If you have been injured by a defective product, contact a Personal Injury Lawyer from VanDerGinst Law for a free review of your case.

If the injured user was using the product in a manner not intended by the manufacturer or retailer or had altered the product so that safety features were disabled, it may not be possible to prove that injuries were caused by defects in the product.

The defendant may be able to successfully claim that the injuries were caused by the acts of the plaintiff.

Grounds for Claim Damage

Questions of negligence and breach of warranty are also grounds for a claim for damages under product liability.

In the case of negligence, if it can be shown that a company was negligent in testing its product adequately or in supplying directions for its use, the injured party probably has grounds for filing suit.

Similarly, a manufacturer implies a warranty for fitness of use and freedom from defect when an item is sold.

If the item proves to be defective or is unfit for the purpose intended, an injured user can file a product liability case.

In a case of negligence, it is important that the plaintiff be able to show that the product was defective when it left the control of the party being sued.

It is not possible to hold someone liable for a defect that occurred after that party had control over the product.

In product liability, there are various areas of defects that can occur.

If a claim of strict liability is to be pursued, the injured party will need to show that due to a defect, the product was unreasonably dangerous for its intended use.

There are generally three areas in which a product can be unreasonably dangerous:

• The manufacturer or seller can fail to warn about the dangers associated with the product’s use. Manufacturers and sellers are expected to give adequate warnings about possible dangers and to provide clear and adequate instructions of use. Failure to do so can cause a useful product to become deadly. For instance, coolants used in automobiles are extremely toxic; failure to print warnings of this toxicity on the product labels could lead to accidental poisoning and thus to a suit for damages.

• The product may have a design defect. This means that the product is manufactured with a defect, even if it is assembled perfectly. An example would be a car gasoline tank that is designed with weak walls such that an impact can rupture the tank and cause the car to catch on fire, even when the tank is correctly assembled and installed.

• A manufacturing defect exists when an otherwise safe product is rendered dangerous because it is assembled improperly. A car whose wheel is installed with missing or cross-threaded bolts may lose a wheel at high speed, injuring or killing the driver and passengers. If it is proved that the car was manufactured with that defect, the manufacturer will be liable.

In all cases of product liability, it is essential to the success of the case that the product is preserved and that all paperwork showing the origin of the product be made available.

Receipts showing purchase, any repair records, etc., can be vital to building a successful case.

Contact a Personal Injury Lawyer

If you or a loved one has suffered an injury, illness or death in connection with the use of a hazardous product, call VanDerGinst Law at 800-797-5391. The initial consultation is free of charge.

If we agree to handle your injury case, we will work on a contingency fee basis, which means we get paid for our services only if, and when, there is a money recovery for you.

In many cases, a lawsuit must be filed before an applicable expiration date, known as a statute of limitations. So please contact us away to ensure that you do not waive your right to possible compensation.

Our team of personal injury attorneys is licensed to practice in Illinois, Iowa, and the federal courts. We have handled and can handle serious cases all over the country. 

No matter where you reside VanDerGinst Law can help you.

The information contained on this website is presented by VanDerGinst Law P.C. It is not intended nor should it be construed as professional legal advice. The information is general in nature about the Firm, the scope of services we offer, and our community outreach, it is not legal advice. Please contact us by phone, email, mail, or via this website for inquiries. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please contact a personal injury attorney for a consultation regarding your situation. This website is not intended to solicit clients outside the State of Iowa and/or the State of Illinois.