Common Home and Office Supplies Pose Burn Hazards

Common Home and Office Supplies Pose Burn Hazards

Product recalls for April 2018 are off to a fast start, with many products pulled from the marketplace because they are burn hazards. These unreasonably dangerous products can leave consumers with devastating burn injuries and should be avoided. If you have been burned by a product, either at home or at work, you might be entitled to compensation.

Recent Recalls

In the first week of April alone, four products have been recalled because they are burn hazards:

  • Mizco International’s Power Bank charging stations
  • Nickelodeon’s PAW PATROL Marshall hat with flashlight
  • Vornado Air’s electric space heaters
  • 3M’s Scotch thermal laminators

Consumers who purchased these products should stop using them immediately. Instead, contact the company that sold them or contact the manufacturer for instructions on how to receive a full refund. Continuing to use these products can only increase your risk of suffering burns.

Burn Injuries are Serious

Even superficial burn injuries can develop complications that might leave you sidelined for weeks. Generally, first-degree burns will only damage the outer layer of skin, the epidermis. Nevertheless, they could become infected if treated improperly, so be careful cleaning the burn and applying an ointment.

More serious burns probably require a trip to the hospital. Second-degree burns can injure the underlying layer of skin (the dermis) and can blister and leave scars. More serious third-degree burns can severely damage muscle, tendons, joints, and nerves. In particularly bad cases, you might need to have skin grafts or a limb amputated.

Burns also leave devastating emotional harm. Burn victims have reported feeling a variety of negative emotions, including:

  • Depression
  • Anger
  • Embarrassment
  • Fear
  • Helplessness
  • Hopelessness

Burn victims require considerable medical and psychiatric support to help them recover. It is not surprising that many burn victims miss work and are therefore unable to defray the costs of their medical treatment.

Documenting Your Burn

In addition to holding onto medical records, you should also keep the product that burned you. Your personal injury lawyer might want to look at it to understand what caused it to be defective. In North Carolina, you can bring a products liability case if you suffered an injury because a product was unreasonably dangerous. If you win, you can receive financial compensation for your economic and non-economic losses, such as:

  • Lost wages
  • Cost of medical care
  • Pain and suffering

Because North Carolina’s products liability law is based on negligence, it matters how you were using the product. For example, a manufacturer can argue that you misused the product or used it in a way that it was never intended to be used. As soon as possible, write down what you were doing before you were burned so that your lawyer can assess whether you have a valid claim.

Speak with a Wilmington, North Carolina Products Liability Attorney

Devastating burn injuries can leave you in a lot of pain and without any means to financially support yourself. Even “minor” burn injuries can cause serious economic and non-economic losses. Meet with a lawyer at Hodges Coxe Potter & Phillips right away to analyze whether you have a claim against the manufacturer. Call 720-580-6745 or send an online message.