Documentation and evidence are crucial to your case

If you have been injured by a defective product, you may be able to recover compensation for your damages through a product liability lawsuit. The type of product can be just about any consumer product, from automobiles to medical implants. The types of damages can include medical expenses, lost wages and pain and suffering.

But before you can recover any of that, of course, you have to prove your case. You must provide evidence of your damages and evidence that your damages resulted from a defect in the product.

To prove your damages, documentation is key. You should keep copies of all your medical bills and other relevant expenses. Keep pay stubs so that you are prepared to show how your injury affected your income.

Perhaps the most important piece of evidence in your case is the product itself. When possible, plaintiffs need to keep the product, its packaging, instruction manual and proof of purchase. Obviously, it’s more realistic to expect the plaintiff to preserve this kind of evidence in a case involving a consumer product such as a bicycle than something like a pharmaceutical or a perishable food product, but the more evidence you have, the stronger your case. When consumers dispose of the defective product that injured them, they may be throwing away their best chance to recover compensation.

Another factor you must consider is the statute of limitations. You have a limited amount of time after your injury in which you can file a personal injury claim. Talk to a personal injury claim as soon as you can after your injury to begin learning about your rights and legal options.