If you have a defective vehicle in St. Louis, Missouri, you might well be wondering what your options are legally speaking. Product liability when driving means the manufacturer is at fault if there is a vehicle malfunction, and it is important information to know for if you ever find yourself in this position. However, holding manufacturers responsible for their actions, or inaction if you will, is never a straightforward thing. Our St. Louis personal injury attorney is prepared to assist you and your family in this challenging time.
The High Fatality Factor
There are over 21,000 deaths a year in Missouri because of manufacturing errors, and this figure is astounding. A percentage of these fatalities are attributed to car and vehicle defects at the hands of the manufacturers, and a greater number of cases than ever have begun to rise up to the surface.
How Can Manufacturers Be Defined as Liable?
To determine this, it is important to first discuss what kinds of things count as defects in standard issued vehicles.
Seatbelt Parts
The seatbelt is arguably one of the most protective features a vehicle has. It is the law that every passenger and the driver of a car (or similar) wears the safety belt and wears it correctly. However, it is not uncommon for these to fail because of a manufacturing error, and when this happens, it can be fatal. The seatbelt is there to stop you from flying all around the vehicle, breaking bones, or even being ejected from the car if a crash should occur. If they are not made correctly, they might not click into place or click out during a car journey.
Airbag Problems
There are also lots of airbag problems that can be present when a vehicle has defects too. Whether it is an airbag that does not deploy when it is supposed to, deploys too hard, or goes off when it is not supposed to, these are real issues for anyone involved. Passengers and drivers are supposed to be protected from serious crash impact from the airbag, so if it doesn’t work as expected, there are so many risks.
Parts and Configurations
There are lots of moving parts that go into making a car functional. If one of these goes wrong because a manufacturer has missed a quality check or similar, then the vehicle can pose a risk to life and cause a crash. Things like brakes, acceleration and even steering all fall into this category and it is true to say that each, just like the other, is incredibly important for safe driving.
Proving the Case
An attorney from Monge & Associates in St Louis. Missouri is the best person to fight your case. Proving that the manufacturer is at fault is no easy feat, and there will be twists and turns to navigate along the way. Ultimately, it will be a case of proving that what you are saying is true and that you didn’t act in a way that compromised the integrity of the product. So, how do we do it?
Call Upon Expert Witnesses
As a renowned and established law firm with branches all over the country including Washington, Texas, and Florida, we know enough expert witnesses and exactly who to call upon for cases such as this. What this means for you is that you will have your injuries and evidence assessed by someone with a plethora of experience with product liability to determine whether or not your car could be the victim of such a case.
Assessing the Facts
The next stage will be to assess all of the facts of the matter and get a narrative together. There should be enough evidence to either accredit or disclaim a manufacturing liability factor at this stage, and if it is a viable route then we will work tirelessly to move ahead with the process. Facts are the things that win the day and no matter what arguments are put forward from the other side, we will show with pure information and evidence how you are completely justified.
How Long Do You Have to Make Your Claim?
It is our job to serve you, our client, with your best interests at heart in a professional manner at all times. This means we will take all the facts into consideration when you bring us your case, but it has to be done along the correct timeline. The Statute of Limitations on product liability matters extends to five years post injury. Anything longer than this, and your claim will be thrown out before it’s even looked at. So, it makes sense not to hang about, and instead, to take quick action and gather the facts as soon as possible.
Should You Make a Claim?
Yes! If you think that your car broke because of a manufacturing problem, you have every right to pursue legal action. This is never more apparent than if you suffered from catastrophic injuries or lost a loved one. There has to be a degree of accountability from corporations that defines what they can and cannot ignore regarding liability issues. Faulty vehicles are dangerous, and that’s a fact. There should be no room for confusion when it comes to determining who is at fault and why.
Monge & Associates work hard all over the country in Georgia, Kansas, Illinois, Alabama, Ohio, and St. Louis, Missouri to bring justice for the victims of product liability. Vehicles are supposed to be reliable and safe so that all the other risks of the road are kept at bay. When they aren’t, there is a great injustice and this can interfere with how you view the company in the future.
Our office in St. Louis, Missouri is one of two in the state and is open for appointments now. If you are the victim of suspected manufacturing liability then get in touch by calling us on (888) 477-0597 for a free consultation.