There are many types of legal proceedings that arise from fairly common incidents such as car accidents, drunk driving accidents, medical malpractice, divorce, and more. In fact, in 2010, total property damage costs from car accidents was $76.1 billion, 31% of all economic costs. However, one of the less common types of legal cases is when someone gets injured by a dangerous product. Most products are highly regulated to prevent incidents like these, but sometimes a product is defective and causes an injury. If you were injured by a dangerous product, here are the first steps you should take.
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- Seek medical treatment:
First and foremost, it’s essential for you to immediately seek treatment for any injuries you may have sustained during the incident. A qualified doctor will be able to provide care and document the injury, which can help strengthen your case in court. It’s also recommended to photograph your injuries if at all possible.
- Seek medical treatment:
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- Hold on to the product:
It may be instinctual to want to throw away the defective product after it harmed you, but it’s critical for you to save it and try to keep it in the same condition it was in when it caused you injury. Keep the entire product, the packaging, the instructions, and any warnings that may have come in the package. Receipts are also helpful to have if you haven’t disposed of it already. All in all, any evidence you have of the product’s dangerous or defective nature should be saved for evidence in court.
- Hold on to the product:
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- Scrutinize the packaging:
Many cases that involve an injury by a dangerous product are centered around the manufacturer’s failure to adequately warn users of the possible dangers of the product. Read the packaging clearly for any warnings — if they’re not clearly displayed or are missing entirely, the manufacturer may be found liable.
- Scrutinize the packaging:
- Find a product liability lawyer:
When it comes time to find a lawyer, don’t just choose someone you know or that you may have worked with before. It is absolutely imperative that you find a lawyer who specializes specifically in product liability law. This is a highly specialized area of the law that requires an experience lawyer to fully comprehend. The better lawyer you have, the more success you’ll have in recovering expenses like medical bills, properly damage, income, and pain and suffering.
Ultimately, being injured by a dangerous product is definitely a headache, but taking the right steps immediately after the incident occurs is the best way to get the compensation you’re entitled to. For more information on product liability law, contact Greene Ketchum.
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