There are many types of defects that can impact individual products, but most of them are going to fall into three main categories. It is important to know what these categories are when considering a lawsuit. Remember that more than one defect could be present at the same time. The categories are as follows:
— Design defects. This is when the very design of the product is unsafe or causes the product to fail, even if you’re using it properly. For example, if a car’s brake lines were designed so that the lines wore out every time you pressed on the brakes, that’s a design defect. A product must be made so that it’s safe when the consumer uses it as intended.
— Manufacturing defects. This means that the design may have been fine, but the process of actually building the product rendered it unsafe. For example, an assembly line worker may have put the brake lines together incorrectly, causing them to wear out, when they wouldn’t have naturally done that had the plans been followed properly.
— Inaccurate or nonexistent warnings. Some products are going to be dangerous to use. For example, a chain saw always carries a certain level of danger, even when designed and built properly. Dangerous products must have proper instructions and warnings to tell the user how to be safe. If the user does not know there is a danger, he or she could be injured. Warnings are needed on many products, from tools to vehicles to drugs and medication.
You must know exactly how and why a product injured you if starting a lawsuit. Be sure you know precisely what type of defects were present to give yourself the best chance to win your case in Illinois.
Source: FindLaw, “Defective Products and Consumer Rights,” accessed June 10, 2016