Product Liability Facts

According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, defective products, ranging from malfunctioning hot water heaters to faulty child restraints, cause more than 29.5 million injuries and close to 22,000 deaths in the United States each year.

The injuries and deaths and associated property damage from defective products cost the American public over $500 billion annually.

There are a number of reasons that defective products make their way to our shelves:

defective manufacturing
inadequate testing
design defects
marketing misrepresentation

The law defines failure to warn as the problem in two situations:

forseeable risks could have been protected by instructions or warnings
the warnings themselves, when followed, caused the injuries

The elements of an effective warning include:

Signal word (danger, warning, caution, notice, etc)
Identify the nature of the hazard (drowning hazard, electrical shock hazard, etc)
Identify consequenses of failure to follow the warnings (death by drowning, electrical shock, etc)
Express how to avoid the danger (turn off power, avoid open flame, etc)
Pictorials are often used, especially in multiple language situations
The use of pictorials or other alert warning symbols (exclamation point) may be combined with the signal word to provide the user with a clear indication of the level of the hazard

Past defective products that have caused serious or catastrophic injuries and death include:

Ford Explorer automobiles
Firestone Tires
Fen Phen
Exploding gas tanks
Toxic chemicals
Children's toys

Do you or someone you know feel that a defective consumer good is responsible for injuries you had to endure? If so, contact our Pennsylvania Product Liability Lawyers today!