Every day, we place our trust—and our lives—in the hands of countless products. We trust the car’s airbags to deploy, the baby’s crib to be safe, the prescription medication to heal, and the space heater to not catch fire. We assume that the companies making and selling these items have done their job to ensure they are safe. But what happens when that trust is broken? What happens when a company cuts corners, hides a known defect, or puts profits ahead of people, and a life is tragically cut short?
Here at The Killino Firm, our team has dedicated decades to fighting for families whose lives have been shattered by a defective product. We focus on these complex and challenging cases because we believe that powerful corporations must be held accountable for the devastation they cause. We have seen firsthand how a faulty medical device, a dangerous children’s toy, or a defective vehicle part is not just a headline; it’s a story of a family’s ultimate loss.
Losing a loved one is a profound and painful experience. When that loss is caused by a product that should have been safe, the grief is mixed with a deep sense of anger and betrayal. You are left with so many questions. How could this happen? Who is to blame? What can we do to make sure this doesn’t happen to another family?
Taking on a massive corporation can feel like an impossible fight. They have teams of lawyers and unlimited resources. Our job is to level the playing field.Â
It’s easy to think of a fatal product defect as a freak accident, a one-in-a-million tragedy. The truth is, it’s a public health crisis that happens in plain sight, in homes and on roads across the country every single day. The numbers are staggering.
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), an independent federal agency, consumer products are involved in an estimated 40,000 deaths each year in the United States. This doesn’t even include deaths from automobiles or workplace products. That’s more than 100 families losing a loved one every single day due to a product that was supposed to be safe.
The Alarming Statistics Corporations Don’t Want You to Know
Let’s dig into some of the data that reveals the true scope of this problem—statistics that rarely make the evening news.
This isn’t about bad luck. This is about a systemic failure to prioritize safety. The best way to fight back is to understand the full scope of the problem and to work with a wrongful death lawyer who knows how to utilize this data to build a strong case, such as The Killino Firm.Â
In the eyes of the law, a “defective product” isn’t just one that is broken. There are three distinct types of defects that can be the basis for a wrongful death lawsuit. Our investigation will focus on identifying which of these failures caused your loved one’s death.
Identifying the type of defect is the first step in determining who is responsible for the harm that was caused.
After a fatal incident involving a product, it can be difficult to know who to blame. The legal doctrine of “strict liability” often applies in these cases. This means that if a product is defective and causes a death, certain parties in the “chain of commerce” can be held responsible, even if they weren’t personally negligent. The simple act of putting a dangerous product into the hands of a consumer is enough.
Our investigation will look at the entire supply chain to identify every responsible party, which can include:Â
In many cases, we will file a lawsuit against multiple defendants. This is because all of these entities had a responsibility to ensure the product was safe before they profited from its sale. Holding the entire chain accountable is the best way to ensure your family receives full compensation and to send a powerful message that safety must come first. If you’ve been affected, contacting our experienced team is a crucial step to navigating this complex process.Â
A fatal defect can exist in almost any product. Over our decades of experience, we have seen tragedies involving a wide range of everyday items.Â
No matter what product caused the death of your loved one, the principle is the same: the companies that made and sold it had a duty to keep your family safe, and they failed.Â
Taking on a multi-billion dollar corporation is a David vs. Goliath battle. They will do everything in their power to deny responsibility, blame the victim, and hide the evidence. To win, you need a law firm with the experience, the resources, and the tenacity to beat them at their own game.
Here’s how we build a case for wrongful death:
This is a massive undertaking that requires a significant investment of time and money. It’s a fight that our firm is built for.
Key Takeaways
We understand that this is an overwhelming amount of information to process during an incredibly challenging time. Here are the most important points to remember:
Top Resource Groups for Survivors of Defective Product Wrongful Death
Losing a family member is devastating, and feeling like you’re alone in your fight can make it even harder. There are wonderful organizations that provide both the best emotional support and consumer advocacy.
Your first priority is always your family’s well-being. The most critical step you can take to protect your legal rights is to secure the defective product itself and not alter it in any way. This product is the most critical piece of evidence—it’s the star witness in your case. Do not attempt to fix it, take it apart, or throw it away, as this can destroy the proof needed to hold the manufacturer accountable. After preserving the product, contact our experienced team before speaking to any corporate or insurance representatives.
Correct. It is a legal cutoff that is absolute and rigidly applied. Every state has a “statute of limitations” that acts as a countdown clock, which is typically two years from the date of death. Missing this deadline means you permanently lose your right to file a Defective Product claim, no matter how clear the company’s fault is. A proper investigation into a complex product defect can take a year or more to complete, which is why it is vital to begin the legal process immediately.
State law determines who has the legal “standing” to file a wrongful death lawsuit. This right is generally granted to the victim’s closest surviving relatives, such as their spouse, children, or parents. It is important to know that while one person may file the suit, any financial recovery is for the benefit of all eligible survivors as defined by law.
Yes, because our firm levels the playing field by removing all financial barriers for your family. We handle all defective product wrongful death cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay absolutely nothing out of pocket. We invest our own resources to cover the substantial costs of litigation, including court fees and hiring world-class engineering and design experts to prove the defect. This model ensures you have the same powerful legal arsenal as the corporation you’re up against, and we only receive a fee if and when we win a financial recovery for you.
This is the most common defense tactic corporations use, and in many cases, it is not a valid excuse. A manufacturer has a legal duty to anticipate how a product might be foreseeably misused and to design safeguards or provide clear warnings to prevent harm. Even if there was some user error, the company can still be held fully liable if the product was unreasonably dangerous or lacked adequate safety features. A product’s design should incorporate protections against common, predictable mistakes, and a failure to do so is itself a form of defect.
We understand completely, and the reality is that the vast majority of these cases are resolved through a settlement. However, a fair settlement only occurs when the corporation and its insurance company understand that you are prepared and capable of prevailing in court. Every strategy we employ is rooted in preparing your case down to the finest detail, compelling them to offer a just settlement to avoid the risk of facing a jury. It is this aggressive preparation and our firm’s reputation for winning in court that provide the leverage needed to achieve the best possible outcome for your family.
The value of a case is determined by calculating the full scope of your family’s lifetime losses, which are separated into two categories. Economic damages include the lost income, benefits, and support your loved one would have provided. Non-economic damages are for the profound loss of your loved one’s love, companionship, comfort, and guidance. To prove these economic damages, we work with a team of economists and other experts to create a comprehensive economic impact report that projects these losses over a lifetime.
That’s the central challenge in these cases. We level the playing field by combining three key elements: experience, resources, and reputation. Our decades of experience mean we know the tactics these corporations use and how to defeat them. We have the financial resources to hire the absolute best engineering and scientific experts in the country to prove your case. Finally, our national reputation for taking cases to trial and winning demonstrates to corporations that we will not back down, forcing them to take your claim seriously from the outset.
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