The combination of that heat and pressure used in pressure cookers can spell disaster for poorly-manufactured units. If your pressure cooker doesn’t have the right seal, gaskets, or vents, your unit could do significant damage to your home. You, too, could suffer injuries in an explosion.
If your pressure cooker explodes, you can work with product liability attorneys to determine who bears the responsibility for your losses. While human error can contribute to your losses, the pressure cooker’s manufacturer may also be to blame. We can help you take a manufacturer to court where you can fight for compensation based on your losses.
Why do Pressure Cookers Explode?
Both stovetop and electric pressure cookers can explode when poorly manufactured or exposed to human error. You’ll need to determine which cause you’re working with if you want to pursue compensation for your losses.
Today’s pressure cooker explosions are most often caused by:
Broken Gaskets
Your pressure cooker relies on its gaskets to help it safely redirect steam away from its bucket. As pressure builds up inside of your unit, it will need to periodically release this steam if it’s to avoid exploding. As a result, faulty gaskets that do not open or do not regularly release pressure can cause a severe malfunction in your unit.
Improperly Installed Seals
When you close the lid to your pressure cooker, you seal the moisture, pressure, and food into a shared space. Your pressure cooker then drives all the air out of that space to aid in the cooking process. If your lid doesn’t seal properly, though, your pressure cooker will remove more than air from its bucket.
Ineffectively installed seals can see a pressure cooker force your food out of its bowl. The force with which that food can hit your lid can subsequently cause your pressure cooker to explode. If you’re nearby when this explosion occurs, there’s a chance that you could suffer severe burns. Your countertop or stove may also take on severe damage.
Clogged or Malfunctioning Vents
Your pressure cooker forces all the excess air out of its bucket. A unit’s vents help redistribute that air without doing harm to the rest of your kitchen. Vents that aren’t made with care or that end up clogged over time may leave air inside of your unit’s bucket. In these cases, the combination of air, pressure, and food can result in an explosion.
If you want to pursue a civil case for pressure cooker damage, make sure you look at your vents after an accident. A manufacturer may argue that you failed to maintain your unit to try and avoid liability. You can work with an attorney, however, to argue that it was a manufacturing failure that led to your explosion-related losses.
Overfilled Pressure Cooker Buckets
Know your pressure cooker’s capacity before you use it. If you overfill your pressure cooker, the cooking process will force the food from the unit. In turn, you’ll come back home to find your well-prepared dinner all over your kitchen.
Unfortunately, you cannot bring pressure cooker explosions to court if it seems like human error caused the malfunction. If you’re not sure whether human error or a manufacturing error contributed to your accident, though, bring your case to a consultation with our team. We’ll assess your circ*mstances and see if you can pursue a case.
For a free legal consultation, call 866-499-8989
Can I Prevent a Pressure Cooker from Exploding?
Regular maintenance can help you get ahead of pressure cooker explosions. For starters, always clean your unit after use. Separate each part of your unit and dry them with care. Make sure you store your pressure cooker in a dry area, as well.
That said, there are some kinds of damage that good maintenance can’t get ahead of. If a manufacturer has failed to assess a production failure, you may not be able to get ahead of an explosion. In these cases, however, you can argue that the manufacturer violated their duty of care. In turn, that party may have to help you replace damaged property or treat your injuries.
How do I Establish Liability After a Pressure Cooker Explosion?
To establish liability for a pressure cooker explosion, you need to determine whether human error or a manufacturing error contributed to the product’s failure. You can do this both by referencing previous cases involving a particular manufacturer’s pressure cookers and with the help of a private investigator.
Our office can conduct legal research on your behalf should you express interest in pursuing a case. Similarly, we can put you in contact with a private investigator or similar expert who can examine the scene of the explosion. Under certain circ*mstances, we can recreate the scene and better assess why your cooker may have failed.
To move your case forward, we need to establish that:
- A manufacturer owed you a duty of care when selling you their pressure cooker
- The manufacturer violated that duty at some point in the manufacturing or advertising process
- Your injuries and property damage are directly related to the pressure cooker explosion
- Your injuries and property damage have notable market value
We can compile your information into what is known as a legal complaint. Once we’ve brought your story together, we can present it to a county clerk, who will then pass it on to a judge. If your case moves forward, we can then prepare for either settlement negotiations or a trial.
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When Can I File a Product Liability Lawsuit Involving a Pressure Cooker?
A.R.S. § 12-542 gives Arizona residents two years from the day their accident occurs to take legal action against a manufacturer or related party. As such, it’s important to determine whether or not you want to pursue legal action for your losses shortly after an accident.
If you can connect with our team in the days immediately following your accident, we can address your losses all the faster.
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Can I File a Burn Injury Lawsuit After a Pressure Cooker Explosion?
By reducing the amount of air in its barrel, your pressure cooker can raise the temperature of your food to up to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. If you come into contact with the pressure cooker’s steam or unprotected handles, that heat can leave you with severe burns.
If you need burn treatment after a pressure cooker malfunction or explosion, you may have the right to pursue a burn injury lawsuit. You can speak to an attorney to discuss whether to pursue this claim in addition to a product liability suit or instead of one.
Should I Discuss Pressure Cooker Explosion Injuries With an Attorney?
If your pressure cooker explodes, you can work with an attorney to determine what forces may have resulted in the damage. If you think a manufacturer may be liable for your losses, you can work with one of our product liability attorneys to take your case to court.
Contact us at Zanes Law Injury Lawyers to learn more about the services we offer when representing you throughout a personal injury case. We’re ready to fight for the pressure cooker explosion damages that you deserve.
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