Articles Posted in Products Liability

We rely on a variety of products, including our vehicles, to get us through the day. When a vehicle is faulty or has a faulty part such as a defectively designed airbag, our safety is immediately at risk. Unfortunately, automakers often put dangerous vehicles into the stream of commerce, which lead to serious, even deadly injuries. If you have been injured in an accident involving a defective airbag, you must consult a reliable Miami injury attorney who understand Florida personal injury law and can vigorously assert your rights.

Liability in Airbag Recall Cases 

Airbag defects can lead to serious injuries such as broken bones, skull fractures, nerve damage, lacerations, cuts, bruises, brain injury, spine injury and even death. If you or someone you love suffered an injury due to a defective airbag, you may be eligible for compensation through a products liability claim. Typically, a product liability claim for any defective item will fall into one of three categories: a manufacturing defect, a design defect and/or a warning defect. Manufacturing defects take place when there is a defect in a product that was not intended. In other words, the product departs from the intended design. A design defect, on the other hand, occurs when the product is created as intended but the design is inherently dangerous. A warning defect occurs when products do not come with warnings to alert users about risks associated with the product’s use. You should be aware that product liability cases are incredibly complex.

Sadly, thousands of Americans are injured or killed by firearms each year. While a number of these instances are due to poor judgment, some are caused by defective or faulty guns. If you have been injured or your loved one has been killed by a malfunctioning discharged firearm, you need to contact a seasoned Florida defective gun attorney. At our Law Offices, we will meticulously examine the facts of your case and provide you with an honest assessment of your claim.

Earlier this year, a Bloomberg article discussed how defective guns became the only product that cannot be recalled. The gun manufacturer Taurus sold almost a million handguns that could potentially fire without anyone pulling the trigger. When an injured man tried to get to the bottom of why his gun (made by Taurus) had fired for no reason, he saw that Taurus had a “replace or repair” offer on their site, offering to repair certain guns or buy them back from customers. Despite the man being injured due to the faulty gun, Taurus denied any negligence, wrongdoing or defect in its firearms and also denied that its offer to fix its gun was a recall.

Approximately 500 people are killed in the United States every year due to the accidental discharge of firearms and many more suffer severe injuries due to gun mishaps. A number of these causes are the result of a faulty firearm. Some of the most common types of firearms defects include, but are not limited to, the following:

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You may not realize that window blinds cause a number of injuries, and even deaths, in Florida and across the country each year. Children and toddlers are particularly susceptible to such injuries. If you or your child has been injured or killed due to a dangerous window blind cord, you may be entitled to damages for your harm. At our Law Offices, our Miami product liability attorneys are ready to examine the facts of your case and determine the viability of your claim.

According to the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), window blinds and shades that come with cords to open and close window blinds are among the top five hidden dangers to children in the home. In fact, one study found that over 16,000 children in the U.S. were treated in emergency departments for injuries caused by window blinds between 1990 and 2015, an average of almost two children each day. In addition, the report found that one child per month died as a result of window blind strangulation during this time period.

The most common ways children are injured by window shade cords include being tangled in window cords while playing, sleeping, seeking attention, or trying to get out of their crib, and when toddlers attempt to look outside a window and climb onto a piece of furniture placed near the window, after which they lose their balance and fall while getting tangled in the window cord.

Every day, millions of people drive on Florida roads, and many of them may not even know that their vehicle is part of a huge airbag recall. If you or someone close to you has been injured by a defective airbag, you may be entitled to compensation for your harm. At our Law Offices, our skilled Miami product liability attorneys will hit the ground running to protect your rights. With years of experience, we understand how to navigate these complex legal claims.

Members of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are teaming up with automakers and community members to warn people of the dangers of defective airbags. The recall involves several airbag types, all made by Takata. In fact, the Takata airbag recall is the largest vehicle recall in history. Experts say that heat and humidity make the defect worse, which is why there is an extra push to raise awareness now.

