As technology has continued to advance, so have the improvements in vehicles. Many systems are now fully automated or use computerized technology. Additionally, safety measures are now vastly improved and include stronger construction, airbags, and seatbelts.
However, for all of the technology that exists, the mass production of vehicles can ultimately result in some vehicles having defectively designed or manufactured parts or components that cause accidents or make them worse.
If your loved one died in a car accident as a result of a manufacturing defect, learn how car accidents caused by deadly defective vehicles lawyers at Ben Crump Law, PLLC can help you learn more about how you can protect your legal rights and receive compensation for your injuries and losses. Call us today at (844) 730-0233.
Types of Deadly Vehicle Defects
There are some defects of parts or components in motor vehicles that will have a greater risk of causing a serious accident resulting in severe injuries or deaths. Even with all of the numerous safety features that exist now on newer vehicles, accidents still occur as a result of defective parts and components on motor vehicles.
In some cases, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) will issue recalls regarding certain defective parts and components. Some of the types of deadly vehicle defects that receive recall notices include the following:
- Failure of airbags to deploy at all, or deploy correctly
- Faulty or defectively manufactured tires or tire components
- Faulty or defectively manufactured steering wheels (causing a vehicle to lose control)
- Faulty or defectively manufactured accelerator pedals (causing a vehicle to freeze or fail)
- Defective electrical systems in any part of the vehicle
- Fuel leaks (causing fires in the vehicle)
- Electrical flaws in the writing (causing fires in the vehicle)
- Faulty or defectively manufactured braking systems or mechanisms
- Faulty or defectively manufactured roofs (causing crushing in rollover accidents)
- Faulty or defectively manufactured doors (causing ejection of passengers in an accident)
- Faulty or defectively manufactured seatbelts
- Faulty or defectively manufactured seatbacks
This list is not a complete one, and there are other types of defective parts and components. In some cases, defective parts never received a recall notice. If your loved one died as a result of a defective part or component on a vehicle, you should consider hiring a car accidents caused by deadly defective vehicles lawyer at Ben Crump Law, PLLC to help you understand your legal rights.
Understanding Product Liability Claims
Product liability claims are lawsuits that a victim can bring against a designer, manufacturer, or retailer for placing a defective or faulty product into the stream of commerce that causes injury or death.
There are several different types of product liability claims. However, the good news for a victim of an injury suffered from a defective product is that the threshold to bring a claim against a manufacturer is much lower than that of a typical personal injury case. The following are three different types of product liability claims a victim has the legal right to bring under the law.
Defective Design
If a vehicle part or component remains defective, then it may ultimately be due to the fact that the original design was either faulty or harmful in some way. When a manufacturer or retailer takes a defectively designed product and places it into the stream of commerce for consumers to purchase, and the design defect causes injury or fatalities, a victim has the legal right to pursue compensation for those injuries and losses.
Ultimately, the company that created that design will have liability, as well as the manufacturer and the retailer that placed the deadly defective vehicle part into the stream of commerce. Any part or component of a vehicle may have a design defect, such as tires, steering wheels, seatbacks, seatbelts, airbags, or even the entire structural integrity of the vehicle itself.
Defective Manufacturing
In some cases, the design of a vehicle product remains safe for use, but at some point in the manufacturing process, the part or component becomes dangerous. If there is any kind of malfunction or error in the manufacturing process, the vehicle part or component can easily become unsafe or dangerous for the user of the vehicle.
An example of this would be if a seatbelt had a completely safe design, but somewhere in the assembly line manufacturing process, a defect occurs that ultimately leads to a serious injury or fatality in a car accident. In these cases, the manufacturer and the retailer of the deadly defective vehicle component or part can remain liable for any injuries or losses.
Defective Marketing or Advertising
If the vehicle part or component is actually safe and free from any dangers or hazards, it can still cause injury or fatalities to users. If a company or manufacturer or retailer advertises a particular vehicle product in a way or for a purpose that it remains unsuitable for, the marketing or advertising company can remain liable for any injuries or losses resulting from an accident involving this false or fraudulent advertising.
Additionally, if the marketing or advertising for a vehicle does not list appropriate instructions or warnings regarding a product, the manufacturer, retailers, and marketing or advertising company may remain liable for any damage or injuries suffered by a victim of an accident.
Consider How a Car Accidents Caused by Deadly Defective Vehicles Lawyer May Assist You
If you believe a defective part or component of your vehicle caused serious injuries or death to your loved one in a car accident, you may have the legal right to pursue compensation for their injuries and losses in a wrongful death claim on behalf of your loved one.
Consider calling our team at Ben Crump Law, PLLC at (844) 730-0233. We can help ensure your legal rights remain protected and help you understand how you can fight for justice and file a wrongful death claim for your loved one.
