Everything You Need To Know About Pressure Cooker Explosions
Pressure cookers are designed to trap pressurized steam so food can cook faster under controlled heat and pressure.
When the appliance works properly, built-in safety systems should prevent the lid from opening until pressure has safely released.
An exploding pressure cooker may involve a defect in the lid lock, gasket, pressure-release valve, sensor, or warning system.
Injured consumers have filed pressure cooker lawsuits alleging that certain appliances failed during ordinary use, causing hot food, liquid, and steam to escape with sudden force.
Why Do Pressure Cookers Explode?
A pressure cooker may explode when it cannot safely contain or release internal pressure.
Some incidents involve user error, such as overfilling the pot, blocking the vent, or attempting to open the lid too soon.
Others may involve product failures, including defective gaskets, faulty pressure-release valves, inadequate lid locks, or sensors that inaccurately indicate the cooker is safe to open.
An instant pot explosion or other pressure cooker failure must be reviewed based on the specific appliance, its condition, its instructions, and the events leading up to the incident.
Common failure points may include:
- Faulty steam-release valve: A blocked or defective valve may prevent excess steam from escaping, causing pressure to build beyond safe limits.
- Defective safety valve: A failed safety valve may prevent the appliance from releasing pressure as designed.
- Faulty gasket: A worn, damaged, or defective gasket may prevent the lid from sealing correctly or allow pressure to escape unevenly.
- Defective lid-locking system: A failed lock may allow the lid to open while pressurized steam remains inside the appliance.
Inadequate pressure control is often central to pressure cooker injury claims, but each case depends on whether the evidence shows user error, a product defect, inadequate warnings, or a combination of factors.
Most Common Defective Pressure Cooker Injuries
Pressure cooker injuries often occur when hot liquid, food, or pressurized steam escapes suddenly from the appliance.
The most serious incidents usually involve the lid opening while pressure remains inside, a blocked or defective release valve, or a failure in the gasket or locking system.
Common injuries linked to defective pressure cookers include:
- Severe burns: Scalding liquid, steam, or hot food can cause first-degree, second-degree, or third-degree burns, especially to the face, hands, arms, chest, and neck.
- Eye injuries: Steam, liquid, or debris can strike the face and damage the eyes, sometimes causing vision loss or permanent injury.
- Scarring and disfigurement: Deep burns may leave permanent scars, skin discoloration, nerve damage, or visible disfigurement, especially when the face or upper body is injured.
- Lacerations and impact injuries: A failed lid, valve, handle, or metal component may become a projectile, causing cuts, bruising, fractures, or other trauma.
- Psychological trauma: A sudden explosion, severe burn injury, or permanent scarring may lead to anxiety, sleep disruption, flashbacks, or post-traumatic stress symptoms.
A pressure cooker that is heating but not releasing steam should be turned off immediately if it can be done safely.
Food particles, thick liquids, or froth can clog the steam-release valve and prevent pressure from escaping as designed.
Medical Treatments People May Have To Undergo if They’re Injured
Defective pressure cookers cause severe injuries that could be expensive to treat.
Victims of pressure cooker explosions can suffer severe injuries, including second to third-degree burns, which are among the most disfiguring types of burns and often require extensive medical treatment such as skin grafting and surgery.
Injuries from pressure cooker explosions can also include cuts and bruises from shrapnel, as well as eye injuries that may lead to blindness due to high-velocity debris during an explosion.
If you’ve suffered physical trauma from a pressure cooker explosion, you may have to receive the following treatments.
Skin Grafts
Skin grafts are the primary treatment for second to third-degree burns.
This surgical procedure takes skin from the hidden and unaffected parts of your body and transplants it to the burned area.
Depending on the severity of your injury, you may need more than one procedure to restore your skin’s appearance.
Physical Therapy
Physical therapy may be required if the affected area is a limb or joint.
This process strengthens the muscles and joints to restore their full range of motion and restore your body to perfect shape.
Physical therapy often takes a few months to get your motor function back to pre-accident condition.
Psychological Therapy
As shown in the previous section, pressure cooker accident victims could sustain psychological trauma.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can occur in victims of pressure cooker explosions, leading to anxiety, flashbacks, and other distressing symptoms as a result of the traumatic experience.
If the injury is severe and lasts long-term, therapy may be necessary to restore your mental health.
