On February 6, 2020, Rawlings issued a recall for their CHMACH-SR Senior Catchers helmets. According to the recall, recall number 20-067, the back plate of the catcher’s helmet can fail to protect the player; this results in a risk of head injury to the user. Approximately 1,400 helmets were affected by the recall in the U.S.
As mentioned above, the recall includes the Rawlings CHMACH-SR Senior Catchers Helmet. The helmets have “MACH” printed on the hangtag attached to the helmet at the time of purchase. On the helmet, “Rawlings” is printed on the side and the “R” Rawlings logo is printed on the front (center). The helmets have a gray chin strap.
The helmets are plastic and were sold in two-tone color combinations:
- Black/white (UPC 083321545504)
- Green/white (UPC 083321545511)
- Navy/white (UPC 083321545528)
- Red/white (UPC 083321545566)
The UPC code can be found printed on the hangtag attached to the helmet at the time of purchase. Inside the helmet, a sticker that reads “CHMACH-SR-RevA” can be found.
The defective catcher’s helmets were sold nationwide at sporting goods stores as well as online at Rawlings.com and other sites. The helmets were sold from July 2018 to September 2019 for approximately $200 each.
According to the recall, no incidents have been reported.
Rawlings Sporting Goods is urging affected consumers to immediately stop using the recalled helmets and contact them for a free replacement back plate for sizes 7.5 and below or a full refund for sized over 7.5.
Although Rawlings claims that there have been no incidents associated with their defective products is possible that there have been unreported injuries. If you believe that you or a member of your family suffered harm because of the defective helmets, you should not even consider contacting Rawlings for a free replacement or a full refund; instead, you should seek legal assistance and explore the possibility of filing a claim against Rawlings.
If you or a member of your family suffered harm because of the defective helmets recently recalled by Rawlings, you might have grounds to file a claim – specifically, you could file a defective product claim. If you would like to learn more about the possibility of taking legal action after being harmed by a defective product, do not hesitate to contact the experts at our firm today.
At Normandie Law Firm, our defective product attorneys have many years of experience handling product liability claims – helping affected consumers hold negligent companies accountable for the harm associated with their defective products. Our lawyers are ready to evaluate your claim and provide you with the guidance that you need to take action and recover the compensation that you deserve.
The Risk of Head Injuries
In all sports, there is a specific risk of injury (usually, the types of injuries suffered are associated with the specific position being played). In baseball, catchers are likely to suffer a number of injuries, including lower back injuries, knee injuries, and concussions. In catchers, lower back injuries and knee injuries are typically associated with the stance that players must constantly be in. In contrast, concussions are associated with preventable incidents.
A concussion is a type of head injury that results in the temporary loss of brain function. Usually, these head injuries are minor and require little to no treatment. However, severe head injuries can cause permanent damage, which can lead to paralysis, spasticity, vision issues, difficulty walking, seizures, issues with memory, confusion, and issues with language, for example.
Head injuries are usually associated with blows to the head. Collisions are likely to result in head injuries. Catchers that are struck in the head by bats or balls, for example, could also suffer head injuries. Because of the risk of head injuries, catchers must wear protective equipment – usually in the form of helmets. Helmets are supposed to protect catchers’ heads if any incidents occur.
Unfortunately, helmets fail to protect catchers, and catchers suffer completely avoidable head injuries. Defective helmets do not offer the protection necessary to prevent these injuries. These injuries could effectively prevent victims from living a normal life.
Understanding Product Liability for Defective Products
If you or a member of your family suffered a head injury because of a defective catcher’s helmet, do you have the right to take any legal action? Depending on the details surrounding your claim, you might have grounds to file a claim against the company that made the defective product available to you.
Your right to take legal action is based on product liability. That is, companies owe their consumers a duty of care. All companies have the duty to ensure that their products are completely safe for their consumers to use. They must identify and address all hazards present in their products prior to making products available to consumers. When companies fail to identify and address the hazards present in their products, they are breaching their duty of care.
Every time that companies release defective products, they are breaching their duty of care, and they are putting their consumers at risk of being harmed. The breached duty of care could result in incidents that could directly contribute to the harm that consumers suffer.
If the harm that you or a member of your family suffered could be directly associated with a breached duty of care, you might have grounds to sue based on product liability. This means that you could hold a company, like Rawlings, accountable for the harm that you or a member of your family suffered. If you would like to learn more about product liability, do not hesitate to contact the experts at our law firm at your earliest convenience.
