Who knew a crock pot could be dangerous?
This is a little less relevant now that the big game has passed, but people do use crock pots and slow cookers, and whatever else they are called, throughout the year.
I recently handled a case that surprised even me, the jaded personal injury attorney. A wonderfully pleasant local woman was using her crock pot to cook for a church function. She used the handy-dandy handles to carry the thing outside to her car, but on the way, the handles failed and the crock pot fell, dropping molten food onto her foot. This resulted in a nasty burn injury that required surgical skin grafting, a hospital stay of a week or so, lots of medication, physical therapy, and resulted in permanent pain and discomfort and scarring.
Who would think that a common household appliance would present such a danger? The problem with this piece in particular was the material that was used to make the handles. This particular model had rather weak plastic handles that a) weren’t very strong to being with, and b) tended to degrade over time, particularly with heat, so eventually they were simply bound to fail. The company knew that these handles were dangerous and had done recalls on similar models but not on this one.
How is this information valuable to you? It’s valuable in a number of ways:
- If you own a crock pot/slow cooker, etc., you should inspect the handles! If they are plastic you probably want to replace it;
- If you are in the market for one, get one with metal handles that are securely attached;
- If you have been injured by a crock pot, particularly one with failing handles, now you know which attorney to call.
I hope none of you have a tragic crock pot accident. Just remember that these and other household appliances can be far more dangerous than they look, and they don’t have to be! Be careful, but if you know anyone who is hurt in a situation like this, please tell them to call me. 919-929-2992.
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