Statistically speaking, more injuries happen at home than in any other place. Most of those injuries are derived from the use of defective electrical appliances, which should not be surprising, since Americans use electrical equipment and appliances every day. Improper use of an electrical appliance or use of a defective appliance may result in injury. Aside from an injury, using a defective appliance may lead to a fire that can quickly destroy a family’s life.
Take, for example, a current product liability case stemming from an allegedly defective dryer manufactured by Electrolux. According to the report, one family in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, filed a product liability claim against Electrolux Home Products, Inc., due to a fire that severely damaged their home. The plaintiff accused the defendant of allowing a clothes dryer with a defective design to be distributed to consumers, which eventually resulted in the fire in their home.
The complaint stated that the family purchased the dryer and used it without incident until the day of the fire. However on that day, nearly two years ago, the dryer caught fire under normal operating conditions and damaged the family’s home. Allegedly, the defect stemmed from an accumulation of lint that was not accessible or visible to users. The product’s proximity to the heating source posed dangers as well and contributed to its defective design. Since these defects were unseen, the plaintiffs are requesting payment of nearly $400,000 to address damages.
Product liability law provides protection to consumers with regard to defective products that pose harm. This law requires manufacturers to ensure that their products have no hidden dangers, design or manufacturing defects and also that products have proper warnings about possible safety risk to consumers. Otherwise, injury, death or damage caused by a defective product may be the legal responsibility of a manufacturer.
Source: Pennsylvania Record.com, “Dryer fire results in lawsuit against Electrolux”, Feb. 18, 2015