Dangerous or Defective Equipment

Seeking Compensation When Injured by Dangerous or Defective Equipment

In today’s consumer culture, where companies vie competitively to capture market share as quickly as possible, many products are rushed to stores and consumers, with little or inadequate testing and analysis to determine the risks posed. Even worse, many manufacturers simply assume that a certain number of people will get hurt, and have built that liability into the cost of the product. But when you or someone you love is seriously injured because of a company’s negligence or carelessness, it can change your life forever. Here are the steps you need to take to protect your interests:

• Immediately seek medical attention — Go to the hospital, if necessary, or make an appointment to see your personal physician. Make certain that you tell medical professionals exactly what happened, and that you tell them about all injuries, regardless of whether you perceive them to be major or minor injuries. Ask them to document that the injury resulted from the exposure to or malfunction of a product. You should also maintain a log of all injury related expenses, including gas mileage, days off work or out of school, or the costs of pain relievers or other devices to minimize your discomfort.

• Preserve all relevant evidence — Do not dispose of the product that caused the injury. If it poses additional risk, find a place to store it where it cannot injure you or others. If you are unsure how to do this, contact an attorney immediately. Additionally, make a list of all witnesses to the incident that caused your injury, including contact information for all those individuals. Your lawyer will want to contact them as soon as possible and obtain statements that can be preserved.

• Determine where the product came from — This means all the way back to the manufacturing facility. In product liability complaints, any entity in the chain of distribution may be liable for damages. If possible, find out where is was manufactured, as well as the identities of all distributors, wholesalers and the retailer.

• Contact a lawyer immediately — Don’t attempt to talk to the manufacturer or other potential defendants on your own. You may say something that will come back to haunt you. In addition, you may start to receive pressure from potential defendants to settle your claim, often for far less than you deserve.

Contact the New Jersey Product Liability Lawyers at the Law Offices of Harold J. Gerr

At the office of Harold J. Gerr, Attorney at Law, we have fought for the rights of personal injury victims in central New Jersey for more than three decades. We carefully choose the cases we handle, so that we can provide the highest levels of service and personal attention to each client. We are also happy to take over your case, if your first lawyer does not seem to have your best interests in mind.

To set up a free initial consultation with a product liability lawyer, contact us online or call our office at 732-537-8570 (toll free at 1-877-249-4600).