Could You Sue and Recover Compensation?
If you were harmed by a defective product, such as the defective Rawlings catcher’s helmets, could you sue and receive compensation? If the harm that you or a member of your family suffered was a direct result of a defective product and a breached duty of care, you might have grounds to sue. If your claim reaches a successful outcome, you might be eligible to recover monetary compensation.
How much compensation could you receive? What type of compensation could you recover? The type and amount of compensation that you could be eligible to receive will always depend on the details surrounding your claim; therefore, it is important to speak with a product liability expert for information regarding your specific claim.
Although all claims are different, some of the categories of compensation that are sometimes available for recovery include the following:
- Medical expenses
- Lost earnings
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of consortium
- Funeral and burial costs
- Punitive damages
For more information about the type and amount of compensation that you could be eligible to receive, do not hesitate to contact our law firm at your earliest convenience. Our lawyers are ready to aggressively fight for your right to be compensated for the harm that you suffered. When you allow the experts at our firm to handle your claim, you can trust that there will always be someone ready to fight for your right to recover the highest amount of compensation available. If you would like to learn more about the type and amount of compensation that you could be eligible to receive, do not hesitate to contact our firm today.
What Should You Do?
After being harmed by a defective product, there are a number of things that affected parties should do. As typically recommended by the companies, you should immediately stop using the defective product; however, you should never follow the recommendations of contacting the company for a free replacement or a full refund (as recommended in the helmet recall).
What should you do? Consider the following suggestions:
- Seek medical attention as soon as possible
- Take photos of any visible injuries
- Take photos of the defective product
- Stop using the defective product and keep it as-is in a safe place
- Do not attempt to repair the defective product
- Contact the company to report the defective product as well as the harm suffered
- Do not accept offers of full refunds, free repairs, or free replacements
- Do not return the defective product to the company
- Gather all medical records
- Gather all purchase records
- Gather witness information, if available
- Seek legal assistance immediately
When you follow the steps listed above, you are essentially preparing to pursue your claim – you are gathering the tools necessary to take action against the company that negligently contributed to the harm that you suffered. For more information about the importance of following these steps, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance with the experts at our law firm at your earliest convenience.
The Statute of Limitations
There is no doubt that you could pursue a claim against a company that negligently contributed to the harm that you or a member of your family suffered. Did you know that you could lose your right to sue if you fail to file your claim on time? All claims are subject to a statute of limitations. A statute of limitations determines the length of time that claimants have to file their claims. If claims are not filed on time, claimants will simply lose their right to take any legal action.
What deadline applies to your claim? In California, product liability claims are subject to a two-year statute of limitations. This means that claimants will only have two years to pursue their claims. Although this is a strict deadline, it is possible for exceptions to apply. If any exceptions apply (based on the details of your claim), the applicable deadline could be tolled.
To ensure that you have a thorough understanding of the length of time that you have to pursue your claim, do not hesitate to contact our firm at your earliest convenience. Our lawyers are ready to provide you with all the information that you need.
Contact Normandie Law Firm Today
Normandie Law Firm is a personal injury law firm with many years of experience handling all types of claims, including product liability claims arising from defective products. Our product liability lawyers are ready to fight for your rights as a consumer and help you sue the company that negligently contributed to the harm that you suffered. If you would like to discuss your current situation with the product liability experts at our law firm, do not hesitate to contact our firm today.
At our firm, we are aware that many people with valid claims never take any legal action because of the fear associated with legal expenses. Because of that, our firm is dedicated to remaining accessible to all. Specifically, 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 sand address all your concerns. Our product liability lawyers will provide you with all the information that you need to pursue your claim against Rawlings or any other company that negligently contributed to the harm that you or your family suffered.
We also offer a Zero-Fee guarantee that ensures that our clients never have to worry about paying any upfront legal fees for any of our legal services. Our firm is also based on a strict contingency structure; therefore, our clients will not be required to pay anything until after reaching a successful claim outcome. If you are ready to discuss your claim with the experts at our firm, do not hesitate to contact us at your earliest convenience.
Other Pages on Our Website Related to This Topic
Briggs & Stratton Recall Snapper Rear Engine Riding Mowers Due to Injury Risk
Sears Recalls Kenmore Microwave Ovens Due to Burn Risk
Nissan Issues Recall for Nearly 400,000 Vehicles because of Fire Risk
