Are you a NutriBullet fan? If so, this story may interest you. It turns out “at least 22 people are suing the makers of NutriBullet over claims that the product burst during use, leaving them with severe lacerations and burns.” According to multiple allegations, the “alleged victims claim the speed of the blade causes heat and pressure to build in the sealed vessel, which causes the container to burst from the rest of the machine.” Despite the reports, attorneys and representatives of NutriBullet claim there is nothing wrong with the product, and are blaming the consumers for failing to properly use the popular blender.
Are you a NutriBullet fan? If so, this story may interest you. It turns out “at least 22 people are suing the makers of NutriBullet over claims that the blenders burst during use, leaving them with severe lacerations and burns.” According to multiple allegations, the “alleged victims claim the speed of the blade causes heat and pressure to build in the sealed vessel, which causes the container to burst from the rest of the machine.” Despite the reports, attorneys and representatives of NutriBullet claim there is nothing wrong with the product, and are blaming the consumers for failing to properly use the popular blender.
So even though there have been multiple gruesome stories of NutriBullet blenders malfunctioning and literally exploding, all the company has to say for itself is that it’s the users fault their blenders blew up in their faces? To get a better picture of just how big an issue this is, let’s take a look at some of the victims who experienced problems with the blenders. For starters, Sheryl Utal was using her NutriBullet blender back in May. According to her, she was only “using the product for about 20 seconds before it burst.” When describing the incident she said:
“I had my hands on it, like you normally do as you put it in and turn it to lock it in place, and it was on for maybe 15 to 20 seconds and it exploded…It spins so fast that it heats up the contents, the contents get under pressure, and the device explodes, so that hot liquid exploded onto me and created nasty burns.”
Representing Utal is Doug Rochen, an attorney that is representing another client as well who “required six surgeries after her hand fell into the blade.” Regarding the matter, he said the “product is lacking safety features.”
In another incident, Richard Moore, a London film director, was “blending a peanut butter smoothie when he noticed the blades started spinning faster than usual, then the machine exploded,” according to reports. As a result of the explosion he sustained injuries that resulted in him spending “multiple nights in the hospital” and many “sleepless nights due to the pain.”
Despite the slew of injury reports, NutriBullet has repeatedly denied the allegations. Mark Suzumoto, a corporate attorney for NutriBullet, even recently told media outlets that the “injuries are the result of misusing of the blender,” and said it’s “physically impossible for the machine to burst after blending cool or room temperature contents for 15 or 20 seconds.” Additionally, he “pointed out that the product’s manual warns against using the product for over one minute due to potential heating issues.” He added, “Any product can present a risk…Like driving without a seat belt. What’s alleged to have happened is physically impossible.”
Though the company does not seem willing to take responsibility for their faulty product, it is at least going to investigate the issue, so that’s a tad bit reassuring. In a statement issued recently by a NutriBullet spokeswoman, the company “reiterated the importance of following the manual with every use” and added:
“Customer safety and satisfaction are paramount at NutriBullet. Reports of blenders, which have operated normally for years, suddenly turning cool ingredients into scalding hot mixtures after less than 20 seconds of normal operation are perplexing and contrary to the hundreds of millions of uses by satisfied NutriBullet customers worldwide. We will investigate the claims thoroughly and analyze the blenders in question to determine exactly what happened. Whatever the circumstances surrounding these accidents, we wish prompt and complete recoveries to those involved.”
What do you think? Is NutriBullet to blame for the accidents that have impacted the lives of at least 22 users, or are you on the train that thinks user-error is to blame?
Sources:
‘NutriBullet’ users claim devices ‘burst’ causing burns, lacerations
22 People Are Suing NutriBullet After The Blenders Allegedly “Exploded
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