On February 13, 2020, Fanim Industries issued a recall for their Harbor Breeze Santa Ana ceiling fans. According to the recall, number 20-072, the fan’s blade holders can suddenly break, allowing the blades of the fan to be ejected; this poses an injury risk to consumers. According to the recall, approximately 70,000 units have been affected by the recall.
The recall specifically involves the Harbor Breeze 48-inch Santa Ana Ceiling Fan. The model number, LP8294LBN, can be found both on the fan’ motor and the inside of the remotes’ battery compartment cover included with the fan. The recalled fan can also be identified by UPC code 840506599178. The recalled ceiling fans have two dark walnut fan blades, brushed nickel blade arm holders, as well as a frosted white glass globe (containing a light bulb).
The defective ceiling fans were manufactured in China by Fanim Industries and Imported by LG Sourcing. The fans were sold exclusively at Lowe’s stores nationwide. They were also available via Lowe’s website. The ceiling fans were sold for approximately $150 each from May 2014 to January 2016.
According to the recall, the company has received at least 210 reports of the fan blade breaking/ejecting from the ceiling fan; there have been at least 10 reports of an ejected fan blade hitting consumers. The company is urging all consumers to stop using the recalled ceiling fans and contact them for a free set of replacement blade holders.
Should you simply contact the company to get a free set of replacement blade holders? If you or a member of your family suffered an injury because of the defective ceiling fan, you should never consider following the recommendations set out in the recall. Although you should not continue using the defective product, you should seek legal assistance immediately rather than request a replacement for the defective blade holders.
Why should you seek legal assistance? The answer is simple. Depending on the harm that you or a member of your family suffered, you might have grounds to file a defective product claim. For more information about your right to take legal action for the harm that you or a member of your family suffered, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance with the experts at Normandie Law Firm at your earliest convenience.
Normandie Law Firm is a personal injury firm with many years of experience handling all sorts of claims, including defective product claims. Our product liability lawyers are ready to evaluate your claim and provide you with all the information that you might need to take action against the company that negligently contributed to the harm that you suffered. If you would like to explore the possibility of filing a product liability claim against Fanim Industries, do not hesitate to contact our experts at your earliest convenience. Our lawyers are ready to guide you through the legal process.
The Danger of the Defective Product
As explained above, the recalled fans’ blade holders can break, allowing the fan blades to be ejected from the fan – creating the risk of consumers being struck. According to the recall, there have been at least 10 reports of fan blades hitting consumers; however, it is likely that many others have been affected and suffered significant harm.
If fan blades are ejected from a fan, consumers could potentially suffer some of the following injuries: fractures, scrapes, lacerations, bruising, and head injuries, for example. Although these injuries might not seem severe, they are completely avoidable and could quickly change an affected party’s quality of life. In addition to the physical injuries mentioned above, mental and emotional injuries are also possible.
What is Product Liability?
All consumers should be familiar with the concept of product liability. Based on product liability, all companies owe their consumers a duty of care. Specifically, all companies have the duty to ensure that their products are completely safe for consumers to use. Companies must test and inspect their products to be able to identify and address any hazards or defects present in their products. When companies fail to identify and address the hazards present in their products, they are releasing defective products to consumers and putting their consumers at risk of injury – this is called a breach of duty.
If a breached duty of care (failure to ensure that products are safe for consumers to use) directly leads to the harm that an innocent consumer suffers, companies could be held accountable. Based on product liability, companies can be held accountable for the harm that their defective products cause their consumers. This means that these companies can be sued for the harm that their consumers suffered.
If you would like to learn more about product liability, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance with the experts at our firm at your earliest convenience. Our product liability lawyers are ready to help you hold Fanim Industry accountable for the harm that you suffered.
Suing and Receiving Compensation
Depending on the details surrounding the incident and the harm that you suffered, you might have grounds to file a claim and even recover monetary compensation. The type and amount of compensation that you could be eligible to receive will always be based on the details surrounding your claim.
