Product Liability Lawyers in Seattle

Rearview of parked cars Car dealership office. New car parked in modern showroom. Automobile leasing and insurance concept.

Manufacturers are required to produce products that are reasonably safe.  They are required to give reasonable warnings. When they don’t, they are responsible for the harm they cause.

Types of Product Liability Claims

Products affect almost every area of modern life. Some provide transportation; such as bicycles, motorcycles, ATVs, cars, trucks, buses, boats, trains, and aircraft. Others help us to work; such as forklifts, conveyors, industrial machines and materials, and farm equipment. Even everyday products can be defective and cause serious personal injury; such as poisonous household chemicals, water and food, exploding cookers and other appliances, and dangerous lawn and garden equipment. Products we rely on for fun, our recreational and sports equipment, can fail surprisingly when we need them most. Healthcare products such as pharmaceuticals and medical devices can also cause serious harm and death. Defective building materials may present dangers to humans and/or cause extensive and expensive property damage.

See also: Ride the Ducks Accident Leads to $123 Million Settlement

A cropped photo of an anonymous Caucasian woman holding a tube of a hand cream while shopping at a store.

Actually holding a manufacturer legally responsible, even for serious injury or death, however, is generally complicated and risky, and requires a significant investment of time, effort, and money. Very often, the manufacturer blames the victim, even when the product seemed reasonably safe to use.  Manufacturers may choose not to publicize known defects and similar incidents, and force victims to enter secrecy agreements that deny liability if the injured want to settle their claims, leaving the public in the dark about a danger.

Products and their components are manufactured all over the world, may be subject to foreign laws, and sometimes need to be sued in foreign places.  Products sometimes outlast the people and companies that designed, made, and sold them.  Evidence may be hard or impossible to get.

Determining what went wrong may draw from almost any area of engineering and science.   Manufacturers often have significant legal protections and huge resources to defend lawsuits. But they are not necessarily invincible.

Related: Who decides when a product is not safe enough for the public?

Notable Product Liability Settlements & Verdicts

  • $123,000,000 settlement for class action case against Ride the Ducks Seattle
  • $8,100,000 verdict in Clark County for a defective seat back and failure of occupant restraint system.
  • $2,650,000 settlement for a traumatic brain injury due to a motor vehicle collision for the defective design and manufacture of a vehicle

The Stritmatter Firm Has Decades of Experience Handling a Broad Range of Defective and Dangerous Products Cases

We have taken on some of the largest companies in the world and challenged entire industries to make better, safer products.  Our appellate work has resulted in numerous court decisions enforcing the Washington Product Liability Act to benefit the consumer and public safety. We are very proud of our extensive track record holding designers, manufacturers, and sellers accountable.

Explore our defective product cases below, or schedule your free consultation today.

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Seattle Office
Phone | 206.448.1777
Hoquiam Office
Phone | 360.533.2710