What Is Product Liability? A Simple Guide to Your Rights in Oklahoma

What happens when a product you trust causes a serious injury? From household appliances to vehicles and medical devices, defective products can cause life-changing injuries and even death. Product liability laws help protect consumers and hold responsible companies accountable.

What Is Product Liability?

Product liability is an area of law that allows people to seek compensation when a defective or unreasonably dangerous product causes an injury.

In Oklahoma, a successful product liability claim generally requires proof that a product was defective, that the defect made it unreasonably dangerous, and that the product caused the injury.

What Makes a Product Defective?

There are three common types of product defects:

• Design defects: The product is dangerously designed, even if manufactured correctly.
• Manufacturing defects: Something goes wrong during production or assembly, making the product unsafe.
• Failure to warn: The manufacturer fails to provide adequate warnings or instructions about certain dangers.

What Are Some Examples of Product Liability?

Defective products can be found almost anywhere, including:

• Vehicles: Defective airbags, faulty brakes, or dangerous fuel systems.
• Household appliances: Products that overheat, catch fire, or cause electrical injuries.
• Medical devices: Defective implants or equipment that causes serious complications.
• Children’s products: Unsafe toys, cribs, or car seats.
• Workplace equipment: Defective machinery that causes crushing injuries, amputations, or other serious harm.

Not every product-related accident qualifies as a product liability case. The circumstances and evidence matter.

Who Is Responsible for a Defective Product?

Depending on the circumstances, manufacturers, component manufacturers, distributors, or other parties may be legally responsible. In Oklahoma, product liability claims can involve strict liability. This means an injured person may not have to prove that the manufacturer was negligent, but must still establish the required elements of a defective product claim.

What Should You Do If a Defective Product Injures You?

• Get medical attention and document your injuries.
• Keep the product if it is safe to do so. Avoid repairing, altering, or throwing it away.
• Take photographs of the product, injuries, and accident scene.
• Save receipts, packaging, and instructions related to the product.
• Contact an attorney to understand your legal options.

You can also check for recalls through Recalls.gov, which provides federal product safety and recall information.

Can You Receive Compensation?

Depending on the circumstances, injured consumers may be entitled to compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, permanent disabilities, and other legally recoverable damages. In cases involving a fatal injury, surviving families may also have grounds for a wrongful death claim.

Protecting Oklahoma Consumers

No one expects an everyday product to cause a devastating injury. But when dangerous products cause harm, consumers deserve answers and an opportunity to seek accountability.

At Smolen Law, we handle complex catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases, including claims involving dangerous and defective products.

If you or someone you love has been seriously injured by a potentially defective product, contact Smolen Law to learn more about your legal rights.

www.smolen.law

Sources

• Oklahoma Supreme Court: Kirkland v. General Motors Corp. (1974)
• U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
• Federal Product Recall Information

This article is for general informational purposes and is not legal advice.