Many popular pressure cookers have defective parts, unsafe designs or faulty safety mechanisms that can cause serious burns and injuries. Before using their pressure cookers, Nevadans should check the federal recall lists to see if their pressure cookers have been recalled or hazards have been reported. Hundreds of thousands of defective pressure cookers have been recalled over the years and numerous people have suffered accidents resulting in severe burns, permanent scarring, and psychological trauma. Manufacturers and designers of defective pressure cookers or their components may be liable for damages to injured victims in personal injury lawsuits.
Who Is Injured by Dangerous Pressure Cookers?
The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System reports that most pressure cooker users are older than age 30. Among the victims, 46 percent are between the ages of 30 and 50, and 10 percent are between the ages of 50 and 71. Twenty-five percent of pressure cooker injury victims who were under the age of 21 were with guardians or parents at the time of the accidents.
In a random sampling of 39 people who went to the emergency department for the treatment of injuries from pressure cookers, 17 reported that their appliances exploded. The other 22 victims reported that they had suffered burns from contacting the cookers or the steam.
Pressure Cooker Defects and Recalls Have Exploded Worldwide
Three hundred thousand pressure cookers that were manufactured by Alcan were recalled in 1983. The cookers had defective gaskets that let people open them during the pressure phase, resulting in two injuries from scalding. In 2007, two different pressure cookers were recalled due to design defects that caused expulsion.
In 2017, a Florida woman suffered second-degree burns when the pressure cooker that she was using exploded, releasing its contents all over her. She was using a Tristar Power Pressure Cooker XL at the time. The same model of the pressure cooker has injured more than 12 people in similar incidents. In a tragic 2015 case, a toddler received severe burns when a pressure cooker near her exploded. She had to undergo multiple surgeries and her leg was amputated as a result of the accident.
