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Torts Keyed to Franklin
Hood v. Ryobi America Corp.
Citation:
181 F.3d 608 (4th Cir. 1999)Facts
Hood purchased a Ryobi saw for house repairs. The saw blade was shielded nearly entirely by blade guards, the top half of which was metal and the lower half of which was a transparent plastic guard that retracted into the upper guard as the saw came into contact with the work piece. A number of warnings in the operator’s manual and affixed to the saw itself stated that the user should only operate the saw with the blade guards in place or risk serious personal injury.
Despite having read the operator’s manual and seen the warnings affixed to the saw, Hood detached the blade guards when he was unable to cut a piece of wood completely and then continued to operate the saw without the blade guards for another 20 minutes, at which time the saw blade flew off the saw and partially amputated his left thumb and lacerated his right leg.
Hood contends that he was unaware that removing the blade guards would permit the spinning blade to detach from the saw and that he believed that the blade guards were solely intended to prevent a user’s clothing or fingers from coming into contact with the saw blade.
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Topic Resources
Topic Outline
Products LiabilityTopic Refresher Course
Products Liability, Design, and Failure to Warn