Children and the Elderly Are Most Common Victims of Accidents Involving Stoves Tipping Over
Faulty stoves and tipping stove accidents have caused more than one hundred serious injuries and deaths from burn injuries caused by scalding liquids spilling off stove surfaces and from the weight of falling stoves crushing or pinning a person underneath it.
Gas and electric stoves are among the largest appliances found in the average American kitchen. And although they are large and take up a lot of space, they are surprisingly light. A toddler climbing on an open stove door or an elderly person tripping and landing on an open stove door can easily cause a stove to tip over. It is no wonder the elderly and young children are most at risk for accidents involving stoves and ovens.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission tracks consumer product injuries. The following are a few of the stove tip over accident reports the CPSC has recorded:
- A twenty-four pound child stands on an open oven door. The small child’s weight is enough to cause the stove to exceed its tipping range. As the stove tips over chicken noodle soup boiling in a pot on the stove burner spills on the child resulting in serious scald/burn injuries.
- A three-year-old climbs onto to an open oven door and dies when the stove topples over and crushes the child underneath.
- An eighty-eight-year-old women slips on the kitchen floor and falls on an open stove door causing the stove to flip over. The woman is pinned underneath the hot oven that was just used to bake brownies.
Who Can be Held Responsible for Stove Tip Over Child Accidents?
Manufacturers
While reading about statistics is sobering, even more sobering is Manufacturers have known for some time that the anti-tip bracket feature they added to their models in the 1960’s has not adequately addressed the stove tip hazard. Surveys have shown that most manufacturers have stopped installing these safety brackets to their new model stoves. Industry manufacturers insist they have done enough to address the problem despite the fact that they have not added new safety features to their designs in years. Our belief is that the industry has not taken the issue seriously and it has been negligent in addressing the problem and correcting their stove design defect.
Sellers and Installers
Stove sellers and installers are suppose to install the anti-tip brackets that stove manufacturers agreed to include with each model. The delivery and installation companies stove sellers contract are often not equipped or trained to install the safety brackets. Retail sellers practically never mention this to the buyer. As a result, most of the homeowners who buy stoves do not even know their stoves are unsafe and unsecured. Most buyers are also unaware that the brackets are necessary for maximum stability.
Apartment Complex, Building Owners and Management Companies
Negligent building owners can also be responsible for apartment complex stove tip-over accidents. Landlords, residential apartment complex owners and owners of duplexes, multi-family homes and other rental properties will often perform maintenance and repairs themselves or hire unlicensed and unqualified workers to do the stove installation in order to save money.
The CPSC has recommended the following standards to improve stove safety:
- Manufacturers should design stoves with better stability. It recommends manufacturers design stoves that can remain upright when 100 pounds is placed on an open stove door.
- Manufacturers should build stove door hinges that lock the door open once the stove starts to tip forward. This option does not prevent hot liquids from spilling off the stove top.
- Manufacturers should wire the stove so that it will turn off once the stove tips over.
Boston Area Dangerous and Defective Stove / Oven Product Liability Trial Lawyers
Initial Legal Consultations Are Always Free
If your child suffered a serious injury involving a faulty or defective oven or stove. then call the wrongful death and personal injury accident lawyers at The Law Offices of Gerald J. Noonan today to learn more about your legal rights. We have a proven track record with over 35 years of legal experience. Our child accident and injury attorneys have successfully represented countless families over the years in a wide variety of cases involving serious injuries and wrongful death claims.
We understand that no amount of compensation can reduce the pain of losing a child to any accident, or undo long-term damage or injuries your child may have suffered, but we can help you hold those responsible accountable for their actions. The law entitles you to seek compensation to help you recover any financial losses due to medical bills and lost income, or funeral expenses, as well as entitles you to seek compensation for any future expenses. Insurance companies either want to outright deny your claim or pay as little as possible — they are not your legal advocates and are not qualified nor permitted to give you legal advice.
We also understand that talking about your case can be emotionally difficult and we always treat all our clients with respect and compassion — there is no pressure and you pay nothing unless we recover for you. No matter where you are located, we are just a phone call away. Call our law offices today to schedule a free no-obligation case review and consultation at (508) 588-0422 or click the link below to use our Free Case Evaluation Form.
Our dangerous and defective products liability and premises liability lawyers assist child and adult victims injured in stove / oven tip-over accidents throughout Southeast Massachusetts including, but not limited to, those in the following counties, cities and towns: Plymouth County including Brockton, Plymouth, Bridgewater, Marshfield, Hingham, Duxbury, Wareham, Abington, Rockland, Whitman, Hanson, Middleborough; Norfolk County including Quincy, Stoughton, Dedham, Weymouth, Braintree, Avon, Holbrook, Randolph, Canton, Sharon, Brookline, Franklin; Bristol County including New Bedford, Fall River, Taunton, Attleboro, Mansfield, Easton, Raynham, Norton; and the Greater Boston area including Cambridge, Dorchester, Roxbury and Somerville.
