US PRODUCT LIABILITY LAW

Every day thousands of consumers are exposed to the hazards of defective products, whether from unsafe prescription drugs like Rezulin or Propulsid, defective baby seats, dangerous automobile tires or lead paint.

When products injure people, it’s important to make certain manufactures pay for the harm they cause and fix defects before they injure or kill other members of the public.

Product liability refers to the legal liability of manufacturers and sellers to compensate buyers, users, and even bystanders, for damages or injuries suffered because of defects in goods purchased.

TYPES OF PRODUCT DEFECTS

Manufacturing defect: The product is well designed, but the way in which it was made makes it unsafe. Maybe the kind of plastic used was weak and that caused the plastic to break when it should have been sturdier.

Design defect: The design of the product is unsafe, so the entire product line is unreasonably dangerous. See if there’s a better way to design the product and whether it makes sense to do so. Design defects also apply to the way a product is packaged. For example, if a drug is supposed to be sold in a childproof container and it’s not, and a child takes the drug and dies, the manufacturer can be held responsible.

Insufficient instructions or warnings: The manufacturer may design a product that’s perfectly safe and has no manufacturing defects, but then fails to include proper warnings or instructions for safe operation.

Any or all parties along the chain of manufacture for a product can be held liable for damage caused by the product. The chain of liability for a product ranges from the manufacturer of component parts of a product all the way down to the retailer. The assembling manufacturer and the wholesaler can also be held liable for product liability.

Product liability claims can be filed by either the consumer of the product, or by someone to whom the product was loaned or given. While there is no federal product liability law, most states have product liability laws.

Do you feel that you have a legitimate product liability claim? If so, you should immediately contact a qualified personal injury attorney in your area. The attorney can then advise you on how to proceed with your case.