Holding manufacturers accountable for defective products.
When a product fails, the consequences can be life-altering. Manufacturers, distributors, and retailers have a duty to design safe products, build them to spec, and warn about foreseeable risks. When they don’t, the law gives injured people a path to accountability. McEldrew Purtell investigates the entire chain of distribution and pursues the full measure of justice for catastrophic injury and wrongful death caused by defective products.
Trial Lawyers for Defective & Dangerous Products
With decades of experience in catastrophic injury and medical malpractice litigation, our firm has litigated complex product cases and related catastrophic injury matters.
Our Results
McEldrew Purtell has a proven track record of maximizing recovery for our clients.
Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances.
Navigating Product Liability Cases: Catastrophic Injury & Wrongful Death
This guide is practical, assertive, and built for action. It explains how product cases work, what to do right now, and how to choose the right firm for a catastrophic injury or wrongful death case.
Product Liability Cases We Handle
Defective-product cases often require rapid evidence preservation, engineering analysis, and expert testimony. Our team moves quickly to secure the product, inspect it, and build a theory of liability under design defect, manufacturing defect, or failure-to-warn law.
Vehicle, Transportation & Mobility Product Defects
Defective vehicles and transportation products can turn a crash, fire, fall, or equipment failure into a catastrophic injury. These cases may involve cars, trucks, tires, airbags, seatbelts, electric vehicles, e-bikes, scooters, autonomous driving systems, or other mobility products that failed to perform safely.
Types of cases we handle:
- Auto Defect & Crashworthiness Claims
- Defective Tires
- Automotive Rollaway / Gear-Selector Defects
- Autonomous Vehicle & Driver-Assistance Failures
- E-Bikes & E-Scooters Battery Fires
- Defective Airbags
- Defective Seatbelts and Restraint Systems
- Electric Vehicle Battery Fires
- Vehicle Fire & Fuel System Defects
Medical Devices, Implants & Healthcare Product Defects
Patients rely on medical devices, implants, surgical tools, and healthcare products to support healing, improve function, or deliver necessary treatment. When these products fail, break, migrate, malfunction, become contaminated, or cause unexpected complications, the consequences can include infection, repeat surgery, permanent injury, or death.
Types of cases we handle:
- Catheter, Scope & Infection-Transmission Device
- Breast Implant & Breast Reconstruction Devices
- Diabetes, Infusion & Medication-Delivery Device
- Surgical Mesh & Soft-Tissue Repair Products
- Vascular, Neurovascular & Blood-Clot Devices
- Neuromodulation & Pain-Management Devices
- Orthopedic, Spine & Reconstruction Implants
- Cardiac Implants & Rhythm Devices
Consumer Products, Household Goods & Child Safety Hazards
Everyday consumer products can cause serious harm when they are poorly designed, defectively manufactured, contaminated, or sold without adequate safety warnings. These cases may involve children’s products, household appliances, electronics, furniture, safety devices, cleaning products, batteries, toys, or other products used in homes, schools, and public spaces.
Types of cases we handle:
Tools, Equipment & Industrial Product Defects
Tools, machinery, and industrial equipment can cause devastating injuries when they lack proper safeguards or fail during normal use. These cases may involve construction equipment, power tools, forklifts, warehouse machinery, ladders, scaffolding products, electrical equipment, fall protection systems, or other products used in demanding work environments.
Type of cases we handle:
- Power Tools & Equipment
- Defective Construction Equipment
- Defective Industrial Machinery
- Machine Guarding Failures
- Forklift and Warehouse Equipment Defects
- Defective Ladders and Scaffolding Products
- Defective Safety Harnesses and Fall Protection Equipment
- Defective Electrical Equipment and Arc Flash Products
- Defective Pressure Vessels and Compressors
Toxic, Contaminated, Food & Chemical Product Claims
Toxic, contaminated, food, and chemical product claims involve products that expose consumers to dangerous substances, pathogens, allergens, heavy metals, or undisclosed health risks. These cases may involve contaminated food, unsafe personal care products, chemical burns, dangerous cleaning products, defective supplements, baby food contamination, toxic beauty products, or other consumer goods that cause serious illness or injury.
Types of cases we handle:
- Contaminated Consumer Products
- Toxic Beauty and Personal Care Products
- Hair Product Injury Lawsuits
- Ultra-Processed Food Injury Claims
- Weight Loss Drug Injury Lawsuits
- Defective Cleaning Products
- Chemical Burn Product Claims
- Dangerous Supplements and Wellness Products
- Contaminated Food Product Claims
- Infant Formula Contamination Claims
Digital Products, AI & Addictive Platform Design
Digital products can cause real-world harm when companies design software, apps, platforms, or automated systems without reasonable safeguards. These cases may involve artificial intelligence, social media platforms, sports betting apps, online gambling products, recommendation systems, defective software, addictive platform features, or automated decision-making tools that expose users to foreseeable risks.
Types of cases we handle:
- Artificial intelligence & Technology Liability Lawyer
- Social Media Addiction
- Sports Betting App Addiction Lawsuits
- Online Gambling Addiction Lawsuits
- Addictive App Design Claims
- Algorithmic Harm and Automated Decision-Making Claims
- AI Chatbot Harm Claims
- App-Based Child Safety Failures
Don’t Just Take Our Word For It
Hear From Our Clients
At McEldrew Purtell, results matter and so does the way we achieve them. While our case outcomes reflect our tenacity in court and at the negotiation table, it’s the voices of our clients that truly capture who we are and why we do this work.
We represent people at the worst moments of their lives: after catastrophic injuries, workplace tragedies, and preventable losses. Through every case, we aim to deliver not just compensation but clarity, confidence, and care.
If you’re considering working with a Philadelphia trial lawyer, we invite you to read what our clients have said about their experiences with McEldrew Purtell. Their words are the most powerful testament to our values, our dedication, and our results.
Learn More
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FAQs
Get answers to commonly asked questions regarding product defect injuries and learn how we can help with your case.
What is a product liability case?
A civil claim arising when a defective or unreasonably dangerous product causes injury or death. Liability can be based on design, manufacturing, or failure-to-warn defects.
Who can be held responsible?
Any entity in the chain of distribution – manufacturers, component suppliers, distributors, and retailers – may be liable. You do not have to choose only one; claims can reach multiple responsible parties.
Do I need to prove the company was “negligent”?
Not always. Many claims proceed under strict liability, which focuses on the defective condition and its causal link to your injury. Others proceed under negligence or breach of warranty.
What should I do with the product and packaging?
Preserve everything—the product (even if broken), packaging, instructions, receipts, and any remaining parts. Photograph the scene and injuries. Contact us so we can arrange proper evidence preservation and expert inspection.
Is a recall required to bring a case?
No. A recall can help establish notice, but it’s not required. The core question is whether the product was defective and caused harm.