Silver Spring Dangerous Products Attorney

The main detail to remember about a Maryland product liability case is that there must have been damage done to a person or property as a result of normal use of the product in question. If it is proven that the product itself is dangerous due to any of the factors above, the company behind the product is liable for damages. Call a Silver Spring dangerous products lawyer with our firm today to learn more about your options for filing a claim.

If you get hurt from using a product and you believe the product was to blame, you should call a personal injury attorney to determine the right course of action to take. An experienced Silver Spring dangerous products lawyer will be equipped with the right knowledge to determine if there are breach of warranty, unavoidable dangers, inherent risks, negligence, or strict liability issues to look at.

Most products have the potential to cause injury if used in a manner inconsistent with their intended use. Merchants and manufacturers do have a legal duty of care to provide proper instructions for use and warnings against improper use, but only to the extent that the consumer is using the product reasonably.

What is a Dangerous Product?

When most people hear the term “dangerous product,” the first things that come to mind are usually items that have inherent risks involved–chain saws, lawn mowers, kitchen knives and the like. However, under Maryland law, dangerous products are those that have high product liability attached to them.

Any product that is defective can be dangerous. Whether young children swallowing small parts that were improperly attached or an ignition switch that catches fire, if the product is defective, it poses a danger to the consumer. The three main types of defective products that are the basis of claims brought by Silver Spring dangerous products lawyers are discussed below.

Manufacturing Defects

If a product is manufactured incorrectly, or not to the exact design specifications of the product, in a manner that may cause injury to a consumer using it for its intended purpose, it is a dangerous product.

Design Defects

In the case that the product was manufactured exactly to the designed specifications, but it still poses a danger to its users, the design itself can be ruled defective.

One famous case of a defectively designed product was that of the Ford Pinto. Ford was fully aware that part of the car’s design made it substantially less safe than other vehicles, yet they decided that the liability costs would be less than fixing the defect.

Inadequate Warnings or Instructions for Use

Here a product is made dangerous by its lack of proper warnings, for example a pressure cooker that neglects to warn its operator that the lid must stay on until the contents are fully cooled and there is no more steam to release.

Merck, a large pharmaceutical giant, was found guilty of this product liability claim in 2006. The court determined that the company had intentionally misled the FDA about the risk of their painkiller, Vioxx. As a result, after having taken the drug for a few years, one man suffered a heart attack as a result of the inadequate warnings to the FDA.

When to Contact a Silver Spring Dangerous Products Lawyer

In Maryland, the statute of limitations for product liability is three years. That means the date the accident occurred to the date you and your attorney file a claim must not exceed three years. Given that even the best attorney will usually require time to document and put forward the basis for your dangerous products claim, this is a major incentive to contact an attorney at the earliest available opportunity.

When you call a Silver Spring dangerous products attorney, you are not only protecting your own legal rights, but those of others as well. Assuming the consumer product is dangerous or defective, there is a high probability that others will also be injured from it, and the sooner the defect is made known, the sooner the product can be made safe or taken off the market. Get started on the road to just compensation by calling our firm for help finding a Maryland product liability lawyer today who can help you understand product liability law and the strength of your case.