Compensation For Injuries Caused By Dangerous Products
When manufacturers and distributors produce goods that are dangerous, consumers can suffer considerably. These kinds of injuries often lead to a lifetime of consequences requiring considerable compensation. Our team at The Law Offices of Mark D. VanCleave, PLLC, knows the difficulties faced by victims of dangerous products. We offer our Texas clients aggressive and committed representation with all types of product liability cases, and we are ready to help you.
Product Liability Cases
If you have used a product as it was intended (or in a manner reasonably foreseeable by the designers of the product) and you were injured, you may have a product liability claim. Under Texas law, product liability cases generally fall under three broad categories: injury due to product design defects, injury due to product manufacturing defects, and injury due to inadequate warnings on or accompanying the product.
Defective Design Injuries
A product that is dangerous due to a defective design means that the product has a fundamental flaw or defect. One of the most famous examples of a product with a defective design was the 1970s Ford Pinto. The Pinto had a defectively-designed gas tank that greatly increased the risk of a fire in a rear-end collision. A more recent example would be the Toyota models with a gas pedal design that caused sudden, unintended acceleration.
Other examples of design defects include drop-side cribs, hip implant devices that cause metal debris to be released into the patient’s bloodstream, and cigarette lighters without a child safety lock.
Defective Manufacturing Injuries
Some products have a safe design but become dangerous during the manufacturing process. This can occur because of a choice by the manufacturer to deviate from design protocols by using cheaper materials or sometimes because of an error on the manufacturing line. The consumer can receive serious injuries when a defectively manufactured product malfunctions. (Note: It can be very difficult to determine whether a dangerous product is defective in its design or in its manufacturing, particularly when the designer and manufacturer are the same entity. For this reason, a product liability claim often asserts both theories of liability.)
Examples of manufacturing defects include seatbelts with faulty latch or clasp, a firearm with a malfunctioning safety, or a kitchen blender with a missing retaining ring.
Injuries From A Failure To Warn
Products with inadequate warnings are also referred to as having defective marketing. When a product has been designed and manufactured to be as safe as possible but still poses some risks to the consumer, the consumer must be given adequate warning. A manufacturer does not have to warn of dangers that are or should be obvious to the consumer, but it must warn of dangers that exist when the consumer is using the product in a way that is reasonably foreseeable.
Examples of inadequate warnings include medications that don’t contain instructions about potential side-effects or dangerous combinations with other medications (also called contra-indications), drinks that are served at extremely hot temperatures without a warning (such as in the famous McDonald’s case), and topical ointments that do not warn against internal use.
Get Fair And Full Compensation
A successful plaintiff in a product liability case can recover actual damages, such as medical bills and lost wages, as well as compensatory damages for pain and suffering. In some cases, exemplary damages (commonly known as punitive damages) can be recovered if the manufacturer’s conduct is so bad that it should be punished.
Use our online form or call 281-720-6881 to contact your Baytown product liability attorney. We offer personal injury representation on a contingency basis.