Wrongful Death Claims Involving Defective Products: Holding Manufacturers Accountable

Damaged car dashboard with deployed airbags. Visual concept for legal blog discussing holding manufacturers accountable in wrongful death cases involving defective products.

Consumers rightfully expect that the products we buy will meet our needs and operate safely and as intended. When a product fails to meet those expectations and someone is seriously injured or killed because of a defective product, the injured person and their family can file a product defect lawsuit to seek the compensation they deserve.

Filing a defective product lawsuit is a complex undertaking that should not be attempted without assistance from a skilled and experienced defective product lawyer. Proving a product defect almost always requires expert testimony, and the person filing the lawsuit must comply with strict filing timelines, nuanced rules of evidence, and other legal procedural rules.

The product defect lawyers at Muth Law, P.C., have over four decades of experience representing people throughout Michigan who were seriously injured by defective products. Our law firm has been recognized by Best Lawyers: Best Law Firms, and our attorneys have been individually recognized for their outstanding work in Personal Injury Litigation. Principal Attorney Benjamin Muth was recognized as Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch and in Michigan Lawyers Weekly as a member of the Class of 2022 Hall of Fame, Up & Coming Lawyers.

To put our experience to work for you, contact Muth Law today to schedule a free and confidential consultation to discuss your situation and how we can help.

What Is Product Liability?

Product liability refers to the legal responsibility of manufacturers, designers, distributors, suppliers, and retailers for injuries caused by products they design, produce, or distribute. When a person is seriously injured because a product was negligently designed, unreasonably dangerous, or lacks proper warnings, people harmed by the product can seek compensation for their injuries.

What Are Examples of Defective Products?

Defective products are items that are unsafe to be used as intended because of flaws in design or manufacturing, or because they lack sufficient warnings or safety instructions. Examples of defective products include:

  • Airbags that deploy with too much force, causing injuries to passengers.
  • Contaminated medication caused by improper handling during production.
  • Children’s toys that pose a choking hazard because they were designed with small detachable parts.
  • Power tools that lack adequate safety warnings.
  • Contaminated food products that cause food poisoning.
  • Cars that roll over because of a faulty design.
  • Household appliances that cause fires because of faulty electrical wiring.
  • Prescription medications that do not include clear warnings about potential side effects or drug interactions.
  • Cleaning products that lack adequate warnings about toxic fumes or other chemical hazards.

Theories of Liability for Defective Products

There are three ways injured people can hold the manufacturers of defective products responsible for the harm they cause.

  • A design defect refers to a flaw in the design of the product itself. Examples of design defects include toys that create choking or strangulation hazards, airbags that do not deploy in a crash, and fire alarms that fail to function when needed. In manufacturing defect cases, something went wrong at the drawing table.
  • Manufacturer defects are errors in the way the product was produced that make a product dangerous, unsafe, or unfit for use because of the way it was constructed or assembled. Examples include brakes that malfunction due braking to improperly installed braking components, batteries that leak or explode because of improper installation, or safety wires or switches that were not installed correctly. Cases involving manufacturing defects occur because something went wrong on the assembly line.
  • A marketing defect refers to a manufacturer’s failure to adequately warn buyers of dangers inherent to the product. Failure to include safety warnings or an instruction manual explaining how the product should and should not be used is a prime example of a marketing defect. In a marketing defect case, something went wrong in how the product was sold.

Who Can File a Defective Product Lawsuit?

In Michigan, a person who was injured by a defective product can file a defective product lawsuit. But, Michigan defective product laws do not just apply to direct purchasers of defective products. They also cover people who were injured by a defective product that was used in a reasonably foreseeable manner. In cases where a defective product caused wrongful death, the family members of the deceased person can file a defective product lawsuit on behalf of their deceased loved one.

How Muth Law Can Help

For over 40 years, the product liability attorneys at Muth Law have helped people who were injured because of defective products. Our lawyers have tried hundreds of cases throughout Michigan and have been individually recognized for their outstanding work in personal injury litigation. We understand Michigan product liability law inside and out and use our expertise to help people and families whose lives were affected by injuries caused by defective products.

Contact Muth Law Today

To speak to a defective product lawyer at Muth Law, call us today at 734-481-8800 or contact us online to schedule an appointment to discuss your situation.

Categories: Product Liability