We in the United States have a long, proud history of coming up with new ideas, and new products to make life easier, more comfortable, more fun, or more enriching. Everyone enjoys the fun and excitement of getting something new, but everyone probably also knows the disappointment of getting that new product home and discovering that it doesn’t work. In most cases, this is nothing more than an inconvenience; the product is broken or doesn’t work properly, so you take it back to where you bought it for an exchange or a refund. Unfortunately, in some cases, the defective product is dangerous, and people get seriously injured. Every year, a number of companies issue recalls of products that they have put on the market, which have subsequently proven to be defective. An experienced Wisconsin product liability lawyer may be able to help you recover compensation for injury or property damage due to product defects. These defects generally fall into three categories:
- Design Defects: This means that the design of the product is defective in a way that causes the product to be potentially hazardous. An example might be an electronic device in which a poorly designed switch is prone to melting down. This could cause the device to be a fire hazard.
- Manufacturing Defects: Manufacturing defects are exactly what they sound like; a well-designed product was poorly manufactured. Sometimes, this is an issue of a bad manufacturing process, in which each item will possess the defect, and sometimes a single item somehow was manufactured incorrectly. When the defect is a result of the manufacturing process, the result is often a recall of the product.
- Marketing Defect or Failure to Warn: Many products that people use are or can be hazardous in some way. Power tools, electric or gas appliances, automobiles, and tobacco products are all examples of perfectly legal products that have the potential to be hazardous. Manufacturers of potentially hazardous products are required to provide warning to consumers of the potential danger of those products. Failure to do so is considered a marketing defect, and leaves the manufacturer open to product liability.
Product Liability claims tend to fall into several categories. Just a few examples:
- Defective Electrical Appliances
- Defective Electronic Devices
- Defective Baby Products
- Defective Automotive Products
Product liability claims are different from many other personal injury claims in that a successful claim may not only recover compensation for your injuries and property damages, but it is likely to also result in a recall of the product, so that you not only get help recovering from your injuries, but you actually protect other people from suffering similar injuries in the future. However, these cases can be very difficult to pursue, and Milwaukee product liability attorneys need to possess a high degree of legal expertise.
If you or a family member have been injured by a product that was defectively designed, manufactured, or marketed, contact an experienced Wisconsin product liability law firm immediately. In some cases, there may be a class action lawsuit against the manufacturer that you can join, meaning that a number of people have suffered similar injury and are collectively suing the manufacturer. Conversely, the details of your case may indicate that it would be better for you to take action individually. The dedicated Waukesha product liability attorneys at Jastroch & LaBarge can meet with you for a FREE CONSULTATION in which they can consider the details of your situation and help you decide how to proceed. For more information, contact Jastroch & LaBarge today at (877)558-5855.
