Call Us 919-240-4054Anytime you use any product, whether it’s a computer, a clothes dryer, or anything else, you rightfully assume that it’s going to work and that you won’t be injured if you use it for its intended purpose. Unfortunately, your safety and the product’s reliability aren’t guaranteed.
If you were injured by a defective product, contact a North Carolina personal injury attorney with Johnson & Groninger PLLC as soon as possible. We’ll determine what happened and will help you take necessary legal action against those responsible for your suffering. We’ll do everything we can to help you get the compensation you deserve.
To schedule your consultation with our personal injury attorneys who specialize in product liability, use our online contact form or call (704) 200-2009 today.
Types of product liability cases we handle
Our product liability team at Johnson & Groninger PLLC has routinely delivered results for our clients, including in the following areas.
Design defects
When a product is designed in a defective manner, it can be a serious danger to consumers. For example, if designers failed to include wall anchors or counterweights in a dresser, it may be prone to tipping over when the drawers are open, which can result in serious injuries.
In order to prove a design defect, your Charlotte product liability lawyer will typically need to show that the designer or engineer should have been aware of an alternative design that would’ve prevented an injury from occurring.
Manufacturing defects
These often involve poor workmanship, the use of low-quality materials, or a lack of proper quality control. The defect, for example, may not have been caught during the quality and assurance (Q&A) phase of manufacturing, or, an inspector may have failed to notice the defect as the product was taken off of the assembly line.
Marketing defects (failure to warn)
Even if a product was manufactured correctly and has no defects in design, a product may be unsafe, and therefore defective, if the manufacturer failed to include necessary warning labels or didn’t provide proper instructions on how to safely use the product.
Manufacturers have a duty to warn all users of any potential dangers and must provide clear instructions to help users avoid those dangers–they may be held liable for any injuries that result from their failure to adhere to that duty.
What to do if you or a loved one were injured by a defective product
- Obtain any immediate medical help necessary.
- If it’s safe to do so, take photographs and/or videos of the defective product and the location where the injury occurred. If possible, try to leave the product where it was when the injury occurred–this is considered preserving evidence for your attorney.
- Contact an experienced North Carolina personal injury attorney at Johnson & Groninger who will then investigate the circumstances surrounding the accident, help preserve additional evidence, and evaluate your injuries.
Damages you may be entitled to
If you’ve been injured or harmed by a defective product, you’re likely entitled to monetary losses known as damages. Here’s a look at the three types of damages you may be eligible to recover.
- Economic damages – These are the tangible losses you’ve suffered and are typically very easy to calculate. These include your medical bills, property damage, and wages and work benefits you lost if you missed work due to your injuries.
- Non-economic damages – Damages in this category are more subjective and are harder to calculate if you aren’t experienced in this area of law. These non-economic damages often include pain and suffering which includes the emotional trauma you experienced following your injuries.
- Punitive damages – These damages are intended to punish a defendant for their gross negligence, such as willfully producing a dangerous product. These damages aren’t guaranteed and are only awarded in some circumstances to deter others from engaging in similar behavior.
Why it’s important to bring a claim for a defective or dangerous product
No amount of money can make up for the suffering that you’ve endured, both physically and mentally, but an attorney can help you get the justice you seek and the compensation you need to pay for all the damages listed above.
Filing a lawsuit also holds the negligent company responsible for its carelessness, it might protect others from being injured by the product, and it will serve as a warning to that company and others to exercise necessary care to ensure that their products don’t cause any harm.
Common types of defective products
Just about any product can be negligently designed, manufactured, or marketed, but here are some of the most common defective products that can lead to serious injuries.
Cars and car parts
This is arguably the most dangerous type of defective product because it has thousands of parts, and if a car or a car part malfunctions, then drivers, passengers, and others on the road are at risk of debilitating injuries or death.
A defect in a vehicle could be due to a dangerous design, even if it was manufactured properly. The reverse could also be true–the design might have been safe, but there was an error in the manufacturing process, during shipping, or at the dealership where the car was sold.
Pharmaceutical drugs
The assumption when taking any medication is that it will help you, not hurt you. Sadly, many pharmaceutical drugs end up causing harm either on their own or through interactions with other drugs and products, all of which should’ve been caught during the research, testing, and manufacturing of the drug.
Food and drink products
When food and drink products aren’t manufactured with proper sanitary standards, or in cases of other negligence, consumers can become seriously ill. Foods and drinks that are stored improperly during shipping and by stores can become contaminated, which can also lead to illnesses such as food poisoning.
Medical devices
As incredible as the technology may be behind many of today’s medical devices, there are several instances where defects have led to a great deal of misery, causing much more harm than good. Some examples include malfunctioning cardiac devices, defective breast implants, and many more.
Children’s toys
When the joy of receiving a toy turns to horror, it can happen in an instant. Toys may, for example, contain harmful chemicals that can lead to devastating illnesses, or they may have been poorly designed and manufactured which can cause choking or other injuries.
When manufacturers know that their product may break easily and cause choking, use dangerous chemicals, or fail to disclose that their toys could be harmful they could possibly be forced to pay punitive damages.
Machinery and tools
When any tool or piece of machinery is defective, it can lead to significant injuries and disaster. In most cases, product manufacturers are required to inform users of the possible risks of misusing their machinery and tools, including reasonably predicted misuse of that equipment.
The manufacturer, and possibly even the vendor, could be held liable for the defect or for failing to provide proper notice of the potential safety hazards.
Household appliances
Everyday household items can be dangerous if they’re defectively manufactured or designed. For example, if made or installed improperly, stoves and ovens can emit potentially fatal levels of carbon monoxide, or they might leak gas or propane which results in an explosion when met with a spark.
Electronics
Just about everyone uses electronic devices on a daily basis and throughout the day. When a smartphone, tablet, or computer malfunctions, it can be far more than a mere annoyance–it can actually be dangerous.
These devices can sometimes explode for no apparent reason, igniting fires that cause extensive injuries, catastrophic property damage, and even death. People hurt by these devices should always protect their rights by hiring a North Carolina personal injury attorney.
Defective product to blame for your injury? Our Charlotte product liability lawyers can help.
Johnson & Groninger’s team of Charlotte personal injury attorneys are standing by to help you get the compensation you deserve if you’ve suffered an injury due to a defective product.
Our firm is dedicated to protecting the rights of those who have been harmed through no fault of their own – and to hold those responsible for that harm accountable for their negligence.
If you would like to take advantage of our expertise, please contact us online or call (704) 200-2009 to schedule your consultation today.
