As of August 26, 2024, a reported 21 million-plus vehicles nationwide were recalled due to an estimated 635 safety-related issues related to defective car parts. Unfortunately, such defects oftentimes go undetected for far too long, subsequently causing the owners of these standard motor vehicles to enter serious, if not life-altering or life-threatening, accidents. If you suspect such, please follow along to find out how a defective car part may have prompted your accident and how a proficient Panama City product liability attorney at Manuel & Thompson, PA can help you with what type of legal action to pursue.
How might a defective part cause my car accident?
A defective part within your standard motor vehicle may cause you to lose control in some way and subsequently prompt your collision with another driver or external source. Or, a defective part may fail to protect you upon the impact of your collision, causing you to experience more serious injuries and damages that you would have otherwise not incurred. Either way, below are examples of defective parts that may negatively affect you somehow:
- Faulty brakes may prevent you from stopping properly, causing you to collide with a vehicle in front of you.
- Faulty taillights may fail to signal to the driver behind you that you are braking, causing them to collide with you.
- Faulty tires may be more prone to blowouts, causing you to lose control and collide with any vehicle near you.
- A faulty airbag may fail to deploy or deploy too forcefully upon impact, causing more serious injuries.
- A faulty seatbelt may unbuckle itself at the wrong time, causing more serious injuries.
Who do I sue over a defective car part accident?
When it comes to a defective car part causing your accident, it is more than likely that you will have to pursue legal action against the negligent car manufacturer. This is if the car manufacturer could have been reasonably able to identify a flaw in one of their products. With this, they could have informed you about the faulty product through a recall notice within a reasonable timeframe. Plus, they could have come up with an alternative product that was safer yet equally straightforward in its production requirements. And if they did not fail to do any of the above, you could avoided a situation where you are now suffering through serious injuries and damages.
Further, when dealing with a car manufacturer, you may have to file a product liability claim rather than an auto accident claim. This is because your claim primarily deals with negligence in manufacturing a defective product rather than negligence in a car accident event. Rest assured, either way, the legal procedures ahead of you may be no different.
There is no need to remain hesitant when you have one of the talented Panama City personal injury attorneys on your side and supporting you. So please inquire with us at Manuel & Thompson, PA at your earliest possible opportunity.