www.BXTimes.com BRONX WEEKLY March 3, 2019 8
When you buy a product, the
expectation is that it should
perform in the way it was intended
to but that is not always
the case. When damage or injury
is caused as the result of
the use of a defective product,
the law in New York recognizes
that those who manufacture
and/or distribute the defective
product, as well as those who
sell it, may be held responsible
for damages for the injuries
which result.
Consider the case of the
young teenager who while using
a hair dryer in her home,
sustained severe third degree
burns to her hands when the
product burst into flames.
Her parents had the foresight
to consult our office shortly
thereafter. Upon consulting
an expert who inspected the
hair dryer, he advised that the
product’s wiring and/or loose
electrical connections allowed
it to overheat and catch on fire.
We sued the manufacturer, as
well as the neighborhood store
where the hair dryer had been
purchased, claiming that this
product was defective as it was
improperly or poorly designed,
that there was a mistake in
its manufacture or assembly,
and/or the manufacturer or
distributor placed the product
into the marketplace without
adequate warnings. Based
upon our expert’s opinion, we
were successful in achieving a
favorable outcome for our client.
If you find yourself in a similar
situation, the first thing
to do is secure and safeguard
the defective product. In situations
where the injury occurs
outside your home, for
example, in the workplace, it
is particularly important to
be vigilant and contact an attorney
promptly. A separate
court proceeding may need to
be commenced, as soon as possible,
to compel preservation
of the product and to direct the
person, or entity, in possession
or control of the product,
to grant access so it can be inspected
and tested before it is
destroyed, altered or disposed
of.
If you believe that you or a
loved one have been injured by
any defective product, whether
a piece of heavy machinery or
a seemingly harmless household
item, you should consult
an attorney. A timely phone
call could be very important to
protect your rights.
Melissa (front, r) celebrates being named a fi nalist with the PS 48 band with trumpet in hand.
Courtesy of Melissa Salguero
Melissa Salguero named
fi nalist for $1 million
Global Teacher prize
BY ALEX MITCHELL
She’s definitely the
borough’s foremost musical
educator, but now Melissa
Salguero is gaining a
worldwide reputation.
The maestro of P.S. 48
at 1290 Spofford Avenue
in Hunts Point has been
nominated for the ‘Varkey
Foundation’s Global
Teacher Prize’ and its
rather impressive $1 million
grant.
The Global Teacher
Prize is one of the most
prestigious education
awards presented in the
world.
Salguero and nine
other finalists have been
selected from over 10,000
nominations and applications
from 179 countries
around the world, to put it
in perspective.
She’s also the only
American to be a 2019 finalist
and also the first
music educator to do so as
well.
Salguero will be traveling
to Dubai, UAE from
St. Patrick’s Day to at least
Sunday, March 24 to learn
who will win the milliondollar
grant.
Her approach to education
through music is an
unorthodox, yet very well
received one by her ensemble
of students.
From turning carrots
into wind instruments
(one of her personal favorite
approaches), to configuring
things like Xbox
controllers and bananas
into electronic keyboards,
and most lately concocting
a drum that makes pepper
flakes vibrate are just
some examples of how she
allows creativity to shine
through her teaching
methods, making sound
waves become tangible.
She was even honored at
the 2018 Grammy Awards
as Music Educator of the
Year and appeared on Ellen
in 2014, although Salguero
speculated that the
ceremony in Dubai could
rival her trip to the Grammys
.W
hen Salguero handled
the lengthy application for
the Global Teacher Prize,
it made her reflect on a
lengthy and illustrious career
in music education.
The Bronx portion of
her journey began just under
a decade ago, P.S. 48
was much more quiet then
and Salguero was walking
door to door with resumes
in hand, commuting from
Bridgeport, CT.
After landing a job in
the instrument-less Hunts
Point school, Salguero essentially
built the music
program from the ground
up.
“Before we had instruments
I knew I had to build
trust with the kids,” said
Salguero.
“It started with me playing
Don’t Stop Believing on
my guitar during the first
day and then the kids just
took over,” she added.
Journey-forward to 2019
and that school has one of
the most renowned music
programs in the city, let
alone the Bronx.
“My students come in
an hour before school for
band now,” Salguero said,
noting that the school
battled with attendance
issues but since the music
program took off those
numbers have improved
greatly.
During her own adolescent
period Salguero
struggled with academic
subjects as she battled with
dyslexia. When she joined
her own high school band
it gave Salguero a bold
sense of accomplishment
she hadn’t felt before.
“Music has saved my
life,” she said.
Since Salguero’s ambition
to teach has put her
in the national spotlight
a multitude of times, it
opened her eyes to the opportunities
that could
come.
“The vision gets broader
and broader,” she said.
More than reaching out
and touching the lives of
students, what Salguero
aims to do now is touch the
lives of music educators,
which will inadvertently
end up reaching more students
as well.
“Every school should
have music,” Salguero sai
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