When a manufacturer makes a product, the manufacturer is obligated to make sure that product is safe. Unfortunately, manufacturers fail in this task all the time. Drugs come out that do not have proper warnings and that turn out to be dangerous and have terrible side effects. Cars are sold that accelerate on their own, flip over or burst into flames. Shoes melt on escalators, drywall destroys houses, and a whole host of other products cause devastating injuries to the customers whose lives the products were supposed to improve.
When you are harmed because of a product that you bought, the manufacturer has to be held accountable. A Beaumont personal injury attorney can help you to make the manufacturer pay for the harm - and the financial loss- that resulted from dangerous products unleashed to the public.
Product Liability Lawsuits and Your Beaumont Personal Injury Attorney
There are several different legal claims you can bring when a product is defective:
- You can sue the manufacturer (or seller or distributor of the product) under a legal theory called strict liability. Strict liability means the manufacturer is automatically liable for injuries that occurred if you were using the product the way you were supposed to be. You don't have to show that the manufacturer was negligent in any way- just that the product caused you to get hurt when used in the intended manner.
- You can sue the manufacturer for negligence. This legal theory works if you can prove that the manufacturer was lax in following safety guidelines or in overseeing the design and manufacturer of the product.
- You can sue the manufacturer for failure to warn. If a product is dangerous and the manufacturer doesn't tell you about the dangers, then the manufacturer can be liable for the injuries that result from those dangers.
- You can sue the manufacturer for a design defect. This is the right cause of action if there was something wrong with the design of the product that caused it to harm you.
Your Beaumont personal injury attorney will help you to decide how best to pursue your legal claim.
Collecting Damages With the Help of Your Beaumont Personal Injury Attorney
Your Beaumont personal injury attorney knows the ins-and-outs of product liability law and can help you to gather the evidence you need to have a solid case against the people who made or sold the defective product to you. Using this evidence, your lawyer can either help you to convince the manufacturer to settle your case for a reasonable sum of money or can help you to successfully convince a jury that you should be awarded damages.
Compensation for a defective product can include payment for the costs of medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of companionship and wrongful death. In some cases, punitive damages may apply as well. The damages can be significant, so speak to your Beaumont personal injury attorney today to protect your legal right to make a claim.