Pressure cookers are used by millions of people in the United States and all over the world, but most people don’t realize that pressure cookers can come with real safety risks. Properly designed and well-constructed pressure cookers offer you the ability to prepare delicious meals in a shortened amount of time without much fuss or mess. However, when they’re defective or malfunction, they can cause bodily harm and severe injuries. If you’re wondering about lawsuits connected to these incidents, read on to learn whether or not there was ever a pressure cooker explosion lawsuit.
Was there a lawsuit related to pressure cooker explosions?
Yes, there have been many claims filed as a result of the pressure cooker explosion lawsuit. Pressure cookers, commonly known as instant pots, are cooking devices that use trapped heat and steam to cook food. Pressure cookers are used because they can reduce cooking times for popular dishes by a significant amount of time, but when they’re poorly designed or defective, they can cause serious injuries like burns, lacerations, and electrocution.
What defects were associated with the affected pressure cookers?
Like many other products, pressure cookers are vulnerable to defects or errors in the designing and manufacturing process. Those defects can create serious risks for customers, including a risk of the device exploding. This can cause severe injuries for anyone in the vicinity of the pressure cooker when it explodes. The most common reason for these explosions is a lack of proper design to safely release the steam pressure that builds up during use. This causes problems like lids flying off, gaskets exploding, and spraying heated water.
The release of excess steam pressure is typically dissipated by a release valve that discards excess. If that valve is clogged or defective, it can result in blockages that don’t allow steam pressure to get out. The extreme internal pressure, or the pressure release when the lid is removed, can cause explosions. Some common causes of pressure cooker malfunctions include faulty gaskets, improper lid seals and locks, faulty release valves, improper ventilation, digital indication malfunction, and faulty wiring.
Who is eligible to file a claim?
If you’ve been the victim of a pressure cooker accident that you believe may have been caused by a defect or malfunctioning device, it’s a good idea to reach out to a law firm that specializes in cases like this to discuss your legal options. Personal injury lawsuits, including those related to defective product liability, often have a statute of limitations. That means you only have a limited amount of time to file your claim.
Anyone concerned about the financial cost of filing a lawsuit can take comfort in the fact that most personal injury attorneys work on a contingency fee basis. Under this agreement, your lawyer will take their payment as a percentage of your final settlement or judgment. That means you won’t have to pay anything until your case is resolved, making recompense more accessible for even low-income clients. You should never avoid seeking justice due to the fear of the price when you’ve been the victim of an accident.
No one expects the products they buy to be defective, but it’s an unfortunate risk that everyone has to take. Though your odds of receiving an item that is likely to malfunction is low, it still happens with surprising frequency in the United States. In the aftermath of an accident due to a defective or damaged product, many people don’t know what legal options they have or what to do about injuries or damage sustained as a result of the incident. If you’ve been injured as a result of a faulty pressure cooker, it’s a good idea to contact a lawyer immediately.