According to the article, Dr. Berger, a top surgeon, consultant, trainer, and artificial joint designer for Zimmer Holdings, began complaining to the company concerning the alleged premature failure of one of its artificial knees, the NexGen CR-Flex, an advanced version of the standard Zimmer knee, known as the NexGen. Dr. Berger then went public with the claim strengthened by a study that he confirms proves it. In response, Zimmer denied the claim and blamed the premature failure of the NexGen CR-Flex on Dr. Berger’s technique. Dr. Berger’s contract was not renewed the following year.

Dr. Lawrence Dorr, another major Zimmer consultant, alerted the company of the failure of one its artificial hip models, the Durom hip. As with Dr. Berger, Zimmer denied the claim and blamed the problem on Dr. Dorr’s technique.

American manufacturers of orthopedic devices, a $6.7 billion annual business, are not subject to the voluntary system of investigations by outside panels. Artificial joints, such as Zimmer’s NexGen knee and the Durom hip, are cleared for sale under law by the Food and Drug Administration without being subject to testing in patients. Moreover, the long-term performance of artificial joints is not tracked in the nation.

Bloomberg Businessweek also published an article that sheds light on surgeons’ conflicts of interest in recommending certain hip and knee implants over others. The article, titled, “New Hips Gone Awry Expose U.S. Kickbacks in Doctors’ Conflicts,” explains the government’s involvement in supervising the financial relationships between surgeons and major manufacturers of knees and hips due to the widespread ‘kickbacks’ that occur. Zimmer Holdings Inc. is listed as one of the major knee and hip manufacturers that cut physician payments as a result of the government’s intervention.

Read these full articles on the The New York Times and Bloomberg Businessweek websites. Learn more about Zimmer Durom Cup Hip Implant Injuries and the rights of victims.

On April 30, 2010, the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall of thousands of Simplicity cribs due to suffocation and strangulation dangers. The current recall includes seven Simplicity crib models sold at Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Target Corp., Babies R Us and other national stores. The Simplicity recall includes all full-sized cribs with tubular metal mattress-support frames, which can bend or detach, causing the mattress to collapse and creating a space that a baby can roll into, become trapped in and suffocate.

According to the CPSC, at least one child became trapped in his Simplicity crib and suffocated in 2008. The company at large has been subject to about a dozen recalls since 2005 with links to 13 crib deaths.

Graco Crib Recall

On April 30, 2010, the CPSC recalled 217,000 Graco dropside cribs manufactured by LaJobi. The agency confirmed that there have been 99 complaints of dropside problems with the cribs. The recall is the result of hardware failures in the wood cribs. According to news reports the dropside (the side of the crib that moves up and down) can break or detach, resulting in a dangerous gap between the crib mattress and crib side that creates the risk of suffocation or strangulation.

As she traveled down the highway, the Prius suddenly accelerated and went out of control. The Prius slammed into a Subaru Forester that was delivering mail on the side of the highway. The passenger side of the Prius struck the rear of the Forester with so much force that John Donoghue was killed in the passenger seat. The vehicle continued off the highway and eventually stopped only when it ran into a snow drift.

In addition to the devastating loss of her husband, Mrs. Donoghue suffered serious injuries of her own, including head trauma, a fractured shoulder, a broken jaw, and a collapsed lung.

Today, Mrs. Donoghue filed a lawsuit in Federal court against Toyota seeking compensation for injuries to herself and for the death of her husband.

Why Toyota Is Liable For Sudden, Acceleration Accidents

Since 2001, the electronic throttle system in most Toyota vehicles, including the 2006 Toyota Prius driven by Jacquelyn Donoghue, has relied on sensors, microprocessors and electronic motors instead of a mechanical linkage, such as steel cable, to connect the accelerator pedal to the engine throttle plate.

Millions of Toyota vehicles were not equipped with a safety feature, known as ‘brake-to-idle’ override that is found in many other vehicles. This feature enables drivers to override the electronic throttle and control the vehicle in the event of a sudden unintended acceleration.

“The complaint charges that Toyota’s failure to incorporate a brake-to-idle safety device in the Prius driven by Jacquelyn Donoghue played a direct role in the death of her husband John Donoghue,” stated Robert J. Nelson of the national plaintiffs law firm Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, which is representing Mrs. Donoghue.

