Were You Injured by a Defective Household Appliance?

Call Our Experienced Sacramento Product Liability Lawyers

According to the CPSC, product liability injuries cost the nation more than $700 billion annually. Every year, there are thousands of people injured or killed as a result of defective and dangerous products. These products include automobiles, household appliances, dangerous toys, industrial equipment, drugs, and medical devices.

It is a natural assumption that everyday consumer goods that are purchased every day are carefully tested and approved by the manufacturer and the government. However, design defects, insufficient warnings, and manufacturer defects can turn ordinarily safe objects into dangerous, sometimes lethal objects.

Contact a Sacramento product liability lawyer at Piering Law Firm today if you were injured by a household appliance.

Household Items We Assume Are Safe

As of February 2013, there have been an astounding 33 defective products recalled for the year 2013 alone.

When a manufacturer fails to use the care necessary to provide a product that is reasonably safe, oftentimes the result is catastrophic for the unsuspecting consumer. A defective household appliance can cause severe damage to your home and your life.

In 2010 alone, an estimated 16,800 reported U.S. home structure fires involved clothes dryers or washing machines. These incidents resulted in 51 civilian deaths, 380 civilian injuries and $236 million in direct property damages according to the National Fire Protection Association. Additionally, clothes dryers accounted for 92 percent of the fires; washing machines 4 percent and washer-dryer combination machines accounted for 4 percent. An astounding 22 percent of the fires was a result of a product defect or malfunction.

Legal Claims Based on Defective Appliances

Faulty appliances range from clothes dryers, air conditioners, refrigerators, dish washers and toasters.

There are three common types of product liability lawsuits:

• Design defects: The product is not safe for its normally intended use, and in some cases, for its normal foreseeable use. This second condition is important because some products are safe by themselves or only when used in certain situations, but when combined or used with another product or situation could become dangerous.
• Manufacturing defects: The product was not manufactured properly, parts were defective or unsafe in some way.
• Marketing defects: Products must carry warning labels and instructions for proper use. Many companies now carry warning labels that make little sense to consumers based on previous lawsuits. For example, plastic bags often are labeled as "this is not a toy" or "can cause suffocation" to avoid liability because children have been known to play with plastic bags in an unsafe manner.

If you or a loved one has suffered from an injury related to a defective home appliance, call a Sacramento product liability attorney at Piering Law Firm immediately at (916) 476-2399 to schedule a free and confidential consultation to discuss your rights. You can also contact us online. All cases are handled on a contingent fee basis, meaning there is no legal fee charged until we recover for you.