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How Personal Injury Litigation Improves Product Safety
When people think of personal injury lawsuits, they often picture courtrooms, settlements, and injured individuals seeking compensation. What many don’t realize is that personal injury litigation — especially in product liability cases — has been one of the most powerful forces in making our world safer.
From safer cars to childproof medicine bottles, countless everyday protections trace their origins back to product liability lawsuits. Litigation has not just compensated victims — it has changed industries, pushed innovation, and saved lives. Here’s how personal injury litigation has long shaped — and continues to shape — overall product safety.
What Is Product Liability and Why Does It Matter?
Product liability refers to the legal responsibility manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, and retailers have for any injuries caused by the products they make or sell. When a product is defective or dangerous and causes harm, victims have the right to seek compensation through a personal injury lawsuit.
There are three primary types of product defects:
- Design defects (the product is inherently unsafe)
- Manufacturing defects (something went wrong during production)
- Failure to warn (the product lacked proper instructions or warnings)
Without personal injury litigation, companies would have little incentive to prioritize safety over profit. Litigation ensures public welfare remains at the center of corporate decision-making.
The History of Product Liability Lawsuits in America
In the early 1900s, injured consumers often had no legal recourse because of “privity of contract” rules requiring a direct relationship with manufacturers. This changed with landmark cases like:
These decisions laid the foundation for modern product liability law, shifting power back toward injured consumers.
How Product Liability Lawsuits Have Made the World Safer
1. Childproof Packaging: Parental lawsuits led directly to the Poison Prevention Packaging Act of 1970, saving countless children from accidental poisoning.
2. Safer Pharmaceuticals: Litigation exposed dangerous side effects and forced stronger warnings and safer drug approvals.
3. Fire-Safe Cigarettes: Tobacco litigation resulted in cigarettes that self-extinguish when left unattended, preventing thousands of fatal fires.
4. Safer Automobiles: Litigation forced auto manufacturers to improve crashworthiness, fuel systems, and add seat belts and airbags.
How Seat Belts Have Saved Lives:
Since the 1970s, seat belts have become one of the greatest public safety success stories in American history. As seat belt laws were enacted across the country and public awareness campaigns increased, seat belt usage rose dramatically — from under 15% in the early 1980s to over 90% today. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), seat belts saved an estimated 14,955 lives in 2017 alone. Over the past five decades, they are credited with saving more than 374,000 lives. This success shows how simple safety innovations, when combined with public education and strong legal enforcement, can produce staggering improvements in survival rates after car crashes. The chart below illustrates how the number of lives saved by seat belts has steadily grown year after year.
How Airbags Have Saved Lives:
While seat belts have been saving lives for decades, the widespread adoption of airbags in the 1990s added another critical layer of protection. Airbags are designed to deploy in moderate to severe crashes, providing a cushion that reduces the force on occupants’ heads and chests. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), frontal airbags saved an estimated 2,790 lives in 2017 alone. Over the past 30 years, airbags have saved tens of thousands of lives, significantly improving crash survival rates. The chart below illustrates how lives saved by airbags have steadily increased as airbags became standard equipment in nearly all passenger vehicles.
Landmark Product Liability Cases That Changed Industries
- Ford Pinto Case: Internal memos revealed Ford chose cost savings over human lives, leading to public outrage and safer fuel tank designs.
- Tobacco Industry Lawsuits: Litigation exposed decades of deceit, resulting in the historic Master Settlement Agreement and massive public health campaigns.
- Takata Airbags: Lawsuits forced the recall of tens of millions of vehicles — the largest auto safety recall in history.
Without personal injury lawsuits, these life-threatening dangers could have remained hidden.
How Litigation Drives Innovation and Consumer Protection
Opponents claim lawsuits stifle innovation, but history shows the opposite:
Litigation forces companies to innovate safer, better products. Today’s safer cars, appliances, toys, and medical devices exist because corporations know they can be held accountable when safety is ignored.
Additionally, companies may be liable for punitive damages, which serve as a powerful deterrent. They punish reckless behavior and force corporations to rethink dangerous practices and defective products.
Illinois Product Liability Law and the Burden of Proof
In Illinois, injured plaintiffs face a strict burden of proof in product liability cases. They must adduce evidence showing that the product was both defective and unreasonably dangerous when it left the manufacturer’s control.
This is established in Jablonski v. Ford Motor Co., 955 N.E.2d 1138 (Ill. 2011), where the Illinois Supreme Court held that plaintiffs must prove:
- The product’s defective design
- The feasibility of safer alternatives
- The manufacturer’s knowledge of potential dangers
- Whether safer options were reasonably available
The burden rests on the injured plaintiff — not the manufacturer.
“Bringing a product liability lawsuit is enormously challenging. Injured plaintiffs face an uphill battle against powerful corporations, the high cost of expert testimony, and complex technical defenses. At John J. Malm & Associates, we fully commit our time, talent, and resources to our clients’ causes — including a recent case where we traveled all the way to Japan to conduct depositions of product engineers in a wrongful death action. We stand with our clients every step of the way.”— John J. Malm, Illinois defective product lawyer
Threats to Product Liability Rights: The Fight Against Tort Reform
Today, tort reform measures like:
- Capping damages
- Shortening filing deadlines
- Raising burdens of proof
are gaining political traction. Supporters claim they reduce “frivolous lawsuits,” but critics warn they weaken consumer protections and shield corporations from accountability. Litigation still remains a crucial tool for public safety.
How Personal Injury Lawyers Protect Public Safety
Personal injury lawyers are often portrayed unfairly. In reality, they:
- Expose hidden dangers in products
- Demand accountability from companies
- Secure justice for victims
- Drive real-world safety improvements
Lawyers who pursue product liability cases protect everyone — not just their own clients.
Why Personal Injury Litigation Makes Us All Safer
From safer vehicles to better pharmaceuticals to safer children’s products, personal injury litigation has profoundly improved product safety. Without the civil justice system, profit motives would often overshadow public safety. The ability to hold negligent manufacturers accountable remains essential for protecting future generations.
Contact the Award-Winning Defective Product Lawyers at John J. Malm & Associates
At John J. Malm & Associates, we have proudly dedicated more than 90 years of combined legal experience to protecting injured individuals and families throughout Illinois. With offices conveniently located in Naperville and St. Charles, our award-winning team of Illinois personal injury and product liability attorneys has successfully secured millions of dollars in compensation for our clients.
Whether through aggressive litigation, expert investigation, or steadfast advocacy, we are committed to helping victims of dangerous products obtain the justice they deserve.
Contact us today at 844-MALMLAW or https://www.malmlegal.com/contact-us/ and learn how we can help you get the compensation you deserve.