Sumter Defective Product Lawyer
Watchdog agencies like the Food and Drug Administration cannot keep people safe from defective drugs and other defective products. Only a Sumter defective product lawyer from the Stanley Law Group can do that.
In the 1990s, lawmakers began pressing FDA bureaucrats to approve new drugs and other products as quickly as possible. As a result, inspectors now depend almost entirely on data provided by the company that made the product. This data might or might not be accurate. Furthermore, the FDA does not have the complete power to unilaterally recall dangerous drugs or other products. Usually, it can only publicly pressure companies to voluntarily recall dangerous products.
Additionally, even if the FDA recalls a dangerous product, this recall doesn’t compensate injury victims. Only an attorney can do that.
Sumter Defective Products Lawyers and Defective Product Injuries
Mostly because of the lax FDA powers mentioned above, most people have defective products in their medicine cabinets, closets, or garages. Defective products could cause trauma injuries or long-term diseases.
Trauma injuries are especially common in baby products, like strollers and toys. Common trauma injuries include strangulation, head injuries, and pinching injuries. These injuries are especially serious,and in fact often fatal, when they happen to young children.
Long-term diseases are even more common. Poisoned water at nearby Camp Lejeune, North Carolina is a good example.
Between the 1950s and the 1980s, Camp Lejeune residents used well water tainted with several toxic chemicals, which probably came from industrial solvents used at the base, as well as an unsafe ammunition storage area. These chemicals caused a number of long-term diseases, as well as birth defects and other such issues.
The Marine Corps had multiple chances to correct the problem and protect the people who sacrificed so much for their country, but instead, the government continually denied responsibility.
Liability Issues
These victims need and deserve compensation for their injuries. But this compensation is difficult to obtain, legally and logistically.
The basic elements of a defective product injury claim are relatively straightforward in South Carolina. Usually, companies are strictly liable for injuries caused by a:
- Design Defect: The 1970s Ford Pinto is a good example of a design defect. Engineers placed the gas tank behind the rear axle to make this car as light and cheap as possible. As a result, the vulnerable gas tank often ruptured and exploded, even in low-speed rear-end collisions.
- Manufacturing Defect: Medical devices, such as all-metal hip implants, often have manufacturing defects. Frequently, manufacturers use cheap, imported parts that either break down quickly or, in the case of a hip implant, have high levels of cadmium, chromium, and other dangerous heavy metals.
Limited defenses are available in these matters. The most common one, product misuse, only applies in extreme cases, like riding a jetski in a swimming pool.
Cause is another matter. Almost anything in the environment could cause a pollution-related disease. During lawsuits, companies summon “expert” witnesses who testify that a dangerous product is as safe as mother’s milk.
Legally, South Carolina’s eight-year statute of repose could come into play. Some defective product injury victims lose the right to obtain compensation when this clock strikes midnight.
Logistically, most product manufacturers are out-of-state holding companies, or even offshore holding companies, that have vast resources. Only a determined lawyer can overcome these odds and obtain maximum compensation.
Count on a Diligent Sumter County Lawyer
Injury victims are entitled to substantial compensation. For a free consultation with an experienced defective products lawyer in Sumter, contact the Stanley Law Group. We routinely handle matters throughout the Palmetto State.
