Notorious Auto Defects in History Part 1: Ford Pinto

The Ford Pinto is responsible for one of the most infamous scandals in US automotive history. This once-popular subcompact car is also a terrifying example of what can happen to consumers when products contain deadly safety defects. Fuel tanks in these vehicles were prone to punctures or ruptures during low-speed rear-end collisions. Gasoline would leak underneath the car and combust. Fuel tank fires killed an estimated 27 to 180 people. Additional victims were disfigured from burn injuries.You may be wondering why a company would release a product that was prone to exploding in minor rear-end collisions.

The story of the Ford Pinto is also a tale of corporate greed. During the late 1960s, Ford was desperate to compete with foreign manufacturers that were selling cheaper, smaller vehicles in the US. The Pinto was Ford’s answer to becoming competitive in this market. Ford executives wanted to get the Pinto onto the market as soon as possible. A 25-month delivery deadline was set. Ford initially discovered the fuel tank problem during low-speed, rear-end crash tests. Multiple tests resulted in fuel tank ruptures.

There were two reasons why this kept happening. Engineers discovered that bolts could puncture the fuel tanks. The filler necks could also tear away from the fuel tanks. Both flaws caused fuel leaks and created a major fire hazard. However, several tests did not result in fuel tank ruptures. Engineers used various safety devices to protect the fuel tanks during those tests. An internal memo uncovered during a lawsuit against Ford showed that it had made a cruel calculation while deciding whether to apply fixes to the fuel tanks. According to this memo, Ford calculated that it would have cost $113 million to delay production and apply the fixes, but only $49 million to pay damages from lawsuits filed by victims.

Ford did eventually issue a recall for 1971-1976 Pintos in 1978. By the time the recall was announced, countless people had their lives ended or destroyed. In one case, a 13-year-old boy suffered severe burns and disfigurement. Three teenage girls in Indiana were burned alive while riding in a Ford Pinto. More than 100 lawsuits were filed against Ford by crash survivors and their families. We will never know the damages Ford paid victims because many of the cases were settled out of court. However, the damage to Ford’s reputation at the time was substantial. Even decades after its release, many people still remember the infamous Ford Pinto.

Injured by a Defective Auto Product?

You can contact the Texas product liability lawyers at Mike Love & Associates, LLC for a free consultation if a defective auto product injured you or a loved one. Our attorneys can review your situation and inform you of available legal options to pursue damages.

Beware of Dog: Not All Dogs are Man’s Best Friend

In 2014, KFC was accused of asking the family of a disfigured 3-year-old girl to leave the restaurant. Three months prior to this incident, the girl had been attacked by three Pit Bulls while visiting her grandfather. Although the girl survived the attack, she lost sight in one eye and can no longer move the right side of her face. Her parents described how she could no longer look at herself in the mirror and did not want to be seen in public. This story is an example of how dog attacks can leave victims physically and emotionally scarred.

Dog attacks are common in the US. According to the American Veterinary Medical Foundation, 800,000 people in the US receive medical attention for dog bites each year. Statistics published by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons show that during 2015, more than 28,000 people in the US required reconstructive surgery after being attacked by dogs. Children are more likely to suffer severe injuries, such as disfigurement, after an attack. Even minor dog bites can cause severe health complications. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) statistics published in 2015 show that there are an average of 4.5 million dog bites in the US each year. Roughly one in five of these bites becomes infected.

Although many of these bites result in minor infections, some bites transmit MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). MRSA infections are more challenging to treat because MRSA is resistant to antibiotics. Attacks can also be fatal. Some organizations, such as Dogbites.org, keep a running tally of the yearly deaths caused by dog attacks.

Are Owners Responsible for Dog Bites?

