Van Etten Sipprelle attorneys have decades of experience handling serious personal injury and wrongful death matters, including cases involving motor vehicles, ships, dog bites, premises liability, defective products and toxic torts.
Personal injury and wrongful death cases involve claims that an individual was injured or killed due to the wrongful act or omission of another person or entity. Personal injury and wrongful death cases can arise in a variety of contexts, including motor vehicle accidents, boating and aviation accidents, “slip and fall” accidents occurring on property owned by another, dog bite incidents, accidents caused by defective products (including machinery, automobiles, pharmaceuticals and household products), and exposure to toxic mold, chemicals or other hazardous materials.
Products liability cases typically involve claims that personal injuries were caused by a product’s allegedly defective design, manufacture or insufficient warnings. In the case of a defective design, all products made will have the same defect. When a product is defectively manufactured, any number of units may exhibit the same defect, from one to thousands, depending upon what caused the defect. Products also may be considered defective due to missing or inadequate warnings or instructions. Some products are inherently dangerous and should only be used when certain precautions are taken, such as in an open or ventilated area or with protective clothing, gloves, or eyewear. Warnings to that effect should be conspicuously placed on the product itself as well as on product packaging, where the warning is likely to be noticed by the consumer.
In toxic tort litigation, a plaintiff claims injury due to exposure to hazardous substances or materials. Toxic torts may involve products liability issues, such as exposure to products without adequate warning. In other cases, claims may stem from environmental exposure such as mold, mildew or fungus in a building’s carpeting, walls or air duct system, or from inadequate ventilation or chemical contaminants in the environment (so-called “sick building syndrome”).
Our Personal Injury Attorneys work with expert witnesses and consultants such as product designers, mechanical engineers and accident reconstructionists to evaluate liability for catastrophic accidents. Our Personal Injury lawyers also consult with physicians, mental health professionals, life care planners, economists and other trained professionals to assess the extent of loss of the injured person or surviving family members.