Every day we use tools to help us get through the day. We use pens to help users write notes. We use phones to help us navigate the roads and city streets. We use cups and plates to help us eat our food. All those objects are products. The cars we drive or public transportation we take are the types of products we use on a daily basis. We trust the places we purchase these products because we assume that all the necessary tests and precautions were taken in the creation of the products. It is one of those blind faith moments. We don’t know how a lawnmower is made, but we trust it when we use it in our backyard. We don’t know who made the Vape in our pockets, but we buy them and use them often.
Our defective and dangerous products lawyers in California at Licata & Yeremenko, A Professional Law Corporation know that not every product is a safe product. Just because it passed inspection doesn’t mean it is good for the public. Our job is to help clients who have been injured because of defective products. When a victim comes to us for help we are here to gather all the facts we can to start an investigation. Once the investigation has started, we gather as much evidence to prove that the product was defective and its defectiveness caused the injury. Connecting those two points is vital to your case. Here are some examples of dangerous defective product cases:
- General Motors had to roll out a recall that would cost the company up to $4 billion. The defective product was a faulty ignition switch. The defective ignition caused 124 deaths and 275 injuries. The company paid out an average of $1.5 million per claim.
- In 1994, a 74-year old woman suffered serious burns after a McDonald’s coffee spilled in her lap from the drive-thru window. She won $2.86 million. The coffee was too hot at the time of delivery which was argued as the defective issue in the product. Since the incident, McDonald’s has lowered the heat of the coffee and added warning signs to coffee cups.
- Merck Pharmaceuticals was charged with mishandling the prescription of the painkiller Vioxx. It was argued that Merck misled the FDA about the drug’s safety. So far the company has paid a total of $830 million to Vioxx shareholders and $80 million to victims of the drug’s side effects.
- Owens Corning paid $1.2 billion to victims of mesothelioma and asbestosis because they did not share or educate their workers on the dangers of working with asbestos.
What To Do
If you or someone you love is suffering from an injury due to a defective product, seek legal assistance immediately. We must hold these companies accountable if want to create a world where companies start to care more about people instead of their bottom line from selling a product. Call 818-783-5757 or click here for a free consultation with our attorneys at Licata & Yeremenko, A Professional Law Corporation in California today.