February 26, 2010 – According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defect Investigations (ODI), Mazda is recalling certain Model Year 2010 CX-9 vehicles equipped with electrically heated front seats.

There is a possibility under extremely cold conditions for the seat heater control circuit to overheat and fail due to insufficient electrical grounding.  This may cause burn damage of the seat cushion surface, or a risk of smoke/fire.

At the Gomez Law Firm, we have extensive experience representing the victims of auto defects, including roof crush, tire defects and rollovers.  If you or someone you love has been the victim of any defective product, call or write a personal injury attorney  at the Gomez Law Firm today.

February 26, 2010 – According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defect Investigations (ODI),  Hyundai is recalling certain Model Year 2010 Tucson vehicles.

Properly seated adult right front seat passengers weighing over approximately 240 pounds cause the passive occupant detection system (PODS) module program to illuminate the “airbag” warning lamp.   If “airbag” warning lamp is illuminated, the passenger airbag will deploy if a crash of sufficient force to require front airbag deployment is experienced, and will not be deactivated if a child is seated in the right front seating position, which may increase the risk of injury to a child front passenger.

At the Gomez Law Firm, we have extensive experience representing the victims of auto defects, including roof crush, tire defects and rollovers.  If you or someone you love has been the victim of any defective product, call or write a personal injury attorney  at the Gomez Law Firm today.

February 26, 2010 – According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defect Investigations (ODI),  Honda is conducting a safety improvement campaign involving Model Year 2005 Odyssey touring vehicles equipped with power operated rear liftgate.

The power liftgate gas struts may deteriorate unexpectedly early. Struts that have worn out prematurely may fail to hold the power liftgate in the fully open position, causing the power liftgate to close unexpectedly.  Injury may result from a power liftgate closing unexpectedly when a person is within the closing path of the liftgate.

At the Gomez Law Firm, we have extensive experience representing the victims of auto defects, including roof crush, tire defects and rollovers.  If you or someone you love has been the victim of any defective product, call or write a personal injury attorney  at the Gomez Law Firm today. 

February 26, 2010 – Shirley Whitley, 74, who was rushed to the hospital after a suspected drunken driver hit her while she was outside a crosswalk has died.

Around 7:15 p.m. Tuesday, officers with the Bakersfield Police Department responded to the 4300 block of Gosford Road regarding an injury collision, involving a 74-year-old woman.

Police said Shirley Whitley was crossing Gosford Road outside a crosswalk when she was struck by a blue Honda Civic being driven northbound by 38-year-old Ramon Lobregat III.

Whitley sustained moderate to major injuries and was transported to Kern Medical Center for treatment, police said.

On Thursday, Whitley died as a result of her injuries.

Lobregat was not injured during the collision; however, officers determined he was intoxicated when the collision occurred.

Lobregat was arrested on charges of drunken driving and booked into the Kern County Sheriff’s Main Jail.

Anyone who may have witnessed this collision is asked to contact the Bakersfield Police Department Traffic Investigation Detail at 661-326-3967.

February 26, 2010 – An elderly woman was hit crossing a street Thursday night.

It happened about 9:45 p.m. in the Midway area.  The woman was crossing Rosecrans Street near Midway Drive.  According to police, a vehicle going westbound on Rosecrans hit the victim, believed to be in her late ’70s.

She suffered serious injuries and was taken to a hospital.

Investigators don’t believe the driver was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

February 26, 2010 – A woman was pinned under a vehicle after being struck in the Grantville area Thursday afternoon.

The incident happened shortly after 4 p.m. in front of the Kaiser Medical Center on the 4600 block of Zion Avenue.

The woman was freed from underneath the vehicle and medics tended to her injuries.  No word yet on the extent of those injuries.

February 26, 2010 – A man was fatally struck by a small school bus in front of Potter Junior High School in Fallbrook Friday morning, authorities said.

The man died at the scene after being struck in the 1700 block of Reche Road around 5:45 a.m., said California Highway Patrol Officer Ray Scheidnes.

Scheidnes says there were no students on the bus and no students outside Potter Junior High School in Fallbrook when the man was hit at 5:45 a.m. Friday.

He says the victim has not been identified and he didn’t know the status of the bus driver and whether there was a citation or arrest.

February 25, 2010 – Trader Joe’s Company of Monrovia, California, is voluntarily expanding the recall of the Trader Joe’s Chocolate Chip Chewy Coated Granola Bars (SKU 82818) to include all code dates, manufactured by Bloomfield Bakery, a subsidiary of Ralcorp Holdings, Inc. because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.

The product involved in this recall was distributed at Trader Joe’s stores nationally and comes in a 7.4 oz box. Production of the product has been suspended while the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Bloomfield Bakery continue their investigation.

Salmonella is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.

No illnesses have been confirmed to date in connection with this product.

Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

If you or a loved one has been injured by a defective product, contact the Defective Product lawyers of the Gomez Law Firm today.

February 25, 2010 –Laura Duffy has been selected by President Barack Obama to be the next U.S. attorney in San Diego.  Duffy now serves as the Deputy Chief of the General Crimes Section at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in San Diego.  She previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the office’s Narcotics Enforcement Section.

Duffy’s selection was announced by the White House, along with that of Wifredo Ferrer for the Southern District of Florida, Alicia Limtiaco for Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, and John Stevens Jr. for the Eastern District of Texas.

“These distinguished men and women have shown extraordinary commitment and integrity in their pursuit of justice. I am confident they will serve the American people wisely and effectively as United States attorneys,” Obama said in a statement.

Duffy, who was nominated by California Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer, will replace U.S. Attorney Karen Hewitt if confirmed by the Senate.

With 120 prosecutors, the U.S. Attorney’s office in San Diego is the nation’s third-busiest, handling all federal litigation, including the prosecution of federal crimes, in San Diego and Imperial counties.

Duffy graduated from Iowa State University in 1988 and the Creighton University School of Law in 1993.

From 1993 to 1997, she worked for the criminal division of the Justice Department, first as a trial attorney for the money laundering section, then as a trial attorney for the narcotics and dangerous drug section. She joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California, the formal name of the San Diego office, in 1997.

February 25, 2010 – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), in cooperation with Sportime, of Norcross, Ga., today announced a voluntary recall of BigBox Hockey Sets.

This recall involves all sets of BigBox Hockey, each consisting of six boards, measuring 6’ long by 10” tall. The boards come in six colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet. The boards can be assembled together to create a contained playing area for children’s floor hockey.

The surface coating on the boards, which are assembled together to form the floor hockey playing-field, contain excessive levels of lead violating the federal lead paint standard.

Approximately 580 sets were sold at Sportime’s catalog and online at www.sportime.com from November 2006 through October 2009 for between $147 and $269.

No incidents or injuries have been reported.

Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

If you or a loved one has been injured by a defective product, contact the Defective Product lawyers of the Gomez Law Firm today.