Memphis Vehicle Defect Lawyers

Protecting Your Rights After a Car Accident in Tennessee

After a car accident, it may be tempting to want to blame the other driver involved for your injuries and damages. However, though many accidents are caused by driver error such as drunk driving or texting while driving, some are caused by a vehicle defect. If a manufacturing or design issue such as a poor brake system contributed to your accident and injuries, you may be able to file a personal injury claim against the entity responsible for making the defect. These cases can be tricky to prove, especially since automakers and manufacturing companies have teams of lawyers prepared to defend them, but with an established law firm on your side, it’s not impossible.

Dunk Law Firm has years of experience protecting the rights of our clients and is prepared to defend you when you call us. Our vehicle defect lawyers in Memphis have access to engineering experts to help us collect important evidence that can help your case.

Contact us online or by phone for a free consultation regarding your case at (901) 231-4779. Our dependable and award-winning attorneys can meet with you after hours or on weekends to learn more about how we can help.

What Defects Cause Car Crashes?

When a defect leads to an accident and causes damages, injured individuals can file what is known as a product liability claim. Product liability is an area of personal injury law that is designed to hold negligent parties – which typically involve companies and corporations – responsible for producing or selling faulty products to consumers.

Vehicle defects can be especially dangerous and are a common type of product liability because they can lead to serious car accidents. Some important vehicle features that are known to be defective include brakes, steering wheels, seat belts, airbags, tires, and accelerators.

Generally, most product defect claims fall into one of three established categories:

• Manufacturing: A manufacturer can be held responsible for damages when errors are made in the production process. A defect can be caused by manufacturing when it is not a part of the initial design and occurs before it is approved and sold to the public. An example of a manufacturing defect is an airbag that hasn’t deployed during a car accident, causing far more serious injuries to the driver.
• Design: A design defect refers to a problem in the initial design of the product before it goes to manufacturing and marketing. A more recent example of a design defect in a vehicle is the poor design of the Jeep gear shift that killed actor Anton Yelchin. The poor design of the shift didn’t properly indicate what gear the car was in, causing the Jeep to roll down the hill and crush Yelchin.
• Marketing: Automakers and other companies can be held liable for damages after accidents when they fail to warn consumers about potential dangers of their products or parts, or when they fail to include instructions. If a vehicle is sold without any warning labels about placing children in seats with adult-sized airbags, for example, the vehicle manufacturer could be held responsible for injuries or deaths that occur.

Common Injuries Caused by Defects

Many different injuries can result from vehicle defects. Victims often suffer from broken bones and spinal cord injuries in car crashes, especially those involving brake failures or airbag failures. They can also suffer brain damage and traumatic brain injuries after a rollover or when the roof of their car collapses. Burns are another common injury frequently associated with gas tank explosions.

How Long Do I Have to File a Claim?

Though victims of car accidents generally have one year from the date of injury to file a car accident claim, individuals who are harmed by defective products have six years to file a claim in Tennessee. This statute of limitations, however, can be extended to 10 years to include the date that the product was first purchased.

It’s crucial that you get started as soon as possible on your claim, even if you think six years is a long time. The longer you wait, the more likely it is that you’ll lose important evidence like witness statements. Our vehicle defect attorneys in Memphis can act quickly to investigate your accident scene while it’s still fresh in order to collect photographic evidence, documents like crash reports, and more. You may also be able to help others who may be injured by the same vehicle defects when automakers then issue recalls of their products.

Even if the vehicle defect that caused your accident has been recalled, you may still be able to file a claim for damages. Our team is more than happy to sit down with you to understand how your injuries occurred and offer you options for a full recovery.

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