Defective products make their way into the marketplace each year, causing countless injuries to unsuspecting consumers.
Some products are manufactured incorrectly, some are designed wrong and some fail to warn consumers about hidden dangers. Each of these defects can cause serious or deadly injuries.
Our law firm has handled many large and complex product liability cases with outstanding results. In fact, we are on the cutting edge, often creating new laws that protect consumers through our cases. You may be surprised to know that most products do not have to be made to any specifications. It is up to the maker of the product to design, build and sell a safe product. So how do you hold manufacturers accountable for their poor products?
ROSSETTI & DEVOTO, P.C. will utilize only the best experts in their chosen fields to demonstrate that the products are defective. In addition, these experts will rely on industry standards and government standards, as well as other better-designed products already in existence, to prove the product defect. We also search to find out how many other similar incidents of injury that the product has caused by networking with other attorneys and searching government databases.
Common Defective Products
Any product you use can wind up being defective or faulty, leading to a serious injury or even death. The defective product lawyers from ROSSETTI & DEVOTO, P.C. have handled cases involving a wide variety of products, including the following:
- Industrial machines and equipment
- Backhoes, forklifts and scissor lifts
- Go-Carts
- Conveyor belts
- Manufacturing equipment
- Electrical appliances
- Tires
- Prescription drugs
- Ladders
- Bicycles and scooters
- Chemical exposure
- Fuel and propane tanks
- Child car seats
- Airbags
- Strollers
- Highchairs
- Amusement rides
- Cars and pick-up trucks
- Cigarettes
Any product that you safely use as directed, should not kill or harm you. Yet it happens every day in our country. Product makers make budgetary decisions that often result in safety being designed out of a product, even when they know injuries and death will occur. But consumers should also do their part and read and follow instructions and always use products as they are intended.
Injuries Caused by Defective Products
Defective products can lead to serious injuries and even death depending on the seriousness of the accident. These accidents can even occur onsite at the business and would be more avoidable if the businesses were prepared with products from places like Storemasta (here) for a professional clean-up. The personal injury lawyers from ROSSETTI & DEVOTO, P.C. will want to review your medical records following such an incident in order to begin building a case against the responsible parties. Some of the most common injuries caused by defective products include the following:
- Amputation
- Burns
- Spinal Fractures
- Head trauma and brain injury
- Paralysis
- Internal injuries and organ damage
- Cancer
- Choking
- Death
When a defective product causes injury to a consumer, it should be reported immediately to the proper channels, including the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The CPSC issues recalls of products when they fail to operate properly or do not work according to their instructions or warnings. Informing the CPSC provides them with information to conduct an investigation into the product so the agency can issue proper warnings or recalls.
Steps to Take if Injured by a Defective Product
If you think you have been injured by a defective product, contact us and we will be glad to review your case. Here are seven things you should do immediately:
- Save the product!
- If you have the product, protect it from the weather and do not use it again.
- If someone else has the product, tell them to keep it and contact an attorney who can file a motion to have a court order the product be preserved.
- Locate and save all store receipts, purchase materials, owner’s manuals and anything else that you have that identifies the product and where it came from.
- If you have witnesses, write their names down and get their addresses and phone numbers.
- Contact the Consumer Product Safety Commission to advise them of the defective product and to see if your product has been recalled.
- Contact us to review your case at no obligation.
Who Can be Held Liable for a Defective Product?
Multiple entities can be held liable for a defective product, which makes dealing with such an injury and subsequent claim even more difficult. That’s why it is best to consult with a personal injury lawyer from ROSSETTI & DEVOTO, P.C. The entities who are often held liable include the following:
- The company that manufactured the product
- The company that sold and marketed the product
- The product designer
- The company that assembled the product
- A component part manufacturer
- A company hired to maintain, service or repair the product
- The retailer, distributor, or wholesaler that sold the product
- The company that imported the product, if made in another country
Preserving the product and other key evidence, before it disappears, is crucial to the success of your case. If necessary, we file emergent actions to preserve the product and important evidence before it disappears. It’s likely that each of the above companies will try to place the blame for your injuries on you or another company on the list, which makes it even more important to consult with an attorney about your case. The lawyers at ROSSETTI & DEVOTO, P.C. work with our team of investigators, engineers, and top safety experts to determine what went wrong and who is responsible. In most cases, the answer depends on how the product failed. Did the product fail because of how it was designed? Did it fail because of the way it was built? Did it fail due to a missing or faulty component part? Did the retailer fail to include proper warnings? All of these questions will be answered by our experienced defective product lawyers so that we can hold those companies liable.
