An O’Hara man is suing the company that makes Ryobi Tools after he said his hedge trimmer turned on when it wasn’t supposed to last month, severely injuring his hand.
Michael Roncevich, 64, filed the lawsuit, along with his wife, Michelle Roncevich, in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court on Tuesday against Techtronic Industries North America Inc., the company that makes the tools, and its subsidiary, One World Technologies Inc., as well as Home Depot, where the trimmer was purchased.
Messages left with the companies on Tuesday were not immediately returned.
According to the complaint, Techtronic issued a recall for the defective trimmers, including the model Ronchevich bought, on June 12 — two days before Roncevich said he sustained severe lacerations and crush injuries as he put the tool away.
According to the lawsuit, the defendants issued a recall on the product — and knew that it could activate without the trigger being depressed.
Two buttons — a trigger and a “lock-off” — are supposed to be engaged at the same time in order to turn on the hedge trimmer. But according to the recall, “the trimmers’ blade can ‘unexpectedly operate when only the trigger is pulled, or only the lock-off button is pressed,’” the lawsuit said.
As part of the recall, the company cited 27 prior reports of unintended activation and 16 incidents resulting in injury, including severe lacerations, the lawsuit said.
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Michael Roncevich said that he purchased the hedge trimmer — a Ryobi RY 40602 — in 2019 at Home Depot in Ross.
But after using the trimmer on June 14, the complaint said when Roncevich went to put it away, the blade suddenly activated, even though the trigger was not engaged, injuring his dominant, right hand.
The suit alleges the hedge trimmer was unsafe even when used as intended and that its defective design caused Roncevich’s injuries. It includes claims for negligence and strict liability.
