St. Petersburg Product Liability Lawyer

You may have the right to seek compensation if you or a loved one has been injured by a defective product in St. Petersburg, FL. Our experienced St. Petersburg product liability lawyers can help you win your suit and maximize your financial recovery. Call Lopez Accident Injury Attorneys at (727) 933-0015 to learn more.

We’re award-winning lawyers who’ve demonstrated an ability to win the toughest cases for our clients. We go up against huge corporations, greedy insurance companies, and other formidable adversaries every day – and win millions in the process in cases like St. Petersburg premises liability, St. Petersburg negligent security, bad faith insurance, workplace accidents, and more.

If you’ve been hurt because of a dangerous product, we’re here to help you get the best results in your personal injury case. The company responsible for the product may potentially be on the hook for the cost of your medical care, lost income, and suffering. Contact our law office in St. Petersburg, FL to arrange a free consultation.

How Our Product Liability Lawyers Can Help if You’ve Been Hurt by a Defective Product in St. Petersburg

Lopez Accident Injury Attorneys - Product Liability Lawyers Near You - St. Petersburg

Products, when used as intended, shouldn’t cause injury or death. Unfortunately, that’s a reality for thousands of people across the nation every year. When a product is defective or unreasonably dangerous, the company behind it can be accountable for the harm it causes.

But those corporations rarely step up and accept responsibility. If you’ve been hurt because of a dangerous product in St. Petersburg, FL, Lopez Accident Injury Attorneys will stand up and fight to make things right.

Our St. Petersburg personal injury attorneys have over 25 years of collective experience. We’ve won millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts for injury victims just like you. 

When you trust us with your product liability case, we’ll take care of everything while you focus on getting better, including: 

  • Investigating the accident to identify the type of defect that caused you to get hurt
  • Determining what steps the company should have taken to prevent you from sustaining an injury or losing a family member
  • Consulting with industry-specific specialists and experts as our personal injury lawyers build and value your claim
  • Defending you against claims that you weren’t using the product as intended or share responsibility for your injuries

Our skilled litigators will negotiate with the product manufacturer and/or their insurance company. Our goal will be simple: to secure a settlement offer that fully reflects the value of your case. If the company refuses to negotiate fairly or extend a fair offer, our experienced trial lawyers will be fully prepared to take your suit to a jury in Pinellas County. 

We offer a free consultation and work on contingency. There’s no charge to ask for our help or hire our St. Petersburg personal injury law firm unless we win your case. If we don’t win, you pay absolutely nothing. Contact us to learn more today.

Understanding Florida Product Liability Law

Understanding Florida Product Liability Law

You might assume that the products you use every day are perfectly safe. However, there’s no way for government agencies to ensure that every product that hits the market is safe for consumers. Safeness is left mainly to the companies that design, sell, and market products.

Companies are often more interested in making a profit than taking necessary steps to ensure that their products are entirely secure. So, in order to add some extra pressure on companies to do what’s right, Florida has certain consumer protections in place.

Under Florida state product liability laws, corporations can be held strictly liable if their products are faulty and cause injury or death. Companies can also be responsible if there’s proof that they were negligent or breached a warranty, which caused a consumer to get hurt.

What’s My Product Liability Case Worth?

The value of your case will depend largely on:

  • The types of injuries you sustain, and
  • The long-term consequences you’ll face as a result.

The more invasive and catastrophic an injury, the more a claim tends to be worth.

However, these are just two of many factors that must be considered when figuring out what your case is worth. It’s important to have a skilled attorney go over your specific situation carefully and assess the unique details of your case. 

Call our St. Petersburg product liability lawyers for help. We’ll fight to ensure that you’re awarded compensation that fully reflects the present and future costs of your injuries and suffering.

What Damages Are Available if I’ve Been Injured Because of a Defective Product in Florida?

If you’ve been injured due to a defective product, you should be able to seek compensation for your financial costs (economic damages) and pain and suffering (non-economic damages).

Depending on your case, this can include money for:

  • Medical expenses, such as hospitalization, medication, follow-up care, and rehabilitation
  • Therapy
  • Emotional distress
  • Chronic pain
  • Disfigurement
  • Disability and reduced earning capacity
  • Lost wages and benefits
  • Loss of quality of life
  • Loss of consortium
  • Embarrassment
  • Property damage

Punitive damages may also be available in situations where the manufacturer’s conduct displayed an intentional or reckless disregard for consumers lives and safeness.

For instance, these are often awarded in circumstances where the manufacturer had knowledge about potential risks or side effects but intentionally took steps to hide the information instead of sharing it with customers.

Can I Recover Damages If I’m Being Blamed for a Product Liability Case in Florida?

Can I Recover Damages If I’m Being Blamed for a Product Liability Case in Florida?

You can recover compensation in a product liability case as long as you’re 50% or less at fault for the accident. Under Florida’s modified comparative fault law, your compensation will be reduced by your portion of the blame for causing the injury. However, if your fault exceeds 50%, you’ll be barred from recovering compensation from the opposing party.

For example, you sue a furniture manufacturer after a defective chair collapses and causes an injury. When the accident occurred, you were standing on the chair, so the manufacturer argues that you weren’t using it for its intended use. However, it’s reasonably foreseeable that a person would use a chair for this purpose, so the court only assigns 20% of the blame to you. In that case, you can recover 80% of the awarded damages. 

