December 2011 — The Consumer Product Safety Commission has extended the deadline for comments regarding new safety features on table saws until February 10, 2010, at the request of the Power Tool Institute, Inc, an industry group that represents the interests of manufacturers such as Black & Decker and Bosch Power Tools. Their reason for requesting the extension is that “stakeholders need more time to evaluate updated injury information.”

The table saw amputation lawyers at the Schmidt Firm LLP encourage you to submit a comment to the CPSC regarding the new safety regulations. You can visit www.regulations.gov and use Docket No. CPSC-2011-0074.

Consumer advocates submitted a petition in 2003 to the Consumer Products Safety Commission, asking them to require table saw manufacturers to include safety devices in their products. It has been nearly a decade, and the CPSC has not made a decision.

Since 2000, a safety device called the “SawStop” has existed that could prevent nearly all table saw amputations, but manufacturers have refused to voluntarily place the safety devices on their products, citing an unreasonable increase in price (about $100 per table saw). Recently, a man who filed a table saw amputation lawsuit was awarded $1.5 million after the court found that table saw manufacturers were liable for not including the safety feature. If you have been injured by a table saw, you might want to contact a table saw amputation lawyer. We can help you get the compensation you deserve.

Table saws cause more than 40,000 injuries every year. Approximately 10% of those injuries, or 4,000, result in amputations every year. Fingers, hands, and arms are the most common parts of the body that are amputated. Only 20% of the injuries occur in people who are on the job, where injuries are usually covered by workplace accident insurance. Many people who are injured are unable to work for the rest of their lives, and must undergo multiple painful reconstructive surgeries. If they do not have medical insurance, the price of surgery may reach nearly $500,000.

The SawStop and other table saw safety devices are actually very simple. They run an electrical current through the saw blade that is attached to a current monitor. When the blade is cutting wood (a poor conductor of electricity) the electrical current in the blade remains constant. If the blade touches flesh (a relatively good conductor of electricity) the current in the blade drops. The current monitor senses this drop, and triggers a brake mechanism that immediately stops the blade and retracts it into the machine. The blade can be retracted within 3-5 milliseconds, resulting in a 1/8-inch cut on a single finger, instead of a catastrophic amputation of fingers and limbs.

The situation harkens back to the days when airbags were invented as a safety device in cars. Initially, car manufacturers resisted placing airbags in the cars, citing increased costs to consumers. It wasn’t until people took legal action against car makers that airbags became industry standard in all cars.

How do I contact a Table Saw Amputation Lawyer for a Lawsuit?

The Schmidt Firm, LLP is currently accepting table saw induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been injured after using a table saw, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Table Saw Amputation Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.

Attention Lawyers: We consider a referral from another law firm to be one of the greatest compliments. If your firm is interested in referring us a case or for us to send you a list of previous award judgments and/or average referral fees, please visit the Lawyer Referral section of our website.

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