defective product

A 58-year-old worker was fatally injured on the job after an aerial boom he was operating fell off a flatbed truck at a construction lot in Palm City. According to a news report in The San Diego Union-Tribune, the fatal accident occurred the morning of December 6, 2011 on Hollister Street near Palm Avenue in Palm City. Officials say the worker was driving the piece of heavy equipment off a flatbed truck when one of the wheels came off the side of the truck. The man, who was in the basket part of the equipment, which is used to hoist construction workers into the air, hit his head after he was hurled to the ground. The man died at the scene. An investigation is ongoing.

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Eight people suffered injuries in a boating accident after a powerboat exploded in Huntington Harbour, the morning of November 26, 2011. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, the incident occurred on a boat that was headed to Long Beach. Officials say nine people, ranging in age from teens to 50, were on the 26-foot powerboat. The boat was two to three minutes away from the harbor's main public launching ramp when the driver noticed gasoline leaking and told passengers that they should turn back. That was when the engine began sputtering and exploded. The impact from the explosion caused passengers to be thrown into the ocean. Passengers suffered a variety of injuries including broken bones, scrapes and bruises and were transported to area medical centers. Officials are looking into the cause of the explosion.

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Roberto Magdariaga, 62, died and another man is in critical condition after both suffered injuries on the job at a paint manufacturing plant in Fullerton. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, firefighters responded to Vista Paints in the 2000 block of Orangethorpe Avenue, the afternoon of November 15, 2011. Officials say the men were exposed to chemicals at the plant and were overcome by the fumes. Magdariaga was pronounced dead at a hospital. The second worker, who is 45 years old, is in critical condition. Officials report the chemical that caused the fumes is a paint stripper.

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Three men suffered injuries on the job after a transformer exploded at an Anaheim roadway, the morning of October 26, 2011. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, the incident occurred at 2540 W. Lincoln Avenue. Officials say the men were burned in the explosion while they were replacing an above ground power vault in front of an apartment complex. Two of the workers are contractors with the city of Anaheim, while the third worker is an employee with Anaheim Public Utilities. The men were transported to an area hospital for treatment of their injuries. The condition of the workers or the extent of their injuries is not known at this time.

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At least eight people were hospitalized at an Anaheim food processing center after a carbon monoxide leak made them ill, the afternoon of September 28, 2011. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, the incident occurred at L & L Food Inc. in the 300 block of North Euclid Street. Officials say fire crews responded to an industrial park after an investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) officials turned up high readings of carbon monoxide, a poisonous gas that could be fatal. Eight people, all believed to be employees, were transported to an area hospital. Their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. The source and cause of the leak is still to be determined.

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A worker was hospitalized after suffering injuries on the job from an electric shock he received while working on an air conditioning unit. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, firefighters responded to the scene the morning of September 22, 2011. The man, who was on the roof of a business at 3309 S. Bristol Street in Santa Ana had difficulty breathing after being shocked. The man, who was in his 40s or 50s, was alert and talking to paramedics as they treated him. He was transported to an area trauma center for treatment.

My heart goes out to the injured worker. I'm relieved to hear that he was not critically injured. I wish him the very best for a speedy and complete recovery.

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Tuan Phan, 49, suffered fatal injuries on the job in an industrial accident in Orange County, the afternoon of August 19, 2011. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, the industrial accident occurred at American Apparel in the 12000 block of Pala Drive in Garden Grove. Phan was operating a circular knitting machine when it crushed him. He was transported to a hospital in Anaheim where he died from his injuries. An investigation is ongoing.

I offer my deepest condolences to the family members and friends of Tuan Phan for their tragic and heartbreaking loss. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

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Several workers suffered injuries on the job the afternoon of August 9, 2011 in a Sylmar building after a powerful explosion tore open the roof. News reports identify the two critically injured victims of this explosion as off-duty Los Angeles firefighter Timothy Larson and Tyson Larson. It is not clear if they were related. Officials say the explosion occurred in a 7,400-square-foot facility at 12349 Gladstone Avenue.

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A worker sustained serious burn injuries on the job after an overhead line burst at a business near Little Tokyo and doused the victim in the face with an acidic fluid. According to an Associated Press news report, the spill occurred the afternoon of May 26, 2011 at 1205 Wholesale Street, near Alameda Street. Los Angeles Fire Department officials said an overhead line ruptured causing two to five gallons of acidic fluid to spill on the worker. The employee suffered injuries to the face and eyes and was transported to a nearby hospital. The victim's present condition is not known. Officials are looking into what caused the pipe to rupture.

My heart goes out to this injured worker and his family for what they are going through at this time. I wish him or her the very best for a speedy and complete recovery. Please keep this injured victim in your thoughts and prayers. Read the rest »

Denture cream zinc poisoning lawsuits are not going anywhere. In fact, victims' claims have been steadily increasing and it looks as though 2011 will hold countless more lawsuits against Poligrip, Fixodent, and other name brand denture cream manufacturers. Victims who have endured the most serious effects are outraged by what should be an easy fix: properly notifying their customers of their product's potentially life-threatening poisonous contents. Unfortunately, no noticeable effort has been made by these manufacturers to fully educate their consumers, so it comes as no surprise that more consumers are continue to sustain injuries.

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