If you would like to learn more about your legal rights visit US Auto Injury Law.com’s Toyota and Lexus sudden acceleration accidents page.

Eight car and truck models recalled over potentially sticky gas pedals (affecting 2.3 million U.S. vehicles):

• 2009-10 Corolla
• 2009-10 Matrix
• 2005-10 Avalon
• 2007-10 Camry
• 2010 Highlander
• 2007-10 Tundra
• 2008-10 Sequoia
• 2009-10 RAV4

Models recalled due to gas-pedal entrapment under floor mats (affecting 5.3 million U.S. vehicles):

• 2007-2010 Camry
• 2005-2010 Avalon
• 2004-2009 Prius
• 2005-2010 Tacoma
• 2007-2010 Tundra
• 2008-2010 Highlander
• 2009-2010 Corolla
• 2009-2010 Venza
• 2009-2010 Matrix
• 2007-2010 Lexus ES350
• 2006-2010 Lexus IS250/IS350
• 2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe (built by a joint venture between Toyota and General Motors Co.)

The following models, encompassing 1.7 million vehicles, are affected by both recalls:

• 2005-10 Avalon
• 2007-10 Camry
• 2007-10 Tundra

Hybrid models recalled for brakes that seem to fail momentarily (affecting 147,500 U.S. vehicles):

• 2010 Prius
• 2010 Lexus HS250h

Model recalled to check a power-steering hose that may be in contact with a brake tube, potentially creating a hole in the tube, leading to loss of brake fluid and longer stopping distances (affecting 7,300 U.S. vehicles):

• 2010 Camry

Source: Toyota Motor Corp.

Visit the Toyota recall and sudden acceleration dangers page at Lieff Cabraser’s website usautoinjurylaw.com to contact a personal injury attorney representing families of loved ones who died in Toyota vehicle accidents.

In a letter Wednesday to the head of Toyota’s North American operation, the chairman of a congressional committee that will hold a hearing on the recall next week asked detailed questions about how the company has dealt with the acceleration issue and whether it’s safe to drive the models that have been recalled.

You can read the full article on the LA Times website. Learn more about the massive Toyota vehicle  recalls and the rights of those injured in Toyota sudden acceleration accidents.

A separate recall of 2.3 million vehicles announced last week, involving accelerator pedals that can stick on their own — is being expanded to include an undisclosed number of vehicles in Europe. In most cases, the same vehicles are involved in both recalls. It was not immediately clear how many different vehicles, in total, are part of the two actions. The vehicles being added to the floormat-related recall are the 2008-2010 Highlander, 2009-2010 Corolla, 2009-2010 Venza, 2009-2010 Matrix, 2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe.

Read the full article on the CNN Money site.

Lieff Cabraser is investigating multiple fatal accidents involving Toyota and Lexus cars that suddenly accelerated. Persons injured in accidents involving Toyota and Lexus vehicles that suddenly accelerated who would like to learn more about their legal rights are welcome to contact an attorney at Lieff Cabraser by clicking here. There is no charge or obligation for our review of your case.

As reported by the AP, Toyota Motor Corp. now says  it will recall an additional 1.09 million vehicles in the United States over floor mat problems.

Toyota said the new recall would affect five models — 2008-2010 Highlander, 2009-2010 Corolla, 2009-2010 Venza, 2009-2010 Matrix and 2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe.

January 26, 2010 Update

On January 26, 2010, Toyota announced that it will suspend sales of eight models involved in a recall announced last week for potentially faulty accelerator pedals. Toyota also said it would halt production at plants in the United States and Canada in the first week of February. The sales suspension and recall includes Toyota’s top-selling vehicle in North America, the Camry, for model years since 2007.

Also included are 2009-2010 model year RAV4, Corolla and Matrix; 2008-2010 model year Sequoia; 2007-2010 model year Tundra; 2005-2010 model year Avalon; and the 2010 model year Highlander. Toyota is suspending production of these models for the first week of February at plants in North America. The plants are in Indiana, Texas, Kentucky, and in Ontario. Production will be halted for the week of February 1 at plants that make the eight models involved in the recall. Two are in Indiana, with one each in Texas, Kentucky and Canada.

