A former sheriff’s detective is filing a wrongful death suit against a company that manufactures gun safes, saying faulty production resulted in the death of his 3-year-old son. New Jersey residents may be aware of the tragic death of the child, which happened in September of 2010. The man and his wife are also suing the sheriff’s office as part of the suit, which claims the gun safe constituted a defective product.
According to the law suit, the child was able to gain access to the family’s Stack-On Strong Box gun safe in the parents’ closet. From there he removed a loaded pistol, which tragically went off, killing the child. The gun safe was purchased for the detective by the sheriff’s office where he worked.
The law suit is not without precedent, as the company that manufactures that particular model of gun safe has had a history of recalling safes with defects. However, the law suit claims the company had been receiving complaints since 2006 about this particular model, citing a non-functional loss. The suit says the company did not sufficiently assess this issue, and as a result, the child was able to access the safe and the weapons inside.
The death of a child is a terrible tragedy in any situation, and the fact that a defective product may have contributed in this case makes it even more so. It behooves manufacturers in New Jersey and elsewhere in the nation to stringently test their products for manufacturing defects, especially when people rely on their functionality for the safety of their children. Anyone who believes they have been injured as a result of a defective product should seek assistance in determining their rights under state law.
Source:Â Columbian.com, “Ex-sheriff’s detective files lawsuit in son’s death,” Paris Achen, July 23, 2013
