Quarantine Cooking? Beware Instant Pot Explosions

Attorney George McLaughlin | 888-366-0579 | Free Consult

“I’ve seen photographs where the lid blew off the pot and stuck into the ceiling and there were contents all over the place. Of course, the companies try to defend themselves any way they can, and they want to argue that your client must have spilled the pot on themself. Well, when you have photographs of vegetables on the ceiling and the walls, it kind of takes that argument away from them. ”

Now more than ever, people in quarantine are spending time in the kitchen, experimenting with new recipes and cooking methods. One such method involves the Instant Pot, a popular model of pressure cooker. Quarantine cooks should beware, however: many lawsuits claim that Instant Pot explosions are causing severe burns for users when the lid opens, despite being under intense pressure.

George McLaughlin is a personal injury and product liability attorney who accepts cases from across the country. He is based in Denver, Colorado. In this video, he explains the problems with Instant Pot, the allegedly defective design, and what people should do if they are burned by an Instant Pot that opened when it should have stayed locked.

To learn more, contact the attorney directly by calling 888-366-0579 or by submitting a contact form on this page. There is no charge for the consultation, and you never owe any out-of-pocket attorney fees.

Key Takeaways From George McLaughlin:

Both stovetop and electric pressure cookers pose significant dangers to their users. The lids of these pressure cookers should meet design standards preventing the lid from being removed while the contents are still under pressure. However, many of these latching devices have proven to be faulty, resulting in severe injuries and burns for pressure cooker users. Instant Pot in addition to around 20 other manufacturers produce these devices.

If you or a loved one were injured by a pressure cooker, seek immediate medical care and leave the product as-is.

Even if injury seems minor, seeking medical care will ensure that an official record exists regarding the existence of the injury. Additionally, taking pictures of the device as-is when the accident occurred, in addition to the contents which might have splashed on the walls, counters, and ceiling, can be valuable evidence.

If you can, keep the pressure cooker in addition to any packaging or instructions it came with.

If you have already sent the pressure cooker to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) you can ask to have it returned to you, in addition to any instructions or packaging it came with. All of these pieces can be vital to building and proving your case. However, McLaughlin states that even if you did not retain these items, you may still have a viable case and should seek legal counsel to see what kind of evidence is available to you.

McLaughlin takes product liability cases from around the country.

Although based in Denver, Colorado, McLaughlin has represented product liability claims including faulty pressure cookers around the country. After seeing many of these cases, he suspects there is an error in the design that could be solved with further investigation into the problem. If you have a product liability case or were injured by a pressure cooker, regardless of where you live, you can request a free consultation from his firm to learn more.

Increases in pressure cooker injury cases are expected to increase during the COVID-19 pandemic with families cooking at home.

These products claim that it’s impossible to open the pot when cooking is in progress, but more and more users are reporting severe burn injuries. In fact, some of these devices worked well previously, but it only takes one failure of the pressure gauge for serious injuries and burns to occur. Most product liability attorneys work on contingency, which means you won’t pay anything unless and until your attorney wins your case. A product liability attorney will be able to advise you on how and what evidence to preserve, what steps to take, and can offer other advice regarding your case as you seek compensation.

To learn more, contact George McLaughlin directly by calling 888-366-0579 or by submitting a contact form on this page. There is no charge for the consultation, and you never owe any out-of-pocket attorney fees.

Disclaimer: This video is for informational purposes only. In some states, this video may be deemed Attorney Advertising. The choice of lawyer is an important decision that should not be based solely on advertisements.