All passenger car manufacturers must install permanent seatbelts in every new vehicle they produce, and most states have laws that allow the police to pull you over and give you a ticket for failing to wear your seatbelt while driving. However, as important as seatbelts are to protecting you from serious injury in the event of a crash, they can only be effective when they work properly and are free of dangerous defects.
If you were severely hurt in a wreck recently because your seatbelt malfunctioned or otherwise failed to protect you, you should contact Marrone Law Firm, LLC as soon as possible. You may have grounds for legal action against the company that made and sold your faulty auto part. Assistance from a seasoned product liability attorney could be vital to getting the best possible result from your defective seatbelt lawsuit in Philadelphia.
Companies that make and sell passenger cars are “strictly liable” for any injuries a consumer sustains due to a defect in one of those products. The injured consumer does not need to prove a specific reckless or careless act by the manufacturer led to their injury, only that they were harmed due to a specific product defect the manufacturer should have fixed before shipping the product.
With that in mind, common grounds for defective seatbelt lawsuits in Philadelphia include:
A qualified injury attorney could discuss in more detail during a private initial meeting whether a particular scenario might lead to a civil claim.
Because of how dangerous a seatbelt failure can be, auto manufacturers are generally prompt about issuing recall notices soon after becoming aware of any problem with the belts in one of their vehicles. If someone in Philadelphia gets hurt due to a defective seatbelt after being warned of that defect through a recall notice, they likely will not be able to file a lawsuit over their injuries.
However, if someone gets hurt by a defective seatbelt before they are notified about a recall, they would likely still be able to sue even after a recall is issued. Help from skilled legal counsel can be especially important to establishing the time frame for the injury and building a strong claim with these restrictions in mind.
Using a seatbelt while driving or riding in a passenger car can dramatically reduce your risk of sustaining a life-altering injury in a crash. Unfortunately, even people who wear their seatbelts are not always protected in the event of a wreck when their seatbelt does not work as it is supposed to.
When you want to pursue a defective seatbelt lawsuit in Philadelphia, you need representation from a legal professional who knows through past experiences how to win cases just like yours. Call Marrone Law Firm, LLC today to discuss your legal options.