Block Law – Hazardous Products in Joliet & Mokena, IL

Each day, we use products designed to make our lives either more productive, comfortable, or entertaining, or perhaps a combination of these factors.

When you purchase a product, you expect it to be safe to use, and in the vast majority of cases, the things we buy and use are safe. But not always, and if you’ve been injured or harmed in any way by a product you have used, you may be entitled to compensation for the injury suffered.

Perhaps you did not realize it, but there is an entire field of law dedicated to protecting the public from defective and hazardous products. That area of the legal profession is known as product liability law and protecting the public against the use of hazardous products is one of our specialties at Block Law. These products can be as varied as the toys your children play with to the utensils used in your kitchen to the vehicles that you drive, just to name a few.

A crashed toy rocket emits sparks from its engine

Types of Product Liability

As specialists in this area of the law, we know there are several ways that the manufacturer of a product or a company that has marketed that product can be held liable for damages you have suffered.

  • Design defect – Some products are inherently unsafe because of flaws in their original design. A flaw of this kind will affect every unit of that product that is produced; thus the effects can be widespread, potentially harming large numbers of unwitting consumers who have purchased and used this product.
  • Manufacturing defect – Though properly designed, it is possible that a product was manufactured in a way that makes it hazardous to use. In some cases, perhaps a limited number of units are produced in a defective way, limiting the number of persons adversely affected, while in other cases the defect is more widespread and affects a greater number of consumers. Whatever the number, however, every person injured by that product has a valid grievance.
  • Marketing defect – If consumers are not properly informed of the correct use of a product or the potential dangers of its use, that failure could be considered a marketing defect. And manufacturers who fail to inform the public on the proper assembly and/or use of a product, or the potential dangers involved in its use, may find themselves involved in a product liability lawsuit.

Examples Of Hazardous Products

Toys For Your Children

Toys are expected to bring fun, provoke learning and develop skills in growing children. When a toy harms a child, many times, a parent or relative blames themselves for bringing the toy into the home and giving it to the child.

However, if the child plays with the toy in the way the manufacturer or retailer suggests it should be played with and the child is injured, that’s grounds for a hazardous products suit. Even if a child isn’t injured but a toy is shown to be hazardous and could cause harm to a child, a hazardous products lawyer should look at the potential suit, so others aren’t put in harm’s way.

Kitchen Tools And Appliances

While it’s true the kitchen may be the most dangerous place in a house, it’s also the place where the family usually gathers together. Preparing meals using your kitchen tools is standard practice in any home. What isn’t standard is being hurt by these appliances. Electric carving knives, a mandolin, toasters, blenders, mixers, microwave ovens, stovetops, overhead range hoods, and refrigerators can all be potentially hazardous products, even when used according to recommended manufacturer’s guidelines.

Other Household Tools And Appliances

We use the vacuum cleaner, lamps, electric blankets, hair dryers, curling irons, washers, dryers, drills, lawn mowers, trimmers, edgers, chainsaws and clocks on a daily basis. Usually, many of them work just fine. However, when they don’t work as they should and you or a loved one gets hurt by them, an experienced hazardous products attorney is important in making sure your rights are protected.

Cars, Trucks, Vans, Sports Utility Vehicles, Campers, RVs, Boats

We rely on our vehicles to get us from home to work and wherever else we want to go. Our investment in transportation isn’t cheap. We expect our vehicles to be safe modes of transportation.

When an accident occurs that causes injury, severe injury, or even death, a hazardous products attorney must be consulted. We expect seat belts to stay latched, doors to stay locked, and airbags to deploy on impact.

We expect safety features would be part of the design of the vehicle. In all cases, whether it’s a toy, a household appliance, a snowmobile, a car, a truck, or any consumer product, the product should go through several rounds of testing with good results. If it’s proven it failed tests or wasn’t adequately tested, a lawsuit may be filed.

Illinois Product Liability Law

Under Illinois product liability law, you can recover compensation if a defect in a product – or in the case of drugs, a side-effect – caused an injury to you.
However, while you may well be entitled to compensation for your injuries, there are two caveats to keep in mind:

  • First, under Illinois product liability law, the statute of limitation is two years from the date you acquired the product. So, if you have been injured through the use of a defective product, it is necessary to respond quickly.
  • Second, Illinois liability law protects consumers only when they were using a product for its intended purpose, and if your injury was the result of your misuse of a product, those manufacturing and marketing the product are not liable.

Legal Cases of Hazardous Products – Mokena, IL

As we said before, while you may be entitled to compensation for the injuries you or a loved one have suffered due to a hazardous product, you will need the services of an experienced hazardous products lawyer to get it.

To prove negligence on the part of a manufacturer or marketer, you must be able to show that the manufacturer was negligent in the design, testing, and manufacturing of the product. Alternatively, you need to prove that the manufacturer of the product or marketer that sold it was aware of the dangers and did not sufficiently warn the public.

If you or a loved one has been injured through the use of a defective product, we urge you to contact Block Law firm. We have handled numbness. Your initial consultation is free, and we will be glad to meet with you, discuss your situation, and recommend the appropriate steps you should take moving forward.