
What Is a Product Liability Law, and How Do You Prove It?
Product liability is a particular body of the law that holds manufacturing companies accountable for injuries resulting from a defective product. Product liability is potentially complex in many cases, but the main principle is simple: Manufacturers must manufacture products that are safe and don’t pose an unreasonably dangerous risk to the average consumer who uses them.
One of the key differences between product liability law and negligence law is their standard of care. Under negligence law, an injury victim is only able to recover compensation from the liable party if he or she can prove that the party’s actions fell below a certain standard of care. However, under product liability, the specific actions of the corporation during production don’t play into the product liability case. Injury victims can recover compensation for injuries that a product causes under the following conditions:
- The product is defective
- The product’s defect causes the victim’s injuries
- The injury took place while the consumer used the product as intended
This means that a manufacturer can still be liable for injuries resulting from defective products even if the company attempts to take the appropriate steps to manufacture a safe product.
Proving a defective product involves a complex process that requires the help of highly trained lawyers and industry professionals with expertise in product defects. The Ammons Law Firm is a nationally recognized product liability firm that enables El Paso residents to recover from manufacturers for injuries resulting from defective products. The Ammons Law Firm has the resources and experience needed to hold manufacturers liable and ensure injury victims receive the compensation they deserve.
Three Theories to Prove a Product is Defective
According to product liability law, manufacturers are liable for injuries resulting from a product with a defect in its design, manufacturing, or marketing. The following are some specific examples of the different types of product defects:
Products with Defective Designs
A product has a design defect when the product is unreasonably dangerous in the form the manufacturer intended the product to be produced. Some design defects include:
- Children’s products that contain choking hazards or other dangerous attributes
- Safety products such as helmets and car seats that can’t withstand basic impact
- Medicine that fails to treat an illness as intended
- Unstable structures such as chairs or tables
- Mechanical defects in vehicles, tools, and appliances
When a product is defective in its design, injury victims and their attorneys must show that the design is defective and that the injury resulted from the defect. An experienced El Paso product liability attorney can identify design defects and may be able to help you recover the compensation you need to help recover following a product defect injury.
Products with Manufacturing Defects
Manufacturing defects are arguably the most common product defects. These defects develop due to mistakes that take place during the manufacturing process. Manufacturing defects can develop for a few reasons, such as poor-quality controls in the manufacturing process, the use of substandard manufacturing materials, or another manufacturing error. Some examples of manufacturing defects include:
- Tires manufactured with substandard materials
- Piping or other bolts cross-threaded during manufacturing processes
- Electrical units with faulty grounding
- Contaminated drugs or food
You can determine whether a manufacturing defect resulted by asking whether the defect would exist had the manufacturing process assembled the product correctly. Meanwhile, design defects tend to affect every product with the same design, whereas manufacturing defects impact only a limited number of products.
Products with Marketing Defects
Some products might function properly when used correctly, but manufacturers may fail to properly warn or instruct consumers on the use of their products. Manufacturers generally need to inform customers of potential risks that aren’t immediately obvious to them. There are a few types of marketing defects that could lead to injuries, such as:
- Medicine that lacks proper warnings of proper dosage or potential side effects
- Household cleaning supplies without adequate handling instructions
- Advertisements that encourage the improper use of a product
To succeed with a liability case in these instances, injury victims would need to prove that proper instructions or warnings would have prevented their injuries.
Is the Manufacturer of a Defective Product Responsible for My Injuries?
Defective products often cause life-altering injuries in El Paso and throughout Texas. Like other bodies of personal injury law, if a defective product causes injuries to you or a loved one, the party responsible must provide compensation for the harm sustained. This includes a combination of economic and non-economic damages.
The El Paso personal injury attorneys at The Ammons Law Firm work hard to help clients recover the full amount of compensation to which they’re entitled. As a result, we’ve helped recover over one billion dollars for injury victims in El Paso and across the country.
Contact Our El Paso Product Liability Lawyers
The Ammons Law Firm has represented victims of defective product injuries in El Paso and other cities for over three decades. In doing so, we have held some of the nation’s largest manufacturers liable for these defects. Our skilled attorneys have the ability to accurately identify product defects and can provide you with the resources needed to hold manufacturers responsible.
If you need a dependable law firm that can get the best results from a product liability case, turn to the Ammons Law Firm.
If you need a dependable law firm that can get the best results in a product liability case, contact our El Paso product liability lawyers.