Design Defects.

Have you ever bought a product that made you think about whether or not it’s safe to use? Maybe you bought something for your child or someone else you know and had those same thoughts. These feelings are natural for anyone because we live in a world where products injury and kill people. There have been so many recalls for food (pistachios, peanut butter) and toys (i.e. McDonalds ‘Happy Meal’ toys) that many people have become skeptical of a lot of products on store shelves these days.

Design defects are product flaws that are consistent in its design. For example, a chair with three legs may be considered defectively designed. If something you bought injures you, here are three questions you should have:

1. How badly am I injured?

2. How did the personal injury happen?

3. Was it caused by something I bought, and if so, is something wrong with the product?

If your answer to question three is yes then maybe you should think about filing a product liability claim with an experienced products liability lawyer.

Determining Design Defects

There are two theories to figure out the facts surrounding your injuries from a defective product: products liability and negligence. Product liability deals primarily on the product itself (whether or not it’s defective) while the negligence aspect (carelessness) focuses on the manufacturer, seller or distributor’s conduct because they might have sold you a dangerous product.

An easy way to determine this would be to find out if the design defect was by design or unintended. There are a lot of design defect in everyday products, but a manufacturing defect, on the other hand, is usually unintended. The reason for the design defect may not seem important now, but it is very important for you product liability claim.

What Kinds Of Products Can Design Defects Be Found In?

Design defects can be found anywhere. Defects can also be found in your children’s toys or in the household appliances (i.e. washers, dryers or microwaves) that you use every day such as a toaster or a refrigerator. Larger products, like automobiles for instance, may potentially come with several design defects that can cause serious personal injury or wrongful death.

Some common design defects in cars include:

Car roofs that aren’t strong enough to handle rollover car accidents
Seatbelts that rip
Malfunctioning airbags

If you want to be sure you’ve done everything in your power to help yourself (get medical bills paid and recover money for lost wages as well as pain and suffering), we recommend that you seek out the services of an experienced products liability attorney.

Why Hire Our Products Liability Lawyers?

Since 1992, the products liability attorneys at the Law Offices of Michael Pines, APC have been helping people just like you deal with your products liability claim. We know that the legal process can at times be very confusing, but our experience can, however, help guide you through the process.

Our firm’s founder, Michael Pines, is a former insurance company lawyer, so he knows how the insurance companies work. You shouldn’t have to worry about fighting insurance companies or even recovering what you lost from injury caused by a design defect. We’re here to help you recover the maximum personal injury settlement with the least amount of stress.

If you or a loved one has suffered injury from a defective product, we urge you to contact our bilingual offices as soon as possible following the accident at 1-800-655-6585 or please click here for a free consultation with an experienced products liability attorney. We handle all cases on a contingency fee basis, which means that you do not pay anything until we recover money on your behalf.

Most Recent Blog Post

[caption id="attachment_21715" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Photo Credit: The San Diego Union Tribune"][/caption] Last week, we reported on a car accident in San Diego that resulted out of alleged teen street racing. In new developments, the 18-year-old driver charged with the death of the two teenagers involved in the street racing has pleaded not guilty to vehicular manslaughter among four other charges according to reports at the San Diego Union Tribune. The news follows the earlier arrest of another 16-year-old driver that was taken into custody on similar charges. Just shortly after his arraignment, Michael Johnson, the 18-year-old driver of a Volvo S40, said, according to his attorney, that he is not the responsible party in the tragic San Diego accident fatalities that occurred April 4. Accident reports indicate that Johnson was returning from a spring break beach party in La Jolla when he was allegedly involved in a street racing contest with another teen driver – the unidentified 16-year-old driver of a Volkswagen Passat whose name has not been released since he is a minor. According to Deputy District Attorney Kristen Spieler, the two vehicles were zigzagging across lanes at speeds reaching up to a staggering 100 m.p.h. The 16-year-old driver in the Passat lost control over the vehicle, causing the car to flip over several times across multiple lanes of the road. Two passengers, Anthony Foreman, 18, and Jayli Campbell, 16, were thrown from the Passat and died at the scene of the accident. Two passengers survived the crash. Charlotte McQuillen, survived the accident although she suffered serious injury as a result of the collision including reports that say the teen will have to recover from traumatic brain injury. Anthoney Taylor, 16, also survived the crash although his injuries are unclear at this time. Johnson did not flee the scene of the accident according to police reports and cooperated with authorities once officers assessed the scene of the collision. The teen has no prior criminal record, although authorities say his vehicle was found containing a small amount of marijuana. Johnson is being charged with intoxicated driving, although his lawyer says there were no field sobriety tests to confirm the teen’s alleged intoxication. Teen driving: reminders for concerned parents Last week, we blogged on actions parents can take to prevent teen car accidents. Tips include:

Sign a parent-teen contract. Download your free contract now.
Enforcing the rules. Every teen driver needs to know that rules are there for a purpose, and when they are broken, consequences will follow.
Have a DUI backup plan. As most parents can attest, there are many instances when teen drivers run into problems that supersede their know-how and maturity. Drinking is one of those problems. In cases of emergency, your teen should have an open-door policy where they feel safe to call you when they need help – such in the case of drunk driving or driving while intoxicated.

About the Law Offices of Michael Pines, APC The Law Offices of Michael Pines, APC are specialists in car accident injury. Every personal injury attorney in our San Diego office works hard to seek maximum recovery for every injured client. Your case is handled without any out-of-pocket costs, so do not hesitate to speak to a San Diego personal injury lawyer today for a free legal evaluation. Call us at 1-800-655-6585.