In Florida alone, there are more than 1.4 million cars with defective airbags in need of repair. Accordingly to the NHTSA, approximately 15 people have died from the defect, and more than 200 have been seriously injured. Three people who died are from Florida. Part of the NHTSA’s awareness campaign highlights that the matter is urgent, and repairs should be sought as soon as possible.

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If you or someone close to you was injured due to an auto defect in a vehicle, you should reach out to a seasoned Miami auto defect attorney who can help you understand your rights. At the Law Offices of Robert Dixon, we are committed to holding automakers accountable for the harm that they cause. We understand the complexities of this area of the law and will aggressively advocate for your rights at every step of the way.

According to documents posted on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website, automakers recently recalled about 135,000 Porsche and Volkswagen sport utility vehicles over the danger of a fuel leak. This recall indicates that Volkswagen and its corporate affiliates, Audi and Porsche, have recalled about 278,000 vehicles in the last year for the same issue. The problem is that fine hairline cracks can appear on the filter flange of the fuel pump, allowing a small amount of fuel to leak. The danger of a fuel leak signifies a potential fire hazard, although the automaker’s reports did not mention whether any actual fires took place.

While most automobile accidents in Florida can be addressed through a negligence lawsuit, auto defects can typically be resolved through a product liability claim. Product liability lawsuits can be classified in one of three ways:  manufacturing defects, design defects, and failures to warn. A manufacturing defect occurs when a mistake is made in the assembly of a product, resulting in an item that is not created as it was intended. A design defect takes place when there is a fundamental flaw in the design of the product, making it inherently dangerous to users. In some cases, a plaintiff may have a claim based on a manufacturer’s failure to warn about inherent but non-obvious risks to the user.

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Each day, children across Florida spend time at public and private playgrounds. Playgrounds are places where children go to make new friends and enjoy themselves, but they can also be dangerous places. If you or a loved one suffered an injury from defective playground equipment, our seasoned Miami product liability attorneys can help. At the Law Offices of Robert Dixon, we can examine the circumstances of your injury and determine what happened. You can trust that we will work efficiently on your behalf to help you pursue the compensation you deserve in your case.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 200,000 children under the age of 14 are taken to emergency rooms for injuries that take place on playgrounds. In fact, approximately 75 percent of all non-fatal playground-related injuries occur on public playgrounds, mainly daycare centers and schools. Almost half of all playground-related injuries are serious injuries, such as concussions, fractures, internal injuries, dislocations, and even injuries that necessitate amputations.

If you have been injured by faulty playground equipment, you and your family deserve to be compensated for the harm. Of course, not every playground accident is actionable, since physical activity can inherently put a child at some risk of an accident. However, if your injury was caused by defective playground equipment, you may be able to sue the manufacturer through a product liability claim. Some examples of playground equipment defects include but are not limited to:

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Segways can often be seen in malls, beaches, and other outdoor spaces. While these transportation devices can be fun, they can also be dangerous. If you or your loved one has been injured on a Segway, you should reach out to a skilled Miami personal injury attorney who can assess the merits of your case. At the Law Offices of Robert Dixon, we understand the nuances of personal injury law and can apply our understanding to your case.

A Segway is a two-wheeled personal transport system that uses the weight of the rider to determine speed and direction. Segway riders lean forward to increase the speed and stand upright to slow down. A Segway’s top speed typically caps at 12.5 miles per hour, which may not seem very fast, but to put it into perspective, the average bicycle speed is around 9.6 miles per hour. As a result, Segway accidents can result in serious harm to a victim, including spinal cord injuries, broken bones, head injuries, facial injuries, and more.

According to a George Washington University study, Segways are extremely dangerous. The study examined the medical records of 41 people in Washington, D.C. who were admitted to emergency rooms at the university hospital from 2006 to 2008. The survey found that there was a steady increase in Segway injuries each year, and the overall percentage of serious injuries was even higher than for pedestrian accident injuries. Of the 41 documented injuries, 24 percent were for serious injuries that involved admission to the hospital.

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