Injuries from defective products happen unexpectedly, and sometimes they can be severe. Most of the time, they don’t happen right away, but after a couple of uses, you end up getting hurt. Sometimes, it’s just a minor cut or bruise, but that’s not always the case. Often, accidents involving defective products cause serious injuries and even death.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), more than 50,000 people are killed every year by defective products, and over 28 million are seriously injured. Those are scary statistics.

Manufacturers are supposed to ensure their products meet strict safety standards, but that doesn’t always happen. There are a host of reasons dangerous products slip through the cracks and while some instances are legitimate, accidental defects, many times it’s a design flaw.

If you’ve been hurt by a dangerous product, you not only have the right to file a personal injury lawsuit against the manufacturer, but there are many good reasons to pursue legal action.

You shouldn’t have to pay for your medical bills

First and foremost, if you had to seek medical treatment, you shouldn’t have to pay the bill for an injury that wasn’t your fault. When you hire a defective product attorney, they’ll fight to get you the compensation you deserve so you don’t have to pay anything out of pocket.

An attorney will know the value of your case and won’t let the at-fault party get away with lowballing you an offer. They’ll take your case to trial if necessary. A lawsuit might be the only way you can cover the funds you need to pay your household bills if you’ve had to take time off work without pay.

A lawsuit will hold the manufacturer accountable

Manufacturers get away with selling known dangerous products because they aren’t always required to warn the public once they know there’s a problem. All they need to do is report a known danger to the CPSC within 24 hours. They do need to create a Substantial Hazard Report with the information, but there’s no requirement to make it easily available. The CPSC can’t make those details public without permission from the manufacturer and often spends years trying to get manufacturers to share the information with the public.

Since manufacturers can’t be trusted to do the right thing on their own, a lawsuit is a surefire way to force change. If they’re found responsible in a court of law, the judge can hand down some serious financial penalties and requirements, including forcing an immediate recall. If a company gets sued too many times for negligence, they could be forced out of business entirely.

Lawsuits can protect kids

It’s unfortunate, but many dangerous products that get recalled are toys and other items made for children. For example, there were around 170 reported injuries caused by the Sky Dancers Flying Dolls that were sold between 1994-2000. The injuries included broken teeth, eye injuries, a concussion, facial lacerations, and a broken rib.

Some toys don’t seem dangerous, but they contain small parts that are choking hazards for small children. The problem is that these toys are often marketed to younger age groups and parents don’t realize the danger.

Filing a lawsuit against a manufacturer is the best way to force them to recall a hazardous toy. Time and time again, even after children die from dangerous toys, some manufacturers don’t issue recalls at all. Some do but wait for several years. A lawsuit will force them to take action fast.

Your lawsuit will protect other people

After filing a lawsuit against a manufacturer for your injuries, they will have to fix the defects, whether it’s a design flaw or a true manufacturing defect. This will prevent other people from being injured in the same manner.

Every product can be risky, but some hazards are preventable

Although every product on the market can be risky when used improperly, some have serious, known hazards. For example, toys made for small children should not have small parts they can put into their mouths and choke on or ingest. Some kids will put everything in their mouths for fun or out of curiosity. Manufacturers should not be making toys for young children with small parts in the first place.

If you’ve suffered an injury caused by a defective product, don’t hesitate to contact a product liability attorney to hold the manufacturer financially and legally accountable.