Some businesses can be so determined to bring a product to the market that they fail to ensure it is safe to use or consume. Defective products can and do cause severe or fatal injuries to people in Las Vegas.
Manufacturers can face legal liability for the injuries their defective products cause. If you suffered injuries from a defective product in Las Vegas, Nevada law may give you the right to take legal action against the manufacturer and other parties responsible.
The Las Vegas defective product lawyers of Edward Bernstein and Associates have years of experience representing people injured by defective products for decades. We understand the physical, emotional, and financial impact an injury caused by a defective product can have on your life. Contact us to learn how we may help you recover compensation for your injuries.
Las Vegas Defective Product Guide
- Compensation
- Statute of Limitations
- Examples of Cases We Handle
- The Three Categories of Product Defects
- Liability for Injuries
- Injuries Associated with Lawsuits
- Beware of Quick Compensation
- Contact an Experienced Las Vegas Defective Product Lawyer Today
Why Choose Edward Bernstein and Associates for Your Las Vegas Defective Product Claim
While healing from injuries caused by a defective product, you should not have to worry about whether your legal rights will stay protected. With the team at Edward Bernstein and Associates in your corner, you can rest assured that your lawyers have the experience, skill, and resources to get you results from manufacturers and insurance companies.
Our Las Vegas personal injury lawyers are committed to advocating for our injured clients in and out of the courtroom.With decades of experience under our belts, we understand how to apply state and federal laws governing defective product cases in a manner that gets results. We are not intimidated by large corporations, big insurance companies, and expensive defense lawyers.
Our Las Vegas office is conveniently located at 500 South 4th Street, right near the Regional Justice Center in the Arts District. If you can’t make it to our office for a face-to-face meeting, we offer virtual meetings to discuss your case, evaluate your claim, and determine your eligibility for compensation. If you or someone you love suffered injuries caused by a defective product, we invite you to contact us today for a free consultation.
Compensation in Las Vegas Defective Product Claims
If you suffer injuries because of a product defect, Nevada law generally permits you to pursue a civil lawsuit to recover your economic and non-economic losses. Each defective product case has different facts and circumstances, so the type and amount of damages someone might receive can vary.
But damages commonly included in settlements or jury awards for defective product claims can include compensation for:
- Medical treatment costs, including ambulance rides, emergency treatment, surgery, hospitalization, diagnostic imaging, lab tests, prescription medication, aftercare, and transportation costs to and from medical appointments;
- Estimated future medical treatment expenses when a Las Vegas defective product incident leads to severe or permanent injuries requiring continued treatment or care, whether inpatient or outpatient;
- Rehabilitation expenses for specialized treatment like physical, occupational, or speech therapy or mental health services;
- Lost earnings due to time away from work because of injuries and recovery;
- Lost earning capacity when injuries from a defective product prevent someone from returning to their job or seeking future income learning opportunities;
- Pain and suffering;
- Mental anguish;
- Loss of consortium or companionship;
- Diminished quality of life; and
- Scarring and disfigurement.
Additionally, some Las Vegas defective product claims can result in an award of punitive damages, which serve to punish the at-fault manufacturer for especially extreme or intentionally harmful conduct.
The most reliable way to learn about the types and amounts of damages you could claim for your Las Vegas defective product injuries is to speak with a knowledgeable lawyer right away. In a free consultation, an experienced Las Vegas defective product lawyer from Edward Bernstein and Associates can review the facts of your case and help you understand your potential rights to compensation.
What is the Statute of Limitations for Las Vegas Defective Product Claims?
It’s wise to speak with a lawyer as soon as possible after injuries from a defective product. Each state has a time limit for injured victims to take legal action, referred to as a statute of limitations. In Nevada, victims of defective products usually have two years to claim damages after suffering injuries. In the tragic event that someone dies from a defective product injury, eligible family members also have two years to bring a wrongful death lawsuit.
A Nevada court will likely dismiss any case filed after the statute of limitations deadline expires. Missing the deadline also sacrifices the ability to negotiate a settlement with the product manufacturer or its insurance company. Losing those rights would leave you to absorb the costs of injuries without any chance of receiving compensation for them.
Seeking legal help promptly also gives your lawyer time to investigate your claim and build a solid case against the product manufacturer and other responsible parties. Your attorney may want to find others who suffered similar injuries from the same defective product, or interview people who witnessed how your injuries happened, for example.
As time passes, it can become increasingly difficult to find evidence, and the quality of any evidence can diminish. The skilled team at Edward Bernstein and Associates knows how to meet all deadlines for a Las Vegas defective product case, to ensure that our clients have every chance of recovering maximum compensation for their injuries.
Examples of Defective Product Cases We Can Handle
Las Vegans use many consumer and industrial products in their everyday lives. We rightly assume those products are safe and reliable when we use them as intended and directed. Unfortunately, thousands of people suffer injuries, some of which are fatal, each year because of defective products.
The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimates more than 22,000 fatalities and 29 million injuries related to defective products occur each year, and that the cost of those injuries and the property damage accompanying them totals more than $500 billion.
If a dangerous product injured you or a loved one, the same product may have harmed others as well. At Edward Bernstein and Associates, we have the resources and know-how to pursue defective individual product claims and class action lawsuits on behalf of large groups of injured victims.