You could be eligible to receive at least some of the following:
- Medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Pain and suffering
- Property damage
- Loss of consortium
- Funeral and burial costs
- Punitive damages
If you would like to learn more about the type and amount of compensation that you could be eligible to receive if your product liability claim is ultimately successful, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance with our experts at your earliest convenience. Our defective product attorneys are ready to aggressively fight for your right to recover the highest amount of compensation available for your claim. Do not hesitate to contact the experts at our law firm.
What Should You Do?
Unfortunately, many people do not take the necessary actions immediately after being harmed; therefore, they affect their chances of successfully filing a claim. If you or a member of your family suffered any harm because of a defective product, such as the defective ceiling fan recently recalled by Fanim Industries, you should take the following steps:
- Stop using the defective product
- Take photos of the defective product (of the fan blade on the floor, for example)
- Take photos of any physical injuries suffered
- Seek medical attention immediately
- Gather the pieces of the defective product and keep it in a safe place
- Do not try to repair the defective product yourself or tamper with it in any way
- Contact the company to report the incident, the product defect, and the harm suffered
- Do not agree to a full refund
- Do not agree to a free repair (or free repair kit)
- Do not agree to return the defective product to the company
- Gather witness information, if witnesses were available
- Gather all medical records
- Gather all records relevant to the purchase of the defective product
- Seek legal assistance immediately
Why are these steps so important? When affected parties follow the steps listed above, they are essentially preparing to file their claims. They are gathering the tools that they need to pursue their claims. If you are unsure of what you should do after being harmed by a defective product, simply seek legal assistance immediately – our experts are ready to guide you every step of the way.
The Applicable Statute of Limitations
Even if you have the right to sue after a company negligently contributed to the harm that you suffered due to a defective product, the failure to take prompt legal action could severely impact your claim – specifically, failing to act on time could result in losing the right to sue. All claims are time sensitive. They are subject to a strict deadline to ensure that they are promptly filed.
Specifically, claims are subject to a statute of limitations, which determines the exact length of time that claimants have to sue. If they fail to file their claims within the time allowed by the statute of limitations, they will lose their right to sue. In California, product liability claims are generally subject to a two-year statute of limitations (this gives claimants only two years to file their claims). Although the statute of limitations establishes a strict deadline, certain exceptions can apply based on very specific case details. If any exceptions apply, the applicable deadline could be tolled or paused.
To ensure that you have a thorough understanding of the total length of time that you have to pursue your product liability claim, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance with our experts at your earliest convenience. Our lawyers are ready to evaluate your claim and help you file on time.
Contact Normandie Law Firm Today
Were you or a member of your family harmed by the defective ceiling fans that were recently recalled by Fanim Industries? If so, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance immediately – you might have grounds to file a product liability claim. If you would like to learn more about the possibility of suing the company accountable for the harm that you or a member of your family suffered, do not hesitate to contact our firm at your earliest convenience.
Normandie Law Firm is a personal injury law firm dedicated to representing all victims – including those that are injured by defective products. Our lawyers have many years of experience handling product liability claims and are not afraid to hold negligent companies accountable for the harm that they caused their consumers. Our lawyers are ready to evaluate your defective product claim and help you recover the compensation to which you are entitled.
At our firm, we are dedicated to representing all affected parties; therefore, we offer free legal services. Our free legal services include free consultations and free second opinions. During our free consultations and free second opinions, our lawyers will be available to answer all your questions, address all your concerns, and provide you with absolutely all the information and guidance that you might need to start or continue your claim against the company that negligently contributed to the harm that you suffered.
Our firm offers a Zero-Fee guarantee that ensures that our clients – the unfortunate victims of defective products – never have to worry about upfront legal fees. Our firm also offers a strict contingency structure, meaning that our clients will not be required to pay anything until after reaching a successful claim outcome.
If you are ready to discuss your product liability claim with the experts at our firm, do not hesitate to contact us at your earliest convenience.
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