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As a consumer, you place your safety in the hands of the manufacturers and companies behind the products you use every day. Most of the time, that trust goes unquestioned. But some companies prioritize profit over consumer protection, and when they do, the results can be devastating. Whether a product defect slips through by accident or gets ignored in the name of cutting costs, injured consumers are the ones left to deal with the consequences.
Serious injuries tied to defective products happen more often than most people realize, and victims often have more legal options than they expect. At Dormer Harpring, our Denver product liability lawyers help injured consumers understand their rights and pursue the compensation they deserve. If a defective product has harmed you or someone you love, you may have a strong claim against the manufacturer responsible.
Available 24/7 – Call us now at (303) 747-4404 for expert legal help. Your case matters, and we’re here to fight for you!
From cars, hairdryers or pressure cookers, there have been product defects in virtually every type of household good and appliance. Consumers are not always aware of the many different ways products can harm them. In general, a product defect will fit into one of three categories.
One type of product defect is a design defect. When a product contains a defect in the design, it can cause significant injury and harm. In some cases, a design defect could signal that the manufacturer did not properly test their product before sale. It could also show that the manufacturer ignored a design defect.
Common examples of design defects include:
A manufacturing defect is another type of product defect. When an error occurs during the manufacturing of a product, it can cause a dangerous defect. In these types of cases, only certain products may contain the defect.
Many product liability lawsuits fall under this category. Unlike other types of injury claims, product liability claims are liability without fault. This means that a manufacturer does not have to act negligently or maliciously to have the courts impose liability. Common examples of manufacturing defects include:
When a company fails to market its product with consumer safety in mind, this is a marketing defect. Marketing defects can cause serious injury and even death. As a result, the manufacturer is strictly liable for the damages caused. Common examples of marketing defects include:
In Denver, manufacturers, designers, wholesalers, and retailers can be held liable for product defects under strict liability, meaning they are responsible for injuries even without proof of negligence. Liability is often applied to all parties in the chain of distribution, including component part makers and assemblers, for manufacturing, design, or marketing defects.
Understanding who bears responsibility requires tracing the full path a product travels from concept to consumer. Colorado’s strict liability framework, set out in the Colorado Product Liability Act, allows injured parties to pursue claims against manufacturers and, in certain circumstances, others in the distribution chain, without having to prove that those parties acted negligently.
This framework can reach further than most consumers expect. Depending on the facts of a case, liability may extend to:
Colorado law does place some limits on strict liability claims against sellers who are not also the manufacturer. When a seller is also the manufacturer, or when a component part supplier contributed to the defect, liability exposure broadens considerably. Identifying every party in the chain, and understanding each one’s individual role in the harm, is often what separates a fully compensated claim from one falling short.
The scale of consumer product harm in the United States reflects how frequently defects go undetected until someone is injured. According to the most recent data available from the CPSC FY2024 Annual Report, the Commission reviews approximately 8,000 death certificates each year and tracks nearly 400,000 product-related emergency department cases annually through its National Electronic Injury Surveillance System. These figures represent real people harmed by products they had every reason to trust.
The data reveals where harm concentrates most. Sports and recreational equipment accounts for 1,527 deaths annually, with adults between 25 and 64 bearing the heaviest burden. Home furnishings and fixtures follow with 1,186 deaths, and home maintenance products contribute an additional 160. Even categories consumers rarely associate with serious risk, such as packaging and containers, account for 86 deaths per year. Across every product category, the pattern is consistent: when safety standards are not met, the consequences fall on ordinary people going about their daily lives.
Current recall patterns for product defects continue to reflect categories driving consumer product injury for several years. Small electronics with overheating and fire risks, children’s products with labeling gaps, and home goods failing under ordinary use conditions remain among the most frequently flagged items. Imported goods with inconsistent safety disclosures have drawn increased federal scrutiny as well.
For Denver consumers, these figures underscore a straightforward reality: a defective product can cause serious harm long before anyone identifies a problem.
Denver consumers who want dependable recall updates have several reliable tools. Recalls.gov serves as a central hub for recall announcements from multiple federal agencies, and its mobile app allows users to search by entering a product name or scanning a barcode. This creates quick access to safety alerts without navigating scattered online sources.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission also posts frequent alerts and investigations covering thousands of consumer products, including those that might create fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazards. Staying connected to these resources helps families make informed decisions and reduces the chance of relying on a product that already appears in an active recall notice.
This steady stream of information supports safe choices across the product liability landscape in Denver and nationwide, especially when people want to understand how recalls often connect to different types of product defects identified during investigations.
When a recall notice becomes available, immediate action helps limit further harm. Stop using the product as soon as the recall is announced, and for food items, avoid opening or consuming anything tied to the alert. Review the notice carefully, since manufacturers often explain the hazard and outline the steps needed to correct the issue. These steps may involve a refund, replacement, repair, or another remedy, and each option depends on the instructions provided.
When someone has already suffered an injury, preserving the product, packaging, and related materials can help clarify how the defect contributed to the harm. These details support product liability evaluations and help individuals describe the sequence of events clearly when they seek legal guidance.
Knowing a product caused an injury is rarely enough on its own. Under Colorado law, an injured person must demonstrate the product defect made the item unreasonably dangerous and served as the direct cause of the harm suffered. Each element requires evidence, and the evidence must be gathered before it disappears.
Physical preservation is the starting point. Keeping the product, its packaging, and any accompanying instructions gives attorneys and expert witnesses the ability to examine exactly what failed and why. Manufacturers and insurers will scrutinize whether the product remained in its post-incident condition from the time of injury to the time of inspection, so maintaining a clear chain of custody matters from the outset.
Expert testimony often plays a central role in these cases as well. Engineers, safety specialists, and industry professionals help explain why a design was unreasonably dangerous, how a manufacturing error occurred, or what a warning label should have communicated. Colorado juries are not expected to understand technical product standards without guidance, and a credible expert bridges the gap clearly.
Comparative fault is another factor Colorado courts consider in product liability cases. A plaintiff’s recoverable damages may be reduced if they bore some responsibility for the injury, such as by using a product in a way falling outside its intended purpose. If a plaintiff’s share of fault reaches 50 percent or more, Colorado law bars recovery entirely. Building a case limiting exposure to comparative fault arguments requires the same careful documentation supporting the liability claim itself, reinforcing why early legal guidance matters.
Denver Personal Injury Attorney
Fighting for Justice, Winning Against the Odds
Sean Dormer has built his career on standing up to powerful corporations and insurance companies to get justice for the injured. With a relentless trial-focused approach, he has secured multi-million-dollar verdicts and settlements for clients who were turned away by other firms. His expertise has led him to speak at statewide legal conferences and advocate for fairer personal injury laws in Colorado.
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A product defect can upend your health, your finances, and your daily routine in ways you did not anticipate. Manufacturers and their insurers act quickly after an injury, and physical evidence does not wait. Dormer Harpring represents injured Denver residents in product liability claims, pushing back against well-resourced corporate defense teams to pursue the full compensation our clients deserve. Call (303) 747-4404 for a free consultation with our product liability attorneys and take your first step toward understanding your legal options.
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This page has been written, edited, and reviewed by a team of legal writers following our comprehensive editorial guidelines. This page was approved by attorney, K.C. Harpring, a Denver personal injury attorney with extensive legal expertise.
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