South Florida Injury Lawyers Blog
Chances are that you have a defective and dangerous product in your household, a product that could cause serious injury in Tamarac or elsewhere. The biggest problem is that you probably don’t even know about it! TIME recently released an article discussing the very real dangers that are associated with defective products and released a list of the latest and most common defective products that are found in consumers homes’ around the country.
Remember the recall from earlier in May when officials took back a number of inflatable pool slides? This recall didn’t come until after a woman was killed and another two were seriously injured. This exact scenario highlights the stakes when it comes to product safety.
Our Tamarac defective product attorneys understand that most people never hear about federal recalls or they do and fail to do anything with the defective product. In the case of the recent inflatable pool slide recalls, only about 10 percent of the purchased inflatable pools were ever returned to the manufacturer for a repair or for a refund. It’s important for residents to stay well informed about the latest recalls. Staying informed is your best defense against an injury from a defective product! You’re urged to visit the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission‘s recall site to check the recalls frequently. You want to rid your home of any listed dangerous and defective products immediately, but to do so you have to know about them first!
“We know that the majority of products that are recalled remain in consumers’ homes,” said the execute director of Kids in Danger, Nancy Cowles.
Another example of consumers failing to learn about or to react to a recall is the furnace recall that happened back in February. There were nearly a quarter of a million furnaces recalled because of the risks that were associated with them and with in-home fires. Of the accident reports, close of 95 percent of the 400 were filed after the recall was already made.
But why do people hang on to defective products? Some experts believe that it’s because the notification system isn’t very effective and that consumers never even hear about the recalls in the first place. Other reasons, experts believe, is that consumers blatantly ignore the recalls, thinking that nothing will happen. Whichever way you look at it, the result is that consumers are oftentimes injured by defective products long after the recall and their dangers have been released.
If you have a product that has been recalled by either the manufacturer or by federal safety officials, you should remove it from your home immediately. Once it’s out of the home, contact the manufacturer to get details on a refund or a repair. Removing these products immediately is the best way to help to keep you and your family members safe. The stakes are too high for consumers to continue to ignore recalls.
If you or a loved one has been injured because of a defective product in Tamarac, Oakland Park, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach or in any of the surrounding areas, contact the personal injury attorneys at Freeman, Mallard, Sharp & Gonzalez. Call for a free and confidential appointment to discuss your rights at 1-800-561-7777.
More Blog Entries:
Child Injury in Palm Beach County Possible with Recently Discovered Child Product Defects, South Florida Injury Lawyers Blog, March 21, 2012
Consumers: Check CPSC’s Recall List to Prevent Defective Products Injury in Oakland Park, South Florida Injury Lawyers Blog, December 12, 2011