Man Sues After Defect in Prosthetic Leg Causes Injury

An Illinois man is filing a lawsuit against the makers of his prosthetic leg, claiming he suffered serious injury due to a defect in the product.

In a lawsuit filed in St. Clair County Court, Robert Robison claimed he fell multiple times because his prosthetic leg kept detaching from his body. Robison's lawsuit states he fell in December 2006 as he was opening the back door of his house, and again when he fell while walking down a driveway in September 2007.

The lawsuit states that when Robison stepped forward with his left foot, his prosthetic leg became detached from the socket it was attached to in the liner covering his residual limb, which caused him to fall.

Because of the fall, Robison said he was hindered from attending his usual affairs and has suffered a great deal of physical and mental pain and anguish. Robison is also claiming he has incurred large medical costs.

Robison is seeking more than $400,000 in damages, plus adittional costs for his injuries and medical expenses.

Robison claims that the manufacturer of the prosthetic leg, Orthotic and Prosthetic Lab, had a duty to manufacture and design the leg so that is was not defective, but failed to do that. Robison also claimed that the company acted negligently when it permitted the leg to be in an unsafe condition, failed to equip the product with safeguards, failed to design and protect the leg so it would not unexpectedly detach, and failed to provide adequate warning about the high degree of risk involved with use of the product.

Robison was fitted for the prosthetic leg in August 2003, and again in October 2006--both from Orthotic and Prosthetic Lab. Robison received the prosthetic after his left leg was amputated because of diabetes.

For more information about product liability law, please click here to find a personal injury attorney near you!