Defective products injure tens of thousands of workers each year, and a large portion of these individuals don’t end up seeking compensation for their injuries. They incorrectly assume that it was just a random accident or that it was a fluke occurrence that couldn’t be prevented. It may have seemed random, but their injuries may have actually been the result of a design fault or a manufacturing error that should have been prevented.
If you’ve been injured by a defective product, or you’re been injured and you’re not sure if the problem was caused by a defective product, there are some steps you should take to protect your best interests. In today’s blog, we share four tips for beginning your defective product claim in Minnesota.
Beginning A Defective Product Claim
Even if you’re not sure if your injuries qualify, you’ll want to follow these tips to learn more about your options. Worst case, we tell you that we’ll be unable to collect compensation on your behalf, and best case you can have your medical bills and pain and suffering compensated by the manufacturer of the product. So to protect your interests and possibly get the ball rolling on your case, follow these four steps after you’ve been injured by a product or machine.
1. Get Medical Treatment – One of the first things you should do after an injury is to seek medical treatment. For starters, this will help take care of your health and wellness, which is of the utmost importance. From a claim standpoint, getting medical treatment helps to establish the extent of your current injuries as well as the possible medical expenses you’ll occur in the future. This helps to develop a claim amount that you’ll attempt to collect from the manufacturer.
2. Save The Equipment – If the product broke in the process of your injuries, you may angrily toss it in the garbage. While understandable, it’s always a good idea to hold onto the product to help establish what caused the defect and how exactly it led to injuries. Keep all the pieces, or request that your employer do the same if you were injured by a machine at work. This helps to preserve evidence that may be vital at a later date.
3. Contact A Lawyer – Next, reach out to a lawyer to learn more about your options. You’ll go over the basics of your case, and they can provide a professional opinion and begin developing a strong claim to pursue compensation. Again, it never hurts to ask, even if you’re not sure that your injuries were caused by a product defect. Injury lawyers get paid a percentage of your winnings, so even if they charge a small initial consultation fee, know that you’ll only have to pay them to put together a claim and file it on your behalf if they are successful in earning an award. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. The other side will assuredly have a lawyer or a legal team on their side, so you should do the same.
4. Research – You or your lawyer can do some research online to see if there are active lawsuits or product recalls out there that relate to your incident. If others have suffered similar injuries, or there is a current product recall because of a safety issue, it will only make your claim stronger that the manufacturer is liable for your injuries. It won’t tank your claim if you can’t find others who are experiencing the same issue, but it certainly can help your claim if you’re not the first, so do some research on your own.
If you’re considering filing a defective product claim, or you just want to learn more about your options, reach out to Dean and the team at Margolis Law Firm today.
