Product liability and gym exercise injuries

Anyone who wishes to shed a bit of extra weight, bulk up on muscle or just improve his or her general fitness is always advised to proceed with caution. There is always a danger that doing too much too quickly will counteract all their goals and leave them nursing injury. In these cases, unless it has been the forceful motivation of a personal trainer that has caused the injury, liability can only lie with the injured individual.

However, it is when there is a defect with the fitness equipment that an issue of product liability arises. If for example, the equipment is manufactured for "home" use only but becomes defective in a commercial setting, it is very likely the issue of liability for any personal injury will lie with the gym or leisure outlet rather than the manufacturer.

In cases where the fitness equipment has been manufactured with the express purposes of commercial use, chances are that unless their has been a negligent failure to maintain the equipment on the part of the gym or leisure centre, liability for any accident, injury and subsequent personal injury compensation claim will rest with the manufacturer.

One recent example of potentially defective fitness equipment occurred in 2007 when the manufacturer of popular core stability exercise ball had to recall many of its products from UK gyms because of potentially dangerous weight-bearing issues.

Unfortunately, although there is as yet no confirmation as to whether there will be any payouts of personal injury compensation for the incident, there are reports that in 2008 there has been at least one accident involving similar balls at gyms in the UK.

In one of these accidents, occurring at a London gym, a man was lifting bench-pressing on an exercise ball while under the supervision of a personal trainer when it suddenly burst causing the weights to collapse onto him, resulting in several broken ribs and a punctured lung.

Whatever the case, such accidents highlight the importance of individuals, manufacturers and fitness centres each playing their part in safeguarding the personal safety of exercise equipment users.

No win, no fee personal injury lawyers specialising in product liability claims
All manufacturers have a duty to the personal safety and health of consumers. Failure to ensure that a product acts in accordance with basic expectations of safe use can result in them being found liable for payouts of compensation.

We have many years experience representing clients who have suffered personal injury as a result of defective products and we have a number of no win, no fee lawyers on our panel firms who specialise in this kind of claim.

Making a claim for product liability compensation with us is risk-free. You can always rest-assured that we will never charge a single penny in legal costs or fees, protect you from costs incurred by the defendant side and, with our no-cut commitment guarantee all winning claimants 100% compensation.

If you wish to find out more about why we have forged such a strong reputation for excellence, simply give us a call on 0800 10 757 95.

Alternatively, you may wish to fill out an internet claim form, have an online chat or fill out a callback request.