Tristar Pressure Cooker Lawsuit Filed Over Severe Burn Injuries

A Georgia couple has filed a product liability lawsuit over a Tristar Pressure Cooker explosion, which left the wife with serious burns and permanent scars.

The complaint (PDF) was filed by Quesadra and Roderick Goodrum in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia on April 2, indicating that Tristar Products, Inc. falsely advertised its Power Pressure Cooker XL model PPC-790 as being safe and nearly impossible to open while the contents were under pressure.

According to the lawsuit, Quesadra Goodrum was using the pressure cooker on December 14, 2018 when the heated contents of the pressure cooker exploded onto her as she attempted to remove the lid. As a result of what she describes as an unreasonably dangerous design, Goodrum indicates she was left with severe and painful burns, which required substantial medical treatment and left her with permanent scarring.

The lawsuit indicates the explosion should have never happened, according to Tristar’s own advertisements and numerous “infomercials.” However, the lawsuit also suggests the company hid complaints about problems with the pressure cooker, and was quietly trying to address the issue without warning consumers who already owned the pressure cooker that they might be in danger.

“Unbeknownst to the Plaintiffs at the time of the subject incident, Tristar had previously received (and was contemporaneously receiving) hundreds of reports of serious personal injury (chiefly serious burns) and property damage resulting from similar incidences of Tristar’s pressure cooker lids or the heated contents inside exploding from the product during normal, foreseeable, and intended use,” the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit indicates that at the time Goodrum’s pressure cooker exploded and caused her to suffer injuries, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) was already investigating the company’s design and had issued a pressure cooker recall for certain models and had requested that the manufacturer stop selling certain other models. The requests came due to similar reports of injuries and property damage caused by Tristar pressure cooker explosions.

Goodrum’s presents claims of strict liability and negligence. Her husband presents a claim of loss of consortium. The Gooodrum’s seek both compensatory and punitive damages.

Pressure Cooker Safety Concerns

Pressure cookers are designed to allow the contents to reach temperatures over 250 degrees, with massive amounts of pressure built-up inside that can be extremely dangerous if the device is used incorrectly or poorly designed.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued several pressure cooker recalls over the last several years due to the due to the ability for the lids of the cookers to open prematurely while contents are under pressure, allowing hot contents to be expelled and causing a scald or burn injury to individuals in the immediate area.

The most common pressure cooker injuries are burns that range from first to third degree and typically cover a large percentage of a person’s body. These types of burn injuries can leave patients prone to infections and sometimes requiring amputations.

Among other common injuries are electrocutions, spills and explosions which are often the result of the pressure cooker overheating or containing a defective or leaking seal.