Defective Products

Types of Product Liability Cases

Each year, thousands of American consumers are injured because of dangerous or defective products. When defects and flaws are reported for a consumer product, it’s important for manufacturers to take swift and appropriate safety measures to ensure that their products don’t cause greater consumer harm. Some accident victims are forced to pursue a product liability lawsuit against these companies for failing to prevent their personal injury.

A product liability suit can be filed against those who are responsible for introducing a dangerous product into the marketplace, including the manufacturer, the marketer, and independent firms who were hired to test the safety of a product.

There are three basic types of product liability cases for defective products that can involve:

• Design defects: If a product’s original design is flawed, an entire line of consumer products can be dangerous and cause potential harm to consumers. If a product designer fails to add necessary safety features or makes an oversight that causes injury, that person should be held accountable under strict liability regulations.
• Manufacturing defects: This defect typically occurs when a product is designed properly, but there is some type of negligence during the manufacturing stage that leads to an unsafe product. If a product manufacturer used cheap parts to save money and the product fails to work properly, consumers can be left susceptible to severe injuries and even death. Some of these defects are the result of cutting corners, while others may be honest mistakes that occur in the production process. Regardless, manufacturers, distributors, and more can be held liable.
• Failure to warn, insufficient warnings, or defective instructions: When a product does not contain the appropriate warning labels, it could result in serious injury. For example, if the active ingredients associated with a certain medication are left off the packaging, the result could be tragic. Users could suffer a significant allergic reaction or require significant medical care. In some cases, wrongful death is even possible. If an insufficient warning prevented you from using the product in a safe manner, the person or entity responsible should be held liable for your injuries. Sometimes, unclear instructions can also make a product dangerous when a reasonable interpretation of instructions leads to the product being used in an unsafe manner.

Schedule a Free Case Evaluation Today

Here at Walner Law, we will take a look at your product liability case for free and let you know how to move forward with your product liability claim. If you live in the Chicago area and have been injured by a defective product, please contact our Chicago defective product lawyers today to learn more.