Pittsburgh
Product Liability Lawyer

A defective product can change your life in an instant, leaving you with painful injuries, costly medical bills, and uncertainty about what to do next.

At Berger and Green, we understand the frustration and hardship you’re facing. When a manufacturer’s negligence causes harm, you shouldn’t have to bear the burden alone. Our Pittsburgh product liability lawyers hold companies accountable and fight for the compensation you deserve. 

Whether your injury resulted from a dangerous household product, faulty medical device, or malfunctioning vehicle part, we have the experience and resources to take on major manufacturers and insurers. You have legal rights, but time is limited.

Let our Pittsburgh personal injury lawyers handle the legal battle while you focus on healing. Call Berger and Green today for a free consultation—we’re here to help you move forward.

Do I Need a Pittsburgh Product Liability Lawyer?

After suffering an injury due to a defective product, you want to hold the at-fault parties accountable. But consider who those parties might be. These products likely came from major manufacturers, retailers, and distributors. Taking them on with a legal claim alone can be daunting, if not impossible.

Taking on companies alone can be overwhelming. Our attorneys level the playing field—so you can focus on healing while we handle the fight for justice.

By hiring a product liability lawyer in Pittsburgh, you’ll have the legal experience that you need to combat the deep pockets of a host of potentially liable parties.

You’ll also have an advocate who knows how to prove negligence and recklessness, and has enough resources like investigators, expert witnesses, and paralegals to do all the work you can’t do on your own.

Challenges in Product Liability Cases

Product liability cases can be complex and difficult to win without strong legal representation. Manufacturers and insurers have teams of lawyers working to protect their interests, making it critical to have an advocate fighting for you.

One of the biggest challenges is proving the product was defective. Companies often argue that the product was safe or that the injury resulted from misuse.

Establishing liability requires expert testimony, product testing, and a thorough investigation. Large corporations also have the resources to delay cases, dispute claims, or offer low settlements.

Another hurdle is gathering and preserving evidence. The defective product itself is crucial to your case, but manufacturers may issue recalls or make design changes that complicate claims. Understanding safety regulations and industry standards is also essential when building a strong argument.

Our Pittsburgh product liability lawyers ensure your case is handled properly from the start. We take on big corporations, consult industry experts, and fight for the compensation you deserve. Call Berger and Green today for a free consultation.

Let Our Pittsburgh Product Liability Lawyers Fight for the Compensation You Deserve

If you or a loved one sustained injuries because of a defective product in a Pittsburgh accident, our team can help investigate the product’s defect, identify any similar cases, and take legal action to pursue compensation.

When you enlist the help of our team, you can expect us to:

• Fight to protect your rights
• Manage all communication related to your case
• Answer your product liability questions and keep you up to date about the status of your case
• Investigate what happened, how, and why to prove liability
• Enlist the help of engineers, industry experts, and others to support your case
• Document your injury-related expenses and losses
• Attempt to negotiate an out-of-court settlement, when appropriate
• Litigate your case when that is the best option for recovering adequate compensation

Understanding Product Liability Laws and Your Rights

Under state and federal laws, as well as industry guidelines, manufacturers are responsible for ensuring their products are safe before marketing and selling them to consumers.

If there are any reasonable dangers related to the product, the manufacturers and distributors must offer clear warnings. If they do not, they could be liable for the injuries the product causes its users to suffer.

Our firm has more than 40 years of experience fighting for the rights of injured clients and their families. We can handle any type of defective product or product liability case, including those that occur because:

• A product was poorly designed
• A product has a manufacturing defect
• A product has inadequate or absent instructions
• A product lacked appropriate warnings

A product liability lawyer in Pittsburgh, PA, can help build a case showing the product has a defect that caused your injuries and pursue compensation for the expenses and losses you suffered as a result.

Key Elements of a Product Liability Claim

To successfully recover compensation in a product liability case, you must prove the following:

• The Product Was Defective: The defect could be in its design, manufacturing, or warnings/instructions.
• You Used the Product as Intended: The injury must have occurred while the product was being used in a reasonable or foreseeable manner.
• The Defect Directly Caused Your Injury: We must demonstrate a clear link between the product’s defect and the harm you suffered. Medical records, expert testimony, and product testing can help establish this connection.
• You Suffered Measurable Damages: This includes medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other financial losses resulting from your injuries.

Each product liability case is unique. Our team will investigate every aspect of your case to determine the best legal approach.

Basis of Legal Action for Product Liability in Pennsylvania

When a product causes injury, Pennsylvania law determines liability based on specific legal standards. If a product’s design is defective, the state generally applies one of two tests:

• Consumer Expectations Standard – This examines whether the product is more dangerous than a reasonable consumer would expect when using it normally.
• Risk Utility Standard – This weighs whether the risk of harm outweighs the benefits of the product and whether a safer design was feasible.

If there is a flaw in how the product was made, then “strict liability” may apply to your case. This means the product’s manufacturer is responsible for injuries that result from its use, regardless of whether it knew about the defect or the possibility that it could injure those who use it.

