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[/profileleft]Nearly everyone who lives in the United States buys consumer products with such regularity that we rarely consider all that went into every product that reached our homes or offices. These products had to be designed, manufactured, packaged, shipped, stocked and displayed before we ever saw them. American consumers tend to assume that any product we purchase is relatively safe. While that is generally true, defective products lawyers are kept quite busy across the country for a reason.
According to federal court records, nearly 50,000 defective products lawsuits are filed in the United States every year, and this does not even include actions filed in state courts. As we continue through National Safety Month, we are going to provide you with some statistics and some ideas for minimizing the chance that you’ll become part of these statistics.
Products Involved in Injuries
The Consumer Product Safety Commission, or the CPSC, is a federal agency that tracks statistics relating to injuries that occurred while people were using different types of consumer products. One of the ways that the CPSC organizes the data relating to these injuries is by category. Below you’ll find just a few examples of types of products and how many people were injured while using them in the United States in 2014 alone:
- Nursery equipment – 97,541
- Toys – 240,658
- Clothing – 341,824
- Workshop tools – 130,272
- Chairs, sofas, sofa beds – 575,545
- Ladders and stools – 240,872
- Playground equipment – 238,121
- Bathroom structures/fixtures – 446,479
- Beds, mattresses, pillows – 745,854
- Desks, cabinets, shelves and racks – 284,498
All told, millions of people are injured when using certain products every year in the United States. Hundreds of thousands of people are injured badly enough that they either require a hospital stay or they are killed. A link to the full CPSC report can be found here.
Minimizing the Chance of Being Injured by a Consumer Product
Of course, not every single injury reported by the CPSC is the result of consumers using defective products. However, as seen above, tens of thousands of people every year believe that they were wrongfully injured by something that was either not designed or manufactured properly and seek the help of defective products lawyers. Below are a few ideas for minimizing the chance that you or someone you love will be harmed by a defective product:
- Read instructions – If you’re not absolutely familiar with how a product works, read the instructions.
- Assemble properly – “Extra parts” or other issues that arise during a product’s assembly should be thoroughly investigated.
- Supervise children – Any product that children use that could lead to injury should involve constant supervision.
- No “unique” fixes – Do not attempt to invent your own “repair” to a product, as this could harm any future legal claim you may have.
- Return problematic products immediately – As soon as you notice something is wrong, bring the product back.
Defective Products Lawyers and the Realities of Lawsuits
Defective products lawyers often deal with tragic situations where people are needlessly harmed permanently or killed. When consumers attempt to take on corporations by themselves, they often find their situations extremely difficult to manage given the difference in resources involved.
Rather than face such a situation, contact the defective product attorneys at Gomez Trial Attorneys today to schedule a free initial consultation if you or someone you love has been harmed in this manner.
