Jeff Sipple wasn’t “in a war zone being doused with napalm.” He was at a friend’s housewarming party. But that’s the comparison the Chicago Tribune made to the terrible accident in which gel used to fire a decorative flame exploded and covered his face and arms. Sipple spent two days in an intensive care unit, and another four in a specialist burns center after being hit with burning fuel sold under the brand name BirdBrain Fuel Gel.
At least 63 people have been burned by this type of fuel gel, and two have died. As the evidence of the dangerous nature of this gel mounts, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has recalled more than 2 million bottles of the product sold under various names. The regulatory action was announced on August 31, 2011.
See this safety video about flame pot dangers.
As experienced Virginia (VA) personal injury attorneys, we are appalled at this catalogue of injury and death caused by a product that was intended to help people to have a good time.Its victims include Gina Vandewalle from Iowa, who is warning others against using the product. More than a fifth of her body was burned on August 28, 2011 after a gel fuel pot exploded, WQAD.com reported.
Given the high number of terrible injuries associated with this product, it is hard to see how the fuel manufacturers can escape liability and personal injury or wrongful death lawsuits. If the companies knew about the risks, they could also be liable for a fine.
Recently, our Virginia (VA) defective product attorneys reported on how Black & Decker was fined $960,000 over defective Grasshog XP trimmer/edgers that were linked to more than 150 cut and laceration injuries. The tool manufacturer had been aware of this problem for three years before issuing a recall.
Our firm has helped the victims of a wide range of faulty and dangerous products including defective ladders, faulty trailer jacks, sporting goods machines and dangerous drugs.
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