If you have been hurt because of a consumer product, you may have a justifiable product liability claim. There are many kinds of defective product litigation, but these personal injury law claims usually fall into three categories: defective design, defective manufacture and failure to warn or instruct on proper use. Understanding these three categories will help you determine the validity of your claim, and it can help your Personal injury lawyer in Ann Arbor MI formulate an effective strategy.
Defective Manufacturing
The most common kind of liability claim is for defective manufacturing. A poorly made product has some kind of error at the point of manufacture, and is different from comparable products. Typical manufacturing defects include:
* Cracked parts on children’s toys
* Cough medicine with toxins
* Cars with substandard or missing brake parts
In any case, the defect must be responsible for your injury. If you in any way contributed to the accident, you would have a hard time proving that the manufacturing defect caused your injuries.
Defective Design
In the second category, products have defective or dangerous design. These claims don’t arise from manufacturing mistakes, but they involve claims that the entire product line is dangerous. Examples of design defects are:
* Cars that tend to roll over
* Sunglasses with no UV protection
* Electric blankets that carry the risk of shock
Again, you must prove that your injuries were caused by poor design. If you have an accident while driving a rollover-prone vehicle, you could only bring a claim if you prove that the crash was due to a rollover.
Failure to Warn or Instruct
The third category involves failure to warn or instruct on the proper use of a product. These claims involve products that are dangerous in ways not obvious to the user. Examples include:
* Cough syrups that don’t list drug interactions
* Paint removers that come without safe use and handling instructions
* As with the other two categories, you must prove that the injury came from failure to instruct or warn.
Depending on the nature of your case, you may want to hire a personal injury lawyer in Ann Arbor MI. Some lawyers focus on product liability cases, and have the knowledge necessary to prove that your injuries were the result of a poor-quality product. For help with a product liability case, call a local attorney today.
