Verdicts & Settlements

Model Helicopter’s Rotor Blade Strikes Consumer’s Eye

THOMAS ROBBINS PURCHASED a radio-controlled TREX 450 XLE model helicopter manufactured by Taiwan-based Align Corp. About a year later, Robbins purchased a “first aid parts set” for the helicopter containing replacement parts also manufactured by Align. The kit included a main rotor holder, which connects the blades to the base of the helicopter. After repairing the helicopter, Robbins held it up to eye level with his left hand to see if the blades were properly aligned. As he activated the remote control with his right hand, the main rotor holder split in two. The blades broke apart, and one flew into Robbins’s face, striking his nose and left eye.

Robbins, 44, suffered a detached retina.