Most of us breathe a sigh of relief when we get home at the end of the day. It is a refuge from the stress of work. Unfortunately, home is also a dangerous place, especially for young children. Many hazards await which can result in fatal injuries. Defective products continue to flood the marketplace, and even state and federal regulations cannot stem the tide. If a loved one was killed in a home accident, you might have a legal claim.
According to the National Safety Council, 128,000 people died in home accidents in 2022. This worked out to almost 39 deaths per 100,000 people.
Our Atlanta wrongful death attorneys can assist anyone who has lost a beloved family member recently. Our firm has won millions of dollars in these kinds of claims, so call us today.
Electrocution
A person can get electrocuted in a variety of situations:
- Faulty wiring might cause power surges with appliances, which explode or catch on fire.
- Defective electronic devices like laptops and smartphones can electrocute the user who picks them up.
- Televisions and computers short circuit, electrocuting the user.
- Defective outlets end up resulting in electrocution when a person tries to plug in a device.
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, defective products cause about 100 fatal electrocutions each year.
Toppling Furniture
Small children can be seriously hurt when top-heavy items topple over and land on them. Small children are often hurt by:
- Bookcases
- Bureaus and chest of drawers
- Entertainment systems
- Floor lamps
- End tables
These items are inherently unstable because they are so tall and narrow. However, defective designs can make the instability even worse. Many bookcases are missing a bracket, which allows the consumer to attach the item to the wall, providing additional stability. If your child is killed, then you might have a legal claim for compensation.
Fire Hazards
Certain items in the home can catch on fire. There are federal safety regulations designed to minimize the risk of fire, but dozens of items are recalled from the market each for violating these standards. Possibly hundreds or thousands more are being sold but not recalled.
Some items at risk of catching on fire include:
- Clothing
- Bedding
- Mattresses
- Curtains
- Carpets
Manufacturers should follow safety standards. If they don’t, then their item is dangerous and defective. This means the manufacturer could share liability if a fire breaks out and fatally burns a loved one.
Toys & Buttons
Children are at risk of choking to death when they play with toys. Some small pieces might break off the toy, which are easy for a child to swallow. Another risk with babies is buttons on nighties and onesies. A child could bite off the button and then swallow it.
Defective clothing injures hundreds of children, some fatally, each year. Young parents should watch the recall list and stop using any item
Defective Home Security Systems
The home security market has taken off over the past 20 years, especially in cities like Atlanta. Many homeowners enjoy the peace of mind that comes with the installation of an alarm system. When an intruder tries to enter, the alarm often automatically dispatches a call to authorities. Unfortunately, some of these systems on the market are defective. They fail to work when you need them to. As a result, a criminal can break into your home.
Other systems are confusing and come with insufficient instructions. You might not know how to set the alarm, so it is useless when a criminal breaks in. The system is defective because of the confusing instructions.
Companies which sell home security systems cannot guarantee that a criminal won’t break in. But their systems should work as advertised. If it fails due to a defect, then you might sue them for a fatal attack inside your home.
Defective Smoke Alarms
Smoke alarms are required by the building code. They alert occupants that a fire has broken out so that you can either extinguish it or safely exit the building. This is a basic home safety device.
Some alarms on the market are defective. In 2021, Kidde recalled more than 200,000 defective smoke alarms. The alarms failed to warn occupants of a fire. You might hold the manufacturer accountable for the death of a loved one in a fire if the alarm didn’t work.
Wrongful Death Cases for Hazardous Products
Any death is tragic, of course. But when an accident is the fault of someone else—like the manufacturer of a product—then family members can often seek financial compensation. There are steps family members must take to preserve their right to seek compensation:
- If a product kills your loved one, then keep it, even in a charred state. Don’t throw it away because your legal team will want to inspect it.
- Save all packaging and instructions. Don’t throw those away either. A product can be defective due to inadequate instructions.
- Call our law firm as soon as possible. Family members have only two years to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the defendant. If you wait too long, you lose the ability to hold them accountable in court.
- If your loved one survived the accident initially, keep records of their medical bills. You might seek reimbursement of these amounts paid for medical care, as well as other losses, in a survival action.
Our wrongful death lawyers can take over your case, once hired. We need to show a defect in manufacturing, design, or marketing that made the product dangerous. Then, we can connect the defect to your loved one’s death. These are required elements in a fatal product liability case.
Although you are mourning, it’s important to meet with a lawyer to begin discussing a possible case. You can be sure manufacturers will aggressively fight any wrongful death claim for compensation.
Call Our Wrongful Death Attorneys
Losing a spouse, parent, or child is a devastating experience. At Stewart Miller Simmons Trial Attorneys, we can request financial compensation for losses suffered by mourning relatives. Contact us to start.