Consumers should be able to assume that products available for purchase on the market are safe to use or that unsafe products contain appropriate warnings. However, many products on the market may be defective. When they are, individuals can be harmed by various types of personal and household products.
When a product does not perform as expected, it can cause serious injuries. Products can be defective when there is a flaw in its design, manufacturing process, or its lack of adequate warnings.
If you were injured by a product while using it as directed, a St. Louis defective products lawyer could help you pursue a claim against the responsible party for compensation. Skilled personal injury lawyers can help consumers fight for the financial recovery they deserve.
Common Types of Defects
Products with a defective design are flawed before they are manufactured or sold. Even if the product was manufactured flawlessly, nothing could have been done to make the product safer at that point because of the underlying design defect. Defectively designed products are inherently dangerous. As a result, they can cause harm to the person using the product. In successful claims for a defective product design, plaintiffs should demonstrate that an injury occurred as a result of a defect.
Defective Manufacturing
Manufacturing defects are not the result of a product’s design. They are typically the result of a flawed manufacturing process or equipment being used in a factory. Failure to adequately supervise the manufacturing process can also result in manufacturing defects.
Alternatively, the raw materials being used to manufacture a product could be faulty in some way that causes the product to be defective overall. Unlike a design defect which will be present in every product of its kind, it is possible that manufacturing defects will only be present in some units of a product.
Inadequate Warnings
Certain products may have dangers that are known to the product’s developers but would not be obvious to a consumer. These types of potentially dangerous products should contain instructions and warnings to prevent misuse. Additionally, even if a product comes with a warning label, these warning labels must adequately warn of the dangers of a product to prevent a company’s liability.
If a consumer is injured by a product that contained warnings, they may not be able to recover damages unless they can show the warning was not sufficient in communicating the risk of harm.
Who is Liable for Harmful Products?
There are several laws in St. Louis to protect consumers from defective products. Parties may be held responsible for the damages caused by defective products through several types of liability cases including negligence, breach of warranty, strict liability, and consumer protection.
Identifying the responsible party and basis for a products liability can be complicated and based on the specific facts of a case. A product’s designers, manufacturers, distributors, and sellers are all potential defendants in a products liability lawsuit.
Types of Defective Products
Defective products are not limited to any class or group of products. Any product has the potential to contain some type of defect that can cause harm. A St. Louis defective products attorney can handle cases involving:
- Motor vehicles
- Toys
- Electrical appliances
- Surgical equipment
- Personal products
- Baby products
- Sporting goods
- Tools
Consult with a St. Louis Defective Products Attorney Today
A dedicated team of St. Louis defective products lawyers could pursue compensation on your behalf and get the defective product that hurt you off the market. Lawyers know that every case is different and, as such, tailor legal strategies to the type of product that caused your injury and the specific circumstances of your case. To increase your chances of a successful defective products case, hire a compassionate injury lawyer today.