Surgery and Other Treatment
Depending on the severity of your injury, you may need surgery to remove dead or damaged tissue.
If the accident has caused severe damage to your internal organs, multiple surgeries could be required.
Apart from surgeries, you might have to deal with the potential of infection, so you’d need to take antibiotics.
What To Do if You're Injured by a Pressure Cooker Explosion
Victims of pressure cooker explosions may be eligible to file lawsuits for compensation related to medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
If you sustained significant damage, or a loved one was injured by a defective pressure cooker, steps to help you take legal steps against the negligent manufacturer include:
- Seek Medical Attention
- Retain Evidence
- Take Photos and Videos
- Contact an Attorney at Torhoerman Law
Seek Medical Attention
After the accident, you should call 911 immediately.
If you can, you should perform first aid or ask for assistance from someone nearby until the emergency personnel arrives.
Medical attention should be your priority, no matter how minor or major the injury is.
Burn injuries can be nasty, and leaving them exposed and untreated can lead to severe infections.
Retain Evidence
Once you’re back on your feet, you should start collecting evidence related to the accident.
This includes taking pictures of the defective pressure cooker and documenting your medical records.
Any proof of financial distress due to the injury should also be gathered, such as hospital bills and other expenses.
Take Photos and Videos
As stated above, taking photos and videos of the accident scene is vital in evidence retention.
Obviously, you can’t take pictures if you are seriously injured.
In this case, it would be best to have someone in your house do it for you or ask the emergency personnel to do it.
Contact an Attorney at TorHoerman Law
Once you have the evidence you need to file a personal injury case, it’s time to seek a product defect lawyer to help you.
Successful lawsuit claims can help you get the just compensation you deserve for your damages.
This compensation covers all your medical expenses (medical bills, rehabilitation costs, etc.), lost wages, pain and suffering, and other costs associated with the injury.
Filing A Defective Pressure Cooker Lawsuit
The civil litigation process requires extreme attention to detail and can be overwhelming for someone who does not possess extensive legal knowledge.
A defective pressure cooker lawyer will need to be able to prove the liability of the manufacturer for any injuries that you have suffered.
Additionally, you will be obligated to show proof of mitigation, meaning that you have made a concerted effort to treat your injuries.
It is imperative to file your claim as soon as possible.
If you wait too long, the statute of limitations may expire, and your claim will become void.
Mitigate Injuries
If have been a victim of a pressure cooker explosion, see your doctor as soon as possible to receive the care necessary and see if surgery or immediate care will be needed.
It’s important to treat any injury related to a pressure cooker explosion as early as possible.
Make sure to follow orders from medical professionals and do everything in your power to mitigate future economic impacts related to your injury.
Hire A Defective Pressure Cooker Injury Lawyer
After getting the proper medical treatment, contact a TorHoerman Law for a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss your best legal options with an experienced attorney from our firm.
Hiring a personal injury attorney is an important first step.
Be sure to seek representation from an attorney who is experienced, well-resourced, and dedicated to your case.
An experienced personal injury attorney will be able to guide you along the legal process and ensure that you receive the maximum amount of compensation for the losses that you have suffered.
Defective Pressure Cooker Lawsuits: What Are The Potential Damages?
If you have suffered any sort of injury related to a defective pressure cooker, you may be entitled to compensation from the manufacturer.
Damages refer to the total amount of losses, economic and non-economic, incurred as a result of an accident or injury.
TorHoerman Law’s defective pressure cooker attorneys will help you get the compensation you deserve.
Potential damages that can be recovered include:
- Permanent scarring and disfigurement that comes with serious burns
- Pain and suffering
- Medical expenses
- Lost wages and future wages
- Emotional damages
- Permanent disability
- Property damage
- Punitive damages
TorHoerman Law: Your Pressure Cooker Lawyers
If you or a loved one have suffered injuries or severe burns after your pressure cooker exploded, you may be eligible to file a Pressure Cooker Lawsuit against the manufacturer.
Contact us today for a free, no-obligation case consultation.
You can also use our chatbot to receive a free, instant online case evaluation and find out if you qualify for a Defective Pressure Cooker Lawsuit today.
TorHoerman Law has a team of experienced product liability attorneys ready to serve you.
To date, our firm has won more than $4 billion in verdicts and negotiated settlements for our clients.
We operate on a contingency fee basis, so we are always committed to getting the best results possible for our clients.
