In this case, a neighbor took care of neighborhood children for a small fee. A mother and father left their one-year-old girl with the neighbor while Mom and Dad were working. One morning the neighbor did some ironing, and left the iron where the little girl could reach it. The little girl reached up and seriously burned the back of her hand. The neighbor's house was in foreclosure, and she did not believe that she had any insurance coverage. She had received cancellation notices because of non payment. The parents came to Begam & Marks attorney Steven Friedman for help.  Mr. Friedman thoroughly investigated the case, found coverage, and successfully settled the case for the available policy limits.

On Monday, federal regulators issued a mandatory recall of 1.8 million toy dart gun sets after two separate deaths of children who inhaled the darts and suffocated when the suction cup blocked their airways. The recall has prompted safety officials to rethink an old safety standard that assumes that children over the age of 3 generally won't put something unsafe in their mouth. The deaths occurred nine months apart, but a recall was not issued after the first death because the toy didn't violate a mandatory safety standard at the time, the Chicago Tribune reports. The toy was imported by Henry Gordy International Inc. and sold at Family Dollar stores.

Attorneys Steve Friedman and Serena Montague represented two surviving adult daughters of a woman who was fatally injured when employees of the adult care living center at which she lived failed to properly secure her wheelchair while transporting her in a van.  The Begam & Marks team convinced the living center's insurance carrier to settle the claim for a significant sum. This legacy will help the surviving daughters, who were devastated by Mom's early death, raise their own children - a tribute to the grandma the children will now never know.

Romaine lettuce that was found to be contaminated with E. coli O145, a strain that is primarily found in cattle and wildlife feces and has never before been linked to a food-borne illness, according to the CDC.  The problem may be more wide spread because few labs are able to detect this strain of E. coli.

Begam & Marks settled a case on behalf of 5 family members who were injured while driving on Interstate 10 West of Phoenix.  Partners Steve Friedman and Richard Traulsen recovered a  total of $775,000.00 on behalf of the family.  The family was slowing and pulling into the emergency lane to check their vehicle when an inattentive driver of an 18 wheel tractor trailer slammed into the back of their vehicle.  The impact forced them off the road where their vehicle rolled several times. 

Begam & Marks members Steve Friedman and Richard Traulsen have successfully settled a claim on behalf of a young Native American girl who was severely burned when she came into contact with an electical transmission line that had been negligently installed near her home on the Gila River Indian Community. The governmental agency who had installed the line denied any liability, and the case was hard fought in Federal Court right up to the eve of trial. Ultimately, the Federal government increased its offer to sufficient level to compensate the young girl and her parents. Richard and Steve are both extremely proud to have had the opportunity to help this wonderful family.

Honda Motors has issued another recall of more than 430,000 vehicles to replace a faulty airbag deflator that could rupture and significantly harm the driver. The airbag defect has been linked to one fatality and 11 injuries in the United States. This is the 3rd time Honda has issued a recall for this problem. Honda issued a recall in November 2008 and then again in June 2009. This new recall applies to 2001 and 2002 model-year Accord, Civic, Odyssey, CR-V, Pilot and 2002 Acura TL and CL vehicles in the United States.

The government Tuesday formally barred truckers and bus drivers from sending text messages while behind the wheel, putting the federal imprimatur on a prohibition embraced by many large trucking and transportation companies. “We want the drivers of big rigs and buses and those who share the roads with them to be safe,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “This is an important safety step, and we will be taking more to eliminate the threat of “distracted driving.”

The AP reported, “About 1.5 million Graco strollers sold at Wal-Mart, Target and other major retailers are being recalled after some children’s fingertips were amputated by hinges on the products.” Five children “had their fingertips severed and two children received cuts on their fingertips.” In an announcement Wednesday, the CPSC “said the strollers pose an amputation and laceration hazard to children when opening or closing the canopy.”