How Do Manufacturers And Retailers Have A Responsibility For Your Safety?
Product liability is an area of consumer law which relates to the quality of good sold and chiefly concerns manufacturers, distribution and retail, although anyone who makes a product available to the general public can be held responsible if their goods are defective and not of a merchantable quality.
But What Does That Actually Mean?
- People who’ve been injured by faulty products have the right to sue for damages; product liability is the legal term for the laws that affect their rights as consumers
- Historically, people who suffered injuries or loses had to prove that a manufacturer was negligent before they could sue for damages. Today the Consumer Protection Act means that negligence no longer needs to be proven. If the product was defective then the person or people hurt thanks to this defect have a right to make a compensation claim
- British product liability laws incorporate the European Community directives on defective goods which means that people throughout Europe have the same rights.
Product liability compensation comes into play if you have bought something which was not fit for purpose, had a fault which could be reasonably expected to cause injury or damage to property or didn’t come with adequate warnings about product limitations and marketing defects.
For example, you might deserve a settlement if you bought or even hired a car in which the brakes were faulty, leading to an accident where you, your family or your property came to harm. Or your claim might centre upon a toy which broke and hurt one of your children. You could make a product liability claim if the toy was badly made or there was no warning that the toy was unsuitable for a child of yours’ age.
Complicated Cases Require Dedicated Professionals
Recent product liability lawsuits have included cases taken out against sofa manufacturers who used banned fungicides as a part of the manufacturing process which caused extreme allergic reactions in a large number of people who had purchased the furniture. In cases such as this, where the retailer had gone out of business before the problems really started to arise, dealing with the problem yourself would have been an incredibly difficult job. However, with a team of personal injuries lawyers on the case you have the reassurance that someone is working on your behalf to find the settlement you deserve, not just for the cost of replacing the faulty item but compensating you for your time, pain and discomfort as well as the inconvenience that has been caused you.
If you want to make a product liability claim there are certain things you need to be aware of before proceeding. If you’ve been the victim of an accident or other injury due to someone else’s negligence you could well be entitled to compensation but there are procedures and time limits which need to be observed. If, for example you were hurt thanks to a faulty product a number of years ago you might find justice harder to come by than if you had brought the case right away. There are exceptions to this, if you were a child when you were hurt, for example, or you were so badly injured that it hasn’t been possible for you to bring a case for a very long time. Courts are there to see that justice is done for the victims of accidents and negligence so, in some cases, they may be happy to waive time limits.
If this has happened to you and you feel your case is exceptional then talk to a no win no fee compensation claim lawyer by contacting us today. They will be able to explain the process of making a product liability claim and whether you have a case that is going to win you the compensation settlement you expect.
