Seattle Product Defect Attorneys
When you buy a product online or at the store, you expect that item will function according to its intended use. But we have all experienced situations where that turns out not to be true. In most cases the product simply does not work or fails to meet our expectations. But sometimes the product actually turns out to be dangerous or defective and injures us or a member of our household.
Anyone who manufactures, markets, or sells a consumer product in Washington can be held legally responsible for such dangerous items. A qualified lawyer can advise you if you or someone that you love has been harmed by such negligence. At the Emerald Law Group, we assist clients in taking legal action against manufacturers, retailers, and other parties who fail to live up to their responsibilities with respect to public safety.
Holding Manufacturers Accountable for Design and Production Defects
Washington has a number of laws governing product liability. A manufacturer can be held liable if their negligence was the proximate cause of a consumer’s injury. Such negligence may include any or all of the following:
- The product was not “reasonably safe” in its design.
- The product left the manufacturer’s control in a condition that “deviated” from the manufacturer’s design standards for that product line.
- The product or its documentation did not include adequate warnings of known safety risks.
- The manufacturer failed to exercise “reasonable care” in notifying customers about a defect in the design or manufacture of a product after it was discovered.
- The manufacturer sold the product under a warranty and a customer was injured as a result of a breach of that warranty.
As with any personal injury claim in Washington, a person injured by a defective product may seek monetary compensation for their damages, such as:
- past, present, and future medical bills;
- rehabilitation costs;
- lost wages and diminished future earning capacity;
- pain and suffering; and
- emotional distress.
It is also important not to wait if you have been injured by a defective product. Washington has a three-year statute of limitations in product liability cases. That may sound like a lot of time, but defective product cases often require an extensive amount of preliminary investigation to identify all of the potentially responsible parties. So the sooner you engage an experienced attorney to begin this process, the better position you will be in when filing a lawsuit.
Contact Emerald Law Today
Just about any consumer product–from toys to medical devices–can lead to a serious injury or fatality if there is a design or manufacturing defect. Victims should therefore never hesitate to bring legal action if they believe that a manufacturer has ignored their responsibility to only put safe and effective products into retail channels. So if you or someone in your family has been harmed and you need legal advice from an experienced Seattle product defective lawyer, contact the Emerald Law Group today to schedule an initial consultation with a member of our team.
