Defective Car Jack Lawyers

Everyone should exhibit caution when using a car jack, regardless of the brand or your trust in the product. Here are a few tips for the next time you use one:

• Always Use Jack Stands: Jack stands, a form of safety equipment for mechanics, are placed under the suspended vehicle once the car jack lifts it to the desired level. These stands act as a buffer between you and a falling vehicle, so make sure to use them even for quick jobs. You should also use chocks, which are wedges placed in front of the wheels to prevent the vehicle from shifting while there is someone underneath.
• “Double-Jack” the Car: Some individuals, once they’ve lifted the vehicle into the air and placed the proper safety equipment, choose to remove the car jack from under the car because it’s not in use at that very moment. While this might be a passive reaction or make sense at the time, it’s best to keep the car jack in place as an extra precaution against malfunction. If the vehicle were to fall after one of the safety measures fails, the car-jack will offer some protection or give you more time to move to safety.
• Use Car Jacks on Flat Surfaces, Not Inclines: You should make sure that the ground below your vehicle is completely level, with no indication of any sort of incline/decline. A suspended car on an incline can potentially cause the equipment below it to fail, leaving you to either escape or suffer a serious injury. Additionally, you shouldn’t use a car jack on asphalt. In the hot sun, asphalt can soften and cause the jack stands/car-jack to topple, which is only made worse if there’s an inclined surface involved as well. Be sure to check the surface you’re using the car jack on more than once to ensure you’re not making a risky mistake.
• Triple Check Your Equipment Before Use: You should always purchase reputable safety equipment rather than the knock-off, but even so, anyone who plans on using a car jack or other mechanical equipment should carefully examine it before use. Even equipment purchased the same day has failed their operators, but you can protect yourself from harm by triple-checking your equipment before raising your car. Don’t forget to also check the integrity of the location you’ll be using the jack on your car, as some people have saved their lives by taking a look at the owner’s manual before performing their job.
• Don’t Overload the Car Jack: Mechanical equipment is rated for specific weights, and exceeding the limit can result in an equipment failure that could jeopardize your life. Make sure to check the weight limit of your car jack, as well as the weight of your vehicle, to ensure you’re not overloading your equipment.

You should always have a backup plan in case your equipment fails, and it’s even a good idea to have a backup plan for the backup plan to ensure that you’re safe and protected. While you may trust the integrity of your product, it’s always a good idea to double-check everything to make sure it’s in working order, especially if it’s a product that’s used to suspend a vehicle over your head while you operate underneath.

A falling vehicle can cause anything from a serious injury to death, but here are a few specific injuries that have resulted from defective car jack cases:

• Amputations
• Cuts and lacerations
• Crushing injuries
• Spinal cord damage
• Total or partial paralysis and disabilities
• Permanent disfigurement and scarring
• Wrongful deaths

No one should have to suffer a severe injury or lose their life from a product they found on store shelves. Those who were injured by defective car jacks deserve restitution for the experience they endured, and we’re here to help them do so.

It’s possible for the pawl of the car jack — while under load and with a shift in weight — to disengage from the extension lifting post, allowing the stand to drop suddenly. This sudden drop could cause serious injury for anyone near or under a lifted vehicle, and/or damage to property.

According to reports, Harbor Freight Tools recalled more than 1.7 million of their Pittsburgh Automotive 3-ton and 6-ton heavy duty steel jack stands after reports of the products failing under load and subsequently injuring the operator. If there were a shift in weight, the pawl of the device would disengage from the extension lift post and cause the jack to drop, forcing the operator to either escape or suffer a severe injury. To make matters worse, another defect was discovered in the welding of some of the 3-ton jacks that could cause the stand to split and fall, adding yet more destruction to Harbor Freight Tools’ total. If you own one of the previously mentioned products, it’s best to dispose of it and seek a refund from the manufacturer, as they’ve reimbursed some of their customers with defective equipment.

Car jacks are potentially dangerous without defects, with over 4,800 injuries occurring annually. Regardless of your experience level, you should make sure to use caution whenever using car jacks or any other mechanical equipment, as one mistake can potentially cost you your life. Some people think that they can get away with lacking on safety measures because they’re only performing a quick fix. While you might get away with it 99 times in a row, you never know if that hundredth time will be the one where it fails, so it’s best to stay safe rather than gamble.

Jack stands can fall for a variety of reasons, including:

• The vehicle exceeds the jack’s weight rating
• The jack is placed on an inclined surface, asphalt, or some other uneasy foundation
• Rocking the vehicle while on the stand, whether with equipment or an outside force
• The quality of the jack stand is old and outdated
• The portion of the vehicle touching the jack isn’t strong enough to hold the weight
• The jack contains a design/manufacturing defect

A car jack can fail even with the proper precautions if the device contains a defect. It’s best to avoid all of Harbor Freight Tools’ products until the issue is resolved, and if you have any in your home, be sure to find a safer alternative that won’t jeopardize your life. 

An injured consumer may be able to seek compensation from one or more liable parties, including manufacturers, wholesalers, and/or retail outlets. Determining the defendant in a product liability case is not a matter of choosing one liable party over another; any party involved in a defective product's chain of distribution may be held accountable through a product liability lawsuit. When beginning to put together a claim for a defective product, it is important to include any party involved in the chain of distribution.

When a product liability lawsuit is successful, the plaintiff may be eligible for damages including present and future medical costs; lost wages; pain and suffering; and emotional anguish. Depending where your injury occurred, the plaintiff might be able to make a claim for punitive damages if the company responsible for the defect knew about the danger posed by the product, but recklessly chose to disregard consumer safety anyways.

Going up against major manufacturers or retailers can be intimidating. With the right legal team on your side, justice can be within reach. Our product liability attorneys are well-versed in the laws that protect consumers against the harm posed by defective products, and we have the resources to go up against major companies and win. As America's largest injury law firm, we have over 1,000 attorneys nationwide, and we pursue product liability cases in state and federal courts across the country. In times like these, you can count on us to make sure you get the compensation and justice you deserve. 

Yes. Our lawyers operate on a contingency-fee basis, which means you only pay us if and when we win your case. Our fee would come in the form of a percentage of the settlement or verdict amount we obtain.

At Morgan & Morgan, we have been fighting for over 35 years to get our clients the compensation and justice they are owed. When you hire us, we think about you, but we also think about all those who count on you. Not all law firms are the same.