Personal Injury Law

New York Dangerous Products--A Primer

By Mark Siesel, Esq.

At The Law Office Of Mark A. Siesel in White Plains, New York, we represent many clients who are seriously injured as the result of using a dangerous or defective product or machine. Frequently, by the time they come to our office, several days or weeks have passed since the accident occurred, and valuable evidence may no longer be available or has been discarded by the owner of the product.

Thus, if you have suffered injury due to a dangerous product or device, you should do the following whenever possible:

1. Take photographs of the machine, from several angles, and in good light if available;

2. Obtain the manufacturer's name, address (and phone number if on the machine);

3. Write down the model number, serial number and any other information that is on the machine;

4. Get copies of any operating manuals, instructions or paperwork that accompanied the product upon purchase;

5. Attempt to obtain any service records for the machine, or the names and addresses of any companies that serviced the machine;

6. Obtain records of any modifications or changes that have been made to the device or product over the years.

6. Document your injuries by taking photographs immediately after the accident;

7. Secure the names, addresses, phone numbers and e-mail addresses of any witnesses to your accident;

Often, it will not be possible to obtain all of the above items when the machine is old and records are lost or discarded. However, it is vital to the success of a New York defective products case to have as much information as possible to identify potential defendants including manufacturers, distributors, retailers, repair or service companies and suppliers. The manufacturer or distributor can be responsible for many different dangers, including defective design of the product, negligent manufacture of the product, failure to properly maintain the device, improper or lack of safety labels or warnings, and failure to recall products which have a known defect or flaw.

Full post as published by New York Legal Blog on December 29, 2009 (boomark / email).