Lancaster Defective Product Lawyer
Expert for Complex Pennsylvania Defective Product Injury Cases
Product defects cause thousands of deaths and millions of injuries every year, according to the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC). Despite the best efforts of the CPSC, the FDA and other government agencies to monitor and recall defective products, manufacturers continue to churn out dangerous products in untold amounts. Defective products infiltrate every aspect of our lives, from household cleaners to power tools; from small and large appliances to children’s toys, clothing, bedding and furniture; from the medicine we take to the cars we drive. All too often, product defects cause serious injury or death to innocent users.
Manufacturers can and should be held responsible for putting dangerous products on the market. In southeastern Pennsylvania, Lancaster defective product lawyer John P. Stengel takes on corporate America – from local retailers to the biggest corporations – and holds them accountable for the injuries they have caused. By taking on these challenging and complex products liability cases, John P. Stengel helps injury victims get the compensation they need while helping to ensure that other people are not injured by the same product defects.
Three Types of Product Defects
Product defects generally fall into one of three categories:
- Design Defects – A product can be unreasonably dangerous due to the way it is designed. Some examples include a power saw designed without a safety guard; an iron or space heater designed without an automatic shutoff ; a bookcase that can tip over but doesn’t come with wall anchors; or a car that is designed with the fuel line running alongside electrical wires. Sometimes product makers are aware of design flaws but decide it would hurt their bottom line to make the product safer.
- Manufacturing Defects – A product that is assembled incorrectly or built with substandard materials can fail at a critical moment, causing serious injury or death. Depending on the cause of the defect, the defect may be present in only one unit, one lot, or in every single unit produced. A safety recall may be necessary to pull defective products off the market, but unfortunately this often does not occur until many people have already suffered injury.
- Failure to Warn – Products can also be considered defective if they are missing instructions or adequate safety warnings for their safe use. Examples include household cleaners, paints or chemical solvents that should only be used with protective gloves or eyewear or in a well-ventilated area, or medications that should not be taken if the user is going to drive. Instructions and warnings should be clear and easy to see and understand.
Manufacturers can be held Strictly Liable for Defective Products
There are many different legal theories under which a manufacturer can be held liable for damages caused by a defective product, such as negligence, breach of contract or breach of warranty. Yet another legal theory is known as Strict Liability. Strict liability means that you do not have to prove that the manufacturer was negligent. Simply making or selling a product with a defect that causes injury is all it takes to be held liable for the damages. Manufacturers, distributors, retailers and others can be liable for defective product injuries.
Even though the injured victim doesn’t have to prove negligence, you still have to be able to prove the product was defective or unreasonably dangerous. This can be a very complicated matter. Often you are up against huge corporations with teams of lawyers and seemingly unlimited resources. The evidence you need may be buried under mountains of paperwork or lost in a labyrinth of emails.
Attorney John P. Stengel is a Board-Certified Specialist in Civil Trial Law. He has experience representing insurance companies, and he knows what it takes to go up against automakers, pharmaceutical giants, or other large corporations. With 25 years of legal experience, Mr. Stengel is ready to take your case and take on corporate defendants that made the choice to maximize their profits at the expense of consumer safety.
Call Lancaster Defective Product Lawyer John P. Stengel after a Product Injury in Southeast Pennsylvania
If you have been injured by the use of a defective product in southeastern Pennsylvania, contact attorney John P. Stengel at 717-290-7971 for a free consultation. There is no fee unless we recover for you.
