Inflation, unemployment and a stalled economy have driven the costs of producing and purchasing everyday products through the roof, and everyone on the supply chain is aggressively on the hunt for ways to cut costs, not just consumers. Designers, manufacturers and distributors are lowering their standards, moving away from union labels and subsequently reducing the quality and safety of their goods. The FDA can only do so much to prevent the widespread national distribution of defective products such as over-the-counter medications, automobile parts, home appliances and toys, to name a few.

Although the responsibility for defective products remains legally in the hands of those who create and disseminate them, you as the consumer are forced into an unpleasant choice: purchase less expensive products and stay within budget, but risk injury, illness or even death from faulty merchandise or stretch the limits of your bank account and future financial security in favor of better product safety today. Neither of the two options comes without a downside and even the most conscientious consumer stands a chance of an unpleasant or catastrophic surprise caused by a defect within merchandise from a reputable and costly brand.

Prevention and Research Can Only Go So Far
Legal recourse is available for just such consumers, through individual defective product or product liability claims or via a class action lawsuit against the manufacturer. Nowadays defective product attorneys are in high demand for both kinds of legal actions, each of which have their pros and cons depending on the situation surrounding the faulty merchandise.

Class action lawsuits against defective product manufacturers frequently result in an apparently enormous settlement which can be upwards of $100 million, but is important to remember that the settlements are calculated before the legal costs have been paid and spread out amongst tens of thousands of participants. In some cases a class action lawsuit is absolutely necessary when individuals must take action against a manufacturing giant without the benefit of the oceans of financial resources that a large corporation has access to.

Under other circumstances, when the parties responsible for the faulty product have shallower pockets or the defect is more severe, an individual lawsuit may be preferable both for achieving justice and the repayment of financial, emotional and physical losses caused by the defective item.

If you have been injured or harmed by dangerously flawed consumer items, don't allow defective products to ruin your life, contact a personal injury attorney experienced with and knowledgeable about handling product liability cases to help determine which course of action is best for your situation. Either way action must be taken, both for your own benefit and to prevent future injuries caused by the negligent product manufacturer or distributor.