On June 10, 2020, Ushio America issued a recall for the Indiglow LED T8 Lamps. According to the recall, number 20-134, the lamps can overheat, causing the glass tube to fall and potentially strike anyone standing nearby; this represents an injury risk. The recall has affected approximately 3,000 units of the product.
The recall specifically involves the Ushio America Indiglow LED T8 backlight lamps, which have 4 ft. tubes. The affected lamps are drop-in replacements for both 30W and 32W T8 fluorescent tubes. “USHIO” and “Indoglow” are printed on the lamp. The product manufacturing date code (16xx or 17xx) is imprinted on the silver-aluminum end cap of the recalled lamps.
The defective lamps were sold from March 2017 to March 2018 at Candela Corporation, Bulb America, Atlanta Light Bulbs, Television Product Services Dial Electric, and other distributers nationwide. The lamps were also sold online via 1000bulbs.com and Ushio.com. The defective lamps were sold for approximately $25 each.
According to the recall, there have been at least five reports of the lamp tubes overheating and falling onto the ground; the company claims that no injuries have been reported.
Ushio America is urging affected consumers to immediately stop using the recalled lamps and contact them for more information on getting a full refund or a free replacement lamp. All known purchasers are being contacted directly.
Should you agree to a refund or a free replacement? If you or a member of your family suffered harm associated with a defective product, you should not simply agree to a refund or a free replacement. Instead, you should explore the legal options available to you and your family. Depending on the details surrounding the claim and the harm suffered, you might have grounds to pursue a product liability claim against Ushio America or any other company that negligently contributed to the harm suffered.
Are you interested in learning more about your right to pursue a product liability claim for the harm that you or a member of your family suffered because of a defective product? If so, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance with the experts at our firm immediately. At Normandie Law Firm, our lawyers are ready to provide you with the guidance that you need to pursue your claim.
Normandie Law Firm is a personal injury law group with many years of experience handling all sorts of claims – always representing the best interests of affected parties. Our firm has successfully handled product liability claims and helped injured consumers hold negligent companies accountable for their actions. Would you like to discuss the possibility of pursuing a claim with the experts at our firm? If so, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance with our lawyers at Normandie Law Firm as soon as possible.
The Risk Associated with the Defective Lamp
As explained above, the lamps can overheat; this can cause the lamp to fall and strike someone standing nearby. Why is this dangerous? The lamp could fall (from an elevated position) and strike innocent bystanders. This could result in head injuries, facial injuries, lacerations, and other injuries. If the lamp is overheated and makes contact with the skin, innocent bystanders could potentially suffer burns as well. Regardless of the harm that innocent consumers could suffer, affected consumers must acknowledge that the harm that they suffered would have been avoided if the defective product would have been addressed prior to being released to the public.
Understanding Product Liability and the Right to Sue
Did you or a member of your family suffer harm associated with a defective product? If so, you might have grounds to sue. Specifically, you might have grounds to file a product liability claim. Your right to pursue a claim will be based on the concept of product liability. Based on product liability, companies owe their consumers a duty of care – a duty to ensure that their products are safe for consumers to use. Because of this duty of care, companies must test and inspect their products, which allows them to identify and address any potential defects. This must all be done prior to making the products available to consumers. Unfortunately, companies can breach their duty of care and fail to identify/address the hazards present in their products – and they negligently make defective products available to consumers. The defective products can cause incidents which can harm innocent consumers.
When defective products directly lead to the harm that consumers suffer, the companies that negligently made the defective product available for purchase could be held liable for all the harm suffered. This means that companies could be sued for the harm caused by the defective products. If you would like to learn more about product liability and your right to pursue a claim, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance with the experts at our firm at your earliest convenience.
What Should You Do?
If you or a member of your family suffered harm associated with a defective product, there are a number of things that you should do to prepare to eventually pursue a claim. What should you if you or a member of your family suffered harm due to a defective product? Consider the following recommendations:
- Take photos of the injuries suffered
- Seek medical attention immediately
- Take photos of the defective product
- Do not tamper with the defective product (keep it as-is in a safe place)
- Contact the company to report the defect and the incident
- Do not agree to a refund, a replacement, or a free repair
- Do not agree to return the defective product
- Speak to witnesses present at the time of the incident
- Collect any surveillance footage that might have captured the incident
- Gather all medical records
- Gather any property damage records
- Gather proof of the purchase of the defective product
- Seek legal assistance immediately
When consumers affected by defective products follow these steps, they are essentially gathering the tools necessary to eventually hold the liable company accountable for the harm suffered. If you would like to learn more about the importance of following the steps listed above, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance with the experts at our firm immediately.
Could You Recover Compensation?
Depending on the details surrounding the incident, you might be eligible to recover monetary compensation upon reaching a successful claim outcome. Could you really be eligible to receive compensation for the harm that you suffered? If so, how much compensation could you be eligible to receive? What type of compensation could you be awarded?
Although every claim is different, you might be eligible to receive compensation for some of the following:
- Medical expenses
- Lost income
- Pain and suffering
- Property damages
- Loss of consortium
- Funeral and burial costs
- Punitive damages
- Legal fees
As mentioned above, the type and amount of compensation that you could be eligible to recover will always depend on the details surrounding your claim. Therefore, it is essential that discuss the potential value and recovery of your claim with an experienced lawyer. When you allow the defective product attorneys at our firm to handle your claim, you can trust that our lawyers will fight for your right to recover the highest amount of compensation available for your claim. Our lawyers are ready to negotiate a settlement or take your claim to trial to reach a verdict; whatever the case, you can trust that our lawyers are ready to help you recover the compensation that you are owed.
The Statute of Limitations
Undeniably, you might have grounds to pursue a product liability claim based on the details surrounding your claim. Were you aware that you could lose your right to sue? If you fail to take legal action within the appropriate length of time, you might lose your right to sue. All claims are subject to a statute of limitations – a deadline that establishes the length of time that claimants have to sue. If claimants fail to file their claims on time, they could lose the right to pursue their claims altogether.
How long do you have to file your claim? What is the statute of limitations that applies to your product liability claim against Ushio America or any other negligent company? In California, product liability claims are normally subject to a two-year statute of limitations; therefore, claimants will only have two years to file their claims. All parties considering the possibility of pursuing claims must also be aware that exceptions to the statute of limitations could apply – exceptions that could toll the applicable deadline.
To ensure that you have a thorough understanding of the statute of limitations that applies to your product liability claim against Ushio America, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance with the experts at our law firm as soon as possible.
Contact Our Firm Today
Are you in need of legal assistance after being harmed by a defective product? If so, do not hesitate to contact the experts at Normandie Law Firm as soon as possible. At Normandie Law Firm, our lawyers have many years of experience handling all sorts of claims, including product liability claims. Our lawyers have successfully handled defective product claims and helped injured consumers hold negligent companies liable for the harm caused by defective products. If you are ready to speak with the experts at our firm, contact us today.
At our firm, we are dedicated to providing consumers with the legal guidance necessary to reach successful claim outcomes. We offer free legal services – which include free consultations and free second opinions. During our free consultations and free second opinions, our lawyers will be available to provide you with all the information necessary to either start or continue your product liability claim. If you are ready to benefit from our free legal services, do not hesitate to contact our firm and request to speak with our lawyers at your earliest convenience.
Our firm also offers a Zero-Fee guarantee – a guarantee that our clients will not be required to pay any upfront legal fees for any of our legal services. Because our firm is also strictly based on contingency, our clients will not be responsible for paying any legal fees until after reaching a successful claim outcome. If you do not win, you will not be required to pay us anything.
