Your health and safety matter. That’s why governments enact laws to protect consumers from harmful products. Despite extensive consumer protection laws and regulations, some manufacturers negligently allow harmful products to enter the marketplace without proper vetting or quality control. If a dangerous or defective product injured you, you have the right to take legal action.
A product liability case is the best way to seek the financial compensation and the justice you deserve in Michigan. Christensen Law can help. Our experienced Southfield defective product attorneys hold designers and manufacturers accountable when their poorly made products injure others.
Our accomplished legal team is ready to listen to your story, answer your questions, and help you get back on your feet if a defective product has hurt you. Your well-being is more important than anything else, and we’ll leverage our decades of experience to build a strong case for maximum compensation for you.
Building a case against a negligent corporation takes time. Let’s get started today. Contact us for a free case review with a dedicated Southfield product liability lawyer.
Common Types of Product Liability Cases
Nearly every consumer product you can buy today has gone through a lengthy design and manufacturing process. But this doesn’t mean the makers of these products always do a good job. The need to offset the cost of manufacturing and make big profits means they may feel extra pressure to cut corners. This increases the chances of dangerous products making their way onto the market — and consequently putting consumers like you at risk.
Victims can hold the people and companies who put these products on the market responsible for their injuries — an area of the law known as product liability.
Common types of product liability claims involve goods with a:
- Defective design: Nearly all products go through an extensive design process, during which industrial designers consider the product’s goals, how people may use it, and its potential to cause injury. But sometimes, companies rush the process or compromise the design to get the product out the door and start making money. That can lead to the creation of dangerous products that never have been made.
- Defective manufacturing: Modern manufacturing can create products with astonishing speed. But that doesn’t mean these products are perfect. Manufacturers may produce defective parts and let through harmful units during the quality-control process. The result could be a defective product that hurts you.
- Failure to provide instructions or warnings: Manufacturers need to include appropriate warnings and information about using their products. A failure to do so could violate the law and could lead to major injuries for consumers.
- Breach of warranty: Most products also have an implied warranty of merchantability or fitness. A manufacturer may also make an express warranty (orally or in writing) about the quality or safety of its product.
To win a product liability case, the victim must show the product was defective and caused injuries or damages that can be remedied with compensation. However, the Michigan Product Liability Act also requires claimants to show there was a “practically and technically feasible” way that the product could have been made without creating equal or greater risk to other consumers. An experienced defective products lawyer can consult with design and manufacturing experts to help identify these alternatives and prove your case.
Steps to Take After a Southfield, MI Defective Product Accident
Take the following steps if a defective product injured you:
- Preserve the defective product. To prevail in a product liability claim, you will need to show that the product was dangerous or defective in some way. Keep the product exactly as it was at the time of the accident. Don’t try to repair it or open it to see what went wrong. Experts and investigators can handle that part later.
- Gather the evidence. This includes records concerning the purchase of the product and medical records documenting your injuries and the treatment you received. These documents can help establish a link between your product use and your injuries.
- Speak with a defective product lawyer in Southfield. Defective product lawyers regularly work with clients on consumer safety matters. They can answer your questions, help you understand the law, and advise you on the detailed actions you can take to pursue compensation for your losses.
- Identify who is at fault and your options for compensation. A product liability attorney can investigate who designed and made the product. In some cases, more than one company could be held liable for your injuries.
- Work with experts. In a product liability claim, engineering and medical experts can analyze the product and the extent of your injuries. Their opinions can strengthen your claim.
- File a product liability claim. Your attorney will build your case and file a defective products claim against the liable party’s insurance company. This will initiate the claims process and trigger settlement discussions.
Compensation in a Product Liability Claim
If you’ve been injured, you may be entitled to many different types of financial compensation. These could include money for:
- Medical bills
- Lost wages
- Lost earnings
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
The full range of compensation available to you will depend on the circumstances of your case. If you have questions, speak with a product liability lawyer in Southfield, MI today.
Contact a Southfield Product Liability Lawyer for Help
If a defective product has harmed you, contact the Michigan product liability lawyers at Christensen Law today. We’ll be ready to answer your questions, evaluate your situation, and help you seek fair compensation for the harm you’ve suffered.
The process begins with a free, no-obligation consultation. We’ll discuss the accident, who may be held liable, and review the financial losses and physical pain you’ve suffered. That will help us place an approximate value on what your case is worth.
Getting started is easy. Call or reach out to us online now.
