It was just announced yesterday that Lasko will recall close to 5 million box fans . A very serious product defect was discovered after at least seven fires were apparently caused by an electrical issue with the fans’ motors. According to the reports, there have already been fires at a barn and at two houses as a result of these defective products. As a Pembroke Pines Products Liability Attorney, I expect the fact that no one has filed personal injury lawsuit to change as time goes on. The fans appear to have been distributed nationwide and to several mass market retailers from July 2002 to December 2005. This explains why the total number of units recalled is so high, given the large quantity that was initially sold throughout the years.
If you own this fan, information on how to safely proceed can be found in the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Recall Report via this link. The CPSC is working with Lasko to effectively implement this recall. Specific information from Lasko regarding the fan recall can be found here.
As a Pembroke Pines Products Liability Attorney this is a very alarming recall, since the consequences of the electrical defect pose a big safety issue. The risk of a fire hazard is clearly not something to be taken lightly, so anyone who owns this fan should stop using it immediately, then contact Lasko or the CPSC. First and foremost, protecting innocent consumers is the number one priority with regards to the fan recall.
In terms of liability, it seems likely that the people who owned fans that caused house fires will hire a defective products attorney to file a lawsuit on their behalf. Among other things, those victims suffered property damage that seems to be a direct result of the fire caused by the damaged fan. It is important in a personal injury case to demonstrate that the product (fan) directly caused harm (property damage, bodily injury) due to the fires.
Unfortunately, this isn’t Lasko’s first product recall in 2011. Last month, Lasko recalled nearly 110,000 space heaters. This is a disturbing trend and it seems as if the company needs to conduct thorough investigations into several product development areas, starting with their manufacturing process, engineering design, and safety inspection procedures.
As a Pembroke Pines Personal Injury Attorney, I can only hope that this recall prevents any more fires from occurring and that no one suffers any further bodily injuries. It seems as if Lasko will have to deal with some property damage lawsuits and products liability lawsuits as a result of these defective products. Once again, this is just another instance of how an everyday product can become very dangerous if it is not properly designed and inspected.
