The news in Pennsylvania is often filled with product recalls for anything from automobile recalls to recalls of food products, such as ground beef. However, oftentimes these recalls come too little, too late for consumers who have already been injured by a dangerous or defective product. When this happens, consumers may want to determine if they can pursue a product liability claim.
In a product liability claim, the injured party must show that the product they used that injured them had a defect that caused the product to be unreasonably dangerous. The are three types of defects that could lead to a product liability claim
One type of defect is a design defect. This is a defect that goes back to the initial design of the product, prior to when the product was manufactured. This means the product was designed in a way that made it inherently unsafe.
Another type of defect is a manufacturing defect. This is a defect that takes place while the product was being made or assembled. It too must make the product at issue inherently unsafe.
A third type of defect is a marketing defect. Some examples of marketing defects are insufficient warnings, inadequate instructions or mistakes in labeling. Like other defects, a marketing defect must make the product at issue inherently unsafe.
Those who wish to pursue a product liability claim will want to do so based on the applicable type of defect. Product liability lawsuits can be complex, and most people in Southwestern Pennsylvania do not have much experience with this area of law. Personal injury attorneys understand what is at stake when a consumer is injured by a defective product and may be a useful resource.
