Very simply, product liability is a personal injury legal practice area in which manufacturers and distributers of a wide range of goods are held responsible for consumer injuries and deaths. If you have been injured by a product because of a defect in the product or inadequate product warnings, the company that made or sold the item could be responsible for the consequences of your accident, such as medical bills, lost wages, long-term disabilities, disfigurement, or pain and suffering.

In the United States, those who manufacture and sell products have a responsibility to the consumer to make their product as safe for use as possible. Products should be designed and tested so as to minimize the risk of harm or injury, and any risks inherent to the product should be contained in product warnings that come with the product.

Generally, the manufacturer should show reasonable care when making and selling a product, and consumers should show reasonable care when using a product. For example, a toy manufacturer should take the care to warn users that their product contains a possible choking hazard, but a knife manufacturer should not have to warn customer that they could be cut while using their product. In the same way, a person who is badly burnt by a toaster when using the appliance properly may have a product liability case, while someone who is harmed while sticking a knife in a toaster while in a bathtub might not have a case because they were not using the product in a reasonable manner.

What are some examples of common products liability cases in Missouri and Illinois?

•    A family sues after their infant is suffocated in a poorly designed baby sling.
•    Parents sue a car manufacturer after their son is killed by a faulty seat belt system that fails during a car accident.
•    A man sues after a defective stove causes a house fire and severe burns.
•    A woman sues after spending a week in the hospital with salmonella poisoning after eating tainted spinach.

If you have been injured by a defective and dangerous product, the company who made or sold the product could be responsible for your injury. Call a defective product attorney today for more information about your case.