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The Three Types of Products Liability Suits

By Butler Prather LLP on June 17, 2021

The last thing that any person should have to worry about is that a product that they use or consume could cause them or their family harm. Unfortunately, defective products are not uncommon in this country. Almost every day, we hear about a major recall on the news. Sometimes the recall pertains to vehicles or foods and beverages. In other cases, recalls deal with appliances, workout equipment, and even children’s toys. Here, we want to discuss the three main types of product liability lawsuits that may occur, and they all revolve around different things that can go wrong with the products that end up in our homes.

Defective Designs and Product Liability Lawsuits

Before a product hits store shelves and eventually reaches our homes, it has to be thoroughly tested and inspected. There should be no circumstances where an untested product makes it into a consumer’s home. A single design flaw can lead to repercussions that last throughout a product’s life, and sometimes these problems are not discovered until years after the product has been used.

Even if a product has been put together carefully by manufacturers, a design defect will render it unsafe no matter what. For example, suppose a company manufacturers a “play” kitchen set for children ages three and under, but there are elements involved in the set that are small enough to become a choking hazard for children in this age range. This would be considered a design defect.

Another example would be a pesticide manufactured with a known carcinogen. Even though something like this should never occur, there are current examples of ongoing lawsuits related to this exact type of design defect.

Manufacturing Defects and Product Liability Lawsuits

Even products that have excellent designs that are completely safe for consumers could still become defective if they experience a manufacturing error. The reality is that products often go through many manufacturing stages, sometimes with different companies. If an error occurs along any of the manufacturing steps, this could render the product harmful for consumers.

For example, suppose an employee at a bicycle manufacturing company uses the wrong bolts to put the wheels on a bicycle. If the bicycle collapses on an individual while they are riding and causes injuries, this would be considered a manufacturing defect that could lead to a product liability lawsuit.

Additionally, if an additional ingredient gets added to soup during the manufacturing process, this could lead to a manufacturing defect that could cause significant harm. Suppose the additional ingredient is a known allergen that is not listed on the label. A person who is allergic to that particular ingredient could ingest the soup and have an allergic reaction.

Marketing Defects and Product Liability Lawsuits

Consumers need products to be properly advertised and labeled. This means that a product should include the proper instructions, warnings about side effects, ingredient lists, known hazards, side effect warnings, proper dosages, and more.

Even a well-designed and properly manufactured product could be harmful to consumers if the consumers do not have the right information about the use or consumption of the product.

Working With an Attorney

If you or somebody you care about has been injured due to the use or consumption of a faulty product, you need to work with an attorney immediately. A skilled Atlanta product liability attorney can use their resources to fully investigate the claim to determine liability. They will be able to stand up to aggressive insurance carriers and at-fault companies in order to secure the compensation injury victims deserve.

Posted in: Personal Injury


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