California residents like you expect that when you buy items, they are safe for use. After all, consumer products go through rigorous testing before mass production and sale to the public. 

Unfortunately, mistakes do happen, though. It is possible to get a defective product. These products, when defective, can also cause you potential harm. 

Design and manufacturing defects 

Cornell Law School lists the three types of product defects that incur liability. They are defects in design, manufacturing, and marketing. Defects in any of these areas have the potential to do consumers like you great physical, mental and emotional harm. 

Design defects exist before manufacturing begins. If a product has a design defect, this means the defect is inherent in the product itself. The design flaw makes the product dangerous to use even if it serves its intended purpose. 

Manufacturing defects occur when the item gets produced or constructed. In these cases, only a few products out of a batch end up with dangerous flaws. However, just this is enough to cause potential harm to the larger consumer base. Sometimes, many of the manufactured goods can share the same defect, too. 

Marketing defects

Finally, marketing defects involve issues with how a product gets sold and packaged. This can include a lack of proper warnings or labeling on a package to indicate potential dangers. It can also include unclear instructions that might lead someone to use the item incorrectly. 

Trouble in any one of these categories can lead to catastrophic injuries and incidents. People like you harmed due to these defects often seek compensation for the unexpected and traumatic damages you face.