Defective products are more than just a nuisance for consumers – they can lead to severe injuries and extensive property damage. There are various ways that products can become defective and cause harm, but there are three overall basic types of product defects that can occur. If you or a loved one have been injured due to a defective product, we encourage you to reach out to a skilled product liability lawyer in Phoenix as soon as possible.
1. Design Defects
Every product gets design approval before moving on to the manufacturing stage of the process. Product designs often take years to perfect, and most products go through extensive testing. The vast majority of products are well-designed and need to know consumer safety risks, but that is not always the case. There are times when poorly designed products make it through the testing processes and onto the shelves for consumers to purchase.
Design flaws are often not discovered right away, and they can include entire lines of products. For example, if a medication is missing a certain chemical or even has the wrong dosage of a chemical inside, this could be considered a design flaw. If a power tool is designed without adequate safety guarding in place, this could also be considered a design flaw.
2. Manufacturing Defects
Manufacturing defects are different from design flaws in that the harm to consumers comes from a problem somewhere during the manufacturing process of a well-designed product. It is not uncommon for products to go through various manufacturing stages, often at different locations. An error made at any specific point in the manufacturing process could lead to consumer harm.
For example, if a manufacturing plant uses the wrong type of bolt, screw, or fastener on a product, this could lead to the product becoming hazardous for a consumer. Two parts could be attached incorrectly, or an outdated component could be installed. Electrical circuitry could be wired backward. There are many ways that products can become effective during the manufacturing process.
3. Marketing Defects
Manufacturing defects revolve around the labels and warnings placed on a product. Any product you purchase likely comes with some type of instruction, ingredient list, side effect label, hazard warnings, etc. These labels are there for a reason. They provide education to the consumer about the proper use of the product as well as anything they may need to know about dangers. A marketing defect could include inadequate warnings about product usage, such as failing to warn a consumer not to use a product around an open flame. A marketing defect could also include failing to put side effect warnings on a medication.
Contact a Product Liability Attorney in Phoenix
If you or somebody you care about has been harmed due to a defective product, we encourage you to reach out to an attorney as soon as possible. An experienced personal injury lawyer in Phoenix can investigate the facts of your case and help you recover compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering damages. There are specific time frames in place for filing these claims in Arizona, so we encourage you to reach out to an attorney as soon as possible so the process can begin.