What is Product Liability?
According to Gov.uk, product liability is the legal liability a manufacturer or trader incurs for producing or selling a product that may be at fault for a consumers injury. This means that if you are sold a product that does not do what it is supposed to do or have the features that it is intended to, the company who made or sold the product may be at fault.
The UK legislation on product liability states that all responsibility for the product and whether it is safe falls on the manufacturer or trader. This means that if the product is deemed unsafe or has caused any harm or serious damage to humans or property, they would be subject to legal action which in some cases means fines or imprisonment.
What are examples of Product Liability?
The most common example of product liability cases is that of supermarket food products, which may have been recalled due to safety issues. One of the most talked about food product liability cases was the horse meat scandal and one abattoir in March 2015 has been fined £8000 after admitting selling 55 carcasses in West Yorkshire without keeping records.
There was also a case in the USA in February 2015 where the Beneful Dog food company had a lawsuit brought against them, as pet owners claimed that there dog food was poisoning there pets. One customer who bought the pet food claimed that after feeding his three dogs the food, two became ill and one died.
Other examples would include children’s toys that could be seen as a choke hazard, food that was contaminated, electrical items that have not been fully risk assessed and miss-sold information items (i.e. food packaging not showing all ingredients). These are just a few examples and product liability can have severe consequences.
One example of this was the Toyota recall of cars due to steering wheel and seat problems in 2014, which has that meant since 2012 they have had over 20 million cars recalled.
Why should you claim for Product Liability?
Everyone has the right to claim if they believe that they have been miss sold an item or believe the product has caused harm to them or there property. If a product is faulty, the blame lies firmly at the door of the company or trader who produced and sold the item.
Also if you have suffered an injury or illness from a product you may be put out of work. This can put pressure on you financially and can also have long lasting psychological effects as a result of the stress brought on by this. That’s why personal injury specialists, such as ourselves, are here to help! We can make sure your are compensated for your injury and any loss of income brought about because of it to ensure that you get the care you need in the aftermath of your injury and to help cover any loss of income brought about by your injuries.
How to claim Product Liability?
The first point of contact would be to call Scott Rees & Co for free on 0800 61 43 61 and speak to one of our specialist personal injury claim advisers. They will help you determine whether or not you do have a product liability claim and provide information on what your next steps are and all of our solicitors operate on a no win, no fee basis.