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As consumers, we trust that the products we use every day will not jeopardize our safety. However, some products are released to market with dangerous defects, often resulting in serious bodily injury. Between missed work, medical expenses, and the need for continuous medical care, an injured person may have a long recovery ahead. Injuries suffered at the expense of a defective product can certainly put your life on hold. At Stigall Whitworth, we believe that manufacturers of defective products have a responsibility to ensure consumers of those products are not harmed.

While there are numerous types of product defects, they generally fall into one of three categories: 

1. Manufacturing Defects
2. Design Defects
3. Misleading or Inadequate Marketing

If you have been injured by a defective product, Stigall Whitworth is here to help. Our Missouri product liability lawyers can help you understand if you have a claim, what type of case you have, and how to overcome the legal obstacles which may lie ahead. Below, we look at these three types of claims in more detail.

A defective product can typically be traced back to three places:

• Manufacturer Liability:
  The manufacturer starts the distribution chain of a product. Manufacturers can be large corporations or small, entrepreneurial businesses. If you were injured by a defective medical product that was part of a larger medical device, you could bring a claim against the manufacturer of both the part that harmed you and the manufacturer of the rest of the medical device. Often in defective or dangerous drug claims, manufacturers of these products are foreign corporations. You might wonder if it is possible to file a claim against foreign manufacturers. If our Kansas City product liability lawyers discover that the companies responsible for your injuries are foreign, it does not thwart our ability to file a claim.
• Retailer Liability:
  While the store where you purchased the product did not manufacture it, they can still be held liable for selling customers defective products. In product liability cases, there is often more than one defendant. When determining retailer liability, it is important to note that you do not have to be the buyer of the product to hold the retailer responsible. 
• Distributor or Wholesaler Liability:
  Distributors and wholesalers are the “middlemen” of the product industry. Like the manufacturers and retailers mentioned above, wholesalers and distributors can also be held liable for your injuries. Uncovering these companies can be difficult. However, you can rest assured knowing our legal team of Kansas City product liability attorneys can work tirelessly on your behalf to ensure all responsible parties in the chain of distribution are uncovered.

If the defect can be traced back to the manufacturer, it doesn't mean the initial product was harmful, but due to a failure to meet standards or provide quality parts, the manufacturer caused the product to become unsafe. With many products, different manufacturers could have been used for various parts of the whole product. Through our law firm's investigation, we can determine which manufacturer is to blame for either the part that harmed you, or the whole product. Even a foreign manufacturer can still be held liable by our experienced product liability lawyers.

In most product liability cases, there is more than one defendant being held at fault. The retailer who sold the defective drug or product can also be held responsible. Even if you did not buy the product directly, but received it from a friend for instance, the retailer can still be found liable. The same is true for a distributor or wholesaler. These companies work as the "middlemen" of the product industry, providing retailers and others with drugs and products. At Stigall Whitworth, we have skilled litigators and investigators who can uncover the distributing company of the harmful product in order to name them in your product liability lawsuit.