Car manufacturers make amazingly safe vehicles an overwhelming majority of the time. But, they’re prone to doing things wrong from time-to-time.
If you get hurt in an accident when is it the fault of the auto manufacturer?
Car manufacturers make amazingly safe vehicles an overwhelming majority of the time. But, they’re prone to doing things wrong from time-to-time.
For example, Takata had a huge airbag recall because their airbags would explode and shoot metal shards all over the interior of cars. 15 people died in the US, while 250 were injured.
And Takata? It eventually went bankrupt. This was not only the largest defective product liability issue in automotive history… it was the largest product liability issue for any product. Ever.
It ended up affecting around 37 million cars and 50 million airbags. They had to take responsibility for their faulty manufacturing. But when does an auto manufacturer have legal liability for their actions… and when don’t they? Let’s clear up the issue.
As long as a car manufacturer’s actions led to the creation of a product which caused your injuries, they can be held legally liable (called “strict liability”).
You don’t have to show they behaved negligently in any way. They could have observed every safety protocol to perfection. But if they still ended up creating a defective product somehow, you can recover financial damages if their product causes an injury to you.
Compare this to motor vehicle collisions, where you must show the other driver owed you a duty of care but behaved negligently in some way. In other words, there’s a lower burden of proof. And it’s easier to recover financial damages in this case.
Manufacturers still have a legal obligation to build products in a reasonable way not likely to cause their product to harm others.
Negligence in the manufacturing of car products is much more difficult to show. You must present concrete evidence of actions the manufacturer took or failed to take.
A warranty for a product can be implied or expressly granted in writing. If the manufacturer violates the warranty in any way, you might have recourse to recover financial damages from them.
However, breach of warranty is exceedingly rare and difficult to prove. It is by far the least common of the three ways to potentially show the fault of an auto manufacturer.
Proving liability is a relatively simple process. Here’s the steps our personal injury lawyers take:
Generally, manufacturers of car products are large corporations and they can hire skilled lawyers to defend their case. That means you need an experienced attorney with proven success in winning claims versus auto manufacturers.
If you believe you have experienced injuries and financial damages as a result of a defective auto product, ask the personal injury attorney you talk to if they have specific experience in proving that type of claim.
In the last 3 years, we’ve made TopVerdict’s annual Texas “Top 50 Personal Injury Settlements” list 43 times.
According to TopVerdict.com, our Dallas attorneys consistently achieve some of the highest recoveries in the state of Texas. As a matter of fact, in the last three years we’ve made their “Texas Top 50 Personal Injury Settlements” list 43 times. For example, in 2021 one of our claims made the Top 10 list, eight made the Top 11-20 list, and ten made the Top 21-50 list. When you factor in our reduced 29% contingency fee, we are confident we will help you recover more. At Mullen & Mullen, we pride ourselves on routinely recovering full policy limits for our clients without the necessity of costly and time-consuming litigation.
We have access to state-of-the-art diagnostic technology through well-established relationships with medical doctors, surgeons, physical therapists, chiropractors, neurologists, counselors, and other healthcare providers in the entire DFW Metroplex. You receive the quality medical attention you need from local providers near where you live or work. These providers specialize in treating people hurt in accidents of all kinds and they know how to properly document injuries to meet the legal burden of proof in your personal injury case. These providers are also willing to delay billing collections until after your case is resolved so you can focus on recovering without additional stress. Physicians that don’t routinely treat accident victims as part of their practice usually turn away patients over fear of being involved in the legal process or fear of health insurance companies refusing to pay accident-related healthcare bills. Please call us at 214-747-5240 for a free consultation and some advice.
Even if you don’t have health insurance or can’t afford your deductible, Mullen & Mullen will secure you the quality healthcare and state-of-the art diagnostics you deserve with no upfront out of pocket costs.
Shane, Joseph and Regis have almost 100 years of combined experience practicing personal injury law. That doesn’t even include the combined experience of the attorneys that serve as of-counsel to Mullen & Mullen at no additional cost to our clients. Our firm continues to evolve, but we never forget our Core Values. We do the right thing, handle cases the way we would want our own case handled, and we truly listen to clients. We have over 40 years of local knowledge, and that matters!
Some lawyers forget that they represent the client, but we never have. Our legal team will make YOU the priority. You are the boss, and we will respond quickly to your requests for case updates and assistance. We guarantee that when you need to speak to your counsel, you will speak directly to your counsel, not to a paralegal or secretary, because that’s the way it should be.
Most firms hire an investigator to help develop evidence on your case and charge you back for that service. Our firm, however, has 2 full-time accident investigators on staff and we offer their services to you for free. This is another way we will maximize your compensation.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Video footage is worth a lot more. Our in-house videographer allows us to capture the true impact the accident has on your life beyond mere words on a piece of paper.
When necessary, Mullen & Mullen Law Firm uses cutting edge technology like 3D imaging videos to fully demonstrate the extent of our clients’ injuries to the insurance companies. This also helps maximize the value of your claim.
Mullen & Mullen’s attorneys live and work right here in Dallas, and always have. We believe in paying our success forward by helping people in the North Texas community, and are dedicated to supporting these local charities.
Our success rate speaks for itself. We consistently earn awards from TopVerdict.com for achieving the highest settlement amounts in Texas. In fact, no other law office made their 2021 Texas "Top 50" personal injury settlements list as many times as we did. We placed on it nineteen times in a single year.
You'll always be kept in the loop regarding the status of your case. Calls are answered promptly, and you can even text your dedicated legal team directly 24/7.
We'll make you feel like part of the family, not just another case. Our compassionate lawyers will take the time to listen to your story, comprehensively understand your unique circumstances, and we will tailor our legal strategies accordingly. Your best interests are at the forefront of everything we do.
Mullen & Mullen has been a mainstay in the North Texas community since 1983. Our attorneys are always willing to meet with injury victims face-to-face. You won’t be dealing with some call center hundreds of miles away or on the other side of the country (or world).
We won’t back down or be intimidated in any form or fashion. We will not allow insurance carriers to delay, deny, or minimize your claim. We never hesitate to recommend litigation if it is necessary to achieve a just outcome.
When you work with a big law firm, you'll most likely be assigned a case worker and may never even talk to your attorney. Our attorneys make themselves available and invest in your case personally.
Of course we only get paid when you do. And when we do, we discount our legal fees to 29% instead of the industry standard 33.3% for claims that settle without litigation.
It's not just the hundreds of 5-star reviews that we've earned, but the things that our clients say. Read our reviews and you'll quickly see that we put passion into our work.
The Mullen & Mullen family is here to address your concerns and make the path to recovery smooth. There are no fees to get started and you pay $0 if we don’t settle your case.
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LICENSED BY THE STATES OF TEXAS & MISSOURI FOR THE GENERAL PRACTICE OF LAW. The information on this website is not intended to be legal advice. That can only come from a qualified personal injury lawyer who is familiar with all the circumstances and facts of your specific case and the law relevant to it.
