Key Consumer Issues - Products Liability

Corporate Shortcuts Cost Consumers

Too often companies try to increase their profits at the expense of consumers. In the production of consumer products like cars, baby cribs, medications, and exercise equipment, manufacturers often "rush to market" for profits. Product safety is not always a priority. Manufacturers may choose cheaper, less safe designs for their products; may have inadequate quality control measures that allow defective products onto the market; or may fail to provide adequate instructions and warnings for the proper use of the product.

Every day people suffer the consequences of this single-minded corporate pursuit of profits before safety.  Defective products cause serious injury, illness, birth defects, death, property damage, and other forms of economic and emotional loss. Often, these immediate tragedies lead to long-term suffering for the victims and their families.

Although, it doesn't prevent injuries caused by consumer products, Georgia law does provide injured consumers with some recourse by allowing you to hold manufacturers accountable for injuries and losses caused by their products. Manufacturers have an obligation to make sure the products they sell:

• are of acceptable quality
• are fit for use in the ways they are ordinarily intended to be used
• can be safely used in the ways the manufacturer says they can be used.

Manufacturers also have a duty to warn consumers of any known dangers associated with a product or its use, even if the manufacturer didn't know about the danger until after the product was sold.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission regulates many types of consumer products. For information about products recalled due to safety concerns, visit the Commission's website at www.cpsc.gov. For information about products that must meet certain mandatory safety standards, go to www.cpsc.gov/businfo/regsbyproduct.html. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) regulates motor vehicles and motor vehicle equipment. For information about defective and recalled vehicles, go to the NHTSA website at http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/.

WHAT TO DO IF A PRODUCT INJURIES YOU:

DON'T THROW AWAY OR LET ANYONE DESTROY THE PRODUCT.  TAKE PICTURES OF IT AND OF YOUR INJURIES AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. You may be able to recover for your injuries and other losses by filing a product liability lawsuit against the manufacturer. However, there are limitations on this right and such lawsuits can be complicated and very expensive. If you think you might have a case, contact a qualified attorney who has experience in product liability cases.