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Illinois Product Liability Law Firm

Products liability is an area of personal injury law that focuses on dangerous and defective products. Adler & Adler, P.C. represents individuals in Illinois and the Chicago area in matters against corporations or manufacturers who have produced, manufactured or sold unsafe or hazardous products. Our attorneys have more than 40 years of combined experience representing clients in individual product liability cases, class action, and multi-district litigation suits.

We represent those injured, made ill or even killed by unsafe products. Cases may include:

• Products that have malfunctioned.
• Products that have caused injuries because of poor instructions or lack of warnings
• Items that are so dangerous that no matter how well designed and labeled, they will eventually cause an injury.
• Food poisoning from restaurant food or recalled food products as well as injuries or illnesses sustained from dangerous industrial products or hazardous, poorly labeled consumer merchandise may all merit a product liability suit.

Defective Automobile, Truck & Other Vehicles & Parts

While most automobile and truck accidents are due to driver error, in rare cases the crash may be caused by a part that has failed or was defective, either in the design or manufacturing stages. In these instances, the automobile design and manufacturer may be liabile for financial restitution. In product defect cases, it is very important that an attorney determine initially whether the design of the vehicle or its parts contributed to the injuries or deaths. This often requires a detailed examination of the vehicle by a recognized automotive expert.

Past defective vehicle design and/or parts have involved gas pedals, tires, transmission design systems, dangerous fuel systems, seatbelts, insufficient stability, poorly designed seatbacks, rollover tendencies and roof crushes.

If you or a loved one has been injured in an vehicle accident, whether or not you believe it is due to a defective part, please contact Adler & Adler, P.C. for a free initial consultation and case review.

Defective Medical & Pharmaceutical Products

DANGEROUS DRUGS

While the FDA requires that new pharmaceutical substances go through years of controlled testing before doctors may prescribe them to patients, some harmful drugs will inevitably get through. If the manufacturer had reason to suspect that patients may experience negative side effects not disclosed in the drug’s literature, thousands or even millions of people may be harmed and may be entitled to financial compensation. A recent example of this type of product liability is the popular VIOXX arthritis medication, which caused cardiac problems in patients.

The FDA also regulates the environments in which pharmaceuticals are manufactured. Drugs that are perfectly safe normally can cause harm if they are contaminated by other substances during production. Recently, the drug Heparin headlined the news with cases of severe allergic reactions and death due to substituted ingredients during manufacturing.

In addition to Heparin and VIOXX, other recent medications have been in the news, including: Celebrex, Bextra, Zyprexa, Rezulin, Propofol and more. Prescription medications are not the only drugs for which manufacturers are liable. Product liability also includes any hazardous or defective over-the-counter medication. Black box warnings and voluntary recalls do not exempt manufacturers from responsibility.

If you or a loved one has been injured or made ill by a defective or hazardous pharmaceutical product, contact Adler & Adler, P.C. for a free, no-obligation initial consultation.

DEFECTIVE MEDICAL PARTS & EQUIPMENT

As medical science advances, many health problems that were either disabling or fatal are now managed with the use of external prosthetics and/or internal devices, including implanted defibrillators, myocardial assist devices, replacement joints and more. Each device must be designed and manufactured at the most detailed level and at the highest standards. All potential dangers and/or side effects must be fully disclosed. The same applies to many advanced instruments and machines used in healthcare settings. Should any medical device turn out to be defective, liability may fall on the company responsible for the item’s design or manufacture.

If you or a loved one have suffered an injury or illness due to a defective medical part or piece of equipment, please contact Adler & Adler, P.C. for a free initial consultation. We can review your situation and let you know if you have a case.

Dangerous Children's Toys & Equipment

Despite federal and Illinois state laws that regulate the manaufacturing and production of children's toys and baby equipment, U.S. consumers have been stunned by the severity and number of children's product recalls, some of which have included parents' most trusted brands, such as Simplicity, Mattel Fisher-Price's Barbie, Sesame Street, and Polly Pocket brands, and RC2's Thomas & Friends wood railway toys. Even if a product is not recalled, a family may still be entitled to compensation if a child has been injured as a result of a dangerous product.

SIGNS OF DANGEROUS TOYS

• The toy has removable, sharp, or loose parts that could easily injure a young child.
• The toy does not have warning labels, instructions or age recommendations.
• The toy contains a projectile.
• The toy is small or has removable attachments that may be choking hazards.
• The toy is flammable.
• The toy is made of toxic products, such as lead paint.
• The toy requires an electrical outlet.
• The toy has long strings that could result in strangulation.

In addition to toys, other children's products may also be defective or dangerous, including cribs, car seats, high chairs, walkers, clothing, and infant carriers and strollers.

Parents and chidren depend on manufacturers to produce safe products. Corporations and manufacturers can and should be held liable for the products they make, distribute and sell. If your child has been injured by a toy or any product designed for use with babies or children, please contact Adler & Adler, P.C. immediately for a free initial case review. We fight aggressively for the maximum compensation for all of our clients.

What to Do with Recalled Products

1. Keep the toy or other product out of reach children.

2. DO NOT THROW AWAY OR SEND BACK any recalled toys. Companies request recalled toys to be thrown out or sent back. but you only have a product liability case if you have proof of having the product.

3. If you or someone you love is injured by a malfunctioning or dangerous product, seek medical attention immediately and, again, keep the product as proof that it caused the injury.

4. For products that have been recalled due to risk of lead poisoning, have your child tested for blood lead levels. This quick, simple blood test is often available for nearly free at many village, town, or county health departments. Call your local city health department for more information.

5. When you have been made sick from a meal at a restaurant or from recalled food products, you must be tested for e. coli and other viruses and bacteria within hours to days of becoming ill, depending on the virus, to prove that you suffered from food poisoning.

Experienced Product Liability Lawyers

If you, your child, or any loved one has suffered an injury or illness from a hazardous product or food, you need lawyers who are experienced in negotiating and litigating product liability cases. The attorneys at Adler & Adler, P.C. have proven success helping victims receive compensation for injuries or illnesses sustained from hazardous products. In fact, Senior Partner Valerie Harris Adler has been involved in multi-district class-action litigation cases, including breast implant and Albuterol suits.

When you hire Adler & Adler, P.C., you can rest assured that you have hired an aggressive, seasoned professional—a lawyer who is highly experienced in the art of negotiation but not afraid to take cases to trial. Senior partners Valerie Harris Adler and Mark Adler know that successful results come from strategy, knowledge, and hard work. They also understand that in addition to coping with the anxiety of legal action, you and your family must handle the lasting effects of an injury—or even death—and deal with the uncertain future. To this end, we treat each of our clients with the respect and dignity that they deserve.