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Press Release |
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Press Release |
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Firestone Tire Victims Lobby
for Open Information Legislation:
Consumer groups and victims' families want law to prevent companies from
knowingly selling dangerously defective products
AUSTIN, TX -- Victims of Firestone tire-related tragedies and Texas consumer groups asked Texas lawmakers today to pass legislation aimed at preventing companies from selling products they know to be dangerously defective.
Several Texans who were involved in or lost loved ones in Firestone tire-related accidents were present to speak at a press conference and testify at a House committee hearing Wednesday in support of House Bill 3125, the "Defective Product Disclosure Act of 2001." The witnesses expressed their interest in bringing dangerous product safety information to light through legislation which takes a big step toward preventing the same type of tragedy from touching other Texas families.
"This legislation is about one question - Should Texas law give protections to corporations that conceal information about a product which places Texas families in danger?" said Dan Lambe, Executive Director of Texas Watch. "The answer is a resounding NO!"
The legislation, House Bill 3125, will encourage prompt consumer warning and recall when manufacturers gain knowledge of dangerous defects, and institute penalties when corporate cover-ups result in death or injury.
Additionally, the legislation will charge the Texas Supreme Court with formulating rules to prohibit secret agreements between defendants and plaintiffs which prevents public access to information that constitutes a danger to the safety of Texas families.
"This bill is a narrowly focused bill targeting only the worst of the worst corporate actors," said Reggie James, Director of the Southwest Regional office of Consumers Union. "Companies that pay more attention to their bottom line profits than they do to the safety and well being of Texas families should be forced to pay the price."
"Had this law been in place before March of 2000 my daughter might still be alive today," said Dawn Fuhrmann of San Antonio, whose daughter was killed in an accident when the Firestone tires on her 1996 Ford Explorer separated. "My daughter Ashley did not have to die that day. My family supports this and any legislation that forces companies to reveal information when they know the products they manufacture are endangering public safety."
"It's a sad day when we even have to debate passing a law like this," said George Blossey of Austin, Texas who lost his oldest daughter in an accident when a Firestone tire on his Ford Explorer separated causing a fatal accident while driving on a family vacation across a deserted highway in Arizona. "This shouldn't even have to be a law. It is just common decency and showing respect for human life that a corporation notify the public of a dangerous defect that they know about in the products they sell."
"Over 100 people have already lost their lives as a result of Firestone tire-related tragedies and hundreds more have been seriously injured," said Mikal Watts, a Corpus Christi consumer attorney who was the first to unseal previously hidden Firestone tire information to the public. "These unnecessary deaths and injuries symbolize the importance of passing House Bill 3125 this session without hesitation."
