Crouse Law Offices. International ⁄ National ⁄ Local Accident Litigators

Paralyzed Woman Wins $23.4M Against Ford Motor Company

ABC News reports a woman has been awarded $24.3 million by a California jury against Ford Motor Company following a 2007 accident which left her a quadriplegic.

The woman lost control of her Ford Explorer when the tread separated from her rear tire causing her car to roll three times down an embankment. She was left with both of her legs and most of her body paralyzed.

The lawsuit alleged flaws in the 1997 Explorer’s design caused it to lose control when the tire treads separated. Ford argued the accident was caused by worn-out tires.

The jury returned a unanimous verdict for the plaintiff.

Crouse Law Offices have the technical and legal abilities to handle negligence and product liability cases. If you or someone close to you has been injured in a car accident caused by a faulty product, please call Crouse Law at 919-861-0500 or contact us online.

Fewer Aircraft Crashes, But More Deaths In 2009

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) study reports 2009 had the second lowest rate of aircraft accidents on record with 2006 having the lowest.

Although there were 18 fatal crashes in 2009 compared with 23 in 2008, there were 685 people killed as compared to 502 in 2008. In 2009, 2.6 billion people arrived safely at their destinations and plane crashes are down 36 percent since 2000.

Iata’s study included only western built aircraft. It also suggests North America and Europe were the better performers globally while Africa had the worst performance rate, accounting for only 2% of global flights yet had 26% of the aircraft crashes.

Crouse Law Offices has the necessary experience and knowledge to handle your airline safety concerns. If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in an airline accident , please call us at 919-861-0500 or contact us by using our online form.

2009 Plane Crashes

Widows Call For Pro-Active Helicopter Safety

Three widows whose husbands were killed in a helicopter crash March 12, 2009 are asking for a more pro-active approach of helicopter safety, not a reactive one. The offshore workers, who died when the Cougar helicopter crashed, did not have to lose their lives that morning – the crash was preventable say their widows.

On January 20, 2009, Sikorsky issued an alert service bulletin advising specific titanium mounting studs be replaced with steel studs. Failure to do so could result in oil leaking out of the gear box. Minutes before the crash, the pilot of Cougar Flight 491 reported an oil-pressure problem. Cougar Helicopters flies offshore workers to and from the oilfields off Newfoundland.

The company has testified the alert bulletin was reviewed and the ordered parts began to arrive on March 13 – the day after the crash.

The three widows testified at an inquiry into the crash and stated they feel the company should have waited until after the bolts were replaced before flying the helicopters, especially after a helicopter was forced to land in July of 2008 due to the same problem.

There was only one survivor in the March helicopter crash. Taking the time to fix this inexpensive part or thoroughly checking the bolts – where there was a known problem – before leaving for the offshore sight could have saved the lives of these men.

Crouse Law Offices has the necessary experience and knowledge to handle your helicopter case, regardless of the type of aircraft or where the accident occurred. Experience means knowing the equipment, how to succeed – and how to win. Please call us at 919-861-0500 or contact us by using our online form.

Offshore Helicopter Crash

Texas Family Files Wrongful Death Suit Against Toyota

KTRK in Houston reports the husband of a woman killed in a 2009 crash when the gas pedal of her Toyota Corolla malfunctioned is suing the automaker claiming Toyota knew there was a problem, but did not act quickly enough to fix it.

In December, the wife and mother of two was killed instantly when her car raced through a stop sign and crashed into a concrete wall. Her model car later appeared on Toyota’s recall list to fix the problems with the accelerators.

The lawsuit against Toyota, the gas pedal manufacturer, and the local Toyota dealership alleges gross negligence claiming the defective pedal existed at the time the car left the manufacturer.

Crouse Law Offices have the technical and legal abilities to handle negligence and product liability cases. If you or someone close to you has been injured in a car accident caused by a faulty product, please call Crouse Law at 919-861-0500 or contact us online.

Toyota Wrongful Death Lawsuit

U.S. Safety Officials Review Toyota Electronics

Toyota’s electronic throttle systems are cited in seven lawsuits as a possible cause of the sudden acceleration in Toyota’s vehicles, reports Bloomberg, causing the U.S. safety officials to examine this electronic system as well as that of other automakers.

Although Toyota has ruled out electronics as the culprit, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood stated one of the dynamics in question is whether electromagnetic interference from power lines could affect the computerized systems in today’s vehicles.

As of February 1, Toyota has begun shipping steel plates to U.S. dealers to fix the problem of the gas pedals sticking. The president of Toyota’s U.S. sales stated they know what the problem is and they have the fix.

As of November, 2009, one safety consultant reported more than 2,000 incidents involving the Toyota gas pedal resulting in 16 deaths and 243 injuries.

Crouse Law Offices have the technical and legal abilities to handle negligence and
product liability cases. If you or someone close to you has been injured in a car accident caused by a faulty product, please call Crouse Law at 919-861-0500 or contact us online.

Toyota Gas Pedal Accidents

Safety Reform Slow After Buffalo Plane Crash

On February 12, 2009, 50 people died in a fiery plane crash near Buffalo, N.Y. as a result of the pilots of the regional airliner making critical errors. Almost a year later, safety reforms have not been implemented even though Federal regulators and lawmakers promised quick action immediately following the plane crash.

The crash brought to light a safety gap between the major airlines and the regional carriers. Some of the concerns are fatigue among the pilots of low-fare airlines, long-distance commutes and inadequate training. Pilot performance has been a factor in three of the last six fatal domestic airline accidents involving regional carriers. Investigators have determined the cause of the Buffalo crash to be primarily the errors made by the pilots.

According to the Washington Post, the National Transportation Safety Board is meeting to determine the probable cause of the N.Y. crash and to make safety recommendations, stating the safety issues raised by the crash go beyond the pilots’ mistakes.

The House has passed legislation to force the FAA to strengthen regulations, but action has been slowed by unrelated Senate disputes.

Crouse Law Offices has the necessary experience and knowledge to handle your airline safety concerns. If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in an airline accident , please call us at 919-861-0500 or contact us by using our online form.

Buffalo Plane Crash