If you are injured after using faulty goods,
your claim for compensation will
normally be against the manufacturer or
importer of the product but, where it
is not possible to identify either of those, it may be
possible to claim against the
retailer which sold the product to you.
To succeed in any claim for compensation, you will
have to show that the product which caused injury was faulty
in some way. In other words, it fell below the standard
you could reasonably expect from a product of that
type. For example, a manufacturer would be at fault if
a child's toy was coated in paint containing lead and
a suppplier of soft fizzy drinks would be liable if
a glass bottle shattered in hot weather because the
glass was not of the right thickness or quality.
Unless the defect is obvious and the manufacturer
accepts liability, it will usually be necessary to
obtain expert evidence to prove your
case. Accident Aid will get this for
you.
If you are unfortunate enough to sustain injury
through using a faulty product, there are certain steps
you should take :-
- Retain the faulty or defective
product
- Keep any instructions,
receipts, warnings which came with the product
- Make a note of exactly how the
accident
happened and retain this
- Take a note of the names and
addresses of any witnesses to the
accident
Finally, call Accident Aid
.
We will usually be able to advise you straight away
whether you have a good claim in
principle.
We will also advise
about any further immediate steps you should
take.
