Posted in News on April 18, 2014
A products liability lawsuit has been filed by a man who claims that a table saw he was using was sold to him in a defective state, causing him to suffer serious injuries when he used it. The claim was filed against the designers, makers and marketers of the table saw, three companies called Ryobi Technologies Inc. Techtronic Industries North America Inc., and One Word Technologies Inc.
According to the lawsuit, the man claims the manufacturers designed and manufactured a table saw that was unsafe for average consumer use. Specifically, he alleges the table saw was missing critical safety features that are available and offered on other comparable table saws sold on the market.
The man alleges that the makers of the Ryobi table saw model in question implemented a blade guard design that is very clunky, tedious and non-user friendly and thus extremely hard to use. So much so, in fact, that operators of the device must remove it all together when certain cuts need to be made, which in turn renders the device extremely dangerous to operate.
Moreover, because the splitter, a device incorporated into all table saws that is designed to prevent wood planks from kicking back when they are being sawed through, in this particular model is attached exclusively to the blade guard, any use of the saw without the blade guard renders virtually no kickback protection whatsoever.
The man alleges that the makers of the saw were aware for years that kickbacks can be substantially reduced or eliminated altogether by implementing a device called a riving knife into their table saws. A riving knife is a slender piece of metal that is attached behind the blade. As the blade is moved by the user the riser essentially rises and falls in unison with the blade. More importantly, even if the user were to remove the blade guard, the riving knife is unaffected and remains in place and functions without any discernable loss of functionality. This substantially reduces or eliminates the risk of kickbacks entirely.
The man sustained serious injuries when his hand, particularly his finger, made contact with the blade. Among other damages in his lawsuit, the man is seeking compensation for lost wages, physical disfigurement, mental anguish, medical expenses and more. Those who find themselves in a similar situation can speak with a qualified attorney to learn of their legal options.
Source: Pennsylvania Record, “Bucks Co. man injured by table saw files products liability claim against Ryobi,” Michael Heygood, April 8, 2014