Dog owners may be liable for injuries or deaths caused by their pets. It would depend on the circumstances. In Texas, a dog owner may be liable for an attack if he or she knew the dog was dangerous and it attacked someone. For example, the owner may have been aware that the dog had a history of aggressive tendencies. The owner may also be liable if they do not properly restrain the dog and it attacks someone. In these cases, victims or their family members may be able to file lawsuits seeking damages. The breed of the dog is an important factor in determining damages in a dog bite lawsuit. Although there are certainly many Pit Bull fans in the US, these dogs are more physically capable of causing significant harm to a person than smaller dogs, such as a Pomeranian.If you or a loved one were attacked, then an attorney could help determine whether the owner is liable.

There are nuances to dog bite statutes in Texas, so it is important to discuss your situation with an experienced personal injury attorney. Damages from a dog bite lawsuit could help pay for medical bills, reconstructive surgery, or funeral expenses. Pain and suffering damages, also called non-economic damages, may be included in cases that involve disfigurement or psychological trauma. If a dog attacked you or a loved one, contact the Texas personal injury lawyers at Mike Love & Associates, LLC. We can investigate your eligibility for filing a lawsuit. Injured? Call us today.

Top Five Safety Threats to Trick-or-Treaters on Halloween

Halloween is supposed to be a fun holiday for children and their parents, but it can also end in tragedy. We have all heard stories of poisoned candy or treats containing razor blades, but the real threats on Halloween come from defective costumes, motor vehicles, and other unforeseen hazards. Safe Kids Worldwide, a child-safety organization, reports that only one-third of parents talk to their children about Halloween safety. We hope that informing you about the following hazards can help you have a safe and fun Halloween.

1. Motorists: Drivers are the most dangerous and common hazard on Halloween. According to Safe Kids Worldwide, the number of fatal pedestrian accidents involving children increases twofold on this holiday. On Halloween, there is an increased number of drunk drivers on the road. Speeding and distracted driving could also increase the risk of an accident.

2. Dangerous or defective costumes: Some costumes can increase the risk of an accident due to design or manufacturing defects. For example, a costume could be made with highly flammable materials. A costume could also be designed in a way that limits a child’s visibility or increases the risk of tripping and falling. Makeup products for costumes can cause severe allergic reactions in some cases.

3. Unsafe Halloween decorations: Certain types of Halloween decorations (or the way they are set up) may cause trick-or-treaters to slip and fall. Decorations may also cause fires. For example, costumes worn by trick-or-treaters could come into contact with candles in pumpkins or other sources of fire. Halloween lights can pose electrical hazards, especially near water sources.

4. Dog bite injuries: Property owners may fail to keep their dogs away from trick-or-treaters. In some cases, dogs may frighten or even attack trick-or-treaters they perceive as intruders. Dog bites are a possible hazard on Halloween.

5. Unsafe properties: Properties may contain other hazards, such as poor lighting and broken stairwells. Trick-or-treaters can trip over objects left on lawns or walkways. These hazards can increase the risk of a slip-and-fall accident.

What if My Child is Injured While Trick or Treating?

Accidents can happen even when parents have done everything right to keep their trick-or-treaters safe. If your child was injured while trick or treating and you believe the negligent actions of other people are to blame, contact our team of Texas personal injury attorney at our firm. We can help you discover if you have legal options to hold those individuals accountable.

Can Apple’s Smartphone App Prevent Texting While Driving?

Distracted drivers using their mobile phones are responsible for thousands of accidents each year. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) statistics suggest that mobile phone use while driving was responsible for 3,477 deaths during 2015. Apple’s recent iOS 11 update included a new app designed to reduce fatalities and injuries caused by mobile phone use while driving.

The Do Not Disturb While Driving app was designed to prevent the temptation to use an iPhone while driving. The app can detect when you are driving and disable most iPhone features until you come to a stop. If you do receive a text message, the sender will receive an automated reply that warns them you are driving. You can alter the settings to allow notifications from certain people. People who are texting you can also type “urgent” in the message to bypass the settings. Do Not Disturb While Driving has flexible user options.

