Have you been injured by a defective product? Did you or someone you love buy something only for it to not work properly and harm you? All across the country, thousands suffer injuries from defective products daily. Should this have happened to you, you can take action. In fact, you may be able to file a lawsuit and receive compensation for your injuries, expenses, and more. Belal Hamideh can serve as your California product liability lawyer, helping you to recover what you deserve. You can contact us for a free consultation here.
How Can a California Product Liability Lawyer Help You?
A defective product lawyer can help in a variety of ways. For example, they can sit down with you and identify the liability for your injuries. That means they can bring a suit against all of those who are liable for the injuries you suffered from the defective product. Often, that’s the manufacturers of the product, but, in some cases, it can include other parties as well.
Additionally, they can help to calculate the full value of your damages. The damages in a product liability case can take many forms. If you had to pay for medical expenses, for example, you can receive compensation for those, as well as doctor’s visits, medicine costs, rehab, treatment, therapy, and the like.
Beyond your medical expenses, solid defective product attorney will also help to calculate what you’ll deserve in terms of compensation for pain and suffering as well. Recovery from such an injury can be difficult and challenging, to say the very least. You and yours deserve to be compensated for it. An attorney, of course, can also represent you aggressively in your case, working to help you receive the right settlement or represent you in court if need be.
What Qualifies as a Defective Product in California?
Every company that manufactures products for consumers has what’s called “duties of care.” That means they have a duty to make products that are safe and effective. It’s important to note that this doesn’t mean they have to make products that are perfect or anything like that. Rather, it just means that they have to be reasonably prudent when making the product. If they don’t, if they act outside of or against this duty and a consumer is hurt or harmed, then they could be liable for damages.
That’s what a product liability lawyer can help you with. When you reach out to us, we can meet with you, look into your case, and determine exactly what happened. In California, when it comes to defective product liability, the plaintiff (you, the victim of the defective product) has to prove that you were harmed by a product the defendant manufactured, distributed, or sold.
Additionally, the product itself has to have been defectively designed, needs to have contained a manufacturing defect, or lacked sufficient warning of potential safety hazards or sufficient instructions. If you or someone you love believes that you may have been harmed by a product in this fashion, it’s worth reaching out to a product liability attorney.
Who is Liable For Products’ Defects?
The truth is that many parties may be liable for the defects of a product. Often, the manufacturer is liable, yes. However, any party who had a party in the chain of distribution of the product could be liable. In addition to the manufacturer, it could be that the installer of the product is liable, or the assembler, the store that sold you the product, a wholesaler, a designer, a sales outlet, and others.
One of the many reasons to hire a product liability attorney is so they can determine exactly how many parties are liable. That way, you have the best chance of receiving all of the compensation that you deserve for everything that you’ve been through.
How Do I Know I Bought a Defective Product?
In terms of the law, knowing that you bought a defective product is essentially the same as what you’ll need to prove a defective product case. Remember: you had to have been using the product as it was intended to be used. If you weren’t using the product in the way it was intended to be used, then it’s difficult to show that the product was defective. You can’t be responsible for the defect the product has.
If, while using the product as it was meant to be used, it showed itself to be defective, (as in it didn’t work as it should, it was unsafe, malfunctioning, and so forth). Then, you need to be certain that the product injured or harmed you in some other fashion. Beyond that, it has to be the harm was caused by the product’s defect. If your situation meets all of the above criteria, then you have bought a defective product.
Lastly, there is a list of recalled products maintained by the Consumer Safety Product Commission. Obviously, not every defective product is listed there, yet it can be of use if you’re in doubt. Should there be any chance that you or someone you care about used a product how it was meant to be used and was still harmed, it’s worth it to reach out to us.
What Damages Can You Claim For?
Often, in these cases, our clients win what is called “compensatory damages.” These damages come in two forms: economic and non-economic. The former are compensation for financial losses that you suffered due to your injury, throughout the duration of the case, and so forth.
