Florida Appliances Injury Attorney
Household appliances in Florida can help us with a wide variety of everyday tasks, from cooking and cleaning to heating and cooling our homes. Yet appliances can also pose serious injury risks, especially when they contain defects. There are different types of defects that can make a household appliance especially dangerous, and many consumers do not even realize that an appliance in their home contains a hazard until an injury or a product recall occurs. In some cases, despite evidence of an appliance containing a dangerous defect, the product remains on shelves and available for purchase. If you or someone you love sustained injuries as a result of a household appliance, you should seek assistance from a Florida appliances injury attorney.
Common Types of Appliance Injuries
Many different types of appliances can result in serious personal injuries, including but not limited to the following:
- Stoves and ovens;
- Food processors and blenders;
- Toasters and toaster ovens;
- Microwaves;
- Washers and dryers;
- Space heaters;
- Ceiling fans;
- Dishwashers;
- Refrigerators and freezers; and
- Garbage disposals
How Do Appliances Cause Injuries?
Appliances can cause injuries in many different ways. In numerous appliance injury cases, the appliance contained a design or manufacturing defect, meaning that there was something wrong with the product that caused it to work in a manner other than the safe manner for which it was approved for consumer use. For example, a stove or oven might heat to higher temperatures than identified on the digital readout, or a space heater might get too hot and start a fire. Or, for example, a food processor or blender might have a defect in its latching mechanism, leading the blade to dislodge and cause a serious injury. In other cases, an appliance may cause an injury because the retailer or marketer failed to warn about risks associated with its intended use.
Types of Appliance Defects in Florida
Appliance defects generally can take three different forms:
- Design defect;
- Manufacturing defect; or
- Marketing defect, or failure to warn.
With a design defect, there is something inherently wrong with the appliance because there is a defect in the way it was designed. With a manufacturing defect, the appliance was designed soundly, but a defect occurred while it was being made. With a marketing defect, there is nothing inherently wrong with the appliance, but it did not come with an appropriate warning or was not marketed in such a way to make clear the dangers associated with using it.
Statute of Limitations for a Florida Appliance Injury Claim
Most appliance injury claims in Florida will need to be filed within four years from the date of the injury under Florida law. The clock will start ticking on the date that the appliance caused the injury.
Contact Our Florida Appliance Injury Attorneys
Do you have questions about filing an appliance injury claim in Florida, or were you recently injured while using a defective household appliance? One of our Florida appliance injury lawyers can evaluate your case for you today. Contact Halpern Santos & Pinkert, P.A. for more information about how we can help you.
