Injured by a Consumer Product? Take These Steps to Protect Your Rights

Every time you buy a consumer product, you expect it to perform as advertised. Whether it’s a piece of exercise equipment, a kitchen appliance, or anything else you purchased, you want to get real value for your money. The last thing you expect is to be injured by a consumer product.

Unfortunately, consumer products do cause injuries. When that happens, it’s important to take the right steps in the immediate aftermath to protect your legal rights.

If you have been injured by a consumer product, here are 5 important steps you should take.

Sometimes the injuries suffered as the result of a defective product may seem minor. You may think that a small burn or tiny shock is no big deal, but it could signal a much larger problem.

If you fail to seek medical care right away, you could be giving away your rights to recover damages later. You never know when a seemingly small injury will become something larger, so it’s important to seek medical care as soon as possible.

When the injuries are serious, you should head straight to the emergency room — or call an ambulance — for prompt medical treatment. Even if your injuries seem minor, it is important to document what happened and talk it over with your doctor. Getting medical attention for your injuries could help protect others using the same products.

It’s important to document your injuries, but the timing of this step will vary depending on the circumstances. If you need emergency medical attention, heading to the hospital is your first move. You can always ask the medical staff caring for you to photograph and record your injuries.

If your injuries do not require immediate medical attention, you can take the time to document your injuries and record the aftermath of the incident and defective product. You might even want to lay out a timeline in writing, one that details what happened, when it happened, and what you were doing when the product defect first became apparent.

Whether you do it immediately after the injury or after you get home from the hospital, finding the original product packaging is important. The packaging that held the product will have vital information on it, including the serial number, exact model number, and other details that could prove pivotal in a product liability case.

If you cannot find the original packaging, gather as much information as you can from the product itself. That could mean recording the case’s serial number and model number and taking photographs you can use later to make your case and get the compensation you deserve.

Sometimes consumer products are recalled, and the original purchasers are never contacted. That can make an already dangerous situation even riskier for consumers. Refrain from assuming that all is well just because you have not heard about a recall or have been contacted by the retailer or manufacturer; those dangers could have been lurking just beneath the surface all this time.

It is important to check for recalls as soon as possible following your injury. Once again, your immediate medical attention should come first, but the sooner you research applicable recalls, the better. If you find a relevant recall, print out the documentation and keep it in a safe place.

The steps outlined above can help protect you and preserve your rights in the aftermath of an injury, but those steps alone are not enough. If you have been injured by a consumer product, no matter what the circumstances, contact a personal injury attorney as soon as possible.

Personal injury lawyers have the expertise, experience, and knowledge needed to pursue the case to its best conclusion. Working with a personal injury attorney who specializes in product liability and personal injury cases is the best way to protect your rights and preserve your right to sue and recover damages.