Industrial and dangerous consumer machines are supposed to come with safety guards to protect people around them from getting hurt. However, defective machines and defects in the guards lead to a number of catastrophic injuries and deaths every year in Texas. The product liability attorneys at DJC Law have zealously advocated for individuals injured by inadequate machine guards, and if you have been injured from defects in a machine guard, we will fight for the compensation you deserve. Work with one of our Austin inadequate machine guard lawyers to improve your chances of obtaining a favorable case outcome.
Helping Austin Residents Injured by Inadequate Machine Guards
The Purpose of Machine Guards
Industrial machines such as punch presses, lawnmowers, and snowblowers are required to have machine guards to protect consumers and operators from the machine’s most dangerous components. This includes blades, spinning parts, or any component where a person might be foreseeably injured. However, some products, either through their design or manufacture, lack the proper machine guards to protect their users, and when that happens, people get hurt.
Injuries Associated with Inadequate Machine Guards
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) receives an average of seven complaints per day across the country that an inadequate machine guard resulted in an amputation injury. Importantly, OSHA only receives complaints for workplace injuries, not taking into account how many everyday consumers are also hurt by dangerous components in a product due to inadequate machine guards.
Injuries caused by inadequate machine guards are usually more severe than the typical product liability case, because the purpose of the machine guard is to protect consumers from the most dangerous parts of the product. Amputations of fingers, toes, and limbs are seen more often in these cases in addition to increased incidents of degloving. Other injuries caused by inadequate machine guards include:
- Broken bones
- Crushed limbs
- Extreme soft tissue damage
- Deep lacerations and burns
- Disfigurement
- Death
Given the life-altering and permanent injuries caused by inadequate machine guards, it is critical that you hire an experienced attorney who can fight for full compensation in your case.
Compensation for Inadequate Machine Guard Cases
Inadequate machine guards are considered product liability cases, which fall under the theory of strict liability in Austin. The victim injured by an inadequate machine guard does not need to prove that the designer or manufacturer was negligent per se, merely that the inadequacy of the guard directly caused the injury.
Compensation for inadequate machine guard injury cases includes both economic and non-economic damages for victims. Economic damages are for out-of-pocket expenses like medical bills, lost wages, and lost future income and benefits. Non-economic damages compensate the victim for pain and suffering, emotional distress, disfigurement, disability, and the loss of enjoyment of life. An Austin attorney can review your case and advise you about the true value of your inadequate machine guard claim so that you do not accept a settlement worth far less than what you are owed.
Get Help from an Austin Inadequate Machine Guard Attorney
If you have been injured because of an inadequate machine guard, let the skilled attorneys at DJC Law fight for your right to compensation for your injuries. Call our office today to schedule a free consultation with an Austin inadequate machine guard lawyer.