When you go to the cell phone store to pick out a new, shiny, and often costly smartphone, you likely ask questions about its speed and memory. However, you may not think to ask about the possibility of spontaneous combustion and personal injury. Unfortunately, more than a million owners of Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 phones recently learned that they do have reason to fear, as the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued an official recall of the affected devices last month.
The recall was in response to numerous reports of dangerous malfunctions in the smartphones, including the following:
- 92 total reports of overheating batteries that suddenly caused the phone to catch on fire;
- 55 reports involving damage to property due to car fires and a garage fire;
- 26 reports of users being burned by the device;
- One report of the phone starting a house fire.
In response to these reports, Samsung took action to stop sales of this model and recalled millions of models that had been shipped for sale at retail stores. While these recalls do not involve every Galaxy Note 7 produced and sold, if you have this type of phone, you should immediately check whether the recall applies to you. If your phone has been recalled, Samsung will replace it with a reportedly safe phone at no cost.
Are The Replacement Phones Safe?
When you purchase a phone initially, you should expect it to be safe. If your phone is recalled and you have it replaced by the manufacturer, you should be able to be even more certain that the phone is safe. However, a recent story seems to indicate that the replacement models may still be defective. An entire plane had be evacuated because one passenger’s Samsung Galaxy Note 7 began smoking onboard the plane. The more disturbing part of the story is that the smoking phone was a replacement issued by Samsung and “confirmed” to be safe. This goes to show that users of replacement phones should be careful to avoid injuries and fires, as well.
Companies have the legal responsibility to make products that are safe and to provide necessary warnings if a product comes with the risk of injury. If you are injured by a defective product, you have the right to hold the negligent manufacturer liable for your medical expenses and other losses. The situation becomes even more egregious if a company fails to issue a recall or issues replacement products that are still harmful. Anyone who has been injured by a Samsung phone or another type of defective product should speak with an experienced personal injury lawyer as soon as possible.
All a Boca Raton Products Liability Attorney for Help
Products liability cases have specific legal issues that may arise and there are also unique challenges to taking on large corporations in these cases. At the Boca Raton law firm of Lavalle, Brown & Ronan, we know how to handle this type of case and will fight your right to recovery. Call us at 888-646-1315 for a free consultation.
Resource:
cpsc.gov/Newsroom/Press-Statements/Press-Statement-from-the-US-Consumer-Product-Safety-Commission-Regarding-the-Samsung-Galaxy-Note7/
