Design Flaws Can Lead to Product Liability Lawsuits
When people in the greater Salt Lake City area are harmed by dangerous or defective products, our personal injury law firm is here to help. Product liability lawsuits are an essential part of keeping consumers safe and making sure companies are held responsible for preventable injuries.
Many products that cause accidents or harm are dangerous from a design standpoint. We'd like to take a moment to consider the nature of design flaws, and show you why these kinds of preventable dangers cannot be tolerated.
What Is a Design Flaw?
A design flaw refers to an inherent problem with the product. Rather than flaws from manufacturing or in transit, a product is inherently flawed from the beginning. These flaws may be dangerous and deadly, causing catastrophic and even fatal injuries if consumers are not careful or are simply unlucky.
Examples of Design Flaws
Design flaws can take many different forms. These examples below should give you an idea of how dangerous these inherent product flaws can be.
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A toy intended for toddlers may have parts that are vary small that can come loose. These can pose a choking hazard if a young child swallows these parts. Similarly, a toy with sharp or pointed edges can be dangerous to young children, causing cuts and puncture wounds.
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A sports utility vehicle (SUV) may be too top-heavy, making rollover accidents and other serious kinds of collisions much more likely to occur. Staying with vehicles as an example, problems with the design of steering systems or brake systems can make major accidents more likely.
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A smart phone may have a poorly designed battery that causes the device to heat up excessively, burning consumers or even starting fires. This is something that's come up with certain Samsung mobile devices.
Design Flaws vs. Manufacturing Flaws
Some people confuse design flaws with manufacturing flaws, but they are very different issues. Manufacturing flaws tend to be much rarer and refer to cases in which a product is safe yet issues with its creation have cause it to be unsafe. This may involve using the wrong materials when creating the item, or poor workmanship and assembly in general.
Design Flaws Are Preventable
Given how much testing and planning goes into each product before it hits the market, design flaws should be preventable. Companies can run tests to determine crashworthiness, and they can predict potential issues with overheating or electrocution when monitoring the performance of product prototypes. Something as simple as a cardboard toilet paper tube is all it takes to make sure a toy does not pose a choking hazard.
Holding Companies Accountable
When companies do not act responsibly and put consumers at risk, it's important that a product liability lawsuit be filed. This can help collect damages for injuries and hardships that arise from using a dangerous product. These lawsuits can also change industry standards so these problems do not happen in the future.
Learn More About Product Liability Lawsuits
For more information about your legal rights and options in cases that involve defective products, be sure to contact an experienced injury accident attorney today. We will work with you and help you hold negligent companies accountable.