Hammond Product Liability Attorneys

When you purchase any consumer product, you expect that product to be safe to use as directed. Unfortunately, defective and dangerous products cause thousands of injuries every year in the U.S. and past products have even been implicated in fatalities.

Hundreds of products are recalled annually due to defects and other problems connected with their use. These recalls often occur, however, after a product has been on the market and in use by countless people.

‍Such products can include (but are not limited to):

Prescription or over-the-counter drugs

Medical devices

Autos and their component parts

Cosmetics

Children’s toys and gear

Tools

Machinery

Food

Small appliances

Batteries

Consumer products can be defective in three ways: in the manufacturing process, in how they were designed, and in their marketing or labeling.

Manufacturing Defects

A manufacturing defect is one that has occurred at the factory where the product was created or assembled. An example of this would be an automobile assembled with defective tires, an over-the-counter painkiller that was created with a toxic substance, or a child’s crib painted with lead-based paint.

Design Defects

A design defect consists of a flaw in the original design of the product that proves to be dangerous when used. An example of this could be a teakettle whose design causes steam to hit the user’s hands creating burns, the design of an SUV that causes it to rollover when braked, or an electric shaver that continually shocks users.

Marketing Defects

A marketing defect occurs when the manufacturer fails to provide proper or strong enough warnings or instructions as to how to use the product. This type of defect has been common in pharmaceuticals in the past where warnings regarding side effects were omitted or instructions as to how to properly take the drug when also taking other drugs or alcohol were lacking.