Product liability is the legal responsibility of manufacturers and sellers for injuries caused by defective products. A product liability lawyer helps victims pursue claims related to design flaws, manufacturing defects, and inadequate warnings. Belt, Bruner & Barnett Personal Injury Lawyers ensure you receive the compensation you deserve, contact us at 256-666-4660.
Defective products can cause severe and even life-changing injuries. If you were injured using a defective consumer product in Huntsville, AL, turn to our team for legal help. We can help you recover full compensation for your medical bills, loss of income, and personal suffering.
Our lawyers have over 93 years of legal experience between us. We’re dedicated to fighting for the maximum compensation available to our injured clients. Over the years, we’ve successfully recovered hundreds of millions of dollars.
Standing up to a major product manufacturer and their insurance companies can seem impossible. Our lawyers are here to help you seek justice. Contact Belt, Bruner & Barnett Personal Injury Lawyers in Huntsville, Alabama, for a free consultation.
Why Call Belt, Bruner & Barnett Personal Injury Lawyers for Help With a Product Liability Claim in Huntsville, AL?
You don’t expect the products you buy to contain hidden risks. Most victims who use defective products have no idea that they’re risking their safety. There’s also really no way that they could know about these dangers.
That’s why the law allows victims to hold manufacturers of defective products accountable. Money cannot erase the harm. That said, our lawyers have seen firsthand how valuable financial compensation can be for victims of dangerous products and their families.
While that’s all true, the manufacturing company has teams of insurance adjusters and defense attorneys in its corner. Their entire job is to minimize the amount of money you take home–if any.
An experienced Huntsville personal injury attorney at Belt, Bruner & Barnett Personal Injury Lawyers can help you even the playing field and fight for a full compensation award.
We’ll handle your case from start to finish by:
- Listening to your story and explaining your legal options
- Compiling the evidence you’ll need to prove your case
- Identifying all sources of compensation
- Determining whether the product is the subject of ongoing class action lawsuits
- Handling the insurance negotiations as we fight for a full settlement
If you were injured, you should receive the full amount you deserve. After all, manufacturing companies are raking in huge profits. Get more information about how an experienced Huntsville personal injury lawyer can help by calling our firm for a free case review today.
Alabama’s Laws on Product Liability
Most personal injury victims must prove negligence to recover compensation for their injuries. While product liability claims can involve negligence theories, most are based on strict liability laws.
Product manufacturers are in the best position to evaluate the safety of the products they sell. Recognizing that it would be unreasonable to require consumers to conduct their own safety tests, the law places that responsibility on the manufacturer. So, victims of defective products aren’t required to prove that the company was careless to recover damages.
How Much is My Huntsville Product Liability Case Worth?
Personal injury cases are never exactly the same. Like any car accident or slip and fall victim, you’ll have to prove the value of your damages.
While that’s an unsatisfying answer, our lawyers can identify the factors that will be most important in the valuation process:
- The extent and severity of your injuries
- Your costs, including expenses incurred for medical treatment, rehabilitation, nursing care, property damage repairs, and more
- Your personal losses, such as emotional trauma, physical pain, and damage to your quality of life
- The effects on your earnings, both during recovery and into the future
- Your age and whether your life expectancy has been impacted
Often, our attorneys in Huntsville bring in experts and specialists who can testify regarding difficult-to-value losses. With their help, we’ll have the evidence we need to convince the insurance companies of your case value.
What Kinds of Damages Are Available If My Huntsville Product Liability Claim is Successful?
The available damages in your case will depend on your personal losses.
Very broadly speaking, damages in Alabama are classified as economic damages or non-economic damages, which could include:
- Past and future medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Reduced earning potential
- Physical therapy
- Rehabilitation
- Property damage
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Mental health issues, including severe depression, PTSD, and anxiety
- Inconvenience
- Diminished quality of life
- Physical disfigurement and scarring
- Loss of companionship
Punitive damages are only available in rare cases where you can prove that the defendant acted maliciously, fraudulently, or with a conscious and reckless disregard for human safety.
