If you or a loved one were injured on the job in a workplace accident, you are likely to be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits to help pay for your medical expenses and lost wages. The existence of workers’ compensation protections means that you may be able to file a lawsuit against the maker or seller of the machine, in addition to receiving workers’ compensation benefits. These kinds of lawsuits are called “product liability claims.”
Why Bring a Products Liability Claim If You’re Eligible for Workers’ Compensation?
Workers’ comp will pay for your approved medical expenses, part of your lost income, and temporary or permanent disability, but it won’t pay for your pain and emotional suffering. If you were seriously hurt by a defective machine or other unsafe product, the amount of compensation you may be entitled to for your suffering can be substantial. It’s worth consulting a products liability attorney to find out if you are eligible to pursue this type of claim against a manufacturer or seller who profited from selling an unsafe machine to your employer.
Why Should Manufacturers and Sellers Be Held Responsible for Their Unsafe Machines?
When a company sells an unsafe machine to an employer, and the machine causes a workplace accident that injures a worker, it’s only fair that the company that sold the machine should be held financially responsible for the worker’s suffering. Injuries from workplace accidents can cause PTSD, physical pain, anxiety, depression, and loss of enjoyment of life. Companies that cut corners on safety should not be allowed to get away with it.
Common Types of Workplace Accidents Involving Unsafe Products
Defective machinery and other equipment pose a danger to workers in all types of workplaces, especially on construction sites and in manufacturing facilities. These are some examples of common workplace accidents involving unsafe equipment:
- Brake failure and other defects can cause truck and other vehicle accidents, seriously injuring workers who drive as part of their job duties.
- Defective cherry pickers and ladders can cause workers to fall from high places.
- Unsafe forklifts can roll over, run into people standing nearby, drop their loads, and fall to lower levels.
- A defective machine can electrocute the worker who is using it.
- Workers can get pulled into defective conveyor belts, which may crush or amputate their hands or other body parts.
These are just a few examples of how defective machinery can severely injure workers. If you or a loved one were hurt in a workplace accident involving unsafe equipment or machines, you should consult a product liability lawyer to find out about your legal rights.
Legal Action You Can Take If an Unsafe Machine Injured You or Someone You Love at Work
You may be able to pursue a lawsuit against the manufacturer or seller of the unsafe machine. If so, your lawyer will need to show that any one of these happened:
- There was a mistake in the manufacturing of the unsafe machinery
- The machinery was defectively designed
- Your employer was not sufficiently warned of the machinery’s hidden dangers
Product liability cases can be complex, and manufacturers and sellers may go to great lengths to try to fight the lawsuits. For the best chance of winning your product liability claim and getting all the compensation you deserve, you should consult a lawyer who has extensive product liability experience and has the resources to stand up to the companies who made or sold the equipment.
Contact the Personal Injury Attorneys at Garmey Law
The products liability legal team at Garmey Law has decades of experience and a track record of obtaining substantial settlements and verdicts, some as high as millions of dollars. If you or someone you love was injured in a workplace accident involving unsafe machinery, call us at (207) 481-4683, or contact us through our website for a free consultation.
