Toyota recently issued a safety recall for approximately 700,000 vehicles in the U.S. to address defective fuel pumps. The affected vehicles are the 2018-2019 4Runner, Highlander, Camry, Land Cruiser, Sequoia, Sienna, Tacoma and Tundra, and Lexus RC 300, RC 350, GS 350, GX 460, IS 300, LC 500, LS 500, LX 570, RX 350, and 2019 Toyota Avalon and Corolla, and Lexus NX 300, ES 350, and GS 200T vehicles.
"Plant explosion" may feel like a familiar news headline to Texans. But why? It's not the case in other areas of the country. Why do explosions seem so prevalent here?
A straightforward reason for the unusual number of explosions in Texas is the type of industries that drive its economy. Texas is the nation's leader when it comes to petroleum refining and chemical product production. Refineries and production plants handle volatile chemicals. Without proper monitoring and safety measures, dangerous explosions can result.
Daycare abuse and neglect is a serious matter no child nor parent should ever have to encounter. An Austin daycare has been sued by the parents of a 5-month-old infant who died while at the daycare.
On February 4, 2020, the son of a former resident of The Village of River Oaks ("the nursing home") filed a lawsuit in the Harris County District Court against the nursing home. The son filed the lawsuit individually and on behalf of his father's estate, while two other family members brought the lawsuit individually, all alleging the nursing home failed to provide a reasonable care for its resident, which resulted in the decedent's ("the decedent") death.
A North Dakota jury set a record with its $9 million verdict in favor of an injured oil field worker. The verdict allegedly represents the largest single plaintiff verdict for an oil worker in North Dakota history.
In the last two years, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) has launched investigations into seven separate chemical accidents or explosions in the Houston area. Prior to 2018, the CSB only conducted roughly one investigation per year. Investigators believe that the massive increase in accidents which require an investigation by the CSB is due to a variety of factors such as the large number of chemical companies in the Houston area, the age of the infrastructure, and companies being allowed to self-regulate. Many of these explosions and fires have directly led to the deaths of workers, bystanders, millions of dollars in property damage, and the evacuation of tens of thousands of local residents who risk being exposed to toxic chemicals. The sheer number of chemical accidents even surprises veteran attorneys who have experience representing plaintiffs in these accidents. "We see two or three in a year, or one major event - but in the past two years or so, there have been so many fires and explosions", said Benny Agosto Jr., who recently spoke with Bloomberg Environment on the frequency of these accidents.
On Friday, January 24, 2020 at 4:24am, an explosion occurred in Northwest Houston at the Watson Grinding and Manufacturing Plant. Residents in the area experienced a rude awakening that left many homes damaged, people injured, and two employees dead. Estimates thus far have declared over 450 homes damaged, ranging from categories described as "minor" to other property owners faced with crumbling ceilings, shattered windows, and cracked building foundations. Debris from the explosion scattered across Northwest Houston as far as a half-mile radius, causing damage to over 200 homes and businesses in the surrounding area.
On September 11, 2019, two young girls and their grandfather were electrocuted when they encountered a high voltage electrical box in Moody Park. Both girls were knocked unconscious and had to be revived. One girl went into cardiac arrest and suffered severe burns across her body. Doctors later confirmed that the girl's muscles were dead, and she had to have surgery to remove the dead muscle. Her grandfather also suffered ruptured muscles and double vision after the event. The day after, Mayor Sylvester Turner ordered an investigation into the cause of the incident. He also ordered the immediate replacement of electrical ground boxes in all city parks, starting with Moody Park.
Graco, Summer Infant, Evenflo, and Delta Children are recalling more than 165,000 infant sleepers because they pose a risk for suffocation for babies. The recall notices posted on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission website state, "Infant fatalities have been reported with other manufacturers' inclined sleep products, after the infants rolled from their back to their stomach or side, or under other circumstances." Parents are advised to immediately stop using the products and to contact the companies for refunds. There have not been any reported deaths related to the newly recalled products; however, at least 73 infant deaths have been linked with the inclined infant category.
Self-driving cars used to be a futuristic concept for cartoons and science fiction novels. Now, they are almost a reality.
Many car models on the road today have self-operating elements, although a fully self-operating car is not yet on the open market. The legal implications of self-driving cars are numerous, but the law is still ambiguous, which raises a number of questions about the laws surrounding self-driving vehicles and accidents, including:
The firm successfully represented nearly 100 victims who suffered personal injuries and damages to property from a large fire and explosion resulting in a settlement of more than $50 million. The firm served as lead lawyers on the steering committee in this litigation.
The firm successfully represented 270 plaintiffs, taking a lead role in the plaintiffs’ steering committee, who suffered injuries in a large plant explosion resulting in a settlement of nearly $80 million.
The firm successfully represented 45 personal injury victims in a plant fire and explosion, serving on the plaintiffs steering committee, concluding with a settlement of more than $50 million.
The firm prevailed in a personal injury trial for a worksite injury client with the jury returning a verdict and resulting in a judgment of over $22 million for the firm’s client.
The firm successfully achieved a $12 million settlement for the family of a man who died in an 18 wheeler collision.
The firm prevailed on behalf of three burn victims with settlements totaling nearly $30 million.
