Statistics on Product Liability

Each case involving product liability comes with its own set of circumstances and unfortunate outcomes; however, the United States Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) does track trends on product-related injuries and deaths. They released the following statistics:

Product liability litigation infographic

Product Liability Cases

In 2004, seven percent of all personal injury cases were for product liability.
Product liability cases have the second-highest median damage awards in all personal injury cases, at $300,000. Medical malpractice cases have the highest median damage awards at $600,000.

Toys and Electronics

The number of toy-related injuries in 1997 was 141,300. In 2001, the number increased to 255,100. In 2006, it was 220,500.
In December 2005, Dell recalled over 200,000 laptop batteries that had a high risk of overheating and causing fires.
In 2003, over 80 toys were recalled because of safety hazards.

Cribs and Bedding

About 26 infants die every year from crib-related deaths.
In 2003, almost 30,000 electric blankets were recalled; folding or bunching the blankets was causing them to overheat and burn consumers.

Other Products

In 2006, Toyota recalled over 1.4 million cars because of defective parts.
After the FDA issued continuous warnings that using the Ortho Evra® birth control patch could lead to blood clots, stroke, and death, prescriptions dropped from 9.9 million in 2004 to 2.7 million in 2007. The warnings stemmed from investigations into the deaths of young women who had been using the patch when they developed blood clots.

Contact a Product Liability Lawyer in Your Area

Although most manufacturers do not intentionally create products that harm consumers, it does happen. If you’ve been injured or lost a loved one because of a faulty or defective product, a lawsuit against the manufacturer could result in financial compensation. Contact a lawyer specializing in product liability to review your case, using Impact Law’s network of legal professionals.