Auto Defect & Product Liability

Columbus, Georgia, Auto Defect and Product Liability Attorneys

The attorneys at Daughtery, Crawford, Fuller & Brown, LLP in Columbus, Georgia, are highly experienced in handling product liability cases. Every car accident is different, and while in many cases the injuries sustained in the wreck are caused only by driver negligence, often the injuries were in fact caused by or compounded by a defect in one or both of the vehicles. This can be very important for your financial recovery, since many injuries are caused by product failure. If your car accident involved a fire, explosion, rollover, roof crush, or tire problem, then there is a real possibility that a product defect caused or contributed to the injuries. If so, then you may need someone with experience handling those product defect claims against the manufacturer of the vehicle. Product defect claims are an important part of our firm's practice, and our attorneys have achieved successful results in representation of clients.

Here are some examples of auto defects that can result in a catastrophic injury or wrongful death in a car wreck:

• Defective seat back
• Door latch failure
• Brake failure
• Defective seat belt
• Vehicle instability, resulting in rollover
• Collapsing roof
• Fuel system fire
• Tire tread separation and blowout

When investigating auto defect cases, our lawyers work closely with some of the premier experts in the auto industry, including engineers and accident reconstructionists. Sometimes the defect is not obvious. For example, if someone is ejected from a vehicle in an accident, the police officer writing up the report may assume the person was not wearing a seat belt. Sometimes that assumption is wrong. In examining the wreck, an experienced lawyer and automotive experts may discover based on visible evidence that the latch for the seat belt failed. Other times it may be that vehicle's door opened in the wreck, ejecting the driver or passenger, and indicating there was a door latch problem. Such a problem can lead to failure of the shoulder harness and ejection of the driver due to centrifugal forces.

Defective consumer products

In addition to auto defects, our lawyers handle cases of injury caused by dangerous or defective consumer products, including:

• Children's toys
• Child proof containers
• Baby monitors
• Child seats
• Lawn mowers and yard equipment
• Power tools
• Propane tanks
• Industrial and construction equipment

In every product injury case, attention to detail is what counts. In one case involving a death caused by a collapsing lift on a cherry picker truck, OSHA had looked at the cherry picker and found nothing wrong. Only by X-raying the cable of the cherry picker were we able to find tiny broken wires inside the cable that led to catastrophic failure.

PRODUCT LIABILITY CASES HANDLED BY THE LAWYERS* OF DAUGHTERY, CRAWFORD, FULLER & BROWN

Product Liability / Defective Seat Back -- Confidential Settlement

Mr. and Mrs. McCutchen brought suit against GM after she was involved in a rear-impact collision. The driver's seat of her 1990 Cadillac Sedan DeVille failed; she "ramped" underneath her seatbelt and into the back seat where she broke her back at T-11. Mrs. McCutchen, who was 74 years old at the time, was rendered a permanent paraplegic. McCutchen v. General Motors Corp., State Court of Troup County, Lagrange, Georgia.

Product Liability / Auto / Post Collision Fire -- Confidential Settlement

Defective GM pickup truck with side-saddle fuel tank design -- Brian Chamberlain brought suit against GM after he was severely burned by fire when his Chevrolet pickup was struck by another pickup causing an explosion upon impact, due to punctures and failures of the vulnerable side-mounted tank and vulnerable filler neck of the Chevrolet pickup truck. Chamberlain v. General Motors Corp., United States District Court of Kansas.

More product liability verdicts and settlements

*The lawyers of DCFB were involved in the representation of these cases while they were attorneys at the law firm of Butler, Wooten, Fryhofer, Daughtery & Crawford, LLP.

Learn more about product liability cases:

Do I need a lawyer now?

Is my auto accident a product liability case?

Free product liability consultation: Contact a lawyer at Daughtery, Crawford, Fuller & Brown in Columbus, Georgia, for a free initial consultation today so we can begin to protect your rights.