Thousands of people are injured daily by defective products. These products include household appliances and tools, machinery, automobiles, solvents and even consumables.

Investigation
If you have sustained an injury because of a product that has malfunctioned, or was defective, the initial investigation is vital to any case you may decide to pursue later. First, save any materials that are part of the defective product. If the item is in the hands of a third party – for example, if a vehicle has been impounded – notify all parties involved that the item is evidence and must not be altered or damaged in any way. Your attorney and any investigators he or she hires, will work to record all the details of the case. In some cases, you might need to be able to provide documentation of the item’s purchase.

Expert Testimony
Federal agencies such as the Consumer Product Safety Commission monitor accidents caused by products and issue periodic bulletins on defective products and devices. These cases also require engineering experts to review the product and its design and give opinions as to its defective nature; lawyers often have the best channels for contacting such experts.

Examples of some recent high-profile defective product liability cases include:

  • Lead paint
  • Contaminated food such as peanut butter or dog food
  • Malfunctioning automobiles

Several torts may apply in a defective product case:

Negligence
To show negligence, a plaintiff must prove that the manufacturer owed a duty to the plaintiff, the manufacturer breached that duty and caused the plaintiff’s injury, and damages were suffered because of the breach. The plaintiff also must show that her or she would not have been injured if it were not for the manufacturer’s negligence and that the manufacturer should have known the dangers.

Misrepresentation
In this situation, the product does not necessarily have to be defective. Instead, damages may be recovered if the plaintiff shows that the manufacturer provided false or misleading information about a product. The plaintiff may recover damages if he or she was injured as a result of relying on false information. Tortious misrepresentation may appear in one of three basic forms.

Warranty
A plaintiff may be able to collect damages if he or she is injured because a product does not live up to the warranty (guarantee) of the manufacturer.

If you have been injured because of a defective product, or any other manufacturing problem, contamination or product malfunction, you should contact an attorney to handle your case. A product liability attorney from Meehan Law Firm can help you pursue damages in the case of a defective product. The personal injury attorneys at the Meehan Law Firm in St. Louis, Missouri have successfully represented the rights of injured victims for more than 23 years. Medical bills, lost wages and prescription costs add up fast after an accident, and profit-driven insurance companies often delay payment, creating a financial nightmare for you, the victim. The personal injury attorneys at the Meehan Law Firm in Missouri and Illinois stand up to large corporations to make sure you are treated fairly and get the compensation you deserve.

http://injury.findlaw.com/defective-dangerous-products/defective-dangerous-products-law/legal-basis-for-liability-in-product-cases.html

http://injury.findlaw.com/defective-dangerous-products/defective-dangerous-products-law/defective-dangerous-products-law-fault.html

http://injury.findlaw.com/defective-dangerous-products/defective-dangerous-products-law/case-preparation-issues.html