Clearwater Product Liability Lawyer

Were you or a loved one hurt because of a dangerous or defective product in Clearwater, Florida? The manufacturer may owe you financial compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. A skilled Clearwater product liability lawyer at Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers can help you fight to hold them fully accountable. 

Collectively, we have more than 75 years of experience helping clients like you get justice. We’ve recovered over $100 million in damages–and we’re ready to start fighting for you.

We handle all types of personal injury cases, including Clearwater aviation/airplane accidents, boating accidents, Clearwater Lyft accidents, sexual assault cases, bus accidents, and more.

The first step is learning about your legal rights. Contact our law offices in Clearwater, Florida, today to schedule a free consultation.

How Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help With a Product Liability Claim in Clearwater, FL

How Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help With a Product Liability Claim in Clearwater, FL

Product liability claims can be daunting because you’ll be facing off against a big corporation, their insurance companies, and their defense lawyers. That doesn’t mean you should back down. You risk getting less money than you deserve if you handle your case alone.

Your Clearwater injury attorney can get the insurance companies to take you seriously. At Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers, we regularly face off against big corporations–and we have a proven track record of winning.

Hiring our legal team means you’ll have an attorney in your corner to:

  • Handle the investigation into your claim
  • Establish the legal basis for your personal injury case
  • Fight back when the insurance company tries to blame you for misusing the product
  • Retain the experts and specialists needed to strengthen your lawsuit
  • Accurately assess the fair value of your claim

The insurance company will try to make getting fair compensation as difficult as possible. They’re counting on you to get tired of fighting and back down. An experienced Clearwater personal injury attorney can prevent them from taking advantage of you.

Our team is here to help. Call today to learn how we’ll put 75 years of experience to work for you. 

How Common Are Injuries Caused by Defective Products in Clearwater?

How Common Are Injuries Caused by Defective Products in Clearwater?

Defective products are a national safety issue. Product manufacturers spend billions of dollars each year to purchase liability insurance to protect themselves in case someone is hurt using a defective product. They do that for good reason. 

In 2019 alone, at least 241 dangerous products were recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Around 58 of those products were designed for children. Federal agencies, including the FDA, recall thousands of additional products each year in Florida and across the U.S.

What is My Clearwater Product Liability Case Worth?

To recover a settlement that’s fair, you have to know what your personal injury case is worth. 

Unfortunately, there’s no simple way to know what your case is worth. Your lawyer needs time to evaluate the facts to make sure you’re getting the compensation you deserve. 

Factors that are important in putting a value on your injury claim include:

  • The cost of your immediate medical care
  • Your future need for medical treatment and rehabilitation
  • The amount of time you miss at work
  • The mental pain caused by the injury and accident
  • Whether you’ll suffer a permanent disability
  • The injury’s impact on your overall quality of life

You might wonder how your lawyer can predict your future needs. The short answer is: we put in the hard work. We’ve seen cases like yours before, and we’ll use our experience to estimate the value of your claim. We’ll also use our own resources to hire experts and specialists who can offer insight into various aspects of your case.

What Types of Damages Are Available to Victims of Defective Products?

Product manufacturers make a lot of money selling their goods. When one of those products is defective, it’s the consumer who suffers the biggest losses. You deserve to be fully compensated if you were hurt.

At Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers, we can help make that a reality. 

We’ll fight to recover compensation to cover all of your economic damages, which often include:

  • Medical bills
  • Future medical costs
  • Lost wages and income
  • Diminished earning potential
  • Rehabilitation
  • Property damage

You also deserve to receive compensation for your non-economic damages, including:

  • Pain and suffering
  • Mental anguish
  • Disfigurement and scarring
  • Depression
  • PTSD
  • Loss of enjoyment of life
  • Loss of consortium

Don’t settle for less than you deserve. Call our law offices today to learn how we’ll put our resources to work to secure the maximum available compensation.

Can I Recover Damages If I’m Being Blamed for Getting Hurt by a Dangerous Product in Florida?

Insurance companies and product manufacturers often try to blame the victim for getting hurt. If successful, they can reduce or eliminate your settlement award to account for your share of fault under Florida’s modified comparative fault rules.

