Lawsuit Against Sig Sauer Claims Gun Fired While Holstered

A defective product liability lawsuit has been filed against Sig Sauer over the P320 model. An on-duty police officer claims that the gun fired while it was still in its holster. He has since filed a lawsuit against the company claiming that he suffered catastrophic injuries as a result of the accident. He is not the first officer to make such a claim. There have been hundreds of claims reporting that the Sig Sauer P320 fired without the trigger being pulled. In this article, the Florida product liability lawyers at Halpern, Santos & Pinkert will discuss the lawsuits filed against Sig Sauer.

Analyzing the claims against Sig Sauer 

In the aforementioned lawsuit, the officer was injured while taking off his body armor vest. The Sig Sauer P320 accidentally discharged causing him severe personal injuries. He was shot with a 9mm round without touching the trigger. He wasn’t even touching the gun when the round went off. The officer was shot in his calf which damaged his peroneal nerve. He now suffers from a foot drop and cannot walk normally the way he used to. He carries a fragment of the bullet in his leg. This will impact his ability to perform his duties as a police officer. It will also impact his ability to play sports and other recreational activities. He holds Sig Sauer responsible for the accident because they manufactured a defective weapon. In other words, the officer suffered permanent injuries as a result of the accidental discharge.

The design of the Sig Sauer P320 

This model of gun is designed with no external safety. It features a striker-fired mechanism that replaces the design of the double-action hammer. This design has led to severe injuries all across the country. Since law enforcement uses this weapon as a standard issue, many of those injured have been police officers.

According to Sig Sauer, you can send your weapon to the company as part of a voluntary upgrade program that reduces the weight of the weapon, including the trigger, and adds a mechanical disconnector. They tested the weapon to see if it discharged at multiple drop angles. After determining that it did, they offered upgrades to purchasers to prevent that from happening. It is unclear if the voluntary program fixes the problems with the gun.

Plaintiffs claim that this was just a method for Sig Sauer to couch their defective design as a “drop issue” as opposed to a structural defect. Framing the issue in that manner could be a way for Sig Sauer to reduce their liability when it comes to personal injury lawsuits filed against the company. They blame the user for dropping or mishandling the weapon, and some of the blame is shifted to the gun owner. The plaintiff mentioned above claims that he never dropped the weapon. It merely went off when he was attempting to take off his body armor.

Talk to a Florida Product Liability Attorney Today 

Halpern, Santos & Pinkert represent the interests of Florida residents injured by defective products. Call our office today to schedule a free consultation, and we can begin discussing your claims immediately.

Source:

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