Seal of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
From cars to painkillers, we’ve conducted numerous product defect investigations. Our article shares with its reader several relevant jump off research sites. We concentrate on the Big Three: cars, kids and OTC` and prescription drugs. For:
Vehicle Recalls and Defect:
1. We suggest a first step: ensure that your client’s car is the vehicle is appears to be. The obvious DMV and owner records aside, a visit to CarFax is a good idea. Bear in mind however that CF is, after all, a private for-profit company, not a governmental agency. (Vehicles that have been impounded and resold, for example, may not have the same VIN with which they left the factory. This will not generally show up on a CarFax report.)
2. Next stop: safercar.gov. A section under the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) site, safercar yields up-to-date recall and defect investigation data.
3. NTSB. The National Traffic Safety Board is the source for all official aviation, highway, marine and railway accident-related data. It is the agency of jurisdiction for multiple fatality motor vehicle incident investigations.
Children’s Clothing, Furniture, Toy and Other Products
1. US Consumer Product Safety Commission. In depth reports, easily viewable online via the CPSC’s Reading Room (FOIL compliant.)
2. Food & Drug Administration. For kids products that contain any form of liquid or food (e.g., soap bubbles, shampoo toys, lickable stickers…).
OTC and Rx. Drugs:
1. FDA. The Food and Drug Administration is the government agency that regulates and supervises the safety of foods, tobacco products, dietary supplements, medication drugs, vaccines, biopharmaceutical product, blood transfusion, medical devices, electromagnetic radiation emitting devices, veterinary products, and cosmetics. The site displays an informative recently updated jump off page, FDA 101: Product Recalls – From First Alert to Effectiveness Checks. The FDA also regulates the marketing of over the counter and prescription drugs.
Final Note: It makes sense in any investigation to review prior and active lawsuits involving same or similar product. JDSupra, Lexis, Pacer and FindLaw are superior sources for this information.
Our Operatives: Street smart; info savvy.
As always, stay safe.
Related articles
- Got a complaint about a medical device or drug? There’s an app for that (news.consumerreports.org)
- Sex Supplements Recalled Due to Undeclared Drugs (livescience.com)
Filed under: Consumer Rights | Tagged: CarFax, fda, findlaw, Food & Drug Administration, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Prescription drug, United States | Leave a Comment »
