An Arkansas jury recently returned a substantial verdict in a case against tire manufacturer Hankook. A 76 year-old man suffered a fractured leg and hip in a truck crash that was caused by a loss of control that occurred when the tread on the right front tire separated from the body of the tire. Although … Continued
A woman was killed and four people were injured on August 22, 2016, when a tractor-trailer carrying a load of the propellant devices that inflate auto airbags crashed and exploded near the Quemado, Texas town on the Mexican border. The devices were manufactured by Takata, which has been forced by the National Highway Traffic Safety … Continued
The Public Utilities Commission in California has fined the Pacific Gas & Electric Company more that $25 million dollars for the company’s failure to keep proper investigative records of gas leaks and other safety problems. A house on the central California coast was destroyed by a gas explosion in one episode that was not adequately … Continued
On August 10, 2016, Pacific Gas & Electric Co. was found guilty by a California federal court jury of criminal activity for violating pipeline safety standards in a 2010 gas line explosion that killed eight people, injured many others, and caused widespread property damage. The company was also convicted of obstructing a subsequent federal investigation … Continued
The federal agency that regulates oil and gas pipelines has proposed to fine one of the Williams companies $1.6 million dollars for its violations of federal regulations that caused an October 2015 explosion at a gas compressor stations in Louisiana. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s investigation revealed numerous violations of federal pipeline safety regulations in … Continued
In another example of the oil and gas industry’s lack of concern about safety and the consequences of its profit-making activities, Los Angeles County has been forced to sue Southern California Gas Company to compel the gas company to install and upgrade the safety shut-off valves on its wells. The suit arises from a massive … Continued
The Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois has sanctioned defendants in a product liability case for egregious and intentional discovery violations. The case—Ainsworth v. Figaro Engineering Company et al—involves the failure of a carbon monoxide sensor which resulted in a young boy being gassed by carbon monoxide. He has been diagnosed with serious brain injury. … Continued
More than 15,000 people are treated annually in hospital emergency rooms for carbon monoxide gassing, and approximately 500 people a year die from the poisoning. Carbon monoxide is the leading cause of accidental poisoning deaths in the United States. Its danger is heightened by the fact that it is a colorless and odorless gas and, … Continued
2010 and 2011 witnessed a record number of natural gas pipeline explosions. In that two-year time span, more than 50 pipeline explosions and failure were reported, including tragic incidences involving multiple deaths. The explosions and the deaths were sad witness to the dangers associated with an aging pipeline infrastructure and the failure on the part … Continued
For the second year, the law firm of Robert P. Schuster, P.C., of Jackson, Wyoming, has been recognized as one of the nation’s best law firms by U.S. News & World Report. Bob Schuster and his firm appeared on the U.S. News Media Group 2011-2012 “Best Law Firms” rankings, marking the second edition of this … Continued