When we buy a toy to give to our child, we expect that toy to be safe. Similarly, when we buy an appliance from a hardware store, we assume that it will not hurt us during normal usage. Unfortunately, sometimes the products that we trust to be safe end up causing us serious harm. If you sustained injuries due to your use of a product, you might be eligible for financial relief in a personal injury lawsuit against the people responsible for your injuries. Call a Fort Mill defective products lawyer today to arrange an initial consultation to discuss the details of what caused you harm.
What are the Most Common Types of Defective Products?
Product liability lawsuits can involve any product that causes harm to consumers. An injured person can file a product liability lawsuit anytime they sustain an injury from using a product according to its operating instructions or in a manner in which a reasonable consumer would use it. Often, litigation involves the following types of defective products:
- Faulty car parts
- Dangerous children’s products or toys
- Dangerous prescription or over the counter drugs
- Flammable clothes
- Faulty household products, such as appliances
- Defective medical devices
- Damaged food, such food contaminated by listeria
- Toxic and dangerous chemicals in consumer products such as cleaning products
A diligent defective products attorney could explain all aspects of federal and state law regarding product liability litigation.
What are the Most Common Types of Defects Found in Products?
Cases involving defective products generally involved defective designs, defective manufacturing, or defective marketing issues.
Defective Designs
Product designers have a duty to design products that are safe for their intended uses. Sometimes, the design of a product is inherently defective or dangerous. If a product has a design defect, it will be dangerous even if it is manufactured and produced correctly. With a design defect, all of the models in the product line will have the same problem. For example, if the car’s defective design makes it top-heavy, all of the models of that car may be prone to rolling over.
Defective Production or Manufacturing
Manufacturers need to produce safe products. They must follow stringent federal and state safety guidelines when they produce and build their products in order to minimize the risk of production errors and manufacturing flaws. They must ensure that their products undergo testing. If a car’s airbags suddenly deploy for no reason, that could be an example of a manufacturing defect.
Defective Marketing
Manufacturers need to warn their consumers if they know about any risks that their product could potentially pose. Manufacturers must disclose any potential risks of a product on the product’s packaging or operating instructions. When they communicate risks, manufacturers also need to consider all foreseeable misuses of their product that a reasonable consumer could devise.
A claimant could sue a manufacturer on the grounds of defective marketing if the manufacturer failed to include clear instructions on how to use the product safely or if the manufacturer advertised that the product was safer than it actually was. An example of a marketing defect would be if a consumer purchased an appliance that ended up hurting them because it came with no operating instructions.
An attorney could work together with industry experts to see if the manufacturer met the local, state, and federal industry safety standards concerning design, testing, and production. They would also review the operating instructions to check to see if there were sufficient warnings.
Schedule a Consultation With a Local Defective Products Attorney Today
Product liability litigation involves complex local, state, and federal rules and regulations. It is essential to work with a law firm with the necessary experience and the dedication required to fight for your rights. Call a Fort Mill defective products lawyer today to see if they can assist you.