Consumers depend upon household products to be dependable and to work properly. When they do not and serious injuries result, product manufacturers and distributors can be on the line for negligence. In other cases, they may be deemed “strictly liable,” without regard to fault. In cases where the manufacturer or distributor was negligent or strictly liable, they can also be required to pay the injured person damages.
Contact us today or call (301) 932-9997 for a free case evaluation. Let our experienced team at Alpert Schreyer Personal Injury Lawyers help you.
Get Experienced Legal Help from Alpert Schreyer Personal Injury Lawyers
If you have sustained serious injuries as a result of a defective product, you may be entitled to monetary compensation under the law. The experienced Maryland defective household product attorneys at Alpert Schreyer Personal Injury Lawyers can help you prove the legal elements your claim and obtain the monetary compensation you need and deserve.
Statute of Limitations for Maryland Product Defect Cases
Injuries caused to consumers in product defect cases fall under the umbrella of personal injury law. If a defective product injured you in Maryland, you normally have three years during which you can bring a legal cause of action or file a lawsuit for damages. If you fail to make a claim or file a lawsuit within that time period, you may be forever barred from seeking monetary recovery for your injuries and damages. Since three years is a relatively short period of time, you should not delay in contacting an attorney or pursuing legal action.
The knowledgeable lawyers at Alpert Schreyer Personal Injury Lawyers can assist you with filing your claim or litigating your case through the Maryland court system. You should keep in mind that just because you file a lawsuit in a case does not necessarily mean that your case will go to trial. The majority of personal injury cases settle outside of court, and you can theoretically settle your case at any point along the line.
Product Liability
Airbag ExplosionsDefective Household Products
Gas Tank ExplosionsGM Ignition Switch DeathsTire Recall
Types of Defective Products
It seems like most any product you buy nowadays has something wrong with it. In some cases, the defect is simply cured by returning the product to the store where you bought it (or shipping it back to the sender) and getting a replacement product. However, when the defective product causes you serious injuries and damages, you may be eligible to pursue monetary compensation under the law. Any product on the market can theoretically be defective.
Some of the most common examples of defective products currently on the market—and which can cause serious injuries—include the following:
- Household appliances
- Motor vehicles
- Motor vehicle parts
- Infant cribs, exercisers, jumpers, and playpens
- Infant car seats
- Baby powder
- Household furniture
- Cosmetics
- Medications and skin care products
- Heaters (especially defective space heaters)
- Portable window air conditioning units
- Electric blankets
- Infant carriers
- Baby toys
- Strollers
- Mattresses
- Walkers
Defective products can malfunction in a variety of ways, such as by simply falling apart or catching on fire.
When defective products go haywire, they can cause:
- Burn injuries
- Cuts, scrapes, and abrasions
- Soft tissue injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
- Fractures and broken bones
- Permanent damages
- Physical illnesses
- Death
Defective infant products are especially dangerous because of the fact that infants are so small and vulnerable. Many infant toys and other products have hazard warnings posted on them to alert consumers to the possibility of burn injuries, drowning, suffocation, or other dangers. In product defect cases, the issue sometimes comes down to whether or not the product warning was sufficient and whether or not the warning was placed on the product in such a manner as to alert the consumer who purchased it. With regard to strollers, playpens, carriers, and cribs, the issue is usually a design defect (i.e. whether the product was designed in such a way as to prevent infants from falling out of them). The knowledgeable lawyers at Alpert Schreyer Personal Injury Lawyers can meet with you to determine if the product defect in your case is compensable under the law.
Recovering Monetary Compensation in a Defective Household Product Case
A household product can be defective when it is improperly manufactured or designed—or when any warnings are insufficient or absent.
- Manufacturing Defect – If a product was not manufactured in a proper manner due to some flaw in the manufacturing process, the manufacturer could be deemed strictly liable or negligent. In either case, the manufacturer can be on the line for the consumer’s injuries and damages that the defective product caused.
- Design Defect – If the injured consumer can show that the product’s design was improper or defective, based upon research, and that this defect resulted in the injuries and damages sustained, then he or she may be able to recover monetary compensation. In some cases, the product may be more dangerous than a reasonable consumer would expect, or the likelihood of a consumer sustaining injuries from the defective product may be greater than the financial burden to correct the problem. Finally, the injured consumer may be able to introduce evidence that there was some reasonable alternative design for the product that would have been safer than the current design.
- Warning Defect – If a product manufacturer or distributor places an inadequate or insufficient warning on a dangerous product—or fails to place any warning at all on the product—then the manufacturer or distributor can be held responsible for any injuries and damages sustained by a consumer.
Manufacturers and distributors can be held strictly liable (i.e. where a defective product was placed on the market, without regard to fault) or negligent (i.e. where the manufacturer or distributor acted unreasonably by placing a defective product into the chain of commerce). In either case, the injured consumer may be able to recover monetary damages.
Call a Maryland Defective Products Attorney for a Free Consultation
When defective products are placed into the stream of commerce, they can lead to serious injuries—and even deaths. At Alpert Schreyer Personal Injury Lawyers, we understand that no consumer asks to be injured by a household product. Our attorneys will fight for your right to recover monetary compensation in your case.
To schedule a free case evaluation with a Maryland defective products lawyer, please call us today or contact us online.