What Are the Most Common Types of Defective Products?

To the untrained, layperson’s eye, it can be hard to detect if a product is defective merely on sight, especially with the highly specialized nature of consumer products today. It can be even more exhausting to think of what to do after you’ve been injured by a faulty product. This blog will go over critical information about defective product lawsuits: what the most common defective products are, how to begin preparing for a defective product lawsuit, and what legal doctrines may impact your claim. But the most important thing you can do to set yourself up for success with your claim is to get in touch with a Darlington County defective product lawyer as soon as feasible.

Defective Everyday Products To Look Out For

The following are examples of products we all use in our daily lives and that nevertheless have been the subject of defective product lawsuits at different times and places across the United States.

Electronics and Appliances

It may seem as though the nightly news always finds a new problem with cell phones, it is true concerns with overheating and batteries have materialized into safety concerns. Similarly, kitchen appliances and gaming devices can all malfunction and hurt the end user.

Children’s Products

Small toys can easily be swallowed by a precocious child, becoming choking hazards. More worryingly, car seats and cribs used to protect children can have design flaws or faulty parts, in turn leading to greater injuries.

Household Products

Many cleaning products, on the market for ages, can cause health problems, whether a health hazard is recently discovered through the advancements of science or whether a specific batch of cleaning products was contaminated. Unstable furniture can lead to painful falls, and defective power tools used for house maintenance can lead to fairly dramatic injuries.

What Should I Do After Being Injured by a Defective Product?

After any injury of any kind, your first step should be to seek out appropriate medical care. Health is always your most important responsibility.

Once you’ve tended to yourself, you should try to gather evidence regarding the incident. You should jot down any information you have available on what kind of product caused your injury, as well as what you were doing at the time of the injury.

These notes will also be very important given that South Carolina is a comparative negligence state. In comparative negligence, your overall amount of compensation is reduced by whatever percentage you contributed to your own injury through actions such as not following the instructions for the product’s intended use.

Your lawyer will appreciate this information as they move forward to litigate your case. A product liability claim will require your team to prove that:

• You suffered an injury while using a product as it was intended to be used.
• The product in question caused your injury.
• The product caused your injury.

Importantly, the statute of limitations for defective product claims in South Carolina is three years from the date of the injury. You’ll need to keep this in mind as you and your lawyer strategize on how to get your compensation.