Washing Machine Explosion Raises Safety Concerns

Washing Machine Explosion Raises Safety Concerns

• June 19
• Evans/Reilley
• Product Liability

Doing laundry is an uneventful, if not mundane, household chore for most Americans. Or at least that’s what one Irving family thought when Faisal Nuree’s wife put a mattress pad in her washing machine. Just minutes later she heard a loud boom.

It turns out their washing machine had exploded with such force that it pushed away from the wall and the top had blown off, becoming a potentially deadly projectile.

Doing a simple load of laundry shouldn’t be dangerous.

Only after the incident did the Nuree family learn that their washer was one of 2.8 million Samsung washing machines recalled. Nuree said he didn’t know his washer was unsafe and never received notice of the recall from the manufacturer.

And the Nuree family isn’t the only one to have their Samsung top-loading washing machine explode. There has been a flood of complaints about these washers. Reported injuries include a broken jaw and an injured shoulder.

U.S. regulators have warned some owners of safety issues. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Samsung recalled 34 different models, offering to refund consumers or repair or replace the machines. The CPSC is the government agency responsible for protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with consumer products under the agency’s jurisdiction.

If you have a Samsung washing machine and are unsure whether it needs to be repaired or replaced, err on the side of caution and find out if it needs to be. To see if your machine is on the list, you can call Samsung at 866-264-5636 or visit Samsung.com. You can also check out the CPSC’s recall page that can be found here.

Such claims fall under the scope of product liability, which refers to a manufacturer or seller being held liable for placing a defective product (like an exploding washing machine) into the hands of a consumer. Broadly speaking, the law demands that whenever a product is sold to a consumer, it must meet their expectations that it will not have an unexpected defect or be dangerous.

When a person is injured or killed due to the negligence of a manufacturer or seller of a faulty product, the victim or victim’s family may be able to seek compensation with the help of a personal injury attorney.

Any person or organization in the product’s chain of manufacturing or distribution could be liable, including:

• The manufacturer
• The product’s wholesaler
• Manufacturers of component parts
• Any party that assembles the product
• The installer of the product
• The retailer that sold the product.

Product liability cases can be quite complicated and often require the assistance and testimony of experts. If you or a loved one has suffered an injury caused by a potentially defective product, contact an experienced accident and injury attorney at the Evans Law Firm, toll free at 855-414-1012, for a free consultation.