Firefighters sue siren maker over hearing loss
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About 4,400 pending claims filed on behalf of firefighters allege they suffered hearing loss from sirens made by Federal Signal Corp.
The latest suit, removed last week to federal court in New Jersey, claims the pitch and decibel level on the sirens were unreasonably dangerous, the New Jersey Law Journal (sub. req.) reports.
The New Jersey suit was filed on behalf of 34 firefighters. The defendants are Federal Signal Corp. and five fire truck manufacturers.
Marc Bern of Bern Ripka in New York told the New Jersey Law Journal he is lead counsel in the pending cases. Other suits are awaiting trial in New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Illinois.
Federal Signal has won most of the cases that went to trial. In 2011, the company settled a case filed on behalf of 1,125 claimants for $3.8 million.
Lawyer J. David Duffy of Chicago represents Federal Signal. He told the New York Law Journal his client “believes these cases are not well-founded and will aggressively defend them. Federal Signal sirens are life-saving safety products that protect the public and the firefighters bringing these cases. The company has successfully defended similar cases in other jurisdictions and is confident that it will successfully defend these cases in New Jersey.”
