New Port Richey Product Liability Lawyer

Were you or a loved one hurt by a defective product in New Port Richey, Florida? You may be entitled to damages for medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Call a New Port Richey product liability lawyer at Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers for help securing the full amount available. 

Our qualifications speak for themselves–we’ve recovered more than $100 million in compensation and have 50 years of experience combined. 

We offer a free initial consultation, so call our law offices in New Port Richey, Florida at (727) 815-8442 today to get started.

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

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

You shouldn’t have to worry about your child being hurt by a defective toy. Similarly, you shouldn’t have to wonder whether your medication is dangerous. Unfortunately, these things happen every day when a trusted consumer product turns out to be defective.

Florida law allows you to hold manufacturers, distributors, and producers financially liable for their defective products. However, these cases are often extremely complex. 

An experienced New Port Richey personal injury lawyer can help with every aspect of your claim–but don’t rely on the lawyer directory alone. You don’t want a lawyer who’s only experienced in handling criminal defense matters. We’ve been recognized by the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum and have an AV rating from Martindale Hubbell. 

When you hire Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers, you can trust that we will:

  • Investigate to find the hard evidence you need to back up your claim
  • Work with leading experts to strengthen your case
  • Negotiate with the insurance companies and defense lawyers
  • Advocate for your rights at trial if necessary

Our legal team knows how an unexpected injury can throw your life off course. Our New Port Richey personal injury attorneys will fight to help you regain control. Just give us a call today in  New Port Richey, Florida, to schedule a free consultation.

How Common Are Injuries Caused by Defective Products in New Port Richey?

Americans are seriously injured by dangerous consumer products each and every year. In 2019 alone, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled 58 children’s products because of safety issues. 

Those dangers often included:

  • Choking hazards
  • Fire risk
  • Risk of explosions and electrocution
  • Chemical or mechanical hazards
  • Auto accidents

In the U.S., the risk isn’t isolated to a specific group of products. The current list of product recalls includes everything from coffee roasters to bicycles and children’s jackets.

What is My New Port Richey Product Liability Case Worth?

If you were recently injured, you might spend a lot of time wondering what your personal injury case is worth. 

The overall value of your personal injury claim will be based on a long list of factors, including:

  • The type and severity of your injuries
  • The cost of your past and future medical care
  • Whether you suffered a permanent disability
  • The value of your lost wages and income
  • How the injury impacts your day-to-day activities 

The pain and emotional trauma caused by the incident is also important–especially if the victim was a child. Our New Port Richey product liability attorneys at Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers can help you evaluate the big picture. Give us a call today for more details.

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

Florida personal injury laws give victims the right to recover a broad range of compensatory damages. You’re entitled to fair compensation for your out-of-pocket costs, called economic damages. 

That might include money for:

  • Past and future medical bills
  • Lost wages and income
  • Reduced earning potential
  • Physical therapy
  • Property damage

Your non-economic damages can also make up a large portion of your settlement award. 

These are the damages that are more difficult to put a dollar value on and include:

  • Pain and suffering
  • Emotional distress
  • Disfigurement and scarring
  • Loss of enjoyment of life
  • Loss of consortium

In rare cases, injured parties may be entitled to punitive damages if the responsible party’s actions were intentional or especially shocking. 

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

The product manufacturer might try to blame you for your own injuries. Usually, they’ll try to claim you used the product incorrectly or made some type of modification to the original product. 

Under Florida’s modified comparative fault rules, victims can recover damages if their percentage of blame for an accident is 50% or less. In most cases based on negligence, liability is apportioned between all responsible parties. Each party is then held accountable for their share of the damages.

For example, if you are found 40% responsible for your injuries, you can only recover 60% of your damages. If you are found 51% responsible, you can’t recover anything.

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

Defective products can cause significant injuries. 

At Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers, we handle all types of injury claims, including those involving:

If you were seriously hurt, getting medical help should be your number one priority. Once you’re stable, call our law firm for a free case evaluation.

We Handle All Types of Product Liability Claims in New Port Richey, Florida

At Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers, our Florida law group handles all types of product liability claims, including those caused by dangerous:

  • Home construction materials 
  • Household appliances
  • Medications
  • Medical devices
  • Airbags, seatbelts, and vehicle safety features
  • Children’s toys
  • Children’s car seats
  • Children’s clothing
  • Tools and work equipment
  • Weed killer and household chemicals
  • Bicycles and recreational equipment

It can be difficult to identify the precise defect in the product that hurt you. You wouldn’t have used the product if the danger was obvious. Our skilled trial lawyers can help pinpoint the cause of your injuries and fight to hold the responsible parties accountable. 

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

Florida product liability laws hold companies strictly liable for injuries caused by defective products. 

To recover compensation, you’ll have to prove a few basic things, including:

  • You were using the product as intended or in a reasonably foreseeable manner
  • The defective product caused your injuries

Not all product liability claims are based on strict liability. You can also hold product manufacturers liable by proving negligence. Sometimes product manufacturers choose to put a product on the market even if they know the product is unsafe. 

However, proving negligence can be especially difficult in product liability cases–especially if you aren’t the person who purchased the product directly from the manufacturer.

Instead, most defective product cases are based on defects in the product’s design, manufacturing, or marketing.

Design Defects

Products that suffer from design defects are made exactly the way the manufacturer intended. However, there’s something about the product’s design that makes it unreasonably dangerous. In design defect cases, the victim has to prove that the risk of injury outweighs the benefit of the product design.

Generally, that means proving that there was some safer, cost-effective way to design the product.

Manufacturing Defects

Even if a product is safely designed, an error in the manufacturing process can make it more dangerous than it should be. 

To recover compensation based on a manufacturing defect, you’ll have to:

  • Identify the flaw in the manufacturing process
  • Prove that the defect made the product unreasonably dangerous
  • Show that the dangerous product caused your injuries

Manufacturing defects are caused by a deviation from the product’s design. Still, manufacturers are required to adopt quality control standards to prevent defective products from hitting the market.

Marketing Defects

Consumer products can be dangerous even without an error in the design or manufacturing process. In some cases, not every risk associated with the product can be eliminated. Manufacturers have a duty to warn you about those risks. 

That’s why consumer products usually come with warning labels and instruction booklets. The product manufacturer can be held liable for failure to warn about the non-obvious risks of using their products. 

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

Most people who are hurt by a defective product have four years from the date of injury to file a lawsuit. For cases based on negligence, you typically have two years (as of March 24, 2023 – before this date, the deadline was four years).

However, product liability cases in the state of Florida are also subject to a statute of repose. Usually, you’ll have to file your lawsuit within 12 years after the product was first sold–even if you were hurt much later.

Of course, there are exceptions to this rule. Sometimes an injury or illness can show up years after you use the product. As long as you used the product within 12 years after it was sold, you may still have a valid claim for damages.

If these deadlines sound complex, you’re not alone. An experienced personal injury lawyer at Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers can evaluate your case and help protect your rights. Just give us a call today to learn more.

Contact a New Port Richey Product Liability Lawyer for a Free Consultation

If you were hurt by a defective product in the Tampa Bay area, don’t hesitate to contact an experienced New Port Richey product liability lawyer. At Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers, we’ll use decades of legal experience to negotiate for the highest settlement award possible. Just give us a call to schedule a free case review today.

Other Practice Areas In New Port Richey, FL

Here are some of the additional case types that our personal injury law firm in New Port Richey, FL can help with: