In 2016, Cody Hamblin, then 22-years-old, died while fishing on Memorial Day with his grandfather. According to a lawsuit filed by his father, Darren Hamblin, he had a seizure while on a boat, fell into the water and died. Mr. Hamblin sued Riddell Sports Group and the parent company of Schutt Sports as defendants. He has alleged negligence, product liability, negligent misrepresentation, fraud, and wrongful death.
Mr. Hamblin’s suit claims that Cody, who played football from 2001 (at age 8) until 2011, developed brain and neurological damage while using the companies’ helmets. It further alleges that Cody “did not know the long-term effects of repeat brain injuries, subconcussive hits and cumulative brain trauma and relied on” Riddell Sports Group and Schutt Sports to protect him.
According to Mr. Hamblin’s claim, children are more susceptible to head, neck and brain injuries than adults because their heads and brains are much larger compared to the rest of their bodies. Mr. Hamblin alleges the defendants failed to consider this information, which led to design defects, failure to provide necessary and adequate information and misrepresentations about their products.
When someone is injured or dies as a result of a product defect, financial recovery may be available. Such recovery is particularly important when permanent, life changing injuries are incurred. It is important to contact someone who understands the intricacies of the injured party’s right to recover.
Abraham Watkins offers a free consultation to anyone wishing to pursue a claim for injuries that occurred as a result of a product defect.