DeWALT Miter Saw Injury Attorneys
A defective DeWALT miter saw injured you or someone you love. The product never should have left the factory floor, yet over 1.2 million of these dangerous saws made it into homes, job sites, and workshops across the country. Now DeWALT wants you to accept a free repair kit and move on.
Not on our watch.
At Ankin Law, we don’t settle for corporate apologies when our clients have suffered real injuries. Our DeWALT Miter saw injury attorneys demand full compensation for people injured by recalled tools. We’ve built our reputation on going toe-to-toe with major manufacturers and winning. If a defective DeWALT miter saw has caused you or a loved one harm, we know exactly how to make them pay for it.
Call (312) 600-0000 for Ankin Law now. The consult is free.
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The DeWALT Miter Saw Recall: Over 1.2 Million Dangerous Tools
In August 2022, DeWALT recalled approximately 1.25 million 12-inch Sliding Compound Miter Saws after the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) identified a critical safety defect. The rear safety guard, which is the very component designed to protect users from the spinning blade, can break apart or completely detach during operation.
Think about that for a second. The safety feature meant to keep you safe is the exact thing putting you in danger.
Models Affected by the DeWalt Recall
The recall covers three specific models with date codes from April 2019 through April 2022:
- DWS779 – 12-inch Sliding Compound Miter Saw
- DWS780 – 12-inch Sliding Compound Miter Saw
- DHS790 – 12-inch Sliding Compound Miter Saw (battery-powered)
These saws feature a distinctive yellow body with black accents and the DeWALT logo. If you purchased your saw between April 2019 and May 2022 from Lowe’s, Home Depot, Amazon, or other retailers for around $600-$820, you need to check if your model is affected.
How to know if your miter saw is part of the recall:
- For DWS779 and DWS780 models: Check the black plastic motor end cap adjacent to the nameplate for the date code
- For DHS790 model: Check the yellow plastic housing adjacent to the batteries for the date code
- Saws with a green dot on the nameplate or black dot on the arm have already been inspected and are not part of the recall
The Real Numbers Behind DeWALT’s “Isolated Incidents”
At the time of the recall in 2022, DeWALT reported at least 571 incidents of the rear safety guard breaking or detaching. That’s not a minor quality control issue. That’s a systemic manufacturing defect that put over a million people at risk.
Even more concerning? At that time, at least 9 people suffered laceration injuries serious enough to be reported to the CPSC. But here’s what DeWALT won’t tell you: those are only the injuries people reported, and that doesn’t include injuries that happened after the saw was recalled. The actual number of injuries is almost certainly higher.
We’ve seen how this plays out. Many people suffer severe cuts, eye injuries, or other trauma and don’t find out about their legal options. They get their “free repair kit,” and never look into recovering compensation for their medical bills, lost wages, or pain and suffering the defective saw caused.
That’s exactly what DeWALT is counting on.
What Happens When a Safety Guard Fails?
When the rear safety guard on a miter saw breaks or detaches, two catastrophic scenarios occur:
High-Velocity Projectiles
Fragments of the broken safety guard become projectiles traveling at dangerous speeds. These pieces can strike users directly in the face, eyes, or body, causing severe trauma even to bystanders standing nearby.
Direct Blade Contact
Without the protective barrier, users can come into direct contact with the 12-inch spinning saw blade. At thousands of RPMs, a miter saw blade doesn’t just cut; it destroys tissue, severs tendons, and causes permanent disfigurement in milliseconds.
Common Injuries Caused by Defective DeWALT Miter Saws
When a miter saw guard breaks off at full speed, it’s not a “minor hazard.” These machines spin at over 3,800 RPM. A detached safety guard can send sharp fragments flying, expose spinning blades, and cause significant trauma in an instant.
Amputations and Deep Lacerations
A split-second malfunction can cost a worker part of a hand or several fingers. Even with quick emergency care, deep lacerations often lead to permanent nerve damage, disfigurement, and long-term pain. These are life-changing injuries. They’re not something a “repair kit” can fix.
Nerve and Tendon Damage
Even if amputation doesn’t occur, severed tendons or nerves from exposed blades can cause lifelong weakness or loss of movement. Victims often require multiple surgeries and extensive physical therapy just to regain partial function.
Eye and Facial Injuries
When plastic guards or metal fragments break free, they can hit the user or bystanders at high velocity. We’ve seen serious eye injuries, facial cuts, and even cases of permanent vision loss caused by flying debris.