Defective product cases are challenging because the stakes are high for the companies being sued. After all, they have thousands and sometimes millions of those same products in circulation. They will do whatever it takes to prevent their product from being deemed defective. The lawyer you choose needs to have experience in handling defective product cases and must have the necessary resources to fight these large companies. ROSSETTI & DEVOTO, P.C. has a proven track record of success against even the biggest product manufacturers. There’s too much at stake for you to wait. Call now and we’ll get started.
Contact a Defective Product Lawyer Today
If you or a loved one has suffered an injury due to a defective product, it is in your best interest to speak to a defective product lawyer from ROSSETTI & DEVOTO, P.C. Save the product or its remnants, collect receipts, speak to witnesses, and document everything that happened leading up to the incident that left you injured. Our team will fight to hold the proper parties responsible so you are fairly compensated.
To learn more, click here to read the Unsafe/Defective Products FAQs
RECENT SETTLEMENTS AND VERDICTS IN PRODUCT LIABILITY CASES
Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances
$7.5 Billion settlement against Tobacco Industry for the citizens of New Jersey. The suit sought to recover billions of dollars that the state and its taxpayers paid through the Medicaid program for health care costs attributable to smoking related illnesses. Lou DeVoto did extensive work on this landmark settlement, along with six other law firms and the State Attorney General.
$5.5 Million Jury Verdict against General Motors. Harold Tucker, 69-year-old Salem man, was paralyzed from the chest down in a car crash. His attorneys argued that a defective seat belt was the cause of his injuries. The jury agreed and ordered General Motors to pay $5.5 million in damages. Andy Rossetti represented Mr. Tucker.
Over $4 Million awarded by a jury for the plaintiff who has been disabled due to a poorly designed seat belt in a Toyota pick-up truck. Andy Rossetti assisted in representing the injured plaintiff.
$3.5 Million settlement obtained on behalf of our client who was scalped by a workplace conveyor. Andy Rossetti represented the plaintiff who had devastating and debilitating injuries.
$2.75 Million settlement obtained on behalf of our client who was severely injured by a defectively designed delivery van. Andy Rossetti handled this complex products liability case resulting in brain injuries and life-long problems for RD’s client.
$1.6 Million Products Liability settlement for a 24 year old woman severely injured while riding in a reclined position in her vehicle. Andrew Rossetti brought national attention to the hidden dangers of reclining seats in a case against Chrysler.
$1,300,000.00 settlement for a machinist in Millville, New Jersey, who was assigned to “upkeep” on a glass bottle manufacturing machine and as he was changing a neck ring his shirt became engulfed in flames when it came in contact with the 1500 degree bottles that are moved by conveyor. Andy Rossetti represented our client.
$1.15 Million settlement for a 43 year old worker who lost part of his hand in a poorly guarded industrial machine. Lou DeVoto assisted in the representation.
$1,287,500 settlement paid by Rita’s Water Ice to the woman whose leg was amputated after being struck by a car while waiting in line for Water Ice. The company has since installed barrier poles to prevent cars from striking pedestrians. Lou DeVoto represented the women and her family.
$1,020,000 settlement for wrongful death case that resulted from a defectively designed and manufactured go-cart. Andy Rossetti represented the family.
1.35 Million settlement for a 24-year-old Bridgeton man whose hand was amputated in a defective vegetable-processing machine. Lou DeVoto represented the young man.
$800,000 product liability settlement for a man who was killed when his truck caught fire after an impact with a tree. Andy Rossetti handled this complex Product Liability case.
$800,000 settlement for a 32-year-old Vineland man whose hand was severely burned in a glass making machine. Andy Rossetti represented this hardworking family man.
$800,000 for a man injured in the workplace by a defective machine. Andy Rossetti represented the plaintiff.
$750,000 settlement for a 35-year-old Paulsboro man whose leg was amputated below the knee in a heavy equipment accident. Lou DeVoto represented the gentlemen.
$750,000 settlement for a women whose hand was partially amputated in a meat grinder while working. Andy Rossetti represented the young lady.
$775,000 settlement reached after one week of trial for a boy injured by a defective bicycle. Lou DeVoto represented the boy and his mother.
