Sunbeam, its parent company Jarden Consumer Solutions and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission on August 30, 2012, announced a recall of more than 870,000 Mr. Coffee single-cup brewers. The action was prompted by nearly 60 reports of users being sprayed with and burned by steam and hot coffee grounds exploding from the reservoir of the machine.
The company is advising anyone who owns a brewer with model no. BVMC-KG1 to stop using the device immediately and visit the Mr. Coffee recall website to get details on having the dangerous and defective product replaced at no charge.
The recalled coffeemakers were sold online and at most department stores in the United States and Canada, including Bed Bath & Beyond, JC Penney, Kmart, Target and Walmart. Anyone injured by a Mr. Coffee machine or any other product should visit the CPSC website to report the incident.
The Virginia Dangerous and Defective Lawyer’s Perspective
Coffeemakers are so commonplace that it may be difficult to take them seriously as health hazards. But the devices produce boiling water and scalding steam. The burner can reach temperatures above 300 degrees Fahrenheit. And anyone who has ever missed the handle on a carafe or mug knows that surfaces in contact with freshly brewed coffee are far too hot to touch.
During nearly 30 years as a personal injury attorney based in Virginia (VA), I have represented people injured by poorly designed and dangerous coffeemakers. Such cases no doubt call to many people’s mind the “hot coffee” lawsuit against McDonald’s in the 1990s. Anyone who thinks such a connection makes concerns about unsafe coffeemakers and hot beverages dismissible needs to watch this video, which describes in graphic detail the life-threatening burns suffered by the plaintiff in that case:
Recalling the dangerous Mr. Coffee machines was the right thing to do. Designing safer coffeemakers in the first place would be better.
Potentially Helpful Info
If you or one of your children has been injured by a dangerous or defective product, you may be able to hold the company that made and marketed the device accountable by filing claims for compensation for medical costs, lost wages and pain and suffering. Read this article to begin learning about your legal rights and options when a product causes injuries.
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EJL