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GENERAL INFORMATION |
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Dangerous Power
Windows in American Cars, Pickup Trucks and SUVs |
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| Cars produced by
American manufacturers and sold in the United
States generally do not have safety features
that cause the window to retract (like elevator
doors) when they encounter an obstruction. |
| In European cars,
and many cars made in America and exported
to Europe, such safety devices are standard
equipment. As a result, children die needlessly
each year in the United States by having their
heads and necks caught in power windows and
suffocating. |
| Over the last couple
of decades, 58 deaths and hundreds of injuries
have occurred in the United States because
of power windows. A study by the National Center
for Statistics and Analysis estimated that
500 people annually are treated in hospital
emergency rooms for injuries related to power
windows. In 2004 alone, there have been reports
of 7 children who have died from electric car
windows. |
| Most parents are not
aware of the risks posed by electric car windows. |
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Lieff Cabraser Heimann
& Bernstein, LLP represents
persons injured in vehicle
accidents. Click
here to submit your
case. |
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| Lieff
Cabraser has participated in over thirty-five $100
million-plus settlements & verdicts since 1992.
To read a summary,
click
here. |
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| Dec. 29, 2006, "Judge
OKs $14.5M Settlement in Class Action Over Bad Jeep Brakes." Learn
more... |
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| Most European cars have
an auto-reverse mechanism in their power windows
that engages if the window hits an object as it
is closes. American vehicles, however, are not
equipped with such devices. Electric windows can
rise with much greater force than is commonly understood. |
| Furthermore, federal
standards allow rocker and toggle switches
for power windows. A rocker switch moves
the window upward when you press one end of
the switch, and down when you press on the
other end. A toggle switch works when
pushed forward and pulled back. Both can be
inadvertently activated by a child. |
| Safety advocates maintain
that pull-up, push-down switches, also called lever
switches, which must be lifted up to raise
the window, are safer. Children are less likely
to unintentionally activate lever switches
when their head is in the window. Safety advocates
have sought the replacement of rocker or toggle
power window switches with pull-up, push down
window switches on all vehicles. |
| General Motors and
DaimlerChrysler are now phasing in lever switches.
Many Japanese and European vehicles sold in
the United States have for years offered lever
switches. |
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Our lawyers
have years of experience successfully representing clients
in personal injury cases. |
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There
is no charge or obligation for our review of your case. |
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In death
and serious injury cases, we are pleased to visit you where
you live, at no cost, to discuss your legal rights and answer
your questions. |
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We have
retained product safety and medical experts nationwide to
assist our clients with their claims. |
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| Concerned about the number
of deaths and accidents, Kids and Cars, the Center
for Auto Safety and the Consumer Federation of
America have petitioned the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration to require automakers to
provide safer electric window switches. |
| To learn more about this
campaign, please click
here. Until all auto manufacturers agree to
make safety improvements to new vehicles and ones
on the road, it is only through the filing of lawsuits
by the families of victims that change will occur. |
| Parents
whose children have been injured or killed in
power windows accidents should click
here to contact a Lieff Cabraser lawyer. Alternatively,
you may call Lieff Cabraser partner Kathryn E.
Barnett toll-free at 1-866-313-1973. |
| Founded in 1972, Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein,
LLP is an over fifty attorney
law firm with offices in San Francisco, New York and Nashville. For the last five years,
the National Law Journal has recognized Lieff Cabraser
as one of the top 20 plaintiffs’ law firms in America. |
| For our personal injury cases, we bring a team of experienced
lawyers. Each client is assigned an individual lawyer. In addition, we have
on staff multiple nurses, legal assistants, scientific analysts and case
clerks to assist the attorneys. To learn more about our firm, click
here. |
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| Trademark
Notice: Personal Injury Lawyer America is an electronic newsletter
from Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP. Lieff Cabraser
represents clients in a wide range of cases, including personal
injury and wrongful
death lawsuits. Our personal injury attorneys
| lawyers are committed to providing the very best representation
and support possible for our clients. This website provides information
on the legal rights of the injured and the latest news on product
defects and related lawsuits. |
Lieff Cabraser
is not affiliated in any way with any trademark owner. The use of
any trademarks on this site is for product identification and information
purposes only.
About Lieff Cabraser: We have
offices in San Francisco, New York and Nashville. Our lawyers have
represented clients in personal injury, wrongful death and
rollover crashes and product defect lawsuits across America, including
residents of Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California,
Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho,
Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland,
Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North
Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada,
New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South
Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin,
West Virginia and Wyoming.
Among the cases our personal injury
attorneys are prosecuting are the Medtronic heart lead recall, the
AMO contact lens solution recall, the Peter Pan peanut butter recall, Guidant
pacemaker defects, SUV
rollover accidents, popcorn
workers lung injuries, and Ford
switch fires.
Disclaimer: The hiring of legal
professionals is an important decision that should not be based on
advertising alone. Please read our disclaimer. |
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| Copyright © 2008 Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP |
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