The number of UK deaths attributed to faulty kitchen appliances made by Turkish-owned company Beko has risen to 11, after a defective fridge freezer was blamed for a fire that killed a Belfast pensioner in January 2009. The 10 other alleged victims either also died in fires, or were poisoned by deadly carbon monoxide (CO) gas leaking from Beko-made gas cookers.
Beko insists it did enough to recall defective products and make consumers aware of the risks. However, an investigation by The Sunday Times claims that the firm didn’t act quickly enough to raise public awareness around the fire and poisoning risks posed by some of its products – despite Beko being warned about the potential dangers in November 2008.
Sadly, it looks like the deaths caused by defective Beko products could have been avoided. And Beko is now facing at least one major lawsuit as a result of its failure to make consumers aware of design flaws, or remove these products from the market. Thankfully, deaths caused by defective products are rare. But every year, thousands of people suffer physical, emotional or mental damage after using or being exposed to a defective product.
Compensation claims for defective products
As with any type of personal injury, you may be entitled to claim compensation if you’ve suffered harm from a defective product. To make a claim, the damage sustained must have been preventable, or caused by the manufacturer’s negligence or omission.
There are three main types of defective product claims:
Claims for manufacturing defects. E.g. internal injuries caused by food or drink contaminated by foreign objects during the manufacturing or packaging process.
Claims for design defects. E.g. electrical burns caused by using a faulty electrical product, where the fault was caused by a design defect.
Claims for inadequate warnings/instructions. E.g. harmful side effects from using a drug, where these weren’t mentioned on the product packaging.
Making a defective product claim
Defective product claims can be complex and it’s important to take expert legal advice. Let Injury Lawyers 4U handle your claim. We’ll give you an honest appraisal of the viability of your case before pursing your claim. If you want to proceed, we’ll offer advice and guidance every step of the way, and given that we work on a No Win No Fee basis, we won’t rest until you get the compensation you deserve.
Call us at any time of the day or night to discuss your claim on 0333 400 4445.