Ninja Pressure Cooker Explosion Left Texas Woman With Severe Burns, Lawsuit Alleges

A woman who suffered severe burns from a Ninja pressure cooker explosion has filed a product liability lawsuit, alleging the device was sold with a defective and unreasonably dangerous design, since the advertised safety features fail to prevent it from opening while the contents are still pressurized.

The complaint (PDF) was brought by Gwendolyn Prater in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas on February 20, pursuing claims against SHarkNinja Operating, LLC, the manufacturer of the popular Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker.

The case raises allegations similar to those presented in growing number of pressure cooker explosion lawsuits filed in recent months, each involving claims that modern electronic pressure cookers are not as safe as advertised, including Instant Pot, Crock Pot, Ninja pressure cookers and other products.

Prater indicates she was using her Ninja pressure cooker when she activated the pressure release mechanism to add an ingredient. However, as the pressure was releasing, the lid opened and hot liquid forcefully exploded out of the device, causing her to suffer severe burns.

The lawsuit indicates the safety features built into the Ninja pressure cooker should have prevented the lid from ever opening before pressure inside was fully released.

“It was the duty of Defendant SharkNinja to design, manufacture, test, market, advertise, label, distribute, and sell Ninja Pressure Cookers so they are reasonably safe for foreseeable use,” Prater’s lawsuit states. “At the time the Ninja Pressure Cookers at issue left the control of Defendant SharkNinja and was sold, it contained one or more conditions that rendered it defective and unreasonably dangerous in light of its nature and intended use.”

Prater presents claims of strict product liability, negligence, and breach of warranty.

Pressure Cooker Explosion Lawsuits

Modern electronic pressure cookers have become increasingly popular in recent decades, amid marketing that has promoted advanced safety features that were supposed to prevent pressure cooker explosions that have plagued older, stove-top designs. Products have been marketed under a number of brand names, through social media, websites and home shopping stations.

Most of the problems involve similar pressure cooker burn injuries which occurred after the lid was removed while the contents were still under high pressure, typically resulting in burns covering a large percentage of the user’s body. However, other injuries linked to pressure cookers have included eye injuries, broken bones and other complications that resulted from electrocutions, spills or explosions.

As more of these electric pressure cookers have been introduced in recent years, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued several pressure cooker recalls over problems where lids were able to be opened while contents are under pressure, allowing hot contents to be expelled and causing a scald or burn injury to individuals in the immediate area.