So, your economic damages could come in the form of payment for your medical bills due to your injuries. Doctor’s visits, medicine, therapy, rehab, treatment, and more. If, due to injuries from the product’s defects, you had to alter your lifestyle, then these payments could cover that. An example of this might be if you have mobility issues and have to make changes to your home, buy a wheelchair, and so forth.
Economic damages can also cover any wages that you may have lost from being unable to work. You can be compensated for those. Moreover, you can be compensated for the wages you would have made should you be unable to continue working your job (or even working it in the same capacity) due to the injury.
That said, economic damages aren’t limited to damage suffered by your person. In fact, many defective products damage property in one way or another. Should your property have been damaged by the defective product, we can help you to receive compensation for that as well.
Non-economic damages, on the other hand, cover those losses that seem harder to determine, such as pain and suffering. If you or someone you love were hurt and suffered from a defective product, then you can deserve this compensation. You may also deserve compensation for “loss of consortium,” (also known as “loss of society.”) If your relationship with your partner or spouse suffered from the product’s defect, then you can claim these damages as well.
As you can see, these cases can be very complex. We’re always glad to sit down with prospective clients to determine exactly which kinds of damages they can claim. From there, we’ll represent you as aggressively as possible.
Mass Torts
Many defective products, unfortunately, harm a great number of people. When that’s the case, when so many have been harmed by the same product, a case called a “mass tort” can be made. In these, every victim of the defective product can receive some portion of the settlement that results. As with every other aspect of a case, Belal Hamideh, a mass tort litigation lawyer, sits down with our clients to determine which options are best for them and their needs.
Wrongful Death
Unfortunately, in some defective product cases, injuries sustained from the defective product could result in death. When someone you love passes away due to a defective product, you may have legal grounds against those liable for your loved one’s passing.
Obviously, no amount of compensation makes up for the loss of a loved one. However, this compensation can help you to pay for funeral costs, medical expenses, and more so that you’ll be able to start the next phase of your life. A wrongful death lawyer can go over your case, working with you to determine the best path moving forward.
Class Action
In some defective product cases, many plaintiffs join together and sue the liable party. This is what’s called a “class action” lawsuit. Joining a class action lawsuit can be the right course of action in many circumstances. For example, if there is a great fear that the manufacturer will go bankrupt before the case goes to trial. However, this won’t be the best option for everyone harmed by a defective product. Class action attorneys in California can help you to make the right choice.
Catastrophic Injuries
Some defective product injuries are, unfortunately, catastrophic. These are some of the most damaging injuries. If this happened to you or someone that you love, a catastrophic injury lawyer from our team can help you to receive all of the compensation that you deserve.
Catastrophic injuries often lead to significant lost wages, an inability to work going, ongoing medical treatment, therapy, and more. We represent you aggressively, always working towards helping you and yours to receive the compensation you deserve.
How to File a Product Liability Claim
To file a product liability claim, you need to be able to show that the distributor, manufacturer, or seller was negligent and that they did not sell, distribute, or create a product that was free of defects. Moreover, you have to be able to prove that you used the product as it was intended, the product didn’t change substantially in the condition from which it was first sold to you, and the product’s defect led to your injuries.
To be clear, on the other side, the defendant may try to win by arguing that the dangers of the product are inherent and/or known to the public. Additionally, they might try to say that they provided a clear warning of any dangers associated with the product. If there is any chance that you were harmed by a product’s defect, it’s worth it to reach out to an attorney for a free consultation.
A Long Beach, California Product Liability Lawyer at Your Service
When you buy a product, you expect it to work as it should. You expect it to function properly, to not be damaged or defective. Moreover, you expect it to be safe to use. If it isn’t, if it harms you or someone you love, whether physically or in another way, then you deserve to be compensated for it.
That’s where our California product liability lawyer team can come in. We offer free consultations so that you’ll be able to receive all of the compensation that you deserve. Hablamos Espanol. For a free consultation, call us.