What is a Defective Product?

A product is considered legally “defective” if it is unreasonably dangerous for consumers when used as intended. Defective products are governed by state and federal product liability laws, which give consumers the right to seek compensation for their injuries or property damage resulting from that faulty product. Product liability cases can include many situations, from a defective automobile part that causes a crash to an insufficient warning label on a medication that leads to serious medical conditions.

Typical Damages Our Product Liability Lawyers Recover For Injured Clients

When consumers buy something in the marketplace, they have the right to assume the product will work as intended and not harm them. For example, if you spend thousands of dollars on a vehicle, you expect it will safely transport you to your destination. If a car part fails due to a design defect or poor construction and causes an accident, you could be seriously injured and incur extensive bills and losses.

Product liability laws allow injured people to recover financial losses associated with a defective product. A personal injury lawyer at Walner Law can explain which damages you can request after being injured by a dangerous product. In general, we help recover the following common losses for our clients:

Economic damages – these out-of-pocket expenses can be verified by records, receipts, and documentary proof. They include:

• Medical expenses – for current and future medical care, therapy, medications, and other costs related to the injuries caused by the defective product.
• Lost income – including lost wages if you missed work and future loss of income if you cannot return to work in the same capacity after your injury.
• Personal property losses – if you must repair or replace any items of personal property, like your vehicle, you should not have to bear that cost alone.

Non-economic damages – although more difficult to value, these damages are very real and can be substantial. They may include:

• Pain and suffering – the physical toll and emotional damage you may experience after a serious injury.
• Loss of life enjoyment – when your injuries keep you from doing the things you enjoyed before, or everyday activities are more difficult or impossible because of accident-related restrictions.
• Loss of consortium – if your family relationships are harmed by the experience caused by a defective product.
• Mental anguish – the distress you may suffer as a result of shock, humiliation, or embarrassment after a tragic accident.

Punitive damages – a court may award these damages to punish a company for extremely outrageous behavior, not to compensate an injured person’s losses. Punitive awards are uncommon and difficult to prove. A skilled product liability attorney in our Chicago office can review your situation and explain if you qualify for punitive damages.

The product liability claim process is complicated and demanding. While you are recovering from injuries and facing financial losses, you shouldn’t have to prepare legal documents, negotiate with insurance adjusters, and fight for your legal rights. Let us shoulder those burdens for you.

Why Choose Walner Law to Bring Your Product Liability Claim?

With decades of experience handling personal injury cases, our product liability law firm is dedicated to providing top-tier legal services to help our clients navigate the legal maze of injury claims. If you need quality medical care during your case, help replacing a vehicle, or just want to know where your claim stands, we are here to help 24/7.

Also, since we accept injury claims on a contingency fee basis, you won’t pay anything up front and no fees at all unless we recover compensation for you. We are here to help you recover the money you need to move forward in your life, not cause additional financial strain. We can explain how this system works during a confidential and free consultation.

At Walner Law®, we believe that no consumer should have to fear harm from the products they use. For our team of product injury lawyers, your lawsuit isn’t just about money, it’s about holding the responsible party liable.

We’re available for you 24/7

Contact us to schedule a free case evaluation with our experienced legal team. We are here to support you every step of the way.

Types of Product Liability Cases We Handle

Each year, thousands of American consumers are injured by dangerous or defective products. When defects and flaws are reported in 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.

Unfortunately, not all companies take the steps they should and many don’t accept responsibility for the harm they cause. Some accident victims are forced to pursue a product liability lawsuit against these companies for failing to prevent their personal injury. The product liability lawyers at Walner Law are ready to fight the big corporations that place profit above safety and protect the consumers they harm.

Three Basic Types of Injury Cases Our Product Liability Lawyers Accept

A product liability claim or lawsuit can be filed against those responsible for introducing a dangerous product into the marketplace. Potential defendants may include the manufacturer, the marketer and distributor, and independent firms hired to test its safety. Three potential legal theories presented in these cases include:

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, fails to address known dangers, or makes an oversight that causes injury, they should be held accountable for the damages they cause.

Manufacturing defects: This form of defect typically occurs when a product is designed properly but some type of negligence occurs during the manufacturing process that leads to an unsafe product. If a product manufacturer uses cheap parts to save money and the product fails to work properly, consumers can be susceptible to severe injuries and even death. Some of these defects result from cutting corners, while others may be honest mistakes that occur during production. Regardless, manufacturers, distributors, and others can be held liable.

Failure to warn, insufficient warnings, or defective instructions: When a product does not contain 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 results could be tragic. Users could suffer a significant allergic reaction or require emergency medical care. In some of the most tragic cases, wrongful death is possible. If an insufficient warning caused you to use a product unsafely, 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 unsafely.

Contact the Chicago Product Liability Lawyers at Walner Law for a Free Consultation Today

When you schedule a free consultation with a Chicago personal injury attorney at Walner Law, we will closely review your product liability case for free, explain how the product liability laws work, and describe how you can move forward with your dangerous or defective product claim. If you live in the Chicago area and have been injured by a defective product, call us at 312-410-8496 or fill out our simple online contact form today to learn more.