When a consumer picks up a product from a store shelf and takes it home, there is an inherent assumption of safety. Consumers trust the product will not hurt them if used as instructed. But all too often, that trust is misplaced. When consumers get hurt by products, the responsible parties need to be held accountable.
Defective and dangerous products cause thousands of injuries to people and property damage in the U.S. every year. For example, in 2015, defective baby products sent nearly 70,000 children under five to the emergency room.
Product liability refers to the law that governs the responsibility of designers, manufacturers, and others, such as suppliers, distributors, and retailers, for injuries to a consumer or business caused by a defective or dangerous product. Designer and manufacturers generally have more insight and knowledge about their products than consumers do, so it falls to them to assume financial responsibility for any injuries or damage they case.
If you have been injured by a defective or dangerous product, it is important to get in touch with a product liability attorney quickly. Call Burg Simpson at (866) 649-8734 to speak to an experienced, caring product liability attorney. These cases are complicated and expensive endeavors, and our team has handled hundreds of these cases. Our experience and resources allow us to handle even the most complex product cases (including class actions) efficiently and effectively.
Types of Product Defects
Defects can come in almost any form, but they all fall into one of three general categories:
- Design defects: These product defects arise when a manufacturer designs a product in a way that is inherently dangerous. Design defect claims are independent of the manufacturing process. Cars, recreational equipment, consumer products, pharmaceuticals, and heavy equipment are a few of the products that hit the market with bad designs. These defects often lead to a safety recall by the manufacturer or regulators.
- Manufacturing defects: These flaws are a result of the manufacturing process. Manufacturing defects typically affect just a few of the company’s products. For example, a food processing plant that fails to properly clean or maintain its equipment can be held liable for contaminating a product – such as ice cream, juice, or produce – with deadly bacteria.
- Failure-to-warn defects: Manufacturers and sellers can also be held liable when they fail to warn that their products can be inherently dangerous. This failure to warn of defects can cause a product to be unreasonably dangerous. Consumers are used to seeing product warnings on nearly everything they buy. Vehicles, recreational equipment, baby products, toys, pharmaceuticals, and other consumer products pose dangers that can lead to serious injury or death.
What Are Some Examples of Defect Products?
Our experience and resources allow us to handle even the most complicated product cases efficiently and effectively. Our product liability lawyers have litigated a wide array of consumer products, including:
- Manufacturing equipment
- Medical devices
- Pharmaceutical products: Several of our attorneys have taken national leadership roles in massive defective drug litigation cases. For more information, see Dangerous Drugs.
- Motor vehicles
- Farming equipment
- Construction equipment
- Children’s products
- Tools
- Household products
- Appliances
- Building products
Call a Defective Product Lawyer at Burg Simpson
Burg Simpson has decades of experience in handling cases involving dangerous or defective products. When you need a product liability personal injury attorney to fight for you, we are here to help. Call us now at (866) 649-8734 or complete our FREE case evaluation form.