Have you been injured because of a defective or unreasonably dangerous product in St. Louis, Missouri? If so, you may have the right to demand compensation from the product’s manufacturer. The experienced St. Louis product liability lawyers at Schultz & Myers Personal Injury Lawyers can help you stand up and demand every cent you deserve.
Since 2010, we’ve fought to give injury victims and families across Missouri a voice when it matters most. We help our clients stand up to powerful corporations and insurance companies – and win life-changing compensation for them in the process. Our results speak for themselves. Our law firm has obtained settlements and verdicts totaling more than $50 million.
Give yourself every opportunity to win your product liability case. Contact Schultz & Myers Personal Injury Lawyers and get our award-winning litigators in your corner. We offer a free consultation, so give us a call at (314) 444-4444 to speak with a member of our legal team now.
How Schultz & Myers Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help If You’re Injured While Using a Defective Product in St. Louis, MO
You know that you got hurt because of the product you were using. But how can you prove it? And how can you prove that the product was defective or unreasonably dangerous? Or that the company didn’t warn you about the risk of injury?
These are important but difficult questions to answer. You shouldn’t have to tackle these issues on your own, especially while you’re recovering from severe injuries. That’s where a St. Louis personal injury lawyer can help.
Schultz & Myers Personal Injury Lawyers will take on your case, go toe-to-toe with the company responsible for your injuries, and fight to get you every cent you deserve. How?
By:
- Identifying the type of product defect that caused you to get hurt
- Determining if the product has been subject to a recall or been the subject of other injury claims
- Gathering evidence to support your claim
- Defending against claims that you didn’t use the product in a reasonably foreseeable way
- Consulting specialists and experts who can provide insight into the cause, scope, and impact of your injuries
- Negotiating with the manufacturer, insurance company, and other parties on your behalf
- Preparing your case for trial so that we put our best foot forward during negotiations and are ready for court, if necessary
Our St. Louis product liability attorneys work on a contingency fee basis. There’s no cost to hire our law firm unless we negotiate a settlement or win a verdict for you at trial. Give our law office in St. Louis, MO a call to get started with a risk-free case evaluation now.
What is Product Liability?
When you buy a product, you expect that it will be safe to use. Unfortunately, there’s no way for oversight agencies to inspect, review, and do quality control for everything that hits the market. It’s up to companies to ensure that the products they sell have a safe design, are manufactured correctly, and that consumers are properly warned about potential risks.
Missouri has product liability laws in place to ensure that companies take this duty seriously. When a company puts a defective or unreasonably unsafe product out for use, it can be held strictly liable if someone gets hurt.
There are three main types of product liability claims: defective design, manufacturing defect, and marketing defect (failure to warn).
Defective Design
A design defect exists when a product suffers from an inherent flaw in its design. The product will be unsafe or unreasonably dangerous regardless of how much care is put into its assembly or marketing.
Manufacturing Defect
A manufacturing defect exists when a product isn’t put together properly during the manufacturing process. Sometimes a wrong part is used, or an ingredient is incorrectly substituted. A manufacturing defect can affect a single product or an entire batch on the assembly line.
Marketing Defect
When a company knows or should know that a product carries certain risks or side effects, it must pass that information along to consumers. Failing to warn consumers about potential risks (that aren’t obvious) can result in liability when someone gets hurt.
Note that companies can also be held liable for negligence in the design, manufacturing, and marketing of products in Missouri.
We Handle All Types of Product Liability Cases in St. Louis
Contact our St. Louis product liability attorneys if you or a loved one has been injured because of defective:
- Toys
- Household appliances
- Hand tools
- Power tools
- Heavy machinery
- Household cleaners
- Personal care products (e.g., talc powder)
- Prescription medications
- Over-the-counter medications
- Medical devices
- Medical equipment
- Fireworks
- Sports equipment
- Vehicles
- Safety equipment
Our team would be happy to listen to your version of the events, assess available facts and evidence, and offer some guidance about your legal rights. If you have a case, we can help you move forward with a claim for damages against the manufacturer and other liable parties.
What’s My St. Louis Product Liability Case Worth?
The value of your product liability case will depend largely on the types of injuries you suffer, how serious they are, and how your life changes as a result.
The more catastrophic an injury and the greater the impact on your day-to-day routine, the more a case tends to be worth.
Other factors, including your age and earning capacity, will also be relevant to determining how much money you might be able to receive in a Missouri product liability case.
You can get a better sense of the value of your claim by speaking with an experienced St. Louis personal injury attorney at Schultz & Myers Personal Injury Lawyers. Contact our law office to arrange a time for a complimentary consultation today.
What Damages Can I Get If I File a Product Liability Lawsuit?
Plaintiffs in product liability lawsuits in Missouri can ask to recover economic damages and non-economic damages. In some cases, punitive damages might also be available.
Economic damages are paid for the monetary losses and expenses related to an injury, such as:
- Hospitalization, medical transportation, surgery, and other current medical bills
- Rehabilitation, follow-up treatment, and future medical expenses
- Lost wages and income
- Disability
- Reduced earning capacity
- Property damage
Non-economic damages are paid to make up for the hard-to-value trauma that you experience because of your accident, including:
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Disfigurement
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Loss of consortium
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
If there’s evidence that a company intentionally concealed risks related to a product or displayed a deliberate and flagrant disregard for your safety, you may also be able to receive punitive damages.
At Schultz & Myers Personal Injury Lawyers, our award-winning product liability attorneys in St. Louis will work hard to ensure that you are fully compensated for all of your costs, injuries, and suffering.
Is There a Time Limit For Filing a Product Liability Claim in Missouri?
You’ll have five years from the date of your accident to file a product liability lawsuit in St. Louis, Missouri.
If your injury or illness isn’t discovered right away, the statute of limitations can be tolled until the date it is discovered or diagnosed.
However, Missouri also has a statute of repose that applies to product liability cases. There’s a hard limit of 12 years to file a lawsuit, regardless of whether an injury has been identified. A newly-proposed law would increase this time limit to 15 years if passed by the state legislature and signed by the Governor.
Defective Products Can Cause Catastrophic Injuries and Death
When a product is unreasonably dangerous, the consequences for an unsuspecting consumer can be severe or downright deadly.
Don’t hesitate to contact our St. Louis defective product lawyers if you or a loved one has suffered:
- Burns
- Nerve damage
- Soft tissue damage
- Broken bones
- Lacerations
- Crush injuries
- Internal organ damage or bleeding
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Neck or back injuries
- Amputation
- Wrongful death of a loved one
But before you do anything else, make sure that you seek medical care. Prompt attention will help to prevent your condition from worsening or developing complications. Additionally, your visit will generate an important piece of evidence for your personal injury case.
You’ll need to establish that your injury was caused by your use of the defective product. Your medical record can be useful here. The less time that lapses between the accident and your medical care, the better.
Schedule a Free Consultation With an Experienced St. Louis Product Liability Lawyer
Are you struggling with a painful physical injury or the sudden loss of a family member because a product was unreasonably dangerous? Contact Schultz & Myers Personal Injury Lawyers. Our experienced St. Louis product liability lawyers can help you file a claim for damages and seek compensation from the manufacturer.
For more than a decade, we’ve fought for injured consumers and grieving families in St. Louis and surrounding areas. Now it’s your turn to benefit from our experience, resources, and demonstrated ability to win.
Our law office provides a free case evaluation, so don’t hesitate to call to schedule a time for yours today.
