If you are injured by a defective product, you do not need to prove that a manufacturer was negligent, but only that the product was defective. A strict liability action can be brought against the parties that designed, manufactured, sold or furnished the product. It is possible for plaintiffs to recover punitive damages in strict product liability actions, though such cases are relatively rare and usually deal with outrageous conduct.
Punitive damages are money awards, which go beyond an award for other damages.
Punitive damages are intended to set an example and punish wrongdoers for intentional and outrageous conduct with evil intent. Liability actions against manufacturers for products that injure consumers also may be based on negligence, a contractual breach of warranty or, sometimes, a manufacturer's intentional wrongful conduct. Our brand-new power mower backfired and injured me. A disclaimer that came with the lawn mower said the manufacturer did not warrant it in any way. A toy my grandson was playing with came apart, and he put one of the pieces in his mouth and started choking.