What If I Was Injured by a Product That Didn't Have a Warning Label?

Product manufacturers creating products that have the potential to cause harm or serious injury are under obligation to make sure consumers are aware of these safety risks. Instructions that do not demonstrate how to use a product safely, or don’t address potential safety hazards associated with the product may be illegal. These defects are known as marketing defects. Another type of defect is a design defect, which happens when the manufacturer makes a dangerous product that is hazardous even when used properly. The third kind is a manufacturing defect, which happens when a manufacturer makes an error creating the product, causing a hazard that was not included in the product design.

What Are Some Common Defective Products?

• Auto components: vehicle ignition systems, fuel systems, accelerators, airbags, seatbelts, tires, brakes, and child seats are common recalled items.
• Children’s toys: Toys often have choking hazards, or other safety risks associated with use.
• Furniture: Ikea has recently recalled millions of dresser cabinets because of the risk they pose of falling on children and injuring them.
• Over the counter drugs: Prescription medications and other health products are subject to common recalls.

How Can You Be Notified of Product Recalls?

If a manufacturer finds out about a safety hazard involving their product, they are required to submit that information to a government agency responsible for consumer safety in their industry. The manufacturer or government agency then must make a campaign to notify as many consumers of the product that they can. They do this through posting on their website, sending letters, media coverage, or electronic notifications like emails. Due to the scope of products that are sold and re-sold, all users of the recalled product will likely not be able to receive notification.A product can be unsafe for several reasons. A product can be inherently unsafe and lack safety instructions, contain a manufacturing defect that causes hazards, or has instructions that do not detail proper safe usage of a product. In the event of a product liability case, having a Lufkin product safety attorney can help you stand up against huge manufacturing corporations. Many recalls are not formed about until a consumer files a complaint, and a product manufacturer will often try to offer the minimum amount of coverage for the damages they caused.Lufkin personal injury attorneys at Mike Love & Associates, LLC are dedicated to fight for the best coverage in unsafe product damage cases.

Can I Sue if Hot Coffee Burns Me?

Recent news of another hot coffee case has surfaced, this time against Starbucks. The infamous case involving a woman receiving third degree burns from McDonald’s coffee resulted in a huge product liability case. Although the Starbucks case is less severe, the woman affected received first and second degree hot coffee burns, and is getting a $100,000 settlement. She claimed that the lid was either defective or not properly secured by the employee, which caused the spill. Starbucks coffee is served at 190 degrees, quite hot, almost the same as the coffee was at McDonald’s at the time of the incident.  So, how can we determine how dangerous is too dangerous for consumer products?How to Determine If a Product Is Too Unsafe

• What risk does the product pose? In hot coffee cases, many people assume that consumers should know that coffee is hot. But how hot is too hot? In both cases, it was determined that a 190 degree cup of coffee is excessively hot, more so than an average cup of coffee. A customer needs to be aware of a products potential danger.
• Have you checked for recalls? You can check the product in question online to see if there are any safety recalls involving it. Some manufacturers may have posted a recall but have not been able to contact you yet.
• Were there any warning labels/instructions? Starbucks admitted to getting multiple complaints about lids falling off, and did not equip their cups with warning labels about the lids. If there are no warning labels or safety instructions on your product, this could be a liability issue.

Consumer Reports Keep People Safe

In the McDonald’s coffee case, over 700 people had reported injuries from their coffee, and Starbucks had received many reports about their lids falling off. A company’s unwillingness to listen to safety claims from multiple people is not acceptable. The more people the company have ignored, the stronger your case could be. Record numbers of auto recalls are also happening right now, and recalls start with consumer complaints. Reporting your product injury could protect many others.Taking on a large corporation or product manufacturer by yourself would be very difficult. If you have been injured by a dangerous product, Lufkin product liability attorneys at Mike Love & Associates, LLC can use their experience taking on the big guys to represent you.