Honolulu Lawyers With Experience in Defective Product & Dangerous Drug Cases

The defective product lawyers at Shim & Chang have helped many clients harmed by defective products and dangerous drugs. In the modern world, we are surrounded by manufactured products, including the cars we drive, our ovens, washing machines, and appliances, and even our foods and medications. Hawaii law holds manufacturers and/or distributors liable for any product defect that results in injury to a consumer.

Defective Product Cases

A product may be dangerous because of a manufacturing defect or a design defect, or a product may have inherent but unobvious dangers, which require warnings to consumers. Shim & Chang is qualified to represent personal injury victims in all types of products liability cases. Here are just a few examples of products liability claims we have handled in the past:

• Our client was doing her laundry at a Laundromat. When the washing machine she was using stopped, she opened the door to take out her laundry. When she put her hand in the machine, however, it started again, grabbing and breaking her arm. She lost the use of her arm as a result. Shim & Chang hired an expert to examine the machine, and we found that the microswitch in the door that prevents the machine from starting while the door is open had malfunctioned.

• In another washing machine case, our client’s daughter was doing her laundry at home. A short time later, she was found dead. A medical examiner determined that she had been electrocuted. Our expert was able to establish that the grounding wires for the washing machine had failed, and the control panel had become energized through water and the vibration of the machine.

• Escalators are also dangerous products. We have represented numerous children who have lost parts of their body or become disfigured due to getting their hands and fingers stuck in the escalator steps and handrail return.

Dangerous Drug Cases

Medications we take can cause serious harm and even death if a drug is defective or if warnings of side-effects and risks associated with the drug are inadequate. A patient may also be put in danger if a drug is incorrectly prescribed or over-prescribed by a doctor.

The experienced Honolulu legal team at Shim & Chang represented the families of three infant boys who were given a prescription steroid for an extended period of time. In its attempt to market the steroid and turn a huge profit, the drug manufacturer, one of the largest in the world, claimed that the steroid would be safe to administer to children, and for minor conditions such as a runny nose. The company never warned that the drug should not be used for an extended period of time.

Our clients’ sons were given this steroid daily for over two years. When they became extremely ill, the treating hospital discovered the gross negligence of the doctor who prescribed the steroid and the drug company. These boys were deformed, hairy, had fragile skin and blood vessels, and their blood pressures were in the hundreds. Ultimately, they were weaned off the medication, but the harm had been done. Two had brain injuries, and one died of a brain aneurysm.

It took many years, but we reached a successful settlement for the families.

Talk to a Honolulu Attorney About Defective Products & Dangerous Drugs

If you or a loved one has been harmed by a defective product or dangerous drug anywhere in Hawaii, please contact Shim & Chang for a free initial consultation at our Honolulu office. We are not only experienced, but we have also taken on some of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, the largest drug companies, major industry manufacturers of escalators and elevators, and major manufacturers of appliances and other products.