Were you injured while using a faulty or dangerous product in Middletown, New York? Rolo Law Personal Injury Lawyers is here to help you fight for the compensation you deserve. Call 845-383-7790 to schedule your free consultation with a Middletown product liability lawyer today.
Product manufacturers have a legal duty to ensure the safety of their products. If a defect caused your injuries, you could be entitled to significant financial compensation. Contact our Middletown office to discuss your legal rights and next steps.
Why Choose Rolo Law Personal Injury Lawyers for Help With a Product Liability Claim in Middletown, NY?
You don’t expect to be injured using a consumer product. Unfortunately, manufacturers sell defective products all the time. Millions of U.S. consumers are injured using consumer products each year. Rolo Law Personal Injury Lawyers can help.
Here’s why victims in Middletown, NY, choose our team:
- Our attorneys bring over 40 years of legal experience to the table. We know how to handle tough cases like yours–and how to win big when it counts the most.
- We know how to help. We aren’t intimidated by insurance companies and their defense teams. We have a proven track record of standing up to major corporations and winning for our clients.
- Clients benefit from our in-depth understanding of class-action dynamics and the strategies defense teams use to minimize payouts.
To learn more about how our Middletown personal injury attorneys can fight for you, call for a free case review today.
What Is Product Liability, and How Does It Work?
Product liability is the legal responsibility manufacturers, distributors, or retailers have when they place defective or unreasonably dangerous products into the hands of consumers. These companies earn billions selling consumer goods, but they have a legal duty to ensure their products are safe for regular use.
Unlike typical personal injury claims, product liability cases don’t always require proof of negligence. Instead, they’re often based on a legal principle called strict liability. That means a company can be held accountable for injuries caused by a defective product—even if it wasn’t negligent in the traditional sense.
In short, if a product is flawed and causes harm, the company that made or sold it may be legally responsible for the damage it caused.
When Is a Consumer Product Considered Defective in New York?
Product liability cases typically rest on one of three types of defect:
Defective Design
Products suffer from design defects when they’re unreasonably dangerous, even when manufactured according to specifications. Design defects impact entire product lines.
In design defect cases, courts generally consider whether a reasonably cost-effective, yet safer, alternative design exists. The overall value of the product as designed is also relevant.
Manufacturing Defects
Defects sometimes arise because of mistakes during the manufacturing or assembly process. Products can become defective because the manufacturer did not adhere to the product’s design.
In manufacturing defect cases, plaintiffs must generally prove that the product was not assembled as intended and so became unreasonably dangerous.
Marketing Defects and Failure to Warn
Companies are also responsible for warning consumers about non-obvious risks. For example, if a company fails to warn consumers about potential side effects associated with a prescription drug, they can be liable for “failure to warn”.
Companies must also provide adequate instructions about how to use or assemble a product.
What Is My Middletown Product Liability Case Worth?
The value of a personal injury claim depends on numerous factors, including:
- The severity of the injuries
- Your recovery prospects
- Your current medical expenses
- Future needs created by a long-term disability, including ongoing medical care, rehab, assistance, etc.
- Your current lost wages
- How a long-term injury will impact your future earnings and opportunities
- Damage to your mental health and quality of life
Even though strict liability laws apply, recovering fair compensation isn’t automatic. You’ll have to fight for every dollar when you’re dealing with the manufacturer’s commercial insurance company and defense teams.
What Types of Compensation Can I Receive if I Was Hurt Using a Defective Product in Middletown?
Like any car accident victim, you can seek compensation for economic damages and non-economic damages.
Economic damages cover any financial costs created by an accident or injury, including:
- Medical costs you’ve incurred
- Future medical expenses for ongoing treatment
- Lost income
- Reduced future earning potential if you cannot return to work at the same earning level, even after reaching maximum medical recovery
- Rehabilitation
- In-home help or care
- Property damage
Non-economic damages recognize the non-financial losses that injury victims often experience, including:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Diminished quality of life
- Reduced ability to enjoy life
- Anxiety
- Depression
- PTSD
- Physical disfigurement
- Permanent scarring
- Chronic pain
- Loss of consortium
Hiring an experienced attorney is critical if you’ve suffered serious life changes due to an injury. Our lawyers often work with experts who can testify about the changes you’ve experienced–and help put a dollar value on those losses.
