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Every manufacturer is supposed to follow best practices with respect to ensuring designs are safe and that the manufacturing of products follows established protocols. Manufacturers of products should also test the items they sell to make sure any risks are identified so the danger can be reduced and consumers can be warned about potential problems. 

The ultimate goal is to avoid having dangerous products come to the marketplace.  If items do end up being sold that turn out to be dangerous, or if items are sold and the manufacturers of those items didn't provide adequate warning about risks, the manufacturers (as well as others in the supply chain) can be held legally accountable. Victims can pursue a civil lawsuit against manufacturers with the help of Randall Spivey, a Ft. Myers personal injury lawyer.

Despite the obligation placed on manufacturers to make sure products are safe, high-risk items routinely make it to store shelves for purchase. When this occurs, recall becomes necessary.  Supply Chain Management recently shared a troubling report that showed that the vast majority of product recalls are within the consumer market.  This means consumers are especially vulnerable to being either hurt or killed because they've inadvertently purchased an unsafe product.

Product Recalls Highest in the Consumer Market

According to Supply Chain Management: “Household goods account for a significant majority of all product recalls in the U.S. since 2010.”  Tragically, many of the products that ended up being recalled catered to kids, and infants and children were thus found to be “particularly vulnerable to recalls.”  A total of 12 percent of recalled products over the course of a quarter were children's toys, and more than 50 percent of clothes recalled over the past five years were meant either for infants or kids.  

The recall rate for kids’ clothing has remained persistently high because problems are not being corrected, even as unsafe items are recalled year after year.  In 2011, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) ruled that drawstrings on kids clothing were dangerous because the drawstrings could lead to choking.  Yet, despite this warning, kids clothing with drawstrings still exist.

Product recalls of all dangerous products should be conducted promptly as soon as the unexpected risks and dangers of the items become apparent. Unfortunately, manufacturers are often slow to move forward with recalls.  Recalls can sometimes come too late for victims who are injured or who lose their lives as a result of a problem with a product that never should have made it to the market.

When an injury happens, claims can be made to get compensation from manufacturers. To obtain compensation, injured victims or the surviving family members of those killed by defective products will need to prove that their damages came from a problem with a product. The information about why the product was recalled can be very helpful to victims who are attempting to make their cases.

Recalls often trigger class action or mass tort litigations because so many people get hurt by the same product.  Before becoming a part of any class, victims should always talk with a personal injury lawyer to find out their best course of action for getting the money they need for economic and non-financial losses resulting from the product injury.  Contact the Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A. today.