Cases a product liability lawyer at our firm can handle include, for example:
- Automotive defects, including defective airbags, seatbelts, tires, and car doors
- Defective motorcycles, scooters, ATVs, and snowmobiles
- Unsafe baby equipment like cribs, swings, playpens, and car seats
- Defective children’s toys and clothing
- Defective safety equipment like unsafe filtration systems
- Defective mechanical equipment like conveyor belts, elevators, boilers, forklifts, bulldozers, and valves
- Defective tools like saws, sanders, and lathes
- Medical devices and defective drugs
These are just a few examples. No matter what type of product harms you or someone you love, we encourage you to contact us right away to learn about your rights.
The Three Categories of Product Defects
Many people suffer injuries when using a product, but not all situations warrant bringing a lawsuit against the manufacturer. Obtaining maximum compensation for a defective product injury in Las Vegas typically involves proving that the product’s defect made it unreasonably dangerous for ordinary use.
Nevada law generally recognizes the existence of three broad categories of product defects:
- Design defects, which reflect errors made by designers and engineers in developing a product which make all such products inherently dangerous to use—such as prescription drugs that cause cancer, or automotive software containing a fatal bug.
- Manufacturing defects, which are mistakes that occur during the construction or assembly of a product that render one or more of the products unreasonably dangerous to use, even if the design is safe—examples include tires containing weaker-than-normal rubber, or household appliances containing loose wiring.
- Marketing (or warning) defects, which encompass all instances in which a manufacturer fails to give consumers adequate information about how to use a product safely—such as a lack of warning labels on a toy or clear directions for how to safely consume an over-the-counter medication.
You don’t need to worry about sorting out which type(s) of defect made the product that injured you dangerous. An experienced Las Vegas defective product lawyer can determine that for you. All you need to know is that if you used any consumer or industrial product in the way you understood it was supposed to be used, and it harmed you, the team at Edward Bernstein and Associates wants to help you explore your rights in a free, no-risk consultation.
Liability for Las Vegas Defective Product Injuries
Product manufacturers almost always bear some liability for injuries caused by a defective product. But other parties may share liability with the product manufacturer, or may deserve all of the blame for the harm done to you.
At Edward Bernstein and Associates, our team investigates your defective product injuries to determine who may owe you damages.
In any given case, we may find evidence pointing the finger at, for example:
- Manufacturer. Any company that designs and markets products to consumers can be strictly liable in a defective product lawsuit, from large, global conglomerates to small-time producers.
- Wholesaler/Distributor/Retailer/Individual Seller. Anyone who knowingly markets and distributes an unreasonably dangerous, defective product to other sellers or the public, especially those that make false or misleading claims about the product, could face liability for damages in a Las Vegas defective product lawsuit.
- Franchiser. Licensors and franchisers may have the same responsibilities as retailers and the same risk if they misrepresent a product and it causes harm to a user.
Most Las Vegas defective product cases involve liability on the part of at least one of the types of parties above. This can create challenges, especially when multiple commercial parties start blaming each other for the product defect that led to your injuries. That’s why it’s critical to hire an experienced defective product lawyer, like the team at Edward Bernstein and Associates, to advocate for your interests and protect your rights.
Injuries Associated with Defective Product Lawsuits
The Edward Bernstein and Associates team has represented clients suffering from a wide variety of injuries. Defective products hold the potential to cause diverse trauma.
You may have a claim if you suffered, for example:
- Deep cuts and wounds that could leave permanent scars
- Burns from heat or hazardous chemicals
- Amputation or a crushed limb or appendage
- Electrocution burns and related injuries
- Drowning or near-drowning
- Poisoning or toxic exposure
- Back and neck injuries
- Spinal cord injury
- Traumatic brain injury
- Terminal or chronic disease
As above, these are just a few examples. We invite you to contact us at Edward Bernstein and Associates to discuss any type of injury you or your loved one sustained after using, consuming, or being exposed to a defective product in Las Vegas.
Beware of Quick Compensation for a Defective Product Injury
Someone who suffers an injury because of a defective product may ( understandably) complain to the manufacturer. In response, the manufacturer might offer some kind of compensation—a payment or customer credit, for example—framed as a goodwill gesture to their dissatisfied customer.
Tempting as it might seem to take this compensation, it’s critical to exercise caution. Manufacturers may try to get you to acknowledge that any payment or in-kind benefit they offer you will constitute a full settlement of your potential claim for damages. If you’re not careful, you could inadvertently give up your valuable rights for a fraction of the amount you deserve to receive for your injuries.
The same goes for offers from a manufacturer’s insurance representatives. Insurers commonly offer quick, low-value settlements, hoping injured victims will take the money before realizing how much more they could get by hiring a skilled lawyer.
Do not fall for these tactics. If a product harmed you, contact an experienced defective product lawyer, instead of the manufacturer. Do not agree to receive or sign anything until you have talked through your rights with a knowledgeable attorney.
Contact an Experienced Las Vegas Defective Product Lawyer Today
If you or your child has suffered injuries because of a defective product, you should not have to face the pain and financial struggles without help. The experienced Las Vegas defective product attorneys at Edward Bernstein and Associates can evaluate your potential claim and explain your options for seeking compensation. Contact us online today or call (702) 840-5103 for your free consultation with our team.