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Product Liability Lawyer St Petersburg, Florida

Contact the St Petersburg product liability lawyers at The Barker Law Firm, today if you have suffered personal injuries as a result of a defective product. You will immediately receive prompt, courteous attention, and the help you need in deciding how to deal with medical bills, property damage, wage loss, insurance claims and other important questions that you or your family may have following an accident.

Who Is Liable For A Product Liability Claim?

Defective or dangerously manufactured products cause thousands of injuries, and even deaths, every year. Product liability law determines who is responsible for the dangerous or defective products, and the injuries caused by an unsuspecting consumer. It is different from ordinary injury law and sometimes this makes it easier for an injured person, or a decedent’s estate, to recover damages.

In a product liability claim, the manufacturer or seller is held liable for producing and placing on the market and in the hands of a consumer a product that, because it is defectively designed, is dangerous to the user. Not only the manufacturer but each seller of the product in the distribution chain can be held legally responsible for the injury or death of a consumer who used that product.

Why Work With Us

1. Experience

Attorney Brian Barker and his legal team have more than 35 years of experience representing clients who have been injured as a result of the negligence of others. We have handled hundreds of cases over these past many years and recovered millions of dollars for our clients.

2. Compassion

Brian Barker and his staff understand that when you are injured, emotions are running high and you are in pain. You have to deal with medical diagnosis, treatment and care, as well as incurring medical expenses and often, lost wages. Since we have more than 30 years of experience representing injured clients, we do understand how many ways an accident affects your life.

3. Reputation

Insurance companies know that attorney Brian Barker and his team of experienced legal professionals are not afraid to go to trial if they refuse to pay our clients fair compensation for their injuries and damages. When the going gets tough, The Barker Law Firm, gets to work!

4. Free Consultations

Our firm offers free consultations to meet with you to review the facts of your case and discuss. When we are retained to handle your claim, you pay no fees or costs until we get a recovery for you. The percentage of our fees is regulated by the Florida Supreme Court. You will be responsible for paying costs out of your recovery as well. If there is no recovery – you owe us nothing.

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What Is Product Liability Law?

Essentially, the product liability law requires that any product which will end up in the hands of a consumer must meet the ordinary expectations of the consumer. One of those implied expectations is that the product is safe, without defects, and will not cause the consumer to be injured or die from its use. If a product has a defect or poses an unknown and undisclosed danger to the consumer, the product does not meet the consumer’s ordinary expectations.

Typically, product liability claims are based on state laws, and brought under the theories of negligencestrict liability, or breach of warranty. In addition, a set of commercial statutes in each state, modeled on the Uniform Commercial Code, will contain warranty rules affecting product liability.

To schedule a free consultation or request additional information from a St Petersburg product liability lawyer about our services, please contact The Barker Law Firm, at 727-564-9473 or click here to contact us by e-mail.

Product Defects: Responsible Parties

At some point, products are sold to consumers in the marketplace. There is no longer a requirement that a contractual relationship has to exist between the person injured or killed by a product, and the supplier of the product. In other words, the person injured or killed does not have to be the purchaser of the product to recover for injuries or death to recover damages.

Liability for a product defect could rest with any party in the product’s chain of distribution, such as:

  • The actual manufacturer of the product;
  • The manufacturer of parts of the product;
  • Any party that either assembles and/or installs the product;
  • The wholesaler; and
  • The retail store that sold the product to the consumer

For strict liability to apply, the sale of a product must be made in the regular course of the supplier’s business. This means that someone who sold a product at a garage sale would not be a liable party in the product liability action.

Who’s Responsible?

Some burden of the proof in product liability case shifts to the defendant(s) under the doctrine known as “res ipsa loquitur”. This Latin term means “the thing speaks for itself”. This indicates that the defect which caused injury or death to a consumer would not exist unless someone was negligent.

The plaintiff no longer is required to prove how the defendant was negligent, but instead, the defendant is required to prove that it was not negligent.

Strict liability in product liability cases also helps the plaintiff’s claim. When strict liability applies, the plaintiff does not have to prove that a manufacturer was negligent, but only that the product was defective. Eliminating the concept of strict liability allows the plaintiff to recover damages where they otherwise might not.

To schedule a free consultation or request additional information from product liability lawyers in St Petersburg, Florida about our services, please contact The Barker Law Firm, at 727-564-9473 or click here to contact us by e-mail.

Unavoidably Unsafe Products

Some products cannot be made safer, without losing the usefulness of the product. An electric knife that is too dull to injure anyone will also be too dull, and useless, for the purpose for which it was intended. In situations like this, consumers are expected to minimize their risk by safely using the product, knowing that injury is possible because of the intended use of the product.

Despite the fact that a product might not be deemed unreasonably dangerous, given its intended use, manufacturers and suppliers of unavoidably safe products still have the responsibility of giving proper risks and warnings of the danger if a product is used improperly.

Common Defenses To Product Liability Claims

Of course, the manufacturer or any party in the distribution chain of a defective product will raise the defense that the plaintiff has not sufficiently identified the supplier of the product that allegedly caused injury or death. A plaintiff must be able to connect the product with the party(ies) responsible for either manufacturing the product or supplying it. “Market share liability” applies in cases involving defective medication. Sometimes a plaintiff cannot identify which pharmaceutical companies supply a particular drug that the injured person took, and therefore each manufacturer can be held liable according to its percentage of sales in the geographical area where the injury or death occurred.

A manufacturer may also raise the defense that the plaintiff substantially altered the original product after it left the manufacturer’s control, causing injury or death. This occurs often in cases where, for example, guns or weapons have been altered by the consumer. The manufacturer may also assert that the injured party used the product in an unforeseeable way and that their misuse of the product caused the injury or death.

Get The Help You Need To Pursue A Claim For Products Liability

Need Help With A Product Liability Claim? Call The Barker Law Firm

Product liability actions can be complex, and establishing fault for an injury or death will likely require the assistance and testimony of experts. Every state has its own laws and specific statutes that will affect product liability action. If you or a loved one has suffered an injury caused by a potentially defective product, The Barker Law Firm, will be able to answer your questions and protect your interests.

Have you or a loved one sustained injuries or died as a result of a defective product?

The Barker Law Firm, has represented the families of those who have been injured or died as a result of a defective product. Call The Barker Law Firm, at 727-564-9473 to find out what your rights are to bring a lawsuit against the manufacturer or distributor of a defectively designed product.

If you believe you may be entitled to pursue a claim for injuries caused by a defective product, Schedule an appointment with our team of skilled and dedicated St Petersburg products liability lawyers by calling 727-564-9473, or contact us online to schedule your consultation.