Port St. Lucie Product Liability Lawyers

If you were injured by a dangerous or defective product, there’s a good chance that you can take legal action in the form of a product liability lawsuit. An experienced Port St. Lucie product liability attorney can help you obtain full compensation and help you move on from your injuries.

Turn to Lytal, Reiter, Smith, Ivey & Fronrath. We have a great deal of experience in cases similar to yours and have a long track record of success. Our firm has helped our clients obtain hundreds of millions of dollars, and we may be able to do the same for you.

Schedule a free review of your case by using our online contact form or calling (561) 655-1990.

What is product liability?

Quite simply, product liability means that anyone who plays a role in making a defective, dangerous product available to the public can be held liable for any injuries or damages that are caused by that product.

They will have to pay for the medical treatment, lost wages, and other financial losses (damages) incurred by people who suffer harm by using the product.

There are several different parties that could be the target of a product liability lawsuit including the ones who designed the product or those who manufactured, distributed, marketed, or sold the product. 

One of the many reasons why you’ll need the help of a Port St. Lucie product liability attorney is that these cases can be very complicated.

Also, the defendants are often huge corporations, and they have almost unlimited resources to fight lawsuits. You’ll need a legal representative with the experience it takes to take on this kind of formidable opposition.

Types of product liability cases we handle

There are three main types of product liability cases – lawsuits for design defects, manufacturing defects, and marketing defects which are commonly referred to as “failure to warn” lawsuits.

A product may be defective from the start due to the way it was designed. A classic example from many years back was the SUV that was so poorly designed that it rolled over when the driver tried to make a turn. 

Even if a product is designed safely, it could still be dangerous due to a manufacturing defect. This defect could be due to an error made during assembly. It could affect the entire line or it could just involve a single item.

A product can be safely designed and manufactured and still be dangerous due to its marketing. For example, if a drug’s warning label doesn’t clearly spell out all of the possible risks of taking the medication, then anyone harmed could file a lawsuit with the help of a Port St. Lucie product liability attorney.

Common types of defective products

It’s almost amazing to consider the different kinds of products that can cause harm to their users. Here are just a few of the more common examples.

Household appliances

Most of us don’t give a second thought to using an appliance such as a clothes dryer, an oven, or anything else that’s designed to make life easier. But these items can sometimes have the exact opposite effect, causing injuries that can lead to a lifetime of pain and misery.

Stoves and clothes dryers, for example, can cause horrific fires that result in excruciating pain. Stoves are supposed to have built-in safety features that prevent such an occurrence, but designers can fail to account for them. Something can happen during the manufacturing process that causes a safety feature to malfunction.

For example, clothes dryers may be manufactured with faulty lint collectors or exhaust ducts which can result in a devastating fire when they malfunction.

Electronics

People love their smartphones, tablets, and other advanced electronics. But there are times when they don’t turn off correctly. When that happens, they pose a major risk of catching fire – or even exploding. 

Food and drink products

When people go to the grocery store or their favorite restaurant, they trust that their food and meals won’t just taste great, but also that they won’t cause them any harm. But when negligence occurs somewhere along the way, they can become seriously ill.

Food and drink products can be contaminated due to a lack of sanitary conditions, a failure in the quality control process, or they can be improperly stored by a distributor. Whatever the reason, the foods and drinks that people consume can cause severe harm.

Vehicles and vehicle parts

The part of a vehicle where “the rubber meets the road,” so to speak, is incredibly critical. If a tire is defectively manufactured, it can explode with no warning. This, of course, will place not only the driver of the car at risk but also any other motorists or pedestrians. There are several other parts of a car that can be defectively designed or manufactured that can cause severe injuries or death, brakes and airbags being only two examples.

Machinery and tools

These items are often inherently dangerous, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re defective. In those instances, the problem will often lie with the way they’re marketed. For example, the manufacturer may fail to make sure users know how to use these items in the safest manner possible by having confusing instructions or ones that lack critically important information, or a failure to provide adequate safety warnings. 

Pharmaceutical drugs

Lawsuits and other legal actions involving defective pharmaceutical drugs have led to companies paying billions – yes, billions – of dollars in fines and compensation.

When people take medication, they assume it’s going to address whatever type of health issue they’re experiencing. The last thing they expect will be that the medication will actually make their problems worse, but that’s what happens in many instances. The defect could have occurred due to contamination in the manufacturing line, or the company failed to warn of potential side effects when the medication is taken with other drugs.

Medical devices

The same principle applies to medical devices, such as defibrillators, CPAP devices for people with sleep apnea, and even wheelchairs, walkers, canes, and crutches. People trust that these devices won’t cause them harm, but in far too many instances the opposite is the case. 

Children’s toys

Most parents are careful when they purchase toys for their children – especially if those children are very small. They’ll typically avoid toys with sharp edges or other characteristics that could pose a danger. But they often have no idea what types of materials or chemicals are used to make them. When the chemicals are dangerous, a small child could easily become severely ill when they bite the toy.

Why it’s important to bring a claim for a defective or dangerous product

When most people file a product liability lawsuit, they rightfully do so to get the compensation they deserve. But there’s another reason to take legal action: plaintiffs in these lawsuits can hold companies publicly accountable for their negligence, making it far less likely that others will be harmed as a result.

How to prove liability for product defects

If you have any reason to believe that you’ve been harmed due to a defective product, it’s imperative that you hire a skilled Port St. Lucie personal injury lawyer as soon as possible because you’ll need legal help in order to get the proof it will take for you to achieve a positive result in your case.

Attorneys will take the steps needed to ensure your case is as strong as possible. They’ll thoroughly investigate the cause of your harm, make sure the product in question is securely preserved, and negotiate full and fair compensation from the negligent company.

Damages you may be entitled to

People file product liability lawsuits to recover the financial losses or damages that have resulted from their injury. There are economic, or tangible, damages, such as lost wages and medical expenses. 

There are also non-economic, or subjective damages, that can be recovered. For example, you’ve probably experienced a great deal of pain and suffering due to your injury, and you’ve more than likely had to go through a great deal of mental and emotional trauma, too.

The state of Florida recognizes those as legitimate damages for which you can obtain compensation. However, non-economic damages are much more difficult to prove, so you’ll need a skilled attorney to receive them.

Have you or a loved one been injured from a defective product? Contact our Port St. Lucie product liability lawyers today.

The Florida product liability attorneys at Lytal, Reiter, Smith, Ivey & Fronrath will be happy to tell you more regarding how we can help you find justice for the suffering you’ve been forced to experience. Call (561) 655-1990 or contact us online as soon as possible for a free consultation.