If you’ve been injured by a dangerous or defective product, you may have grounds for what is known as a product liability lawsuit against the product’s manufacturer. This article outlines the immediate steps you should take for your own health and welfare, and to increase the likelihood of success with your product liability claim.
Take Care of Yourself, Your Home & Your Belongings
Defective products can cause serious injuries – or even death. Depending on the nature of the product, it can also damage or destroy your home, automobile and other personal property. As soon as you realize that a product is dangerous or defective, take immediate steps to ensure your own safety, as well as the safety of your loved ones.
How you do that will depend on the nature of the product and its associated risks.
If the defective product has injured you, your family, friends or others, you’ll want to seek immediate medical attention. When possible, ask the medical professionals to thoroughly document the types of injuries suffered and the seriousness of those injuries.
If the defective product has damaged your home, car or other personal property, respond accordingly. This may involve calling the fire department for assistance or moving the product to a place where it cannot cause further injuries or damages.
Preserve the Defective Product & Document the Injuries or Damage
When you meet with a Reno lawyer for help with your product liability claim, the attorney will want to know how the product was defective and what kind of damage it caused. For that reason, there are some critical steps you should take as soon as possible after you realize a product is defective or dangerous.
First, don’t throw the product away! Your personal injury lawyer will want to examine the product, the product’s manufacturer will want to examine the product and if your case goes to court, the jury may want to examine the product.
Also, just as you asked medical professionals to document any injuries caused by the product, you’ll also want to document any damage it caused. When possible, leave the damage untouched while also taking many photographs. In some instances, damage needs to be addressed immediately, and that’s OK. For example, if a defective product caused a house fire then you’ll want to secure the premises and board up any broken windows or doors. But if your defective automobile caused an accident, it’s preferable to rent a car and hold off on repairing your damaged automobile until you have your product liability lawyer’s OK.
Photographs and videos showing the damaged or defective product, as well as the injuries or damage caused by the product, are very useful. You’ll also want to gather as much personal documentation as possible about the defective product. Receipts, instruction manuals and records from previous repairs may all prove valuable to your attorney. While you’re collecting documentation, make a list of any property that was damaged or destroyed by the defective product. Take photos of the damage, too.
Keep track of your time and any expenses you incur as a result of the defective product. This includes lost wages, medical expenses, emergency purchases to replace damaged items, transportation expenses and more. If you suffered injuries, also keep a daily diary with notes about your pain levels, treatments and other health-related details. Your lawyer may also ask you to take pictures showing both your injuries and your recovery.
Contact a Reno Product Liability Lawyer Immediately
Under Nevada personal injury and product liability law, you typically have two years from the date of your injury to file a product liability or personal injury claim. But lawsuits can take time to prepare and file, so you shouldn’t wait until the last minute to pursue a claim against the product’s manufacturer. Instead, contact the Law Office of Matthew L. Sharp at (775) 324-1500 as soon as possible after realizing you have a defective or dangerous product. We can investigate the product, review the details of your claim and help determine if you have grounds for a Reno product liability claim.