BasinBum

My Feedback: (2)

Here is an article about a recent lawsuit over an injury from a model airplane.
http://www.wvrecord.com/news/newsview.asp?c=172556

I e-mailed the reporter regarding the term "spinner wire" because I have never heard of one. He said it was taken from the lawsuit verbatim. Whatever it is it must be pretty dangerous cause it injured that guy when it came off the plane.

I think it is a mistake and it sounds like it was the prop but I could be wrong.

sscherin

My Feedback: (1)

Spinner wire? I don't have a clue

What dumb thing was he doing to drive a piece of wire into his body deep enough to puncture internal organs?

Sounds to me like he tried to force something where it didn't belong and got hurt.

Scar

My Feedback: (3)

There was a time when some small engines (.049) had coiled springs behind the prop. These coiled springs had a hook to latch over the prop. You would turn the prop backwards against the spring tension, then release it to spin and start the engine.

I can't imagine that being the issue, here. Perhaps another type of starter spring was involved, but nothing else comes to mind.

It's a pity there are no details in the article, but that doesn't really surprise us, does it.

Best wishes,
Dave Olson

Jim Thomerson

Just to show how we think, for a second I thought the hammer at the top of the page was an engine with a pipe.

ScienceisCool

My Feedback: (1)

so i could stick my hand in a prop and sue tower and great planes for lots of money claiming they didn't warn me of the dangers? i hope this is thrown out.

Prop Nut

My Feedback: (3)

Can you email the reporter again for more details? Maybe it is public record someplace. I am really curious as to what "wire" part could fly off a spinner and enter your Gallbladder (I have had many test the last couple of weeks as my doctor is worried that my Gallbadder needs to be removed, I think he needs a new swimming pool and that I had food poisoning, lol. To get so far into your sternum as to pierce the Galbladder seems odd. ) The artical doesnt mention if the engine was running, it seems to sugest that the person in question was installing the spinner on the plane. Seems odd that he isnt sueing for a huge amount of money, 75,000 might barely cover the cost of the operation.

BasinBum

My Feedback: (2)

Here are the e-mails we exchanged, you should start at the bottom one and read them going up for it to be in order and make sense.

Mr. Dragin:

I made a mistake earlier. I told you I wrote that article. I didn't. I edited it, and I asked my reporter about that line. He took it directly from the lawsuit word for word.

But yes, you can post my reply in your forum. For background, The West Virginia Record is a weekly legal journal covering civil courts across the state of West Virginia.

Chris Dickerson
Editor


On 1/8/06, Richard Dragin > wrote:

Chris,
Thanks for responding so quickly. Do you mind if I post your reply in a
public model airplane forum?

Richard


Chris Dickerson wrote:

> Mr. Dragin:
>
> I was the person who wrote that article. And I must admit that I know
> little about your hobby. That line was taken from the lawsuit
> verbatim. So I can't provide any more information. And there have been
> no other stories written about the case.
>
> But thanks for reading.
>
> Sincerely,
> Chris Dickerson
> Editor
> The West Virginia Record
> 218 Dickinson Street
> Charleston, WV 25301
>
>
> On 1/8/06, *Richard Dragin* <> wrote:
>
> Dear Mr. Smith,
> I read your article from the West Virginia Record about the model
> airplane accident. I am involved in the hobby quite extensively and
> found the sentence, "On Jan. 4, 2004, Moore was installing a spinner
> component on the airplane when the spinner wire broke loose, piercing
> his abdomen and puncturing his gall bladder." somewhat confusing.
> There
> is no such thing as a "spinner wire" and perhaps it was a piece of the
> propeller that caused the injury.
>
> I am interested in any other articles that may have been written about
> the case. If you could forward any links I would be very
> appreciative.
>
> Sincerely,
> Richard Dragin
>

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

I see it happened in West Virginia...

That explains a lot.

Prop Nut

My Feedback: (3)

I tried looking up the court case but they do not have a public facility availible to view court cases, it was worth a try though. Thanks for posting all the information and emails BasinBum.

coolbean

I called Tower Hobbies (actually got routed to the parent company, Hobby Co.) and left a message with their legal department.

