Man Wins Big Money in Tablesaw Lawsuit

[mastercabman]

Saw an update to this on another forum.  Looks like he did everything possible to cause the accident himself.

http://blogs.popularwoodworking.com/editorsblog/Court+Documents+Osorio+Wasnt+Using+The+Guard+Or+Rip+Fence.aspx

Sorry to say this but he got what he deserved.      Cutting wood free handed on a table saw?      Setting the blade 3" for cutting 3/4" ?   
I wonder if Rioby had put that technology into the saw,would it have cost $150.00?     

 

[Inner10]

Steve good point, cutting off your fingers helps people re-invest money into the economy and makes the world go round. [big grin]

 

[justinmcf]

i still believe, even after reading all the posts here that this bloke deserved the compensation he got.
i really dont care about the details of what he did wrong. all i see is the bigger picture.

yes, he made the mistake of cutting free hand, yes he made the mistake of cutting with the blade at its maximum height.
but come on, i have cut heaps of timber with the blade at its maximum height because i was too lazy to drop the blade.
ok, i have never cut free hand because i have been working with power tools for 20 years.

but, i have made mistakes before.
when i was an apprentice, i have set a timber stud on the dropsaw and cut the timber, but no one told me i had to use my left hand to clamp the timber to the fence of the drop saw.
i ruined the blade and my underwear with that mistake.

i am sure everyone here has made a mistake somewhere with regards to power tools or hand tools.
my worst injuries were always using a handsaw in winter time in ireland.
your hands were that numb from the cold, you forgot how hard you were pushing the handsaw and when the saw buckled, it got ugly real fast.

if this is what it takes for the big companies, festool included, to re evaluate their business strategies towards this technology, then that can only be a good thing.
i spent AU$2600 on a festool cms tablesaw.
i love it. its a great, well thought out, highly designed piece of equipment. but it does not have sawstop technology.
i think its a huge positive step  forward that for an extra AU$500 - AU$1000, i could have sawstop technology included with the cms in the future because of this case.

the one thing we can be sure of. behind closed doors all the big power tool companies will be in damage control. i am positive when this case became public, they all scrambled for cover. hopefully they will see the light and embrace this technology sooner rather than later.

regards, justin.

 

[Mac]

i ruined the blade and my underwear with that mistake.

This made me choke on my beer with laughter. Nicely done..!

Rick
ps If I'd choked to death, I'd have sued Budweiser  [tongue]

 

[justinmcf]

hi mac.

you could have sued me first as it was my post you were reading!

 

[Mac]

 

[PeterK]

I would worry about the new woodworkers if this technology became a requirement. Like others, I started with low cost tools and had a Sears benchtop table saw that cost $200. If it was required to have flesh detection technology, that would add at SawStop's price a minimum of $200 plus the SawStop patent fee of say $100 plus a total redesign cost to the saw. It would require totally different technology for the trunnion carriage and would likely require a larger deeper cabinet to allow the blade to retract. That $200 saw would now be somewhere around $600. I just think this type requirement would eliminate many who would start out in this hobby. It was many years later before I could afford a "decent" contractors saw and another 10 years to get a cabinet saw.

 

[Inner10]

Well if it is mandated I'm sure the TS55 will gain a lot more popularity over table saws.  We will all talk about when table saws were cheap and TS55 was three times the price of a Craftsman 10". [laughing]

 

[Steve F]

I would worry about the new woodworkers if this technology became a requirement.
I just think this type requirement would eliminate many who would start out in this hobby. It was many years later before I could afford a "decent" contractors saw and another 10 years to get a cabinet saw.

Let them buy used.  But I agree that it would be absurd to require sawstop technology on every table saw, especially (from what I have read) the more significant and common danger is from kickback.  We don't require every car to have every possible safety feature and cars kill alot more people than tablesaws.  But those low end table saws are marketed to untrained homeowners and cheap contractors.  Either way, someone's getting hurt.

I think alot could be solved simply with better instructions and warnings on the machine - not in some 50 page handbook.  There's plenty of room on these tools for large, non-removable, CLEAR instructions and warnings.  But, they need to be so designed so that an illiterate 5th grader would know how to use the tool safely and be able to understand the dangers.  Can't be clearer than a graphic of a severed finger or hand.

While we're at it, the international symbol system is a failure.  After all these years, I still don't know which one of means on and which one means off.  Can we please get color-coded on/off switches back?  

Steve

 

[mastercabman]

yes, he made the mistake of cutting free hand, yes he made the mistake of cutting with the blade at its maximum height.
but come on, i have cut heaps of timber with the blade at its maximum height because i was too lazy to drop the blade.
ok, i have never cut free hand because i have been working with power tools for 20 years.

regards, justin.

Yes,but i beleive you should pay for your mistakes,not getting pay.

 

[Wood_Junkie]

I finally thought of an analogy which I hope seems parallel to this case.

