Injuries and deaths from defective products are not, as many people may think, particularly rare in Massachusetts. Yet people make almost a subconscious assumption that the products they purchase from well-known stores and on-line retailers are safe and free from defects. In fact, some of the most catastrophic injuries and tragic deaths in Massachusetts are caused by products that are defective in ways that could not have been known by the people they harmed.

SUGARMAN lawyers have been leaders in handling cases for personal injuries and death from defective products, also called product liability cases, since modern product liability law existed in Massachusetts.

If you think of it, consumer and industrial products surround us in our daily lives and are involved in almost everything we do. From the clothes we wear, to the foods we eat, to the medicines we take, to the machines we use, to the cars we drive, we count on those making and selling these products to be sure that they are safe. Unfortunately, in this day and age products are often imported into the United States from foreign manufacturers and sellers, and little is known or made known about their design or their safety. And while the government attempts to regulate product safety, because of the vast numbers of products sold from sources world-wide, dangerous products can and do regularly come to market and cause serious harm.

When people are injured or killed by a defective product, Massachusetts law provides some strong protections. It is, in effect, illegal to make or sell an unreasonably dangerous product in Massachusetts. Selling a defective product exposes a manufacturer, distributor and seller of the product not just to payment of the damages for the harm caused by the product, but in some circumstances allows the victims to obtain double or treble damages and attorneys’ fees.

While Massachusetts law is intended to and does provide a means of recovery to victims of defective products, recovery is far from certain for these victims. Proving that a product is defective and that recovery should be had is not simple and requires, almost by definition, a lawyer with years of experience handling such matters, as well as extensive resources.

SUGARMAN’s product liability lawyers have a long history, arguably unparalleled in Massachusetts, of success in representing those injured or killed as a result of defective products. That history includes representing - from litigation to trial - victims injured or killed by a wide range of consumer, industrial and motor vehicle products. Many ground-breaking precedents in Massachusetts product liability have been established through our lawyers’ trial and appellate work.

Our lawyers have a full range of experts available including engineers specializing in biomechanical, motor vehicle, chemical, industrial, materials, civil and electrical engineering. Our lawyers also consult a wide variety of medical experts, industrial hygienists, toxicologists, pharmacologists, life care planners, economists and actuaries as appropriate in preparation of product liability cases. In addition to the use of experts, our lawyers have the resources to dig deeply into the files and records of manufacturers to demonstrate shortcuts, errors and missteps leading to the marketing of a defective product.

SUGARMAN’s personal injury lawyers are committed not just to each individual case, but to the cause of product safety. Our attorneys believe that our product liability work serves both the cause of justice for individual victims and the cause of product safety to prevent defective products from injuring future victims.

For those looking for representation for an accident involving a product suspected to be defective, SUGARMAN‘s lawyers, who have been leaders in this area of law for over 50 years, know how to take a case from investigation to settlement or trial.