Some of the most harrowing stories of defective and harmful products involve what seem to be freak accidents, or at least rare circumstances. For example, when Flushmate III toilets began exploding inside bathrooms, it could hardly be believed. (You can read a CBS news article about it by clicking here.) But the truth of the matter is that many common, everyday products can pose significant dangers if they are manufactured incorrectly or negligently.
Five commonplace products with the potential to be dangerous if defective are:
- Smartphones: You might recall when people were afraid that cellphone use would cause some sort of cancer. While it is good that this fear has been largely debunked by the scientific community, there is another real concern about them: explosive batteries. Last year, Samsung had to recall near-countless Galaxy Note 7s after reports poured in of the batteries overheating and bursting into flames, resulting in some cases of severe burns.
- Airbags: The airbags that are meant to protect you in an accident could be more harmful than the collision, if it is made defectively. Takata Corporation of Japan is still in the middle of the largest automobile recall in history, started years ago when some of its airbag inflators proved lethal in crashes, violently exploding instead of rapidly inflating.
- Prescription drugs: The list of dangerous prescription drugs that people take every day would take many, many articles to discuss. It can be assumed that the majority of dangerous drugs that hit the market are able to do so due to a lack of thorough testing. Did you know that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rarely conducts its own initial tests on pharmaceuticals, but instead waits for reports of ill side effects?
- Food processors: In the holiday season of 2016, Cuisinart had to recall nearly 8 million food processors around the world when it was found that a certain type of blade would crack apart during regular use. The result was innocent eaters biting into sharp metal and suffering serious mouth lacerations.
- Hoverboards: Head back two years and you might remember the 2015 holiday craze of hoverboards – the two-wheeled electronic balance boards many picked up due to their relative ease of transportation. Problems arose quickly, however, after these boards started to buck riders and burst into flames. However, despite many recalls and clear hazards, hoverboards are still being sold on store shelves to this day.
Belushin Law Firm, P.C. has been fighting for the rights of the wrongfully injured since 2002. If you were hurt by a defective product, let our New York City product liability attorneys know during a free consultation. Reach us by calling 888.918.9890, or by filling out an online contact form at your first opportunity.