A manufacturer can also be held liable for failing to provide instructions for or warnings about a product.

Breach of Warranty in Product Liability Cases

When you purchase a product, you expect it to be safe and function as promised. If a product fails and causes harm, you may have a claim under breach of warranty laws.

Manufacturers and sellers have a legal obligation to uphold the guarantees they make about their products. There are two main types of warranties: express and implied.

• An express warranty is a direct promise made by the manufacturer or seller, such as a claim that a car’s airbags will deploy in an accident. If the airbags fail and cause injury, the company may be liable. 
• An implied warranty exists even if it is not explicitly stated. Products must be fit for their intended use, and if they are not—such as a ladder that collapses under normal use—the manufacturer or seller could be held responsible.

If a defective product injured you, we can determine whether a breach of warranty applies and help you seek compensation.

Liable Parties in a Product Liability Case

Several parties can be held responsible for a consumer’s injuries in a product liability lawsuit. Among them are:

• Manufacturers
• Part manufacturers
• Parties that put together products or install them
• Distributors
• Wholesalers
• Suppliers
• Retailers

We can help you identify the parties you should pursue legal action against in your case.

Examples of Defective Products That May Cause Harm to Pittsburgh Residents

Just about any industry can produce defective products, and they can be found on store shelves or in homes and businesses anywhere. When consumers buy any product, they expect it to work properly without incident. As we know, that is not always the case. Here’s a sampling of products that could be faulty:

• Household or industrial cleaning products
• Automotive products (e.g., seat belts, car seats)
• Cosmetics
• Toys
• Clothing
• Medical products, medical devices
• Prescription and over-the-counter medications
• Firearms
• Food and drink products
• Machinery and tools

When possible, save the product and any related materials – the manual, instructions, packaging, and accessories – until we need them as a part of our investigation into your case. Having the defective product will be integral to building a strong case against the manufacturer.

If you are interested, consider reaching out to our team today to get started. If you are still undergoing treatment, you can ask a trusted family member to give us a call. A product liability lawyer in Pittsburgh, PA, can meet with you at the hospital or your home.

What Damages Can I Recover in a Product Liability Lawsuit?

In personal injury lawsuits, victims can claim compensatory damages, which can be categorized as general and special damages. Compensatory damages are an attempt to help make a plaintiff “whole” again or restore them to the state they were in prior to the accident.

Part of these losses incurred from the accident includes general damages, which are meant to reimburse the plaintiff for losses that are not easily calculable in monetary terms, such as pain and suffering.

On the other hand, special damagesreflect easily calculable out-of-pocket expenses related to the injuries, such as medical costs.

While we will not know the specific damages that may be available to you until we’ve investigated the details of your case, some of the most common types of damages available in Pittsburgh, PA, product liability cases include:

• Medical treatment (including emergency care)
• Ongoing medical care (e.g., physical therapy, follow-up medical appointments)
• Out-of-pocket expenses related to the accident
• Lost wages from time missed at work due to recovery time
• Diminished earning capacity
• Property damages
• Other related costs
• Pain and suffering
• Mental anguish
• Scarring and disfigurement
• Humiliation
• Loss of life enjoyment

In some civil cases, punitive damages may be awarded. These damages are meant to punish the at-fault defendant for their negligence and misconduct. They can often be seen as a deterrent for them and others to prevent them from similar wrongdoings in the future.

What if My Loved One Died Because of a Dangerous Product?

If a loved one sustained fatal injuries because of a defective product, you may be eligible to pursue additional damages through wrongful death and survival claims actions.

This could result in additional compensation to cover expenses like burial and funeral costs and your loved one’s final medical bills. We can answer any questions you have about wrongful death damages during your free consultation.

Injuries From Defective Products Can Mean Big Medical Bills

People who suffer injuries from faulty products could spend months trying to recover from their wounds. Defective products can cause:

• Falls
• Internal organ damage
• Cuts, scrapes
• Chemical burns
• Broken bones
• Head injuries
• Eye, face, neck injuries
• Amputations

A person recovering from any of these injuries faces the possibility of needing rehabilitative care for months or longer going forward. They also may need therapy to cope with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, or other mental health conditions after surviving such an ordeal.

Berger and Green’s legal team can review all of your damages and help you seek the financial award that can help you cover your losses.

You Have Only Two Years to Take Legal Action in Your Pittsburgh Product Liability Case

Pennsylvania law generally requires legal claims pertaining to product liability to be filed within two years of the accident that caused your injuries, per Pa. C.S.A. § 5524.

This is one reason we encourage you to reach out to us as soon as possible after an accident. We can also review your case to see if any exceptions apply to this time limit.

For example, if it is found that a party attempted to conceal a product’s defects, the statute of limitations, in this case, would start from the date the defect was discovered or reasonably should have been discovered.

Talk to a Product Liability Lawyer in Pittsburgh, PA

You don’t have to face this battle alone. Let our Pittsburgh product liability lawyers fight for the justice and compensation you deserve.

Call Berger and Green now for a free, no-obligation consultation. The sooner you act, the sooner we can get to work on your case.