3 Issues That Can Be Addressed in Product Liability Lawsuits

Ensuring Product Reliability and Safety

The products people purchase and use should be reliable, they should function correctly, and they should be safe. While this may seem obvious to anyone who buys or uses consumer products, it is an important principle that may play a role in cases where products cause people to suffer serious injuries and death. In these situations, injury victims may be able to take action to address the harm they have suffered, and they may be able to pursue compensation from the parties who were responsible for allowing defective products to be sold.

When products are defective, they can injure people in a variety of ways. They may break down without warning, or they may fail to provide the expected safety features, leading to serious injuries or death for people who relied on them to protect their safety. Even when functioning as expected, some products may cause injuries because people were not informed about the potential safety risks. In cases involving defective products.

Design Defects

A product liability claim may be brought to prove there were design defects that caused a product to be dangerous. If a product’s designer failed to account for issues that affected the product’s functions, or if they did not consider how the use of the product could lead to safety concerns, they may be held liable for injuries that occur as a result.

Some examples of design defects in products include:

• The wiring systems in home appliances may not have been designed in a way that accounted for temperature changes in different climates. Continuing use of the appliance may cause wires to become loose, leading to an increased risk of electrical fires.
• A large vehicle such as a van or SUV may be designed in a way that causes it to be top-heavy and overturn. If designers failed to consider how this type of vehicle would be able to negotiate curves at higher speeds, rollover accidents may occur.
• The design of children’s products such as swings or rockers may not have accounted for the ways children can move, causing children to become entangled in safety belts or straps and potentially leading to strangulation.

Manufacturing Defects

In some cases, products may become unsafe because the correct procedures were not followed during the manufacturing or packaging process. A product that was not assembled correctly may break down, or the use of the wrong materials may lead important components to fail. In these cases, a company that was responsible for manufacturing the product may be held liable.

Examples of manufacturing defects include:

• xThe wrong materials may be used during the process of manufacturing a vehicle’s brake pads. This may cause brakes to be faulty, restricting drivers’ ability to slow down and stop correctly, which can lead to car accidents.
• Children’s toys may be assembled incorrectly, causing small parts to come loose. This can create dangerous choking hazards for children.
• If the proper procedures are not followed when packaging food products, they may become contaminated with infectious diseases or other toxic substances, causing the people who consume these products to become seriously ill.

Failure to Warn

In addition to making sure products function correctly, manufacturers and sellers must make sure people are informed about how to use products safely. They must also provide warnings about the risks involved in using a product and the types of injuries that may occur if products are used incorrectly. By providing instructions on the safe use of products, manufacturers and retailers can prevent unsafe behavior and make sure people are protected against potential harm. However, if the proper instructions and warnings are not provided, injuries can occur, and victims may be able to take action to pursue compensation for this failure to protect their safety.

Examples of injuries that can occur because of failure to warn include:

• Pharmaceutical manufacturers may fail to inform doctors and consumers of the potential side effects of using certain medications. People may also suffer harm if they are not warned about the harmful effects that can occur when medications are used at the same time as other substances. These issues can have detrimental effects on people’s health, and they may even lead to life-threatening medical conditions.
• The makers of children’s products may fail to inform parents that they have small parts that could create choking hazards for younger children. When parents or childcare providers are not informed of the age limits for products or the potential for injuries, children may suffer serious harm or be killed as a result.
• Power tools or other electrical appliances may not provide warnings about improper uses that could potentially cause injuries. If consumers do not know what activities they should avoid when using these products, they may attempt to use the tools in unsafe ways. Because of the fast-moving components and other potentially harmful parts of many tools, they can inflict serious bodily harm, including severe lacerations, amputations or death.

Get Help From a Product Liability Attorney

People who are injured by defective products may be unsure about their options. However, with the help of an experienced Collin County product liability lawyer, they can determine whether products were unreasonably unsafe due to design defects, manufacturing defects, or a lack of proper warnings and instructions. A skilled attorney can pursue compensation from a product manufacturer or other parties who were responsible for allowing an unsafe product to be designed, assembled or sold. They can ensure victims can recover compensation for damages such as medical expenses, loss of income, pain, physical impairment, disfigurement, and loss of consortium. This can not only ensure that a victim will be able to recover from an injury as much as possible, but it can also protect others from being injured by the same products.