We should be able to trust that products offered to us for sale are reasonably safe and free of flaws that could hurt us. Unfortunately, thousands of Americans find out each year that we cannot. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and other federal agencies recall thousands of products each year because they have safety flaws that could hurt or even kill their users, even when used as intended.

Consumer products are anything offered for sale to the public. Products with problems that have been in the news over the past decade include:

• Unsafe toys
• Many prescription drugs with unsafe side effects
• Tainted spinach, tomatoes, lettuce and other produce
• Prepared food products, such as peanut butter or frozen foods
• Poisoned pet food
• Defective tires
• Unsafe infant and child car seats
• Cars and trucks
• Electronic appliances and tools with wiring problems
• ATVs
• Unreasonably flammable furnishings and clothing

Fortunately, state laws allow us to hold manufacturers responsible for defects in their products that hurt or kill someone. In both South Carolina and Georgia, consumers can sue even if the manufacturer did not intend to sell the product with that flaw. Products can be defective by design -- which means they were built with the flaw -- or the problem can be introduced because of faulty manufacturing. Failure to warn consumers of a foreseeable risk of using the product is also considered a product defect under the law.

If you or someone you love was hurt by an unreasonably defective product, Suthers & Thompson would like to help. To tell us your story and learn more about your legal rights at a FREE consultation, please contact us today by calling us toll-free at 1-800-320-2384 or contact us online through our confidential evaluation form.