There is more than one way to use the app. You can set the app to turn on automatically. This will cause the app to lock your phone once it detects you are driving. In addition, you can manually turn the app off and on. Finally, you can use the app with your vehicle’s Bluetooth. In this case, the app will still lock you out of most features, but will allow you to take hands-free calls. If you are a parent with children who drive, you can keep your teenagers from turning off or modifying the app’s settings. You will need to go to your iPhone’s settings and adjust the app's restrictions. The idea behind this app is quite simple. If you never receive a text message, then you cannot be tempted to answer. The temptation could also be less severe if you are unable to access your phone while driving.

What if I Have an Android Phone?

There are also anti-distracted driving apps for Android users. You could download Samsung’s In-Traffic Reply app. This app can also detect when you are driving and send an automated message. AT&T’s DriveMode app (available on both Android and iOS) can silence text messages and phone calls. It can also send automatic replies to people who try to call or text you. Even though these apps are readily accessible to millions, there will still be thousands of distracted driving deaths each year.

If a distracted driver harmed you or a loved one, contact Mike Love & Associates, LLC today. We fight to hold distracted drivers accountable for the damage they cause.

Do You Know About These Two Hidden Vehicle Dangers?

Automakers are required by law to issue recalls for defective auto parts. However, there are instances in which dangerous vehicle features are not deemed faulty by regulators or automakers. In these cases, recalls may not be issued by automakers and consumers may be unaware these dangers exist. The hidden vehicle dangers discussed in this blog have been known to regulators and auto manufacturers for years. Although there have been injuries and deaths, many vehicles may still contain these features.

Hidden Danger #1: Getting Stuck in Power Windows

According to KidsAndCars.org, thousands of children have been killed or injured by power car windows. Injuries and deaths occur when children stick their heads out of windows and then unintentionally roll them back up. In these cases, the keys were left in the ignition or the engine was running. Parents may leave the car running with the air conditioning on, mistakenly believing their children are safe. Power windows can exert between 30 and 80 pounds of force. It takes only 22 pounds of force to suffocate or injure a small child. Statistics collected by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show that more than 50 children have been killed by power windows since 1990.

Additional children have suffered traumatic brain injuries and amputation of fingers. Most of these victims were three years old or younger. The most recent victim of a power window accident was a two-year-old in Lafayette, Indiana. According to the parents, they placed the two-year-old boy and his sister in a vehicle with the air conditioning running while they worked nearby, cleaning out another car. At some point, the boy woke up from a nap, rolled down the window, and stuck his head out. He then triggered the power window and rolled it back up on himself. By the time emergency responders arrived on the scene, he had gone without oxygen for more than 40 minutes. Emergency personnel revived the boy, but he died several days later at a hospital.

Hidden Danger #2: Rear-End Accidents and Seatback Failures

A CBS News investigation from last year found that seatback failures have injured or killed more than 100 people in the US since the late 1980s. Seatback failures can occur when a collision causes the seatback to launch backward, such as during a rear-end collision. If a passenger is sitting in the back seat, they can be struck by an occupant in the front seat. Several years ago, Audi was sued by the family of a Texas boy who suffered a traumatic brain injury from a seatback failure.

In 2012, the boy was riding as a backseat passenger when another driver rear-ended his father. The seat launched backwards and changed their lives forever. According to the boy’s father, his son now lives with permanent brain damage, partial paralysis, and vision problems. In a deposition, Audi engineers claimed that the front seats of the father’s vehicle were designed to hit the knees of backseat passengers to absorb some of the force. However, children take the full force of the impact because they are much smaller. A Texas jury awarded the boy and his family a $124.5 million verdict.

Can I File a Product Liability Lawsuit for Auto Parts?

It is essential to speak with an attorney after an accident involving vehicle features or equipment. Personal injury attorneys have experience investigating cases that involve dangerous products. Depending on the circumstances, it could be possible to file a product liability lawsuit against the manufacturer or other parties. However, it would be difficult for the layman to determine whether this is an option. The Texas personal injury attorneys at Mike Love & Associates, LLC can help victims of dangerous consumer products determine whether they are eligible to file lawsuits. We also have a page that can help you learn the basics of product liability lawsuits. Injured? Contact Mike Love & Associates, LLC today. We can help.