Illinois Product Liability Lawyers

When you buy products, you expect them to work the way that the manufacturer or seller promised. When they don’t work and the defect causes you harm, you may be able to recover compensation through a product liability lawsuit.

Through a successful product liability case, you may be able to obtain compensation for injuries and losses including:

• Disability
• Disfigurement
• Loss of income
• Loss of quality of life or loss of a normal life
• Medical expenses
• Pain and suffering
• Punitive damages

We understand the many ways that a serious product-related injury can affect your life and your family. That’s why our Illinois product liability lawyers at The Cates Law Firm, LLC are dedicated to providing you personalized representation from attorneys you can trust. We’ll fight to get the best possible outcome for your case and to help you on the path to recovery from your injury.

What is Product Liability?

Product Liability refers to a field of law that allows victims injured by dangerous or defective products to sue for compensation for their injuries and losses. Generally, product liability lawsuits are brought against the makers, sellers, and distributors of the dangerous and/or defective products, such as the manufacturers of prescription drugs or medical devices.

The term “product” is very liberally construed. A case involving product liability can involve:

• Children’s toys such as asbestos-containing CSI Crime Scene toys, defective glasses recalled from McDonalds
• Common household products
• Defective automobile parts such as airbags, seatbelts, headrests, tires, child restraint seats, gas tanks, accelerators, brakes, and crumple components
• Defective vehicles, including cars, motorcycles, and trucks
• Farm equipment such as tractors, harvesters, and silos
• Machines and industrial equipment such as rollers, presses, and punchers
• Medical devices such as transvaginal mesh, IVC filters, Zimmer hip implants
• Prescription and over-the-counter medications such as Accutane, Avandia, Byetta, Januvia, Pradaxa, Risperdal, Seroquel, Taxotere, Vioxx, Yaz, and Zicam
• Recreational vehicles including four wheelers, dirt bikes, and bicycles
• Toxic chemicals such as asbestos, Benzene, arsenic, and lead
• Tools such as power drills, rotary saws, and circular saws

The above is not meant to be an all-inclusive list. It is merely meant to illustrate the variety of items that are considered “products” and that may be the source of an injury for which the designers, manufacturers, sellers, and/or distributors are liable.

Types of Product Defects

In general, there are three ways a product can be defective for purposes of a product liability case. Those include:

• Manufacturing Defect — This type of defect involves some kind of mistake in the process of making or assembling the product that results in the product being hazardous for use. For example, if a product is made without a key component that means it’s likely to break or catch fire and cause injuries, it may be considered to have a manufacturing defect.
• Design Defect — If a product is dangerous to the user when used as intended and manufactured properly, it may be considered to have a design defect. An example of a design defect might include failing to design a piece of industrial equipment with a safety switch.
• Warning Defect — A product also may be considered defective if it might be dangerous in a way that isn’t obvious to a user. If the product should have a warning label or instructions for using the product safely but doesn’t, then it may be considered to have a warning defect. An example might include failing to warn of serious side effects or complications from the use of a prescription drug.

The circumstances of each product injury case is unique, and your injury may involve just one type of defect or more. Our personal injury lawyers can listen to your story and explain the basis for your possible product liability case and your options for compensation.