West Virginia Attorneys Help Those Injured by Poorly Designed, Manufactured or Tested Products
Dangerous products can be fatal to users and bystanders alike
Poorly designed, manufactured, or tested products can kill, maim, paralyze, burn, or otherwise seriously injure both their users and innocent bystanders. Such products include not only machines such as cranes, bulldozers, and other power equipment whose normal operation can be hazardous under the best of circumstances: they also include vast numbers of manufactured items, from motor vehicles to children’s toys.
Paulson & Nace, PLLC, our family owned and managed firm of West Virginia personal injury lawyers, understands the devastation these malfunctions cause. Individuals and families assume that the products they bring into their homes are safe and reliable. If you have been injured, or a loved one has been injured or killed by a defective product, we can examine and evaluate your situation with compassion and competence and aid you in obtaining the maximum compensation the law allows. Let us help.
Why do dangerous products reach the market?
Some companies put profits before consumer safety and allow quickly-designed, poorly manufactured products to leave their factories. Others fail to conduct enough safety testing, or simply ignore their own quality control and safety testing results. Still others perform an accounting tradeoff: the cost of correcting an unsafe condition they are aware of, as against the potential cost of product liability or wrongful death lawsuits. Federal agencies such as the United States Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) record and analyze product-related injuries, fatalities, and trends. These agencies may cause hazardous products to be recalled by their manufacturers; but, each year that brings new products to market seems to bring new hazards with them.
What are some examples of product liability?
Every instance of product liability seems to come with its own set of circumstances that make it unique. However, some examples include:
- Motor vehicles and components. This may include an entire vehicle, such as the notorious 1960-1964 models of the Chevrolet Corvair whose rear wheels were prone to "tuck under" and cause rollover accidents. Or it might include small parts that are potentially deadly, such as Takata’s airbag inflators that can explode on deployment and send shrapnel into a driver’s face and chest, or GM’s faulty ignition switches that caused the car to suddenly stop without warning.
- Pharmaceuticals. One of the worst examples of this occurred in the 1950s with thalidomide, marketed worldwide as a sedative for pregnant women. Anti-depressants such as Paxil and Prozac have been linked to birth defects, and the type 2 diabetes drug Onglyza has been linked to heart failure, to name just a few.
- Implanted medical devices. These include devices such as artificial knee and hip joints, pacemakers, IVC filters, insulin pumps, and the like. A defective implanted medical device not only endangers the user’s health by failing to do its job; additional surgery is required to remove and replace it. With artificial joints, replacement also includes rehabilitation and physical therapy.
- Children’s products. These have ranged from toys with small detachable parts that can cause a child to choke, to cribs whose vertical slats are widely spaced and may cause an infant whose head is caught between them to strangle.
We are advocates for West Virginians injured by defective products
If a poorly manufactured product has hurt you, seek the guidance of an experienced West Virginia product liability lawyer. Paulson & Nace, PLLC’s distinguished family of attorneys offers the compassionate, personal and professional attention you deserve. We are widely recognized throughout West Virginia for both our comprehensive legal services and our aggressive advocacy for victims of unsafe product injuries. When you choose a product liability lawyer from our practice to represent you, you are choosing a team that values families and family relationships. Please call 304-741-8079 or fill out our contact form to tell us your story in a no-obligation consultation. Our office is located at 3501 Maccorkle Ave SE, Charleston, WV 25304.
We have dedicated our lives to helping individuals and families whose lives have been disrupted by injuries from unsafe products. Let our family help you and yours.