Sacramento Product Liability Attorneys

Were You Injured Because of a Defective Helmet?

Because a brain injury often has permanent and devastating consequences, we do our best to protect our head from injury when we are engaged in any potentially dangerous activities. Often, our first line of defense in protecting our head and brain is a helmet. The use of helmets ranges from riding a motorcycle to rock climbing to skateboarding. When we put a helmet on, we are putting our faith in the helmet's manufacturer that the helmet will do what it is designed to do, protect the precious content of our skulls.

Unfortunately, helmets do not always do what they are supposed to do, and the result can be a life-changing brain injury. A helmet that fails for any reason can result in a range of damage from a concussion to a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Helmet failures also have the potential to lead to permanent paralysis and even death. At Piering Law Firm, our Sacramento product liability lawyers have dealt with cases involving faulty and defective helmets.

If you have been injured after you relied on a helmet to protect you, contact the firm today at (916) 476-2399.

Helmet Wear or Damage

When a student signs up to participate in a school sport where a helmet is a necessary piece of safety equipment, no one tells him or her that the team helmets have been reused by the team year after year. Schools almost always are providing their students the protection of used helmets. There is typically a reconditioning process, where the helmets are inspected for obvious damage. However, the integrity of a helmet can be compromised even when there are no blatantly obvious cracks or dents.

Even with the reconditioning process, students are left relying on second-rate helmets. Often, the reconditioning process involves replacing missing or broken parts of the helmet. These replacement parts sometimes do not fit the helmet and end up compromising the integrity of the reconditioned helmet. However, because it looks like it is as good as new, the student relies on the helmet's ability to protect his or her head.

Design Defects in Helmets

Like any product, helmets are manufactured of various parts. The safety of a helmet is dependent upon the proper design and manufacture of each piece of the helmet. If any single element is off, the ability of the helmet to do what it was built to do can result in serious injury or death. There have been lawsuits in the recent past where helmet manufacturers have been taken to court when a helmet's failure has led to the serious injury of an athlete. Unfortunately, with helmets, it is often difficult or impossible to recognize a design defect by simply visually inspecting it.

If you or a loved one has suffered injury or even death because of the failure of a helmet, contact the products liability lawyers of Piering Law Firm in Sacramento. You can also call us at (916) 476-2399. Our attorneys take these cases on a contingency basis, so the only way you pay us is if we win your case.