are close to the edge of the road, and such dividers are usually constructed on highways on which cars travel at higher rates of speed. This combination often leads to deadly accidents.

In fatal California car accidents such as the one that occurred in Encino, several factors could be at play. One possible cause of such an accident is distracted driving. When a driver takes his or her eyes off the road to answer a phone call or tune to a radio station, even for a moment, the risk of an accident greatly increases. Mechanical problems could also be to blame. There have been several recalls of vehicles in recent years due to steering problems. If the vehicle was failing to steer properly, there would not have been room to make driving corrections before the vehicle crashed into the divider.

The wrongful death Encino car crash that occurred is tragic, but unfortunately too common. If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident due to someone else’s negligence, you have legal rights. The team of skilled Northridge auto accident attorneys at the Mandell Law Firm can help you protect those rights. Call for a free consultation today at 818-866-6600.

California Congressman Elton Gallegly wants to raise the limit on damage payouts to victims of the 2008 Chatsworth, California train crash from $200 million to $500 million, according to MercuryNews.com.

In 1997, a federal law set a liability cap for any passenger train accident at $200 million. In September 2008, a Metrolink train ran a red light and hit a Union Pacific train in Chatsworth. The driver, provided by Connex Railroad, was believed to be texting moments before the crash occurred. Metrolink and Connex have accepted the $200 million in liability, but the settlement has not yet been approved with the court. The California train accident killed 25 people and injured over 100, many of them critically.

According to Rep. Gallegly, the $200 million cap won’t meet the medical needs of the survivors of the wreck. Gallegly’s proposal would amend the law to lift the damages cap to $500 million if gross negligence or willful misconduct was the cause of an accident. This bill would apply retroactively to 2008 specifically to cover the fatal Metrolink train crash.

Many attorneys doubt that the cap can constitutionally be lifted retroactively. In addition, there is some question about whether the federal limit applies to accidents in which no Amtrak trains are involved.

This tragic California train accident could have so easily been prevented. If you or someone you know has been injured in a San Fernando Valley transportation accident, contact the experienced Chatsworth accident attorneys at the Mandell Law Firm. Our attorneys have extensive experience in obtaining compensation for accident victims. Call us today at 818-886-6600.

Cranes have been receiving a lot of attention the last few years because of several well-publicized construction accidents involving them. The most common problems associated with cranes are electrocution from power lines, operator errors, faulty crane equipment, failure of the crane’s supports, and miscommunication.

The California Department of Industrial Relations publishes guidelines for crane operators. There are some steps crane operators must take to keep both construction workers and the general public safe. First, anyone operating a crane must have a valid permit to do so. In addition, cranes that exceed a certain capacity must be certified annually.

A lot of crane regulations involve communication, since many California crane accidents occur because of poor communication. Cranes must be equipped with warning devices that the crane operator can control. In addition, only qualified individuals are allowed to give signals and must be present when the point of operation is not in the direct view of the crane operator. If there is a possibility for an accident between two or more cranes, the employer must make sure there is communication that will notify both the crane operators and the signal people that other cranes are in the area.

When cranes are working in a construction area, the possibility exists that one of the construction workers, the crane operator, or a member of the public could be seriously injured or killed. If you or someone you know have been injured in a California crane accident, contact the skilled Simi Valley construction accident attorneys at the Mandell Law Firm today at 818-866-6600.

A settlement has finally been reached for those injured or killed in a train accident in the San Fernando Valley in 2008, according to the Los Angeles Times. A commuter train and a freight train collided head-on in the accident. The Chatsworth train crash is believed to have been caused when the commuter train’s engineer was texting and ran a red light. The engineer was killed in the collision.

Under federal law, the maximum that can be recovered in a train accident is $200 million. Metrolink and Connex Railroad, the two rail companies involved in the California train accident, agreed to a $200 million settlement. The accident killed 25 people and injured over 100. The settlement is expected to be the largest single train accident settlement in history.

Under the terms of the settlement, a compensation fund will be established to resolve all claims. Both rail companies will pay an undisclosed amount into the fund, as well as several insurance companies. An officer of the court will determine the allocation of the fund to the families.

This collision was especially tragic, not only because it took 25 lives and injured over 100 individuals, some very seriously, but because it could easily have been prevented. Texting while driving is a deadly distraction, especially for passengers and drivers of major modes of transportation.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a train crash, an experienced San Fernando Valley train accident attorney can help you obtain compensation from negligent parties to offset medical bills, lost wages, and other expenses. The legal team at the Mandell Law Firm can help, and have extensive experience in a variety of personal injury cases. Call for a free consultation today at 818-866-6600.