Products liability is the area of the law in which designers, manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, and/or retailers are held responsible for injuries caused by their dangerous and/or defective products. These dangers or defects can usually be classified as design defects, manufacturing defects, and/or failures of sellers to warn the buyer of a product's unknown (hidden) dangers. Serious injuries can be caused by virtually any type of dangerous or defective product, including, but not limited to, drugs, liquids, foods, automobiles and components, medical devices, equipment, or household appliances.
Products liability is actually a broad term for a group of torts covering products. The underlying tort law is usually either negligence, breach of warranty, or strict liability. Often, an experienced products liability attorney can combine various theories for the maximum recovery for an injured client.
If a young lady is severely burned by a defective toaster’s electrical short, the seller of the defective toaster may be held responsible for the young lady’s injuries because of his distribution of the dangerous toaster. The manufacturer of the same toaster could be held responsible to the young lady for her injuries because it breached an express (or implied) warranty of the toaster by defectively manufacturing the product and/or the manufacturer also negligently designed the toaster. The wholesaler of the toaster may have been negligent in inspecting the device and may also be responsible for the young lady’s injuries.
Because there are many different and complex variations of liability and causation in a products case and because these types of cases usually involve significant costs and work, it is imperative that an injured person retain personal injury and products liability attorneys with proven track records and experience.
Our products liability attorneys in Hampton Roads and Roanoke have handled and litigated many products liability cases and obtained significant awards on behalf of our clients. Personal injury law is our specialty; we only do injury law. We know the various products liability laws and we know how to apply the law to our clients' life stories. Our skill and experience in presenting the nature and extent of our clients' injuries and medical treatment and explaining how our clients' lives have been changed to decision makers, judges and ultimately juries is highly regarded.
If you or someone you know has been injured due to a dangerous or defective product, contact the experienced products liability lawyers at Rutter Mills.