Massachusetts Man Wins $1.5 Million In Table Saw Case

table_saw_product_liability.jpgIn a recent Boston Globe article, reporter Jenn Abelson covered a $1.5 million jury verdict in favor of a Malden man, Carlos Osorio, in a products liability action against a table saw manufacturer that claimed the saw was defective because it was not equipped with “flesh detection technology” that would have caused the blade to stop when it got too close to human flesh. Yes, such “flesh detection technology” does exist and is quite effective.
Flesh detection technology is just another example of a safety device that would probably not exist if there were no products liability lawyers to force manufacturers to internalize the costs that society incurs through the use of dangerous and defective products. Table saws without such safety technology are cheaper. Most table saws are probably purchased and used by construction companies, who generally can’t be sued by their employees because of Worker’s Compensation technology. Do you think construction companies would be willing to shell out extra for a premium model? It seems unlikely. But manufacturers sell saws equipped with flesh detection technology because it’s cheaper to offer safety technology than to pay up in lawsuits.
A couple generations ago, products liability lawyers were the ones who got manufacturers to adopt safety guards and other “bells and whistles.”
If you see a lawyer today, give her a hug. She may have saved your fingers from being sawed off.


If you have been injured by a dangerous or defective product and require the services of a Boston product liability lawyer, call The Law Office of Alan H. Crede at (617)973-6434 for a free consultation.