Defective Barbeques Can Mean Serious Burn or Explosion Injuries
Barbeques with family and friends are almost a rite of passage during the summer including on Memorial Day Weekend and Fourth of July. When people use their home grill for a cookout, the potential danger of fire or explosion injuries is usually not a significant concern. However, product defects associated with barbeques or the propane tanks that supply fuel can cause serious injury or wrongful death. When barbeque accidents occur, the result can be horrific burn injuries that cause intense pain and require substantial surgery.
Grills like other products may be defective in their design or manufacturing. If the barbeque does not provide adequate warnings or instructions, this lack of information also may make the grill defective. When a defective grill causes burn or explosion injuries, the manufacturer, assembler, wholesaler or retailer of the grill may be liable for damages based on the existence of the defect without the need to establish actual negligent conduct by the party in the production or distribution chain for the barbeque.
Burn injuries are the most common consequence of product defects in a grill. These types of injuries differ from other forms of injury because they often require extensive medical care and long periods of reconstructive surgery. The duration and scope of medical care for serious burn injuries can be far more extensive than for other types of injuries. Further, a burn that is fourth degree or higher is likely to result in permanent disfigurement or scarring, and horrible pain and suffering.
Propane tanks, regulators and other components may also have defects that cause or contribute to an explosion or burn injury. When these accidents occur, the medical costs can be so overwhelming that financial compensation is essential. Our Atlanta barbeque accident attorneys will analyze such grilling accidents to identify the defect in the product that caused our client’s injuries. All parts, packaging and instructions that came with the barbeque should be preserved if you still have these items. Further, the barbeque should be left in the same condition as when the accident occurred so that an industry expert can analyze the grill and propane tank to identify the cause of the barbeque accident.
While it may be tempting to presume that the risk of a barbeque accident is extremely small, approximately 18,000 people visit emergency rooms in a typical year because of grill-related barbeque or explosion injuries. Approximately 66 percent of these injuries occur when the grill is being ignited.
Why Montlick & Associates?
The experienced Georgia personal injury law firm, Montlick and Associates, aggresively represents burn victims and their families from all communities throughout the state of Georgia and all over the Southeast. For over 39 years, the attorneys at Montlick & Associates have been helping families by concentrating its practice on personal injury law, providing caring and high quality legal representation.
The firm was recently honored by the Georgia House of Representatives for its 30 years of service with the passing of House Resolution 394 recognizing Montlick & Associates for "the outstanding accomplishments of this distinguished firm," and “for providing efficient, effective and dedicated services to the citizens of Georgia." The firm was also named the Most Patriotic Business of 2011 by the Association of the United States Army in Atlanta for its efforts to support the troops, and its CEO David R. Montlick received a Patriotism Award in 2012 for the Southeast.
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