2009-2010 Widespread Toyota Recalls: Original Blog  Entry

As reported in the New York Times, Toyota Motor issued its second large recall in two months on Thursday to fix a problem with accelerator pedals that can get stuck, causing vehicles to speed up unintentionally. Toyota said that it did not yet have a solution but in the meantime instructed drivers who experience a stuck pedal to brake with “firm and steady” pressure.

The recall covers 2.3 million cars and trucks from model years 2005 through 2010 and is separate from a November recall of 4.2 million vehicles that was the largest in Toyota’s history. About 1.7 million vehicles are included in both recalls, including its best-selling model, the Camry. The first recall was to fix a design flaw that could cause the gas pedal to become trapped under the floor mat. But the automaker continued to be dogged by reports of unintended acceleration and stuck pedals even in cases where the floor mats had been removed, a stopgap measure recommended by Toyota.

Lieff Cabraser is investigating multiple fatal accidents involving Toyota and Lexus cars. Persons injured in accidents involving Toyota and Lexus vehicles that suddenly accelerated who would like to learn more about their legal rights are welcome to contact an attorney at Lieff Cabraser by clicking here. There is no charge or obligation for our review of your case.

As noted by the CPSC in its recall notice, the hardware and latches on the drop side of the certain Dorel cribs can break or deform, causing the drop side to detach.  When the drop side detaches it creates a space between the drop side and crib mattress in which an infant or toddler can become entrapped.  When an infant or toddler’s face, neck and/or torso are compressed, the child can quickly suffocate and die or suffer permanent injuries. 

In addition, recalled cribs can pose a serious entrapment and strangulation hazard when a slat is damaged. This can occur while the crib is in use, in storage, being put together, taken apart or reassembled; or during shipping and handling.

A complete list of the models of Dorel cribs that were recalled can be found here.   The CPSC advises consumers to immediately stop using the recalled cribs, find an alternative safe sleeping environment for your child, and contact Dorel Asia to receive a free replacement kit. 

Consumers should log on to www.dorel-asia.com to order the free replacement kit to prevent child entrapment in these cribs.  The repair kits will be provided to owners within the next several weeks.  Or consumers can call Dorel Asia toll-free at (866) 762-2304 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. ET Monday through Friday.

Consumers may report crib malfunctions, entrapments, problems, injuries and/or deaths to the CPSC by calling its recall hotline at (800) 638-2772.

Lieff Cabraser is currently representing parents whose children were severely injured or died in defective cribs or bassinets.

When Medtronic introduced the Sprint Fidelis heart lead to the market in 2004, the company hailed it as next generation technology, a lead thinner and easier to implant than its older Sprint Quattro models. However, by  2007, Medtronic stopped selling the lead after reports the wire broke apart inside the body.

Many patients have received repetitive and devastating electrical shocks after their Sprint Fidelis lead fractured. In March 2009, Medtronic disclosed that at least 13 Sprint Fidelis patients may have died, including four patients whose deaths were related to efforts by doctors to surgically remove the product.

A key question from the beginning of the recall has been what is the failure rate of the device.  As noted in a December 29, 2009, Bloomberg article, “A report by UBS Investment Research Monday said lead failures could accelerate over time, citing independent studies that predict failure rates could hit 30 percent by four years.”

For answers to more questions about the Medtronic heart lead recall visit http://www.medtronicheartleadrecall.com. Learn also why it is necessary for Congress to adopt  the Medical Device Safety Act to restore the right of Americans with heart defibrillators, artificial valves, artificial knee and hip implants, and other medical devices to hold manufacturers of faulty products accountable.

This recall involves model year 2009 and 2010 Polaris Sportsman ATVs with certain VIN numbers. The ATVs were manufactured between January and August 2009. The VIN number and manufacture date are located on the right front of the ATV on the frame rail next to the front shock. Manufactured in the U.S., the vehicles were sold at Polaris dealers nationwide from February 2009 through November 2009 for between $7,500 and $10,800.

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled ATVs and contact their local Polaris dealer to determine if your model and VIN number are included in this recall and to schedule a free repair. Polaris is directly contacting registered owners about the recall. For additional information, contact Polaris toll-free at (888) 704-5290 between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit the company’s Web site at www.polarisindustries.com.