Commercial Vehicle and Equipment Defects at the Construction Worksite

Contact Your Maryland, Virginia and Washington DC Injury Attorney

Accidents at the construction worksite may occur because of defects in commercial vehicles or equipment used by construction workers in the course of their jobs. If a construction worker sustains an injury from a defect in a vehicle or in equipment, the injured party may have a valid legal claim for damages against the manufacturer, the distributor, the employer or persons involved in the operation of the vehicle or equipment. If a commercial vehicle’s design element poses a safety risk to the user and the vehicle causes a work accident, the manufacturer may be responsible for the injuries. The information on this page is for your information; however, these types of product defect claims can be complex, and if you believe a defective commercial vehicle has injured you, you should immediately contact an experienced Maryland, Virginia and Washington DC injury attorney for assistance.

Defining an Unreasonably Dangerous Defect

An unreasonably dangerous defect might exist in a number of ways with respect to commercial vehicles or equipment. Examples of unreasonably dangerous defects leading to liability include:

• Defects in the product’s design and engineering may create a dangerous defect; if a company shapes, engineers and conceptualizes a vehicle or a piece of equipment in such a way that the product would be dangerous no matter how well the manufacturer puts it together, the product may be defective.
• Manufacturing flaws. Errors in the factory can cause a normally well-working product to malfunction, which could lead to serious injury or death, especially if the malfunction affects safety features.
• Failure to warn or give appropriate instructions to operators. A product with a dangerous propensity should provide clear warnings to its users about how to use the product safely and what risks exist.

Types of Liability

Products liability laws govern legal claims based on commercial vehicle or equipment defect accidents. A commercial vehicle defect can exist under any number of legal theories, including:

• Strict liability
• Negligence
• Breach of warranty

Product defect laws are tricky and vary state to state, and an experienced product defect attorney can review your circumstances and find out if you have any claim against an equipment manufacturer. If you have suffered an injury in a construction accident and you believe your equipment was not working properly, contact the Maryland, Virginia and Washington DC injury lawyers at Koonz, McKenney, Johnson, DePaolis & Lightfoot, L.L.P. for an evaluation and consultation.