When buy a product, you automatically assume that it’s been manufactured with your safety and satisfaction in mind. It’s one thing if you buy an electric kettle that keeps malfunctioning and it’s another if it malfunctions and electrocutes you or causes severe burns because of a flaw in the product design.
No one should ever have to suffer alone because a company was negligent. You should get the compensation you deserve by working with a Hyannis product liability attorney who’s experienced and knowledgeable about product liability.
What Kinds of Products Can Harm You?
If a product is manufactured, there’s a high chance it might have a defect that can harm you. There are so many products out there and we have made a list of the most common ones.
Toys
Toys can be harmful one way or another. They can have small parts that cause chocking in kids or they can be made out of harmful material. If the toy does not have a label that clearly indicates the flaws that the product has, then you can file for a lawsuit if your child is harmed one way or another.
Prescription Drugs
It’s very unlikely that you would think of drugs that you buy at the pharmacy as being defective. But if they are supposed to help you with a certain condition and they don’t, then they can be considered defective. If they also produce serious side effects in your body that you weren’t warned of, you can sue the manufacturer for producing a defective drug.
Contaminated Food
You have probably at one time or another eaten at a restaurant and experienced a bad reaction to the food. This happens in both small and large chain restaurants. However, when you suffer from more than food poisoning, you might have a case. Similarly, if a large number of people suffer from food poisoning from the same restaurant, you also might have a case.
SUVs, Trucks and Cars
If one part of a car isn’t designed properly, it can lead to a fatal accident. If the rollover bars are not strong enough to protect those inside the car in the event of an accident or if the brakes malfunction while driving, you can file a civil suit. Other issues that can be problematic include seatbelts that snap open and airbags that fail to deploy.
Medical Devices
An accident might happen and we might have to undergo a medical procedure that requires implantation of a medical device. The device is meant to improve our quality of life but it does not always happened that way because the device ends up failing. The device might be FDA approved it can still have defects. The group that’s most likely to be affected by these medical devices are senior citizens although anyone can be affected.
Baby Products
Not all baby products are checked thoroughly to ensure that they are safe for our children. Over the recent years, cribs, car seats and other items have been recalled because of safety issues. And recently, Johnson & Johnson admitted that their baby products contained carcinogens.
Bike Helmets
Bike helmets are meant to protect you from head injuries. If they don’t protect you when they are supposed to, you can sue the manufacturers.
What Problems Can Defective Products Cause?
Most defective products either kill or injure someone or they cause property damage. Personal injuries include:
- Death
- Illness
- Spinal cord injuries
- Head trauma
- Fractures
- Burns and scarring
- Electrocution
Property damage includes:
- Corrosion
- Flooding
- Fire
- Rust
- Impact damage
How Can You Tell You Have a Defective Product?
Marketing Defects
If a product does not come with sufficient warnings or instructions for usage, and you suffer an injury as a result, you can hold the company liable.
Design Defect
This affects an entire line of products. For instance, if the manufacturer uses a decorative element to hide the steam valve on an electric kettle and as a result, you are burned by the steam, this can be considered a design defect.
Product Defect
This usually occurs at the manufacturing stage and typically affects only one product.
If you are an accident victim and you are not sure whether a defective product caused your injury, you can talk to our experienced Hyannis product liability attorney by dialing 508-775-1660 or you can visit our Hyannis offices for a free initial consultation.
