Where Can I Find Help for My Product Liability Cases in Philadelphia?

Product liability refers to those situations in which a consumer had no reasonable expectation of being harmed as a result of a product. Product liability refers to the harm and injuries associated with a product that was designed, sold, or manufactured by someone else. Companies have a legal responsibility to verify that their products are safe and to make efforts to minimize the possibility of injuries. For those products that carry an inherent injury risk, an appropriate warning should be provided. In order to ensure that this process happens and that consumers remain safe the state allows those individuals who have been hurt by dangerous or defective products to sue companies and hold them accountable in the form of a personal injury lawsuit. In Philadelphia and throughout Pennsylvania product liability lawsuits can be based on strict liability or negligence. 

Understanding Strict Liability

It can be very difficult to prove that a company was negligent with its products. This is why lawsuits can also be based on strict liability. This can hold a company accountable for damages regardless of the level of caution or care they exercise in selling, manufacturing or developing a product. In a strict liability case in Philadelphia, injured customers do not have to prove negligence. Instead, they only need to show that they sustained an injury when using the product as intended or in a foreseeable and reasonable off-label way. This can be sufficient to pursue strict liability cases. 

Understanding Negligence Cases

When it comes to understanding negligence cases, injured customers need to establish that they were harmed because a company failed to take the appropriate care in the construction, sale, or development of a product. This means that the company would be legally responsible for breaching its duty to protect the consumer from foreseeable harm. That failure can indirectly or directly lead to the consumer's injury. 

Types of Product Liability Cases

There are three different kinds of grounds on which you can file Philadelphia product liability cases. These are known as marketing defects, manufacturing defects, and design defects. Marketing defects have to do with the information provided to you when you purchased a product. When a company, for example, fails to warn you that a product has possible dangers or side effects that might not be obvious, the company could face a marketing defect lawsuit for failing to warn about some of these possible risks. Consumers must be able to receive this information and weigh it out to decide whether or not they want to make a purchase. A manufacturing defect is the second of the common type of Philadelphia product liability cases. These occur when the product has an overall safe design but something during the manufacturing process makes that product unsafe to use. Forgetting to include bolts or various pieces, however, could mean that an appliance or vehicle falls apart and leaves devastating injuries in its wake. In these cases, a victim would be able to pursue options with Philadelphia product liability cases to recover compensation. The third type of case is known as a design defect. This goes down to the basics of crafting the product itself. When a product is defective or dangerous because of the way it was designed those components create a hazard for users. This means that a primary ingredient, for example, or component of the overall function puts consumers at risk. The type of evidence that you have in your case and the arguments that you will make will all influence the outcome and the type of your case. This is why it is so important to have an experienced and knowledgeable lawyer who has been through this process before to guide you through this situation and help you understand the various problems and challenges. You will need to file a product liability case as soon as possible after you have been injured if you wish to protect your overall right to file a suit.

You want to look for an attorney who has experience with Philadelphia product liability cases because these can be very difficult to win. They require complex evidence and a strong understanding of product liability law. You want to look for someone who has a strong track record fighting on behalf of injury victims in Philadelphia. Your lawyer will play an important role in the overall approach of your case from gathering evidence to consulting with experts to evaluating settlement offers. First, your lawyer will sit down and discuss the basics of your injuries and the product itself to determine if the company has a history of selling defective or dangerous products and to identify the kind of defect or defects that led to your injuries. Your lawyer will also evaluate all of the evidence you've provided to them to determine the kind of defect that led to your injury and explore whether or not you have more than one possible legal claim. At this point, your lawyer might also seek to bring in outside experts to determine how your injury is connected to the defect in the product. Someone who has experience in manufacturing, for example, could be brought in to provide additional testimony about the severity of your injuries. When your case goes to trial this does not necessarily mean it will have to go through a full lawsuit in order for you to recover compensation. Many experienced lawyers who work with Philadelphia product liability cases on a regular basis are knowledgeable about settlement offers and can help you determine how your injuries are connected to a fair settlement offer. In the event that your lawyer has worked hard to attempt to resolve this outside of court and has been unable to do so, you may still be able to recover compensation in court. Your lawyer can tell you more about the typical pace of these kinds of cases in Philadelphia and what you might expect.

If you or a family member has been hurt because of a defective or dangerous product, you could be entitled to a broad range of monetary damages including disability, pain and suffering, emotional distress, medical bills, disfigurement, loss of enjoyment of life, lost income and more. You must file your product liability lawsuit within two years of the date of injury and failing to do so could bar you from getting the necessary support that you need in your claim. It is very important to schedule a consultation with a lawyer knowledgeable about Philadelphia products liability cases so that you can evaluate the grounds of your case and whether or not you intend to proceed. The support of a lawyer can be instrumental in answering some of these early questions that will help you put the pieces of your life back together and give you further information about what to expect. No victim should have to go through the circumstance of dealing with devastating injuries but unfortunately, this is an all too common reality. One of the most important things you can do to protect yourself is to retain the services of a lawyer immediately.

Although there are some shared elements between personal injury law and products liability, they are also different. When you hire an attorney to help with your case, it’s essential that they have a strong background in product liability cases. It could be that they’ve worked on products liability class actions before or individual cases where a consumer was seriously hurt by a defective product, but the end result is the same: your lawyer should clearly understand this area of the law and have a passion and track record showing their dedication. 
You should be able to see the lawyer’s relevant experience both on their website and in your initial consultations. Someone who has gone to court before with Philadelphia product liability cases can prove extremely helpful for supporting you through your entire claim. 

If you value experience in your decision for choosing the right attorney, then contact Morgan & Morgan for a free case evaluation to get started and to take your first steps toward earning the compensation that you deserve to move forward. With over 35 years of experience fighting for the people and over $25 billion won for clients, there’s no better chance of winning your case.