You expect the products you use daily to be safe for use as they are intended. Unfortunately, manufacturers sometimes distribute and sell defective or harmful products, and users can suffer injuries. Sadly, some are aware of potential dangers but fail to recall their products or fail to warn customers.
If you or a loved one used a product that caused you harm, our Jefferson Island product liability lawyers can pursue the responsible parties for damages. You could secure fair compensation for your injury-related expenses and losses you incurred due to the negligence of another party. The personal injury lawyers with Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers are ready to handle your case.
How a Jefferson Island Product Liability Lawyer Can Help
If a defective product has injured you, the legal process of pursuing compensation can be hectic, confusing, and stressful. You will have a variety of tasks to complete, and you may be unsure where to begin. Having a lawyer by your side can significantly reduce your stress.
A product liability lawyer can help you in the following ways:
- Providing legal advice and guiding you through the compensation recovery process
- Thoroughly investigating the unique circumstances of your case
- Collecting hard evidence needed to support your claim
- Interviewing and gathering statements from eyewitnesses
- Consulting expert witnesses, such as doctors, police officers, accident reconstructionists, engineers, economists, etc.
- Calculating all of your past, present, and future injury-related damages
- Negotiating a settlement with the insurance company on your behalf
- Filing a lawsuit against the insurer and representing you in court if a settlement cannot be reached
Get The HelpYou Need(337) 777-7777To Schedule a FREE CONSULTATION
24 hours a day • 7 days a week
What Damages Can be Recovered in a Jefferson Island Product Liability Case?
An injury caused by a defective product can burden you unexpectedly with numerous expenses. At Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers, we believe you shouldn’t have to pay for damages that weren’t your fault. Moreover, our lawyers understand that not all damages come with a price tag and that you may also be struggling with personal losses.
Economic and non-economic damages you may be able to recover include the following:
- Medical bills for ambulance rides, emergency care, hospital stays, surgeries, tests and labs, physical therapy, doctor visits, medications, medical equipment, mental health therapy, and more
- Lost wages from taking time off work following your injury
- Diminished future earning capacity due to a disability caused by your injury
- Property damage repair and replacement expenses
- Physical and emotional pain and suffering
- Long-term or permanent disability
- Permanent scarring and disfigurement
- Loss of life enjoyment and diminished quality of life
Economic losses are typically evidenced by bills, receipts, income statements, and expert witness testimony. Conversely, your lawyer will employ special legal formulas to estimate the cost of the non-economic losses you’ve suffered.
Wrongful Death Damages
If your loved one was fatally injured due to a defective product, you might be able to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the liable party(s).
Products that are commonly involved in wrongful death lawsuits include:
- Cars and auto parts
- Medical devices, e.g., a pacemaker
- Consumer products, e.g., power tools
- Children’s products, e.g., a car seat
- Machinery and industrial products
If you lost a close family member due to a defective product, you might be entitled to collect the following damages:
- Funeral, burial, or cremation costs
- The decedent’s unpaid medical bills
- Loss of the decedent’s income and insurance benefits
- Loss of care, love, and guidance
- Loss of consortium
- The decedent’s pain and suffering
Get The HelpYou Need(337) 777-7777To Schedule a FREE CONSULTATION
24 hours a day • 7 days a week
How Long Do You Have to File a Product Liability Lawsuit?
Under CC Art. 3492, Louisiana’s statute of limitations for personal injury lawsuits is one year. This means you have exactly one year from the date of your injury to file a compensation claim. Likewise, the statute of limitations for wrongful death lawsuits is also one year, according to CC Art. 2315.2.
It’s important to understand that if you do not file your claim within this time frame, you will miss your chance to pursue the compensation you are owed. For this reason, if you haven’t already, you should hire an attorney and start the process immediately.
Get The HelpYou Need(337) 777-7777To Schedule a FREE CONSULTATION
24 hours a day • 7 days a week
A Jefferson Island Product Liability Attorney Can Determine Liability
For most other personal injury cases, the other party is liable if your injuries were caused by their negligence. In these cases, you must prove the other party breached the duty of care they owed you, resulting in your injuries and damages.
However, manufacturer liability for defective products is determined differently than in other personal injury cases. In Louisiana, manufacturers are under strict liability. Moreover, you don’t necessarily have to establish negligence to recover compensation for harm caused by a defective product. Instead, you must prove you were using the product as intended and that it was “unreasonably dangerous” and defective before it left the manufacturer’s control.
A product can be unreasonably dangerous due to its construction, composition, or design. It can also be considered dangerous if it lacked an appropriate warning or did not conform to the manufacturer’s express warranty.
Potentially Liable Parties
A number of entities may be involved in a product’s journey from the manufacturer to being used by the consumer. At any point, the product could be damaged or altered in some way that later causes an injury. For this reason, there are a few potentially liable parties other than the manufacturer in a product liability case, including, but not limited to, the following:
- Shipping companies
- Maintenance companies
- Distributors or suppliers
- Wholesalers
- Retailers
- Safety inspectors
- Government agencies
Identifying the liable party and proving negligence can be challenging to do on your own. However, regardless of who is responsible, the product liability lawyers at Laborles Earles are ready to stand by your side and pursue the maximum compensation available for you.
Get The HelpYou Need(337) 777-7777To Schedule a FREE CONSULTATION
24 hours a day • 7 days a week
Contact Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers Today
Product liability claims can be complex, and there are limitations on the time you have to file a claim. However, with help from Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers, our Jefferson Island product liability attorney can help you secure fair compensation for your losses.
Contact us today for a free, no-obligation case review if you seek a professional law firm with experience handling product liability cases. You can also learn more about how much your claim could be worth and your legal rights and options.
Get The HelpYou Need(337) 777-7777To Schedule a FREE CONSULTATION
24 hours a day • 7 days a week