Defendants frequently use comparative negligence to limit or eliminate their financial responsibility. We’ll push back to ensure you recover the compensation you deserve in your faulty product case.

We’ll Fight to Recover Compensation For All of Your Injuries

We’ve helped victims who have suffered all kinds of injuries from defective products, including: 

No matter what types of injuries you’ve gotten from a defective product, our St. Petersburg personal injury lawyers are here to help.

We Handle All Product Liability Cases in St. Petersburg, FL

At Lopez Accident Injury Attorneys, we represent clients who have sustained injuries and lost family members in suits involving defective:

  • Toys
  • Power tools
  • Heavy machinery and equipment
  • Construction equipment
  • Household products and chemicals
  • Household appliances
  • Prescription medications
  • Over-the-counter medications
  • Medical devices
  • Medical equipment
  • Pesticides and herbicides
  • Vehicles and vehicle components, such as airbags or brakes
  • Safety equipment

Don’t hesitate to reach out to our compassionate legal team if you’ve experienced an injury while using a dangerous product. We’re happy to listen to your side of the story, consider the facts of your case, and explain what legal options might be available to you.

How Do I Prove Negligence After an Accident Caused by a Defective Product in Florida?

Product liability claims may be based on negligence or strict liability. In a claim based on negligence, you must prove: 

  • The defendant owed you a duty of care; 
  • The defendant breached their duty of care when designing, manufacturing, or distributing the product; 
  • The breach was the proximate and actual cause of your injury; and
  • You suffered damages as a result.

To prove a case based on strict liability, you must demonstrate that: 

  • The defendant had a commercial connection to the product (e.g., manufacturer or seller);
  • The product was unreasonably unsafe or defective when it was produced or sold; and
  • The imperfection directly caused your injury or damages. 

Companies and manufacturers have a duty to ensure that the products they release are reasonably secure for buyers. If a faulty product injures you, you may be able to hold one or more parties liable for your damages. 

It’s easier to demonstrate a defective product claim based on strict liability because you don’t have to demonstrate that the defendant’s conduct was negligent or careless. We’ll help you prove the elements of your product liability case by gathering evidence and consulting experts. Contact us to get started today.

What Are the Three Main Types of Product Defects in Florida?

Product liability cases in St. Petersburg typically are within one of three categories:

  • Design defect
  • Manufacturing defect
  • Marketing defect (or failure to warn)

Here’s a brief overview of each of these sorts of defects.

Design Defect

Design defects exist when a product is dangerous or poses a threat because of its design. The product is dangerous no matter how much care or attention is put into assembling or building it. It’s inherently unsafe to use. 

Example: Many lawsuits allege that Roundup weedkiller allegedly suffers from a design imperfection because one of its ingredients causes cancer. Roundup can’t be made without using that ingredient (glyphosate), making it unsafe no matter how carefully the ingredients are combined.

Manufacturing Defect

Manufacturing defects occur when a product is designed safely, but something goes wrong during production. Manufacturing faults can affect an entire product line or one singular product.

Example: A company uses the wrong size bolt when assembling a table and chair set. The bolt is too small and cannot provide the necessary support for the furniture, which increases the likelihood of malfunction.

Marketing Defect

These defects occur when a company knows (or should know) about a side effect, risk, or hazard associated with the use of a product but fails to warn customers. This is why you see so many warning labels on the products you buy.

Example: A pharmaceutical company discovers that one of its popular heartburn medications can increase the risk of liver disease but fails to pass that important piece of information to patients.

What’s the Statute of Limitations For Product Liability Lawsuits in Florida?

What’s the Statute of Limitations For Product Liability Lawsuits in Florida?

You’ll typically have four years from the date you’re injured to file a product liability lawsuit in the Sunshine State.

However, if it’s a negligence-based case (versus strict liability), you’ll likely have two years (as of March 24, 2023 — prior to that date, the state had a four-year statutory deadline for negligence cases, but it was updated).

Florida also has what’s called a statute of repose that applies to product liability suits. Under Florida law, lawsuits must generally be filed within 12 years of when a product is first purchased. This applies to things that have an “expected useful life of 10 years or less,” which is the case for most consumer products. 

If you’re injured by a product fault more than 12 years after it is first purchased, your claim for damages may not be valid.

Procedural issues and time limits can be complicated. It’s best to have an experienced product liability attorney in St. Petersburg represent you and navigate these issues with you.

Schedule a Free Case Assessment With a St. Petersburg Product Liability Lawyer

Schedule a Free Case Assessment With a St. Petersburg Product Liability Lawyer

Contact Lopez Accident Injury Attorneys if you or a loved one has been injured while using a faulty product in St. Petersburg, FL. We can help you fight to recover maximum compensation from the manufacturer, its insurance company, and anyone else who shares liability. 

Our St. Petersburg product liability lawyers have decades of combined experience navigating tough cases like yours. We’ve won millions for our clients. Now we’re here to help you get the best result in your product liability case. Call our office to get started and schedule a free consultation now.

Visit Our Personal Injury Office in St. Petersburg, FL

Lopez Accident Injury Attorneys
700 7th Ave N Suite B St. Petersburg, FL 33701
(727) 933-0015

We are available 24/7 to take your call; contact us today.

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