If you or someone you love has been harmed due to a defective product in Northbrook, IL, our team at Kass & Moses Personal Injury Lawyers is here to help. An experienced Northbrook product liability lawyer can help you seek compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and more when you reach out at (847) 513-9582.
For more information on how we can help, please contact our law offices in Northbrook, Illinois, to schedule a free consultation today.
Why Choose Kass & Moses Personal Injury Lawyers To Help Me With My Premises Liability Accident in Northbrook?
Product liability cases are complex, with manufacturers defended by experienced attorneys and insurance adjusters. Hiring an experienced Northbrook product liability attorney increases your chances of success.
At Kass & Moses Personal Injury Lawyers, we’ve represented hundreds of clients over 30 years, developing tailored legal strategies based on the facts of each case. With over 64 years of combined experience and more than $125 million in settlements and verdicts, we’re ready to take on the product manufacturer and their insurers.
From day one, we work to gather the evidence needed to prove your case and identify all parties responsible for your injuries. Known for our trial success, we’ve been listed among The National Trial Lawyers’ “Top 100.” Call us today to learn how we can help after an accident in Northbrook, IL.
What Is Product Liability?
Product liability laws hold product manufacturers legally responsible for injuries caused by defective and dangerous products.
Examples of claims covered by product liability laws include:
- Children’s toys are designed using small parts that can cause choking
- A prescription drug was contaminated during manufacturing and caused organ damage
- Electronics that malfunctioned and caused fires
If you or a loved one were injured and you believe a defective product was the cause, contact our law firm right away. We can start investigating the circumstances of your injury right away and determine whether you have a valid claim for compensation.
How Do I Prove a Product Liability Case in Illinois?
Most product liability cases are based on strict liability. To win your case, you must prove:
- The defendant was responsible for putting the product on the market
- The product was defective
- The defect made the product unreasonably dangerous
- You were using the product as intended, or in a reasonably foreseeable way
- You were injured because of the danger, and suffered damages
There’s no need to prove the manufacturer was negligent to receive damages.
What Are the Different Types of Product Defects in Illinois?
A defect can arise at different points in a product’s life cycle. It’s important to identify the nature of the product’s defect so that you can identify all parties responsible.
Three primary categories of product defects exist:
Design Defects
Design defects exist because of flaws in a product’s design. Even when the product is created as intended, it poses an unreasonable risk of harm.
Now, some products can never be made entirely safe. However, if an alternative design exists and is safer, product manufacturers must use the safer alternative. In these cases, courts will generally evaluate whether the safer alternative would allow the product to function as intended, as well as the overall benefit of the product as designed.
Manufacturing Defects
Manufacturing defects arise during the production process. When a mistake causes a product to deviate from its design, it can become defective due to that error.
Marketing Defects
When a product creates a non-obvious risk of harm, the manufacturer has a duty to tell you about it. Marketing defects exist when a manufacturer fails to include adequate warnings or instructions for safely using the product.
How Often Do Defective Products Reach Consumers?
Defective products are more common than you might think. Over the five-year period ending in 2022, roughly $214 million in damages were approved in class action settlements involving product liability.
Many of those cases were brought in Illinois. In fact, between 2018 and 2022, the Southern District of Illinois saw the highest number of product liability cases nationwide.
How Much Money Is My Northbrook Product Liability Case Worth?
Some of the factors that will have the strongest impact on your case value include:
- The nature of the product’s defect
- The severity of your injuries
- Whether you suffer a long-term or permanent disability
- How the injury impacts your earnings and future earning capacity
- The cost of your medical treatment and rehabilitation
- Any out-of-pocket expenses you incur due to the injury
- The strength of the evidence to prove liability
The value of a product liability case can vary greatly from one victim to the next. Even if a class action settlement is already on the table, there’s no guarantee that you’ll be awarded a fair amount. That makes it critical to hire an experienced attorney who can advocate for every dollar you deserve.
What Types of Damages Can a Victim Recover by Filing a Product Liability Claim in Northbrook?
Both economic damages and non-economic damages might be available after you are injured in a premises liability accident.
Economic damages are awarded to reimburse you for any financial costs you incur due to the injury, such as:
- Past and future medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Reduced earning potential
- Physical therapy
- Rehabilitation
- Property damage
Non-economic damages are available to help you deal with the more personal and subjective results of an injury, including:
- Physical pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Lost enjoyment of life
- Anxiety
- Depression
- PTSD
- Reduced quality of life
- Physical disfigurement and scarring
- Loss of consortium and other damages for wrongful death
Punitive damages may also be available, but only in cases involving egregious behavior that should be punished.
How Much Does It Cost To Hire a Product Liability Lawyer in Illinois?
Our team at Kass & Moses Personal Injury Lawyers works on a contingency fee basis. That means you pay nothing unless we win your case, allowing you to seek justice without financial risk. When we recover compensation, you’ll pay a preset percentage of your award.
Can Illinois Comparative Fault Laws Impact the Value of My Product Liability Claim?
You don’t automatically lose your right to damages under Illinois modified comparative negligence law. Your compensation will be reduced to account for your percentage of blame, if any. You only lose your right to damages if you were more than 50% to blame.
Product manufacturers often try to shift the blame to the victims. The common strategy is to claim you used the product incorrectly and so caused your own injuries.
Our Product Liability Attorneys in Northbrook Will Fight To Recover Compensation for All of Your Injuries
Defective products can cause a range of injuries. We’re prepared to handle any type of injury case, including those involving:
- Burns
- Facial injuries
- Broken bones
- Internal injuries
- Concussions
- Shoulder injuries
- Soft tissue damage
- Disfigurement and scarring
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Head and neck injuries
- Cancer and other diseases
- Hearing damage
- Eye injuries
- Amputations
- Paralysis
- Catastrophic injuries
- Wrongful death of a loved one
Don’t hesitate to reach out for a free case review if you were injured while using a dangerous consumer product. It’s never too early to learn about your legal options.
We Handle Any Type of Product Liability Claim in Northbrook
Any type of product has the potential to be dangerous if it suffers from a defect. Examples of the types of product liability cases we handle include:
- Medical devices
- Prescription drugs
- Over-the-counter drugs
- Airbags and seat belts
- Vehicles
- Household appliances
- Food or beverages
- Vape pens
- Children’s toys and furniture
- Children’s car seats
- Work equipment and tools
- Scaffolding and other types of construction equipment
- Batteries
- Electronics
- Household chemicals and cleaning products
- Lawn care products, including Roundup weed killer
- 3M earplugs
- Personal care products
It can be tough to know whether you were hurt because of a product defect. Our lawyers often work with experts who can testify about the precise nature of a defect.
How Long Do I Have to File a Product Liability Lawsuit if I Was Injured Using a Defective Product in Illinois?
The statute of limitations in Illinois gives you two years to file a personal injury lawsuit.
The two-year timeframe typically begins on the date you were injured. If you didn’t discover the harm right away, the clock starts running on the date you discovered, or should have discovered, the injury.
Most of the time, you lose your right to compensation entirely once the statute of limitations expires.
Call an Experienced Northbrook Product Liability Lawyer for a Free Consultation Today
If you or a family member were injured because of a defective product, in Northbrook, IL, our team at Kass & Moses Personal Injury Lawyers can help. We offer a free consultation, so there’s no reason not to speak with our experienced Northbrook product liability lawyer today.
