Every year, table saw accidents injure more than 65,000 people, resulting in 3,500 amputations. Most of these injuries could be prevented with safety mechanisms, such as riving knives, splitters, or flesh-sensing technology.
Do I Have a Table Saw Injury Lawsuit? Collen A. Clark is a true advocate for his clients and is passionate about helping Texans that have been injured or wronged. If you or a loved one has been injured by a table saw, you should contact our lawyers immediately. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a lawsuit in Texas.
Black & Decker Table Saw Recall
In April 2017, Black & Decker recalled about 400 portable 10″ table saws because the stand can collapse unexpectedly and cause injuries. They were sold exclusively at Walmart from February 2016 through August 2016. The recalled table saws have model number JT2504BD and the manufacturer is offering a free replacement stand. Click here to read more.
Sears Craftsman 10″ Portable Table Saw Recall
In March 2017, around 46,000 Craftsman portable table saws that were sold exclusively at Sears were recalled because the stand can collapse unexpectedly and cause injuries. There were 11 reports of the stand collapsing and 9 reported injuries The recalled table saws were sold for $200 from April 2014 through October 2016.
TS 55 REQ Table Saw Recall
In October 2013, a recall was issued for the TS 55 REQ manufactured by Festool USA. No injuries have been reported. The problem is tha the plunge lock can engage unintentionally, causing the saw blade to remain exposed after completion of a cut.
How Many People Are Injured?
In 2010, around 40,000 people were seriously injured after using a table saw. Of these, about 10% (or 4,000 people) required amputation of part of their body. The most common parts of the body to be amputated are fingers, hands, and arms, which require multiple painful surgeries, often over several years, and can destroy a person’s ability to work for the rest of their life.
Can Table Saw Injuries Be Prevented?
Although the SawStop safety mechanism has been available to table saw manufacturers since 2000, these companies have refused to adopt it. Now these companies are facing at least 60 lawsuits brought forth by people who have been seriously injured. One lawsuit resulted in a man receiving $1.5 million in damages.
What is the Problem?
Advocates for woodworkers and consumers have been asking the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) to require that table saw manufacturers include the SawStop or other safety mechanism since 2003, but so far their initiative has languished.
In 2012, California lawmakers proposed new legislation that would require table saw manufacturers to include flesh-sensing safety devices by 2015. The law passed in the California State Assembly 52-2, but it was not passed by the state Senate.
The Power Tool Institute, a group that represents the interests of table saw manufacturers such as Black & Decker and Bosch, has said that that the expense of placing the safety devices would increase the price of a table saw dramatically (about $100), eliminate low-priced bench saws from the market, and give SawStop an unfair competitive advantage in the marketplace. Table saw design has changed little in the last 50 years.
For the woodworkers who have suffered amputated fingers, hands, arms, and other injuries, the price of using a table saw without a safety mechanism is unfathomable. Especially for people who lack medical insurance, the medical bills are piling up, and they may be unable to work.
What is SawStop?
SawStop is a table saw safety device invented by Stephen Gass, a patent attorney based out of Portland who created the product in his barn. He quit his job to promote the invention, because it believe that thousands of people who use table saws would be protected from serious injury.
How Does SawStop Work?
SawStop works by running an electrical current through the saw blade. When it comes in contact with wood, which is a poor conductor of electricity, there is no effect on the electrical current in the blade. When it comes in contact with human skin, however, which is a relatively good conductor of electricity, the current drops dramatically. A computer sensor monitoring the electrical charge in the blade then activates a fast-acting brake system which stops the blade in milliseconds and retracts it away from the person. The entire system can stop and retract within 3-5 milliseconds, or 1/200th of a second.
Man Awarded $1.5 Million in Table Saw Injury
The Boston Globe reported in March 2010 that a man named Carlos Osorio had been awarded $1.5 million in a table saw injury case. Ororio was using a Ryobi table saw, manufactured by One World Technologies, which had neglected to place the safety mechanism on its new table saw models. When Osorio was woodworking hardwood floors, he suffered a catastrophic injury involving five fingers.
After five surgeries, two of the fingers remained unusable, and five had no feeling. The medical bills were in excess of $384,000. In addition, Osorio was unable to work. If the SawStop safety mechanism had been in place, Osorio’s injuries would have probably been limited to a 1/8-inch cut on one finger. The court found that Ryobi was at fault, and gave Osorio a $1.5 million judgment.
Do I have a Table Saw Injury Lawsuit?
Collen A. Clark is a true advocate for his clients and is passionate about helping Texans that have been injured or wronged.
Collen’s amazing success in the courtroom and well known dedication to his clients has earned him the recognition of his peers as one of The Top Trial Lawyers in Texas.”
The Clark Firm has assembled a team of trial lawyers with more than 100 years experience, participation in over 600 jury trials and $60 million in verdicts and/or settlements. Please use the form below to contact us for a free Table Saw Injury lawsuit review.