Can I Recover Compensation If I Share Blame for Causing My Own Injuries in Alabama?
If you share any fault at all, you’ll lose your right to compensation. Alabama follows a harsh contributory negligence law. If the defendant can prove that you share any blame, you cannot recover any compensation at all.
That makes hiring an experienced attorney critical to your success. Without a skilled lawyer in your corner, you take a huge risk. Our team knows how to help you fight back against unfair allegations, so contact us today for help if you’re being blamed.
How Much Does it Cost to Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer in Alabama?
Our team at Belt, Bruner & Barnett Personal Injury Lawyers works on a contingency fee basis. You don’t have to pay anything upfront to hire our attorneys. Instead, you pay a set percentage of your compensation once your case is finalized.
Our Attorneys in Huntsville Handle All Types of Product Liability Cases
Any consumer product can pose unreasonable risks if defective.
Some examples include:
- Over-the-counter drugs
- Medical devices
- Prescription drugs
- Household appliances
- Food or beverages
- Children’s toys and furniture
- Children’s car seats
- Work equipment and tools
- Scaffolding and building equipment
- Airbags and seat belts
- Vehicles
- Batteries
- Electronics
- Household chemicals and substances
- Lawn care products, including Roundup weed killer
- 3M earplugs
- Personal care products and cosmetics
- Vape pens
Manufacturing companies make millions of dollars selling dangerous products. Often, the dangers aren’t even discovered until it’s too late to protect consumers. If you are a victim, our Huntsville product liability attorneys will help you seek justice. Contact us today to get started.
How Do I Prove Liability in an Alabama Product Liability Case?
To recover damages based on strict liability theories, you must generally prove:
- The defendant was somehow responsible for the product reaching consumers
- You received the product without any substantial alteration
- The product suffered from a defect
- The defect made the product unreasonably dangerous
- You were using the product as intended or in a reasonably foreseeable way
- The product is what actually caused your injuries, or damages
Note that you must have suffered injuries or property damage to take legal action. You can’t file a lawsuit based on the fact that the product itself was damaged due to the defect.
What Makes a Consumer Product Defective in Huntsville?
Manufacturers, suppliers, and sellers can be liable for design defects, manufacturing defects, and failure to warn. Each type of case will require a different type of argument.
Design Defects
Manufacturers are generally tasked with adopting the safest design possible. Design defect cases involve products that are unreasonably dangerous because of something in their design.
When advocating for compensation in a design defect case, our lawyers will work to prove:
- As designed, the product was unreasonably dangerous
- A safer alternative design existed
- That safer design was reasonable from a cost perspective
- The product could have functioned as intended using the safer design
- The risks associated with the product’s design outweighed its benefits
These are generally the factors that courts will weigh in deciding whether to award compensation based on design defects.
Manufacturing Defects
Manufacturing defects are unintended defects. They occur because of some error in the manufacturing process. Product manufacturers can be liable even if an unintended error caused the product to become unreasonably dangerous.
Failure to Warn
A failure to warn case is based on marketing defects. The victim must prove that the defendant failed to adequately warn about some non-obvious danger associated with the product. In other words, when products fail to contain adequate instructions or disclosure of risks, responsible companies can be held financially accountable.
How Long Do I Have to File a Product Liability Lawsuit in Alabama?
In Alabama, the statute of limitations for most personal injury cases is two years. However, in product liability cases, actions against the product’s original seller must be brought within one year of the injury.
Exceptions and complex statutes can make determining the applicable deadline challenging. It’s essential to consult an experienced product liability attorney as soon as possible to preserve your legal right to compensation.
Call a Trusted Huntsville Product Liability Lawyer for a Free Case Review
If you or a family member were harmed because of a dangerous and defective consumer product, our team at Belt, Bruner & Barnett Personal Injury Lawyers is here to help. With an experienced Huntsville product liability lawyer in your corner, you’ll give yourself the best chance of recovering full compensation. Contact us today to arrange your 100% free case evaluation.