Warren County Product Liability Lawyer

You don’t expect it to happen to you. You buy a product, you take it home, and you trust that it’s safe–that it’s been tested, reviewed, and made with some level of care by the people who sold it to you. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. Sometimes, product manufacturers, designers, or marketers are careless or purposefully cut corners to save money, and people are injured as a result. If you’ve been harmed by a defective product, our firm is here to help. Contact a knowledgeable and experienced Warren County product liability lawyer from Pezzano Law Group (Warren County office of LCR Law) for a free consultation today.

The New Jersey Product Liability Act

New Jersey’s Product Liability Act (NJPLA) is the primary law that governs these kinds of cases in our state. It’s designed to protect consumers like you when a product that was supposed to be safe ends up causing harm. Under this law, a manufacturer, distributor, or retailer can be held responsible if the product was defective and that defect caused an injury.

The NJPLA is a strict liability statute, which means that you don’t have to prove the company was careless in the traditional sense. You only need to show that the product was not reasonably safe for its intended purpose and that you were hurt as a result. That’s it. It’s a powerful tool because it recognizes that the average consumer doesn’t have the resources or insider knowledge to understand how something was made or tested; they just trusted that it was safe.

Still, these cases aren’t always simple. Manufacturers often argue that a product was misused, altered, or that it met all industry standards when it left their facility. That’s why it’s so important to have a seasoned Warren County injury lawyer in your corner who can effectively fight back against corporate defense teams.

Common Defective Products

You might be surprised by how many products end up being recalled or found defective each year. Sometimes it’s a small household item, and sometimes it’s something life-changing, like a car part or a medical device. Some of the most common examples that lead to product liability claims are as follows:

• Automobiles and Vehicle Components: Faulty brakes, steering systems, or airbags that fail to deploy can cause devastating injuries or death.
• Home Appliances and Electronics: Defective wiring, overheating parts, or cheap materials can lead to fires, burns, or electric shocks.
• Children’s Toys and Baby Products: Unsafe designs, choking hazards, or toxic materials often result in serious injuries or death to young children.
• Pharmaceutical Drugs & Medical Devices: Medications with undisclosed side effects or insufficient warnings, as well as defective implants, pacemakers, or surgical equipment, can all lead to serious injuries or death.
• Power Tools: Poorly designed or inadequately labeled tools can cause lacerations, amputations, or other serious injuries.
• Food and Beverages: Contaminated or improperly labeled food products can cause illness, allergic reactions, or even long-term health problems in some cases.
• Cosmetics and Other Personal Care Items: Products containing undisclosed or harmful chemicals can result in burns, rashes, or other serious skin conditions.

If you or a loved one has been harmed by any of these products, you can depend on a skilled Warren County product liability lawyer from our firm to fight for the compensation you deserve and need to heal.

Types of Product Liability

Importantly, not all defective products are defective for the same reason. Under the NJPLA, there are three main categories of product defects that can give rise to a claim: failure to warn, defective design, and manufacturing defect. An outline of these grounds is as follows:

• Failure to Warn: This type of claim arises when a company fails to provide adequate warnings or instructions about how to safely use its product, and someone is injured as a result.
• Defective Design: Here, the issue isn’t with how the product was made, but with how it was designed. The entire product line is unsafe because of the way it was conceived. For example, if a vehicle model has a gas tank that explodes during rear-end collisions, that’s a design defect. These cases often require a product liability lawyer to prove that a safe, more reasonable alternative design existed and that the designer chose not to use it.
• Manufacturing Defect: This occurs when something goes wrong in the production process. The design itself might be fine, but one or several units were made incorrectly. Even a single defective part can cause a serious injury and justify a claim.

What to Do if You’re Injured by a Defective Product

If you’ve been injured by a defective product, there are specific steps you can take to protect your rights and maximize the odds of winning your personal injury claim. They are as follows:

1. Get Medical Help. Your health comes first. Even if you think your injury is minor, get checked by a medical professional.
2. Do Not Throw Away the Product: This is one of the most important things you can do. Keep the product exactly as it is. Don’t repair it, alter it, or give it back to the manufacturer until your attorney advises you to. The defective product itself is often the single most important piece of evidence in your case.
3. Save Everything: Keep the original packaging, instruction manuals, receipts, and any related paperwork.
4. Take Photos and Videos: Document the product, the injury, and the scene where it happened. The more evidence you have, the better.
5. Contact a Product Liability Lawyer: These cases are complex, and large companies often have teams of attorneys working to protect their interests. Our firm can fight back against them.

Contact a Phillipsburg, New Jersey Product Liability Lawyer

When you’re injured by a defective product, it’s easy to feel powerless, but you don’t have to handle this alone. Contact a knowledgeable and dedicated Warren County, New Jersey product liability lawyer from Pezzano Law Group for a free initial consultation today.