Product Liability Lawyer in Linden, New Jersey

The law of product liability is the area of law that deals with the liability of the manufacturer, wholesaler or retailer of a product for injuries resulting from that product. This includes the manufacturer of component parts of the product, an assembling manufacturer, the wholesaler, the retail store or another ultimate seller of the product, and any other party in the distributive chain, regardless of whether you actually purchased the item yourself.

Research from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission indicates that defective or unsafe products cause 29.4 million injuries and 21,400 deaths each year. You or your child may be injured by something seemingly harmless or something you use every day, such as a hairdryer, toaster, baby chair, toy, iron, coffee maker, air conditioner, car, hand tool or even your clothing. Product liability law gives consumers the ability to sue for and recover damages from manufacturers, distributors, and vendors for injuries resulting from accidents caused by-products. Virtually all products are subject to products liability law, not just items on the store shelves – products subject to the law run the spectrum from food, drugs, appliances, automobiles, medical devices, medical implants, blood, tobacco, gases, real estate, writings, maps, and even commercial jets.

Products liability claims are tort-based claims that can arise from negligence, strict liability, or breach of warranty, though products liability is often focused on strict liability claims.

Strict Liability

Strict liability is the term used to describe situations in which a person can be held liable for damages caused to another person even without negligence or other faults. Strict liability means “liability without fault,” therefore a person is liable whether or not they were negligent and whether or not they intended to do any harm. The law imposes strict liability on inherently or abnormally dangerous activities or activities that are likely to cause particular kinds of harm. A typical example of this type of activity is the use of explosives – if injury results from the use of explosives, regardless of the purpose for which they are used and the care exercised, the operator of the explosives is liable to those damaged by their use.

Strict liability is also often imposed on manufactured products, under the law of product liability. Strict liability claims do not involve proof of whether or not someone acted reasonably or used appropriate care in manufacturing a certain product. Translated to products liability terms, a defendant in a product liability claim will be found liable for damages to a plaintiff if it is found that the product is defective, regardless of whether the manufacturer or supplier exercised great care when designing and manufacturing it. As such, a plaintiff does not have to demonstrate that the manufacturer or vendor was negligent or careless, only that:

• A defect in the product caused the accident
• He or she was using the product in a manner consistent with the way it was meant to be used
• The product was not substantially changed between the time it left the seller or manufacturer’s hands and the time it reached the plaintiff

Even if you are not the original owner of the merchandise you can sue for product liability. For example, if a friend lends you a power saw that turns out to be defective and injures you, you can file a product liability claim against the manufacturer, distributor, wholesaler, and/or vendor of the item. Even a company that doesn’t actually make a product, but merely puts its label on it, is liable for any injuries the item causes.

Example: A supermarket contracts with a manufacturer to make a line of soft drinks for the store. The manufacturer uses a bottle that does not properly release pressure upon opening. If a child is injured by an exploding bottlecap, then the supermarket is liable as well as the manufacturer. This holds true even if the supermarket was unaware that the bottles were defective.

In a negligence claim, a plaintiff must show that a manufacturer, seller, wholesaler or other party involved in the distributive chain had a duty to exercise reasonable care in the process of manufacturing or selling a product and failed to fulfill that duty, resulting in injury to the plaintiff. Negligence consists of doing something that a person of ordinary prudence would not do under the same or similar circumstances, or failing to do something that a person of ordinary prudence would do under the same or similar circumstances. This can take the form of negligence in drawing up or reviewing plans for a product, negligence in maintaining the machines that make the component parts of the product, negligence in failure to anticipate probable uses of the product, negligence in failure to inspect or test the product adequately, negligence in issuing inadequate warnings or instructions regarding the use of the product, or any other aspect of the manufacturing or distribution process where due care is not used.

Our Law Firm Also Provide Representation in The Following Practice Areas

• Types of Product Defects
• Wrongful Death
• Personal Injury
• Nursing Home Negligence
• Premises Liability
• Workers’ Compensation
• Brain Trauma
• Dog Bite
• Neck and Back Injury
• Shoulder Injury
• Third-Party Liability
• DUI / DWI

Contact Our Experienced Product Liability Attorneys at the Law Offices of Jeffrey S. Charney, LLC

In product liability cases it is essential that measures be taken promptly to preserve evidence, document the chain of custody of the product in question, and enable engineers or other expert witnesses to thoroughly evaluate the product and your injuries. If you or a loved one has been injured by a product of any kind, call the Law Offices of Jeffrey S. Charney, LLC now at (908)-925-8300 or  CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT A SIMPLE CASE FORM. Don’t delay! You may have a valid claim and be entitled to compensation for your injuries, but a lawsuit must be filed before the statute of limitations expires.