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Accomplished Fort Worth Defective Vehicle Attorneys

When you are injured by a defective auto part in Texas

Although many car and truck accidents happen due to negligent or careless drivers, many wrecks also occur due to a defective vehicle or part. Auto manufacturers have a duty to consumers to provide safe and reliable vehicles. When they instead market and sell vehicles with design flaws and unsafe components that cause injury to drivers, passengers, and others, they must be held accountable for their negligence.

If you were injured in a car crash caused by a defective auto part, the Fort Worth injury attorneys at Slack Davis Sanger want to help. When auto manufacturers allow safety to fall by the wayside to make bigger profits, consumers suffer injuries or even loss of life. Our legal team holds them accountable for their negligence, building a strong case on your behalf and fighting for you until we achieve a successful outcome.

What defines a vehicle defect?

A vehicle defect occurs when a design flaw or error in manufacturing results in safety issues for car or truck owners. This can include the overall vehicle itself, or a particular vehicle part. Anything that compromises or affects the integrity and safety of the automobile is considered a defect, and once a manufacturer becomes aware of a potential safety issue, they must take immediate action.

The NHTSA, established in 1970, tests and rates vehicles for safety, makes recommendations to automakers for better crash protection systems, and announces safety issues and recalls. When any part of a vehicle fails to meet safety standards as laid out by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), drivers and passengers can experience serious collisions and crashes.

The Fort Worth injury attorneys at Slack Davis Sanger track down the details of the accident that caused your injuries, and where in the supply chain the vehicle part defect occurred.

What are some common vehicle defects?

Cars and trucks are, at their base, large machines with a lot of moving parts. A defect or flaw in even the smallest part can cause a chain reaction of failure, leading to a crash or collision. Common vehicle safety defects include the following:

Defective tires. When tires are either manufactured or repaired improperly, they can wear down more quickly or even blow out on the road. Typical tire defects include tread separation and zipper failure, either of which can cause driver loss of control.

Seat belt defects. Seat belt failure often leads to fatal injuries, as they are a key safety feature and prevent occupants from being ejected from the vehicle during a crash. Seat belts may fail to latch or stay latched, fail to unlatch and trap an occupant in a vehicle, or fail from weak or defective webbing.

Defective airbags. Another extremely dangerous vehicle defect, if airbags fail to deploy during a collision, drivers and front-seat passengers can suffer serious injury. In the same vein, if an airbag suddenly deploys for no reason, a driver could lose control of their vehicle, causing an accident.

Brake failure. Malfunctioning braking systems often aren’t discovered until it’s too late – after a rear-end collision or loss of control of the vehicle. This type of defect can occur in the manufacturing process or when a repair shop uses faulty parts.

Electrical malfunction. As more and more vehicles rely on technology, and some vehicles have gone all-electric, the risk of electrical malfunction rises. Defective electrical components can cause fires and explosions.

When any of these defects cause you or a loved one to suffer injury, the attorneys at Slack Davis Sanger work to find out why. We understand the overwhelming effect a serious or catastrophic injury has on both the victim and their family, and we want the responsible party held accountable.

What types of injuries do vehicle defects cause?

As with any type of car or truck accident, defective parts can lead to a range of serious personal injuries, including wrongful death. Depending on the severity of the accident caused by the defective vehicle part, an individual may experience head and brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, loss of limb, broken and fractured bones, or burn injuries.

How do defective vehicle parts get on the market?

Car and truck manufacturers must comply with federal safety standards set forth by the NHTSA. This obligation requires that all vehicles and parts included with their vehicles are free of defects. However, manufacturers may not discover a defect until consumers report injuries and accidents. When this happens to you, the legal team at Slack Davis Sanger launches an investigation to find out when and how this defect occurred.

Vehicle defects can happen at any part of the vehicle design, manufacturing, and marketing chain. When a vehicle part has a design defect, it means the part has a built-in flaw. The part will be defective on every vehicle in which it’s installed, and the company should have known of a safer alternative.

A part may be safe in design, but rendered defective in manufacturing. This means that, during the manufacturing or build process, the part became flawed. One example of this would be a particular run of tires with tread defects from a malfunctioning machine.

Finally, a vehicle may be technically safe but possess a marketing defect. This means the manufacturer failed to provide adequate safety warnings or instructions regarding operating or maintaining the vehicle. Vehicle owners have the right to the information they need to safely drive their vehicles.

When a car or truck manufacturer becomes aware of any of these safety issues or defects – whether before or after their vehicles hit the market – and fail to take timely or appropriate action, injury victims can hold them liable in court and the attorneys at Slack Davis Sanger can help.

How can a Fort Worth defective vehicle attorney help?

Defective vehicle accident claims are different than general car accident claims. With a defective part case, liability typically lies with the auto manufacturer rather than an at-fault driver – which means you’re facing some formidable opponents. Our legal team has nearly three decades of experience taking on big companies and vehicle manufacturers with excellent results, consistently recovering successful settlements and verdicts for injury victims and their families.

When we take your case, we search for and collect all evidence relevant to your accident and injuries. This can include your damaged vehicle, medical records and bills, eyewitness accounts, police reports, and a variety of other support for your claim. If necessary, we also employ accident reconstruction experts to determine the exact cause of your accident if it’s not immediately apparent.

We keep our clients informed every step of the way, allowing you to take the time to heal from your injuries but also feeling confident your legal team is fighting for you. At Slack Davis Sanger, we work to ensure you secure all of the compensation to which you’re entitled for your injuries and losses, including medical bills, loss of employment, pain and suffering, and other expenses associated with your accident.

Fort Worth vehicle defect attorneys on your side

After an accident caused by a defective vehicle part, get in touch with skilled attorneys as soon as possible. Slack Davis Sanger has decades of combined experience helping Texans when another person’s negligence causes them injury. We can help you, too. To schedule a free consultation at one of our offices in Austin, Dallas, or Fort Worth, please call 800-455-8686 or fill out our contact form.

Fort Worth Office

100 Lexington Street
Suite 70
Fort Worth, TX 76102

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Main Fort Worth Practice Areas

Personal InjuryCommercial Truck AccidentsCar Accidents
Worksite AccidentsDefective VehiclesMedical Malpractice
Pharmaceutical NegligenceDistracted DrivingUber Accidents
Lyft AccidentsBoat AccidentsProduct Liability
Wrongful DeathBurn InjuryAmputation
Spinal Cord InjuryConstruction AccidentsTraumatic Brain Injury
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