Kickback and Secondary Trauma
When a saw malfunctions mid-cut, kickback can slam the tool into the user’s body or send workpieces flying. Victims have reported broken wrists, shoulder injuries, and blunt-force trauma — all from a defect that should never have existed.
If you suffered any injury from a defective or recalled DeWALT miter saw, don’t let the company convince you it’s your fault. Call (312) 600-0000 for Ankin Law.
Who Can Be Held Liable for DeWALT Miter Saw Injuries
When a defective tool causes serious injury, it’s rarely the result of one person’s mistake. It’s a chain of negligence, and every link in that chain can be held accountable.
At Ankin Law, we dig deep to find out where the failure started. Was it the design team that overlooked a flaw? The manufacturer that cut corners on materials? The retailer that kept selling recalled saws? Or the distributor that ignored warnings from the CPSC? We don’t stop until we’ve named every responsible party.
Manufacturers and Parent Companies
DeWALT is owned by Stanley Black & Decker, one of the largest tool manufacturers in the world. When they release a product that injures workers or consumers, they can and should be held financially responsible. That includes defective design, inadequate testing, or failure to issue proper warnings in time.
Retailers and Distributors
Major retailers like Lowe’s, Home Depot, and Amazon have legal obligations to ensure the products they sell are safe and compliant. When they continue selling recalled or dangerous tools, they share in the liability for the injuries those tools cause.
Component and Material Suppliers
Sometimes, the fault lies in the parts. A weak plastic guard, faulty screw assembly, or substandard fastener supplied by a third party can lead to blade exposure or loss of control. We trace every component back to its source to make sure no one escapes accountability.
Contractors and Employers
In some workplace cases, an employer’s failure to remove recalled tools from a job site can contribute to an injury. In those situations, victims may have additional claims beyond workers’ compensation, depending on how the tool was handled and who made the decisions.
Understanding Product Liability in Defective Tool Cases
Product liability law is what allows injured consumers and workers to hold corporations accountable for unsafe products. When a tool like a DeWALT miter saw leaves the factory with a flaw that poses a risk to users, the law shifts responsibility where it belongs — on the companies that designed, built, and sold it.
At Ankin Law, our mass tort attorneys know how to prove these cases. We collect evidence, retain engineering experts, and use federal recall data, CPSC filings, and internal manufacturing records to show how negligence caused your injury.
Design Defects
A design defect means the product was unsafe from the start. The saw’s rear guard mechanism, for example, may have been designed without enough strength to contain debris or withstand vibration. When a design flaw makes a product inherently unsafe, every unit sold carries that danger.
Manufacturing Defects
Even a solid design can fail if something goes wrong in production. A missing screw, weak plastic mold, or contaminated material batch can turn a safe tool into a hazard. We identify where the defect occurred in the production chain and hold the manufacturer responsible.
Failure to Warn
Manufacturers and retailers must warn consumers about known risks. When a company delays a recall, hides safety complaints, or fails to provide adequate safety instructions, they violate their legal duty. Those failures open the door to full liability for resulting injuries.
Breach of Warranty
When you purchase a DeWALT tool, you rely on the company’s claim that it’s safe and reliable. A recall undermines that promise. Victims may also recover damages under implied warranty laws, which protect consumers when a product doesn’t perform as reasonably expected.
Talk to a Chicago DeWALT Miter Saw Injury Lawyer Today
If you were hurt by a defective DeWALT miter saw, don’t settle for a repair kit or a corporate apology. You deserve full compensation for your injuries, medical costs, and lost income. At Ankin Law, we know how to take on manufacturers like Stanley Black & Decker and win.
Call (312) 600-0000 now for Ankin Law. The consultation is free, and you don’t pay anything unless we recover compensation for you.
Frequently Asked Questions About DeWALT Miter Saw Lawsuits
Can I still file a claim if my DeWALT miter saw was part of the 2022 recall?
Yes. The recall doesn’t protect DeWALT or Stanley Black & Decker from liability. If the defective saw caused you an injury, even after the recall was announced, you may still be eligible to recover compensation for your medical expenses, time off work, and pain and suffering.
What if I accepted the free repair kit from DeWALT?
Accepting a repair kit does not waive your right to take legal action. The kit may fix the defect, but it doesn’t address the harm that’s already been done. If you were injured before or after installing the repair, you can still pursue a claim.
How much does it cost to hire Ankin Law?
You don’t pay anything up front. Our firm works on a contingency fee basis, which means we only get paid if we win your case. We take on the fight. You focus on healing.