People should be safe in their own homes no matter what activity they are participating in, whether it is exercising or cooking. They should not have to worry about defective products increasing the likelihood of injury or other damages when using them. Companies that sell defective products that result in injuries should be held accountable for their actions and made to dole out compensation to the consumers their products have damaged. In recent times, we have seen an increase in the amount of pressure cooker injuries come about due to faulty product design or manufacturing; these injuries, some of which have been quite severe, have resulted in various lawsuits and claims against manufacturers and distributors. Our experienced lawyers at the top-rated Normandie Law Firm in Los Angeles, California, have taken calls from clients who seek more information on what to do in the wake of a pressure cooker accident that resulted in injury. They ask us questions like:
- How can I be a part of a pressure cooker class action lawsuit?
- Where can I find a class action lawsuit attorney?
- Where can I find a pressure cooker lawsuit attorney?
- I need a products liability attorney for my pressure cooker explosion injury. Who can I call?
What is a Pressure Cooker?
A pressure cooker is a kitchen appliance that speeds up the cooking of food. It is essentially a large pot that has locking mechanisms on the lid and an electric heater built into it. The food inside of the pressure cooker cooks faster due to the heat, as steam, remaining trapped inside and is applied to all areas of the food at once. This allows the cook to step away from the food and not have to spend a lot of time in front of it; the appliances sometimes have timers and electronic options on the front that allow further customization. The appliance has a ventilation system that is meant to slowly release the pressurized steam; a quick removal of the lid can result in an explosion.
How Accidents Happen
Pressure cookers are generally designed to not allow users to be able to merely take the lid off; more often than not, they are created in such a way that the ventilation and depressurization must occur before the locking mechanisms release. However, there are still problems that exist in some products of pressure cookers.
For example, the ventilation tubes may get clogged by food material or other bits and prevent the pressure from being released. This is not a defect that is visible to the eye, as the pressure cooker is generally closed and in use; you would only be able to identify this problem after the event occurs. The result of a clogged ventilation line is an explosion – and the explosion can happen at its own pace, such as when the food is actually cooking, or when the consumer decides to remove the lid. Although there was ample time given to allow the appliance to release its pressure, there is no sign to indicate that that actually happened. As a result, when a consumer attempts to remove the lid, the slightest release in pressure can cause an explosion – not a fiery ball, of course, but a sudden expansion of air that can spread the contents of the appliance everywhere.
An accomplished attorney with expertise in pressure cooker injury lawsuits can give you more information on potential injuries.
Potential Injuries and Damages
When a pressure cooker explodes, it can release boiling hot water, hot steam, and hot food everywhere, but the lid, which is usually made of aluminum or another moderately weighted metal, can also cause damage from flying off. If you are hit by the contents of a pressure cooker, you may experience scalding, burns (even so severe as second- or third-degree), scarring, and disfigurement.
However, if you are struck by the lid as it comes off, you may suffer bruises, broken bones, fractures, lacerations, or a concussion. A lid that strikes your head can be extremely dangerous; your head and face are fragile with many small bones, and a rogue lid can easily break something or knock you out.
In addition to the physical injuries that can occur, the explosion of the pressure cooker can also cause damage to your kitchen. You may get holes or dents in your walls or cabinets, suffer dents in your refrigerator doors, or your windows may break, leading to glass and splinters everywhere (which, in turn, can cause additional damage to your body if you were near the window when it broke).
For further information, call one of our qualified attorneys with experience in pressure cooker accident cases.
Steps to Take
If you have been injured by a pressure cooker explosion, you have multiple options at your disposal to receive compensation.
One potential route to take is pursuing a product liability claim against the responsible party. This claim goes after the business that manufactured or distributed the pressure cooker; our lawyers can help aggressively work towards compensation for you and you only.
For a product liability claim to go through and not get denied, you must prove at least one of these three factors about the product:
Did the product have a design flaw? That is, did the product, when it was initially conceived and designed, have a flaw in it that the designers or creators should have acknowledged or missed when the product when into manufacturing?
Was the product made defective in manufacturing? That is, did a batch of the products not get proper treatment on one of the machines, or were there problems at the plant, leading to poorly constructed or shoddily built pressure cookers?
Was there no warning label on the project? That is, if the product is hazardous or dangerous in some way or may cause harm by using it, did it not warn the user of these potential issues, either on the product itself or on the packaging?
If any of these true rang true, then you have grounds for a product liability claim. Product liability claims are generally more suited for the individual; on the other hand, class action lawsuits are taken on by attorneys and feature many plaintiffs who have been affected by the defendant. In this case, if multiple pressure cookers caused widespread injuries due to malfunctions or other product issues, the company will owe multiple plaintiffs some sort of compensation. A class action lawsuit is often reserved for extensive product problems. You should talk to an expert attorney who has experience in product liability cases to figure out if the appliance has had widespread problems or if it were an isolated incident in your kitchen.
Our Assistance
Normandie Law Firm, one of the top firms in Los Angeles, is here to help you receive fair compensation for any injuries or damages you sustained due to a pressure cooker explosion. Our skilled attorneys with experience handling product liability claims can help you recover past and future medical expenses, past and future lost wages at work, damaged or lost property, and pain and suffering damages. Companies should be held responsible for their products, and if any injuries occur from using the products, the companies should cover the costs.
FREE CONSULTATION: Our Los Angeles law firm is here to make sure you are treated fairly as a consumer. Call today to receive a free consultation on filing a pressure cooker explosion lawsuit, and a lawyer experienced in product liability cases will be glad to have a chat with you about your case and what we believe you could win in a settlement. We will give you any information you need on the legal process and how product liability claims work so that you can make a well-educated decision on how to best move forward.
Further, we operate on a zero-fee guarantee standing – our fees are only paid for if we win your case, and the fees come out of the settlement itself. You do not pay any out of pocket expenses for our legal representation. Our Los Angeles attorneys believe that no one should be turned away from seeking legal assistance merely because he is unable to pay for it at that time. If we do not win your pressure cooker explosion lawsuit, you owe us no money whatsoever
To speak to an experienced attorney about a pressure cooker injury, contact Normandie Law Firm today.
