Hartford Defective Products Lawyer
Manufacturers, distributors, and vendors have a special responsibility to their customers. When a defective product causes injury, the injured party can file a product liability lawsuit against the product’s manufacturer or vendor. Depending on the specific cause of the injury, the claim may involve a defect in design or manufacture, or a failure to warn of an unreasonable risk of injury.
The product liability attorneys at the Hartford Law Offices of Andrew J. Cates, LLC offers free case evaluations for people in Connecticut who believe they have a product liability claim. Please call us today toll free at (800) 330-4988 or (860) 522-7044, or contact us online.
Some products involved in product liability cases include:
- Medication – Drug product liability cases may focus on the manufacturer’s warning label having been inadequate or the drug’s negative side effects causing significant injury or even death.
- Defective consumer products – Defective consumer products may include improperly designed or manufactured toys, cars, home appliances, and other consumer goods.
- Defective machinery – Workers are often injured on the job because of equipment that was poorly designed (for instance without proper safety features).
- Food – Farmers, food packagers, and vendors are responsible for selling food items which are clean and safe to eat. Every year the hundreds of thousands of packaged food products are recalled due to being unsafe for human consumption.
Kinds of Product Defects
There are three general kinds of product defects, including:
- Design defects – Design defects are those defects which arise from the very design of a product, a design which results in the product being inherently unsafe when used as intended.
- Manufacturing defects – Manufacturing defects are those defects which arise from an error in the manufacturing process, resulting in an unsafe or unsound product.
- Marketing defects – Marketing defects arise when a product lacks sufficient safety warnings or is improperly labeled.
Who Can Sue for Product Liability in Connecticut?
In Connecticut, injured parties who purchased or were the end users of a defective product, and innocent bystanders who have been injured by a defective product, can sue for compensation.
Determining Fault
Determining fault in a product liability case can be complicated and is best done by an experienced product liability attorney. Take, for example, a hypothetical case of a faulty brake system that caused a serious auto accident. It may be difficult for the layman to determine whether the brakes were faulty as a result of a design flaw, a manufacturing flaw, or even faulty instructions which may have caused the mechanic to improperly install the brakes. For this reason it is always best to work with an attorney who is experienced in product liability cases.
Proximate Cause
Because many product liability cases involve the serious injury to, or the death of, the end user, product liability cases often involve personal injury and/or wrongful death law as well. In the State of Connecticut, the plaintiff must prove that a product’s defect was the proximate cause of the injuries he or she sustained. This means that the plaintiff must demonstrate the causal connection between the product’s defect and the injury which was sustained.
What Should I do if I Have Been Injured by a Defective Product?
If you have been injured by a defective product, be it sporting equipment, a household appliance, an automobile or part, a medication, or any other product in Connecticut, please contact our Hartford law offices immediately for advice on the next steps you should take, and a free case evaluation.