You have a right to expect the products you buy to be safe and work as they’re supposed to. Sadly, not all goods on the market meet these basic requirements. As the many recall notices sent out each year show, manufacturers whose products are sold or distributed in Pennsylvania have far from a perfect record.
Lawsuits over injuries caused by unreasonably dangerous consumer products can be challenging, especially if you try to file one without support from a winning personal injury attorney. By hiring a Reading defective products lawyer from Ostroff Godshall Injury and Accident Lawyers, you’ll get the custom legal guidance you need to get the money you’re owed.
Strict Liability for Dangerous Products
In Pennsylvania, product manufacturers hold “strict liability” for any injury caused by a defect in one of their products that existed when the product left the manufacturer’s direct control. In other words, they are liable for defects that existed before the product was shipped out to a wholesaler, retail store, or customer. There are three “defects” that can be the basis for a product liability claim, all of which your experienced Reading attorney can help build a strong case around.
Design Defects
A product can have a problem with its core design. This defect makes every unit of that product ever produced dangerous in more or less the same way. In addition to proving that the defect existed, your attorney must also prove that the product was more dangerous than a reasonable consumer would’ve expected or that the product’s usefulness didn’t outweigh the risks associated with using it.
Manufacturing Defects
Alternatively, your Reading lawyer can sue a manufacturer for a mistake or error in the manufacturing process that led to a particular unit or batch of a product becoming unreasonably dangerous.
Labeling Defects
Finally, it’s sometimes possible to sue a product maker for not warning you about certain risks of using their product or for not giving clear instructions on how to use that product safely.
Time Limits for Defective Product Claims in Reading
Just like with other personal injury cases, Pennsylvania law gives you two years after being injured by a defective product to begin a lawsuit. In addition to this statute of limitations, there’s a second legal time limit for defective product cases known as the “statute of repose.”
Under the statute of repose, you generally can’t file a lawsuit over a defective product if more than 12 years have passed since you first bought or possessed the product. Our defective product lawyers in Reading can explain how these deadlines work in more detail during a free consultation.
Contact a Reading Defective Products Attorney Today
If you recently suffered an injury because of a product you thought was safe, understanding and enforcing your legal rights might be crucial to protecting your future. Let a Reading defective products lawyer at Ostroff Godshall Injury and Accident Lawyers be your steadfast ally throughout the process of getting the compensation you need.
Our firm has recovered millions of dollars for the families of those killed or seriously injured in product liability defective design, manufacturing, and labeling cases. We have handled claims involving dangerous forklifts, ladders, treadmills, exercise and fitness equipment, and other hazardous products at home or in the workplace. Call us today to discuss your situation and learn how we can represent you.
