Exploding Pressure Cookers Spur Product Liability Lawsuits
Exploding Pressure Cookers Spur Product Liability Lawsuits
A number of consumers across the country are reporting scary experiences with their Tristar Power Pressure Cooker XL products. According to an article in The Daily Hornet, a woman in Arizona reported that the lid on her new Tristar cooker popped open about 10 minutes into cook time. No one was injured, but had anyone been close by, they could have been burned by scalding-hot food or a steam explosion. She reported the incident to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), which is responsible for protecting U.S. consumers from dangerous and defective products.
No Safety Recall Yet
The CPSC has recorded around a dozen complaints about these exploding pressure cookers that have resulted in serious burn injuries. In March 2016, one woman was hospitalized when the lid blew off and spilled its contents all over her body. In yet another report from February 2015, a woman was scalded badly by hot soup that blew out of her exploding Power Pressure Cooker. People also reported damage to walls and cabinets.
The CPSC is still looking into whether this warrants a recall. However, there is no real guarantee that a recall will happen, even in cases where the products are known to be dangerous and defective. A number of recalls are voluntary and companies refuse to issue them because they don’t want the bad publicity. Mandatory recalls are extremely rare. But, in this case, consumers are not waiting for a recall to happen. They have already begun filing product liability lawsuits against the manufacturer.
Seeking Justice and Compensation
Burn injuries suffered through scalding can be extremely serious. They may leave individuals needing extensive treatment or even surgery, which can cost a lot of money. When product manufacturers make dangerous or defective products, they can be held financially liable for the injuries and damages those products caused. Consumers who are injured by these products can seek compensation for damages including medical expenses, lost wages, hospitalization, cost of surgery, rehabilitation, pain and suffering and emotional distress.
Injured victims in such cases would also be well advised to contact an experienced product liability lawyer who will fight for their rights and help obtain maximum compensation for their losses. In such cases, filing a product liability or class action lawsuit might be the only way for consumers to get the word out about these dangerous products and hold the manufacturers of the defective products accountable.
