When Your Gas Stove Not Only Burns the Food But Burns You
January 10, 2016 | By Colombo Law
During the holiday season many families throughout the U.S. spent a significant amount of time in the kitchen cooking up various family meals, dishes, and desserts. Many households use gas stoves that are generally safe, but do experience a number of issues that can sometimes lead to malfunctioning, gas leaks, and in a worst case scenario, explosions and burns. Some of the most common issues involving gas stoves, include:
- Delayed ignition: A malfunction caused by blocked ignition ports. When the ignition port is clogged, it has the potential to cause a fire or explosion that could damage the oven glass viewing pane and other internal parts.
- Gas odors: The smell of gas indicates that something is wrong [and] in most cases, defective gas valves cause gas emissions. Gas valves may sometimes open up too soon and do not allow the gas ignition to reach the right temperature [and] this lack of synchrony results in a gas leak.
- Gas Leak: This is often evidenced by a gas odor and may be caused by damaged gas valves or a hole or slit in the valve. Any gas odor must be addressed immediately. If left unchecked, it can cause a fire or explosion and can also poison household members.
- Inadequate Lighting
- Oven Burner Fails to Light
A few years ago, a faulty gas stove contributed to the death of an older woman. According to the news report, after the woman’s housing authority tried to fix the stove, the woman “still couldn’t get it to work right.” She said it would burn too high, but she did not know what to do because it did not have any knobs. On Saturday, she said she was going to have them check it again. She said the gas smell was so strong she could hardly stand it. Sometime on Sunday, Snead sat down on her sofa and turned on the television. She was still there when police forced open the door of her apartment about 7 p.m. Tuesday. Howard, who lives in the same apartment complex, said the smell of gas was overpowering when she walked into the apartment and tried to shake her sister awake. One gas burner on the stove was turned on, and there was a tea kettle on the burner. The police concluded that the faulty gas stove was to blame for the woman’s death.
Cases involving defective gas stoves can often be complicated, time-consuming, and expensive in addition to requiring product liability experts to testify that the gas stove at issue was in fact defective, and was the responsible for any injuries or harms that may have been suffered.
Let our Attorneys Help You Today
If you or someone you know has suffered personal harm or medical issues as a result of a defective gas stove, you need attorneys with experience in such personal injury matters. Colombo Law is a highly experienced personal injury law firm and can evaluate your potential legal claims on your behalf.
