It used to be that we could trust the products we bought in the marketplace. That is not the case today.
“Every time we open a newspaper, watch TV or listen to the radio, we’re often bombarded with yet another product recall. For example, the Freshway romaine lettuce recall (potentially contaminated with Escherichia coli O145 bacteria); 2006 to 2010 Hummer H3 vehicles for fractured hood clip tabs (may cause hood to fly off) or the Best Friend’s charm bracelet for children recalled for high levels of toxic cadmium,” recounted Scott Atkinson, a New Mexico personal injury attorney.
It never seems to end; from food to vehicles, from tires to children’s jewelry, and from medicines to environmental products such as pesticide. It makes one wonder what their rights are as a consumer to be protected from negligence or shoddy manufacturing. “Even if you have never had the misfortune to by a product that harmed you, having product liability information is smart – just in case,” advised Atkinson.
Many defective products don’t harm people; they just chalk a non-working item up to being a nuisance and move on. “But the products that do harm really hurt people in a significant way; significant enough that you would want to talk to a personal injury attorney,” added Atkinson.
Typically speaking when a manufacturer is offering a product or a service to the public, they are mandated to follow very strict guidelines for safety. Obviously these guidelines are not always followed for a variety of reasons, and that is why we see a high number of product recalls. Anytime a product or service to be consumed/used by the public fails and causes serious injury or death, the injured victim has a right to compensation for their injuries. “This is something that needs to be discussed with a competent attorney who will outline what you need to know, how things may proceed with your case, and what you may expect during the whole process,” Atkinson emphasized.
Unfortunately, the leading products that seem to appear more often than not in the public eye as being dangerous/defective usually relate to one’s health: drugs, food, diet supplements, drinks, cosmetics, medical devices and so on. Whether or not these particular items become defective during the manufacturing process or were defective to start with are the burning questions of the day, and ones an attorney will want to track down to build a case.
“Products that involve safety issues not related to “health,” but that may impact on your health in another way, externally, are things like toys, car and medical equipment. And what about the consumer? The consumer – you – have a right to know that what you buy is safe, and the right to recover damages if you have been hurt by a defective product. Know your rights. Knowledge is power,” said Atkinson.
To learn more about Scott Atkinson visit http://www.attorneynewmexico.com