Let's say I buy a Honda Civic.  Nice, reasonably priced car without too many luxury features.  It has seatbelts, air bags, headlights, anti-lock brakes.  You know, standard safety equipment on any/every car in the US.

I decide to go for a drive in the country... at 11pm.  Just because I'm lazy I don't turn on the headlights (guidance= rip fence not attached); I also don't take the trouble to buckle up, or I disengage the passive restraint seatbelts. (physical= TS on ground, crouching, using hands).  And, just for kicks I floor it and close my eyes (just plain unsafe!= blade at maximum height, using hand instead of a push stick).

When I sail off the road, roll the car, and crash into something and fly through the windshield I decide to sue Honda.  

Because, it is obvious gross negligence that they didn't install FLIR (which is available and technologically feasible in a car) so I could drive in the dark without headlights, even though I shouldn't.  And they didn't install an ignition kill which should sense my seatbelt situation, even though I know I should wear it.  And they also didn't install a speed governor tied to an eye sensor to make sure my eyes are open and I'm not going to fast, which is also technologically possible (i.e. eye-tracking for disabled persons).  Wouldn't this be ludicrous?  If it were just one thing it would be stupid.  But take them all together and it is a foregone conclusion that something bad it going to happen!

Here's the thing:  I'm not advocating for the above (far from it.  And especially not regulation / government intervention).  I'm firmly on the side of:  You did dummo things with a bad result.  Don't blame the company that makes a just-fine product.  Take responsibility for your actions (or lack therof).

Now, if the TS he was using had suddenly exploded internally and thrown the blade into his hands, that is a different story.  But this thing was functioning correctly, with no product defect or malfunction.  The malfunction was with Mr. User, and mis-use of the product.

To Justinmcf:  In recounting your mistakes did you think you should sue the tool manufacturer?
Or did you think in your mind "Holy smokes!  That was stupid!  I will never make that mistake again!"

 

[mastercabman]

The sad thing about lawsuit like that,it doesn't matter what we say and how we feel about it.It will happen again and again...  and...  :

 

[peter halle]

To everyone who has posted in this thread.

[thanks] for being civil and understanding that everyone has opinions and that it is ok to question and debate like friends with the intent that tomorrow you still want to be friends  [big grin].

The thanks come from me, but I imagine that two other guys would agree.

Peter

 

[score0matic]

So, I think I have discovered a powerful, effective, and cheap safety feature that should be mandatory on every power tool.  It was inspired by another thread at:
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=134472&highlight=router+injury

Steve

If this is already dealt with ignore  but post the photos not the link,  I cannot see them with out joining and i have no wish to do that lol  thanks  Craig

 

[score0matic]

I cannot believe this  (one of my favorite videos [eek])  hasn't been posted in this thread.

Tablesaw accident

Craig

 

[justinmcf]

hi craig.

wow, i have never seen that video clip before!

do you think it is real or staged?

regards, justin.

 

[score0matic]

If that is FAKE he deserves an oscar..... I like how he shut off the saw [big grin] before he left it.

 

[peter halle]

Many years ago FineWoodworking did an article about workshop accidents and here are some of the things that I remember:

1.  Accidents happen when concentration wanders
2.  Accidents are more likely to happen when you are hungry
3.  Accidents are more likely to happen right after you have eaten

When I bought my first chainsaw years ago, I did research on safety.  The interesting thing is that familiarity of the tool was directly relevant to the number of injuries.  In that case, the majority of the injuries occurred to those who used the tools all the time - the professionals, versus those weekend warriors.

Learn your tools.  Respect your tools.  Treat your tools like someone at work who wants to steal your job.  Always be cautious around them no matter how comfortable you are with them.

 

[mouppe]

Many years ago FineWoodworking did an article about workshop accidents and here are some of the things that I remember:

1.  Accidents happen when concentration wanders
2.  Accidents are more likely to happen when you are hungry
3.  Accidents are more likely to happen right after you have eaten

When I bought my first chainsaw years ago, I did research on safety.  The interesting thing is that familiarity of the tool was directly relevant to the number of injuries.  In that case, the majority of the injuries occurred to those who used the tools all the time - the professionals, versus those weekend warriors.

Learn your tools.  Respect your tools.  Treat your tools like someone at work who wants to steal your job.  Always be cautious around them no matter how comfortable you are with them.

The same is true of car accidents. 70% occur within three miles of the involved person's home.

Richard.

 

[Steve F]

So, I think I have discovered a powerful, effective, and cheap safety feature that should be mandatory on every power tool.  It was inspired by another thread at:
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=134472&highlight=router+injury

Steve

If this is already dealt with ignore  but post the photos not the link,  I cannot see them with out joining and i have no wish to do that lol  thanks  Craig

If you can post, you should be able to see the attachments.  If you can't, it may be some sort of security setting on your computer.  I know that I can't view some attachments from my office computer.  I hesitate to embed them in a post because they're extremely graphic and might offend.  The poster's hand was chewed by a router bit and the pictures showed the wound before after it was stitched.

Steve