I was hurt by a dangerous or defective product. Was the accident really my fault?

It’s a question we hear all the time. I was hurt in an accident, but I don’t think it was my fault. Could it have been the item that I was using at the time? In a word, yes.

To better answer that question, let’s talk about negligence.

When a product causes injury, you may be tempted to think that it’s your fault. You weren’t paying attention when you were changing the light bulb, and the ladder slipped. Your child burned his fingers on the toaster when you weren’t looking. Since products go through rigorous testing before they are sold, you assume that you’re to blame-that you were injured because you were negligent in your attention or understanding. We trust the items in our house to work properly even more than we trust ourselves.

But what if the blame lies elsewhere?

The truth is, while we automatically assume that everything we have purchased is safe, it is rarely the case. Even the smallest and simplest products carry potential dangers when they are improperly produced-and they often are.

Have any of these situations happened to you?

  • I gave my child the amount of medicine the bottle advised, but her reaction made us rush to the ER in the middle of the night. What happened?

Several things could have gone wrong, including dosage instructions were mislabeled, the medicine itself was improperly measured, or the wrong kind of plastic was used for the bottle.

  • I called the number of the back of the box and I was told it was my fault, not the product.

Customer service associates are paid to defend to product. Since most people already assume they are at fault, it doesn’t take much convincing to get them to drop the issue. When you have advice from someone who is on your side, it’s a different story. Call the Buxton Law Group today at (405) 604-5577 to find out the truth from an experienced Oklahoma City attorney.

  • I was driving in the rain and I turned on my turn signal to merge, but it didn’t come on.

Automobiles have a lengthy manufacturing process: first design, then assembly, then production. Mistakes can happen at any point that could cause your vehicle to malfunction. A crossed wire during assembly or a design flaw in the body of the car could easily be the cause of your accident-even though you may think the fault was yours.

  • The outer casing of my coffeemaker burned my hand. The warning says that the cord can be dangerous, but doesn’t mention anything about the outside.

If a product carries any potential to harm, it must be clearly stated on the label. The company may not have tested the appliance thoroughly enough to know this was an issue, or switched the components or materials to save money. Either way, it’s you who paid the price.

  • There was a fire in my home. We tried to put it out, but the couch caught fire so quickly it made the damage ten times worse.

Household soft goods, such as fabrics, are held to the same standards as “dangerous” items like appliances. If the fabric and materials are cheap or inferior, they may be flammable and pose a particular threat in case of a fire. If the manufacturer has cut corners and cost you considerable damage, we can help you get proper compensation. If you have been injured due to a product malfunction, call the Buxton Law Group at (405) 604-5577 to learn more about your Oklahoma product liability case.