Were you or a loved one hurt while using a defective product in Rockford, IL? The manufacturer who sold that product may owe you significant compensation. An experienced Rockford product liability lawyer at Zayed Law Offices Personal Injury Attorneys can help you hold them accountable. Call (815) 662-0330 today for a free consultation.
Our attorneys have decades of experience handling complex personal injury law matters. We’ve already recovered millions to help injured clients like you get justice. You may deserve compensation for medical bills, lost wages and your personal pain and suffering. Contact our law offices in Rockford, Illinois, to learn more.
Why Choose Zayed Law Offices Personal Injury Attorneys for Help With a Product Liability Case in Rockford?
Product liability is a particularly difficult practice area. The defendant is nearly always a large corporation protected by insurance adjusters and defense attorneys. Identifying the precise defect that caused your injuries is critical to the success of your case.
Our team at Zayed Law Offices Personal Injury Attorneys has the skill and resources to challenge even the most powerful manufacturing company.
For our success, our Rockford personal injury attorneys have been nationally recognized by:
- Super Lawyers
- The Avvo lawyer rating service, with a perfect 10 rating
- The National Trial Lawyers, as one of the “Top 40 Civil Plaintiff’s Lawyers”
We’ve also earned hundreds of five-star Google reviews from satisfied clients and their families. When you hire us, your case becomes our top priority. Our Rockford personal injury lawyers will fight tirelessly for every dollar you deserve.
The sooner we can start working to protect your interests, the better. Call us today to arrange a free case review with a Rockford product liability attorney who can stand up and fight for the money you need.
Overview of Illinois Laws on Product Liability
As consumers, we have very little control over the products we purchase and use. We’re not involved in their design, and in most cases, we know little about the manufacturing process.
We rely almost entirely on the companies that design and produce these products. So, it’s up to them to ensure that their products are reasonably safe and that we have all the information we need to protect ourselves.
When manufacturing companies ignore their duties and sell defective products, Illinois law allows consumers to hold them financially responsible for their injuries.
How Often Do Dangerous Products Reach Consumers?
Every year, products that have been recalled due to defects are responsible for roughly 40 million injuries in the U.S.
Even products evaluated and approved by the FDA and other federal agencies can have defects. One scary statistic: about one-third of all prescription drugs that are FDA-approved have risks that aren’t understood at the time of sale.
What Is My Rockford Product Liability Case Worth?
The value of your personal injury claim depends on factors that are unique to your case, such as:
- How severe are your injuries?
- Will you suffer any permanent disability?
- How has your injury impacted your earnings?
- What are your current medical treatment costs?
- What are your projected future costs, considering your need for medical care, rehab, assistance, etc.?
- Will your earning capacity be impaired by a long-term disability?
- How has your emotional health suffered?
- How extensive is your physical pain?
- How has the ordeal changed your ability to enjoy life?
Every single personal injury case is unique. Our lawyers must evaluate the merits before we can offer a fair dollar value estimate about your case value. Call us today to tell us what happened and get more information.
What Types of Damages Are Available to Injury Victims in a Successful Product Liability Case?
Damages in Illinois personal injury cases are classified as economic or non-economic damages.
Your economic damages award should compensate for any current or projected future costs associated with your injuries, including:
- Medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Lost future earning power
- Skilled nursing care
- Rehabilitation
- Assistance with basic living activities in the home
- Property damage
Your compensation award should also compensate for your personal suffering, or non-economic damages, including:
- Physical pain and suffering
- Emotional trauma
- Loss of ability to enjoy life
- Mental health issues, like depression or anxiety
- PTSD
- Diminished quality of life
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Loss of consortium and other damages for wrongful death
These are just common examples of the types of losses that we’ll evaluate. Your unique losses will dictate the types of damages that your compensation award should cover.
How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Product Liability Lawyer in Illinois?
Like most injury law firms, Zayed Law Offices Personal Injury Attorneys works on a contingency fee basis. You only pay attorneys’ fees if we successfully secure compensation in your case. We don’t charge anything up front.
What Happens to the Value of My Damages Claim if I’m Being Blamed for Causing My Injuries in Illinois?
Your compensation will be limited to the extent that you share any blame for your own injuries.
Illinois has a modified comparative negligence law with a 51% bar to recovery. Once your share of fault reaches or exceeds 51%, you lose your right to damages. Otherwise, your compensation is reduced in proportion to your share of fault.
Product manufacturers often blame consumers for misusing products. That doesn’t mean you lose your right to damages. In fact, manufacturing companies can be liable if you misused the product, but that misuse was reasonably foreseeable.
We Handle All Types of Product Liability Claims in Rockford
Our attorneys in Rockford handle all types of defective product cases, including cases where injuries are caused by:
- Over-the-counter medications
- Medical devices
- Prescription medications
- Household appliances
- Children’s toys and furniture
- Children’s car seats
- Work equipment and tools
- Scaffolding
- Building equipment
- Airbags and seat belts
- Vehicles, including recreational vehicles
- Electronic devices
- Food or beverages
- Household chemicals
- Personal care products
- Lawn care products, including Roundup weed killer
- 3M earplugs
- Fireworks
- Batteries
- Vape pens
Standing up for your rights can be overwhelming. Our lawyers can help you stand up to the manufacturing companies and demand fair compensation for your injuries. Contact us today to get started.
How Do I Prove I Deserve Compensation if I Was Injured Due to a Defective Product in Illinois?
Most injury claims are based on negligence. Companies can be held responsible even if they weren’t negligent in cases involving defective products. Product liability cases are governed by strict liability laws.
To recover compensation, you must prove:
- The defendant was somehow responsible for putting the product on the market
- The product had a defect
- You were using the product correctly, or in a reasonably foreseeable way that was incorrect
- You were injured while using the product
- The nature and value of the damages you suffered as a result
Three types of product defects exist: design defects, manufacturing defects, and marketing defects.
Design Defect Cases
Products with design defects are dangerous because of how they were designed. Some aspect of the product’s design must have created an unreasonable risk of harm.
Generally, to prove a design defect case, you may have to establish:
- The precise defect in the product’s design
- The product’s usefulness doesn’t outweigh the risk of harm
- There was a safer way to make the product
- That safer alternative is economically feasible and will allow the product to function as intended
Proving design defect cases can be tricky. Sometimes the benefits of a product make it valuable despite the risk. That said, companies still have a duty to warn you about those risks if the court decides a safer design is not feasible.
Manufacturing Defect Cases
Mistakes in the manufacturing process cause manufacturing defects. When assembled correctly, the product would be safe. Some deviation from the product’s otherwise safe design caused the risk of harm.
Marketing Defect Cases
Marketing defect cases are based on a company’s failure to warn consumers about risks associated with their product. Some products are valuable even if they carry a risk of danger. Companies that sell those products are still required to inform consumers about those risks and how to use the product properly to avoid harm.
How Long Do I Have to File a Product Liability Lawsuit if I Was Injured Due to a Dangerous Product in Illinois?
You have two years from the date of an injury to file a personal injury lawsuit in Illinois. Once this two-year statute of limitations expires, you can no longer seek compensation.
Defective products can cause a range of harm. Some types of diseases and conditions aren’t immediately obvious. If that’s the case, the two-year clock generally starts running on the date you knew, or reasonably should have known, about the harm that you suffered.
Contact Our Seasoned Rockford Product Liability Lawyers for a Free Consultation
Product liability cases are almost always challenging. You deserve the best possible legal representation. To learn more about how our team at Zayed Law Offices Personal Injury Attorneys can put our experience to work for you, call for a free consultation with a Rockford product liability attorney today.
