Product Liability
Consumers rely on hundreds of products each day…food products, health products, vehicles, electronic products, products for the home, leisure products, and many more. As consumers, we trust that the products will be safe for our use or consumption.
However, sometimes a product is not safe or fit for the purpose for which it was purchased. The product may be defective or, perhaps, not properly designed in the first place. Unfortunately, people can suffer injury from the defective product. Occasionally, homes suffer fires or destruction from faulty products.
When a person suffers injury or property is damaged due to defective product manufacturing or defective product design, it is necessary to determine who is responsible for the injury or property damage. The manufacturer, distributor, and vendor of the product all owe a duty to the consumer to manufacture, distribute, or sell only reasonably safe products otherwise they may be liable for any damage or injury suffered by the consumer.
If you have been injured or suffered property damage as a result of a faulty or defective product, there are steps you should take including:
- Seek appropriate medical attention if you are injured;
- Contact your insurer if the product has damaged your home or contents;
- Determine where you purchased the product;
- Determine when you purchased the product;
- Maintain any records of the purchase of the product including receipts, credit card bills, or points/rewards information;
- Maintain the packaging of the product in a safe place;
- Keep the product itself in a safe place for future examination by an expert. If the product is perishable, take photographs of the product from many angles, close-ups of the faulty part, and record the date of the photographs. Determine if the perishable item can be kept for future examination by freezing it, wrapping it, or having it professionally stored.
Have you had experience with a faulty product?
We recommend that you call a lawyer to provide you with advice regarding your legal rights in the event that you are injured or suffer property damage from a defective product.