A class action suit has to be approved by a judge.  It requires numerous plaintiffs and common questions of law and fact.Your wife can sue the manufacturer and seller (store where the product was purchased) for negligence and strict liability without a class action.Prior to filing a lawsuit, it may be possible to settle the case with the insurance carriers for the manufacturer and seller.  Your wife's claims filed with both insurance carriers should include her medical bills, medical reports, and documentation of wage loss.Compensation for the medical bills is straight reimbursement.  The medical reports document her injury and are used to determine compensation for pain and suffering which is an amount in addition to the medical bills.  Compensation for wage loss is straight reimbursement.If the case is settled with the insurance carriers for both the manufacturer and seller, NO lawsuit is filed.If your wife is dissatisfied with settlement offers from the insurance carriers, she should reject the settlement offers and file a lawsuit for negligence and strict liability.  If the case settles with one but not both parties (manufacturer and seller), only name the party with whom the case has NOT settled as a defendant in the lawsuit.Negligence on the part of the manufacturer is the failure to exercise due care to produce a product that is not defective.  This also includes failure to provide adequate warnings.  Strict liability imposes liability whether or not due care was exercised.The seller (store where the item was purchased) is liable even if it could not have known the product was defective or failed to provide adequate warnings.If the case is NOT settled, your wife's lawsuit must be filed prior to the expiration of the applicable statute of limitations or she will lose her rights forever in the matter.