How Much Does It Cost To Hire a Product Liability Lawyer in Middletown?
Like most personal injury law firms, Rolo Law Personal Injury Lawyers operates on a contingency fee basis. Clients agree to pay us a fixed percentage of their compensation award when they hire us. You won’t have to worry about upfront fees or covering hourly rates.
You only pay if–and when–we recover compensation in your case.
Can Shared Liability Laws Impact the Value of a Product Liability Claim in New York?
Insurance companies often try to blame victims. In product liability cases, they’ll claim you weren’t using the product correctly. This isn’t an automatic bar to recovering compensation.
Manufacturing companies can be responsible even if the victim was using the product incorrectly–if that incorrect use was reasonably foreseeable.
When shared fault is an issue, New York follows a pure comparative negligence law. A victim’s compensation will be reduced in direct proportion to their share of fault.
Our Product Liability Attorneys in Middletown Will Fight To Recover Compensation for All of Your Injuries
At Rolo Law Personal Injury Lawyers, we represent clients with all types of injuries, including:
- Broken bones
- Concussions
- Burns
- Joint injuries
- Soft tissue damage
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Eye and facial injuries
- Head and neck injuries
- Cancer and other diseases
- Back and spinal cord injuries
- Internal bleeding
- Organ damage
- Choking
- Suffocations
- Amputations
- Paralysis
- Catastrophic injuries
- The wrongful death of a loved one
Some of these injuries are obvious immediately. Other types of injuries can develop over time. Regardless of your situation, contact our lawyers in Middletown today if you suspect a defective product was the cause.
Our Attorneys Handle All Types of Product Liability Cases in Middletown
All types of consumer products have the potential to become defective, including:
- Prescription medications
- Over-the-counter drugs
- Medical devices
- Food and beverages
- Household appliances
- Sports equipment
- Furniture
- Mattresses
- Electronics or batteries
- Children’s toys
- Children’s car seats
- Work equipment and tools
- Scaffolding and building/construction equipment
- Airbags, seat belts, and other safety equipment
- Motor vehicles
- Household chemicals
- Lawn care products and pesticides
- Vape pens
- 3M earplugs
- Personal care products
- Cosmetics
Defective products can seem completely harmless. Your injuries may have caught you completely off guard. If you were harmed, our lawyers are ready to protect your legal interests.
What Do I Have To Prove To Win a Product Liability Case in New York?
Strict liability is the basic legal theory that applies in product liability cases. That doesn’t mean the manufacturer is automatically liable for any injuries caused by their products.
To win compensation, you must prove:
- The defendant was responsible for putting the product on the market
- The product suffered from a defect
- That defect made the product dangerous
- You were using the product as directed, or in a reasonably foreseeable way
- You were injured while using the product, and suffered damages
These are the most common elements involved in product liability cases. However, it’s also possible that your case could be based on negligence or a breach of warranty. Regardless of the facts, our attorneys have decades of experience and the skills to hold the manufacturer responsible.
How Long Do I Have To File a Product Liability Lawsuit if I Was Injured Due to a Defective Product in New York?
New York follows a three-year statute of limitations in personal injury cases. If you fail to file a lawsuit within three years of your injuries, you’ll likely be barred from seeking compensation.
When your injuries occur gradually over time, you generally have three years from the date of a diagnosis–or the date you reasonably should have learned about the harm.
Contact a Skilled Middletown Product Liability Lawyer for a Free Consultation
Rolo Law Personal Injury Lawyers is here to fight on your behalf if you were injured due to a defective product in Middletown, New York. Call our law firm today to learn how an experienced Middletown product liability lawyer can help you maximize your financial award.
There’s never any risk or obligation when you seek legal advice.
