What would you do if a product you use every day has the potential to harm you — or your loved ones?
The best way to prevent this type of harm from affecting you or your loved ones is to pay attention to product recalls.
What is a Product Recall?
Every now and then, a product presents a safety hazard. It makes it through the processes, and is put on the shelves, and the people start getting hurt. Once the dangers are made known, companies post a recall, asking for consumers to return the affected items. When items are returned, you either receive a refund, or you end up with a safe version of the product.
This is a way for them to try to prevent more injuries due to a defective product, or some other sub-par issue. When you pay attention to product recalls, you can keep from getting hurt, and protect your loved ones.
A product recall cues you in to the fact that something might be dangerous. And, if you already bought the item and have experienced injury, a recall can cement the fact that this was not your fault. From recalling the Prius due to problems with acceleration and stopping, to recalling a baby seat that can potentially cut off a child’s finger, a recall can help you avoid injury, since you can turn in the product before it causes problems (or find the information you need to get appropriate compensation if you have been injured).
How to Get Information about Product Recalls
In some cases, product recalls are shared in the media. If enough people have been injured, the information makes the news, including TV and newspaper. Information can also usually be found online.
The problem is that it takes something big to make the news. A lot of people need to be injured, or something dramatic — like death — needs to happen before the mainstream media picks up the story. If you get all of your product recall information from the news, you might miss something.
You want to make sure that you have access to the information you need, when you need it. If you are concerned about whether or not a product is safe, you don’t want to wait until it garners enough attention to make the news; you want to know as quickly as possible.
Instead, you can sign up for email alerts from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). You can get information on the latest recalls from the CPSC. If you are interested in a specific company or product, there is an easy to use search feature on the page. That way, you can check the products that you have, without having to scroll through products that might not apply to you.
What If You or Someone You Love is Injured by Product?
While it’s ideal to avoid an injury in the first place, in some cases you might not see the recall notice in time. Or, perhaps, a recall notice wasn’t even sent out. In either case, when you are someone you love is injured, it’s important that you receive compensation for the problems caused by a defective product.
If you are injured by a product, you deserve compensation — especially since the injury isn’t your fault. When a product injures you or someone you love, you can incur medical expenses. In some cases, you might not even be able to work for a period of time. Even worse is if you are permanently disabled as the result of someone else’s mistake.
With the help of a lawyer, it’s possible to get your just compensation for your injury. With the help of the right personal injury attorney, you can file a lawsuit and possibly receive a settlement or convince a jury to award you enough money to make up for you injury, as well as your loss of income if you are unable to work.
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