I sent an e-mail to Great Planes. Waiting for reply from both. I can't imagine anything on a model plane that could store enough tension to pierce your abdomen.

piper_chuck

My Feedback: (12)

The old line "Hey bubba, watch this" keeps going through my head.

daveopam

My Feedback: (9)

I picture it my head like this. He has the plane on his lap and is trying to force a part on. Maybe pushing on the nose of the plane with both hand against his gut. Something slips and he runs the prop or whatever into his gut.

I heard the tooth brush was invented in WV. Anybody know whay it's called a tooth brush?


David

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

If it was invented anywhere else, it would be called a "TEETH" brush

coolbean

I also sent an e-mail to Tower. Here is the reply.
Thank you for writing Tower Hobbies.

Sorry, we have not seen any details about the claim thus we are unable to comment.

Thank you for writing Tower Hobbies. We appreciate your time and your business with us.

-Tower Hobbies

vicman

My Feedback: (10)

The tooth brush is older than Minn.[8D] That said do you know why they only teach drivers ed three days a week up there?

piper_chuck

My Feedback: (12)

Nope, please explain why the John Deere driving school is only open 3 days a week.

vicman

My Feedback: (10)

The health class needs the car the other two days for S** ed.[sm=bananahead.gif]

piper_chuck

My Feedback: (12)

Thanks, I needed a good laugh, it's been a looooonnnnnngggggg day.

YNOT

The artical make no sense what so ever. And noone else caught the "plain, by Great Planes"?

Spinner wire? I can not even think of a single thing that would even be close to a "spinner wire" with the exception of a 049 spring starter and it curved.

scottrc

It doesn't say what kind of plane. Maybe a park flyer, or one of those metal static models that you snap together?

It did just occure to me that it might have been a throttle wire.

And did anyone catch who the Judge was? I had to wipe the coffee off my monitor when I read that name.

Scott

DT56

My Feedback: (18)

Is a sad state of affairs, but with the litigious nature of our society, I think most were expecting it to eventually occur. While the large companies have legal defense funds, the majority of the "cottage industries" that produce many of the best products, do not. They're struggling to stay in business as it is, without concerns over product liability.

If there is a positive side to the story, I think it's the small (by tort standards) damage figure mentioned in the suit. As long as there aren't multi-million dollar settlements involved, the case will probably attract minimal attention from the trial lawyer associations. Once the associations gang up on the industry, vilifying models and the practice of flying them, it'll be difficult and extremely expensive to fly any R/C model. Flying sites on government property will cease to exist and large buffer areas around private sites will be required, all over liability concerns.

Between 1993 and 2000, the trial lawyer associations mounted an assault against a group of products, the ownership of which was protected by the constitution of the United States. The resulting legal defense expenses drove many of the small manufacturers from the face of the earth and is of great consideration to this day to the companies remaining in the industry.

Other than some far out argument in consideration of "Freedom of Speech", I can find no such protection for models.

DT56

Rcpilot

My Feedback: (78)

Doesn't it say right there on the box:

" This is not a toy. Not intended for children under 14. It is up to you to make sure the model is safe to fly............yadda yadda yadda."

How was this guy not made aware that it was a dangerous model?

Maybe them W. Virginianers cain't read nun too good?

This makes me mad. Tower is my favorite hobby store. We'll all be picking up the tab for this lawsuit.[:@]

Buy your stuff now--the prices at Tower are about to double.

Strat2003

My Feedback: (1)

Maybe they were talking about a piece of wire inserted thru a spinner or spinner nut to tighten it? Like on the Jett engine in the ad just above the reply section of this forum?

Gravityisnotmyfriend

My Feedback: (2)

I did see the name of the judge and I can't imagine a better use for this picture

Live Wire

BB
About a year ago they had a problem on the recoil start on one of the larger motors and had to change it ! Seems it would break when you tried to start the motor. [:@]
Edit
Recoil start would be a starter spring.