Under Florida state law, injured parties can recover damages, but only if they share 50% or less of the responsibility for causing the accident or injury. The victim’s compensation will be reduced in proportion to their share of the blame.

For instance, if you suffered $50,000 in damages but are found 20 percent responsible for the accident, you can only recover $40,000 (80 percent). If you are found to be 51% at fault, you will recover nothing.

In product liability cases, insurance companies often try to shift the blame by saying you were using the product incorrectly. Often, these claims aren’t supported by the facts. 

If the insurer is blaming you for getting hurt, you should always have a strong lawyer by your side. At Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers, we know how to minimize the impact of the shared fault rules. Give us a quick call today to learn more.

We Fight to Recover Compensation for All Injuries Caused by Defective Products

Dangerous products can cause significant harm. At Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers, our Clearwater product liability attorneys will fight to recover fair compensation for all of your injuries. 

We handle cases involving:

Some injuries are so severe they cause the wrongful death of a loved one. Our board-certified civil trial lawyers can help you fight to recover compensation for the loss of your loved one’s company, financial support, and more.

We Handle All Types of Product Liability Claims in Clearwater, Florida

At Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers, we handle all types of product liability claims in Clearwater, including those caused by defective:

  • Medical devices
  • Medications 
  • Household appliances
  • Airbags, seatbelts, and vehicle safety features
  • Children’s toys
  • Children’s car seats
  • Tools and work equipment
  • Weedkiller and household chemicals
  • Food products

Were you injured by a defective product? Call our trial law firm to schedule a 100% free case evaluation today.

How Do I Prove Liability in a Florida Product Liability Case? 

Under Florida product liability law, companies can be held strictly liable for the harm caused by defective products. In other cases, you can recover damages by proving negligence. To prove negligence, you usually have to show that the company knew the product was dangerous and didn’t do anything about it.

In legal terms, you’ll have to prove:

  • The manufacturer owed you a duty of care
  • They breached that duty
  • The breach caused your injuries
  • You suffered damages

There are three primary legal theories that can be used to hold a product manufacturer strictly liable without proving negligence: design defects, manufacturing defects, and marketing defects.

Design Defects

A product suffers from a design defect if there’s a problem with the basic design. When a product is dangerous because of the way it was designed, it’s not safe for consumer use.

Product manufacturers can be held strictly liable if there was a reasonable and safer way to design the product. In other words, if a safer design option existed, the manufacturer is required to choose that design option.

Manufacturing Defects

Products can be dangerous even if the design is safe. Sometimes problems occur when the product is put together. Companies can be held liable if something went wrong during the manufacturing process and the product you purchased didn’t match the design.

For example, if the company used the wrong type of screw when manufacturing a batch of the product, that’s a manufacturing error. Companies can be responsible for a defective batch of products or a single defective product.

Marketing Defects

Marketing defects often involve a failure to warn consumers about risks inherent to the product. For example, most medications aren’t 100% free of danger. The product manufacturer has a duty to warn consumers about any known risks. They’re also responsible for providing information about how to use the product safely to prevent injury.

How Long Do I Have to File a Product Liability Lawsuit in Florida?

Victims of defective products have four years to file a personal injury lawsuit based on strict liability. However, for cases based on negligence, the deadline is two years (as of March 24, 2023).

This statute of limitations starts running on the date you were hurt.

Most product liability lawsuits in Florida must be filed no later than 12 years from the date you purchased the product. This is called a statute of repose. An exception exists if the injury did not manifest itself until after the statute of repose period expired.

Contact a Clearwater Product Liability Lawyer for a Free Consultation

Were you injured because someone sold you an unsafe product? Don’t let them off the hook. Call a Clearwater product liability lawyer at Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers to start fighting for the fair compensation you deserve. 

We’ve been serving clients in Clearwater, St. Petersburg, and Tampa for years–and have regularly been recognized by Super Lawyers. If you were hurt, don’t hesitate to reach out for a free initial consultation today.

Our personal injury law firm in Clearwater also provides: