Vitamix Announces Recall Of 569,000 Blending Containers And Blade Bases After Reports Of Numerous Laceration Injuries

Vitamix recently announced the recall of more than half a million blending containers and blade bases sold by retailers nationwide after receiving reports of more than two dozen lacerations, according to a notice posted recently by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The recall includes all Ascent and Venturist Series 8-ounce and 20-ounce blending containers and blade bases. The recall also includes items that were recalled and repaired in August 2018 as part of a separate recall.

According to the recall, the containers can separate from the blender’s base. This can then expose the blades and create a laceration hazard, according to the CPSC. The containers and blade bases were sold by retailers across the country including Best Buy, Costco, Crate & Barrel, Macy’s Target, Walmart, and Williams Sonoma. They were also sold online by Amazon, QVC, and Vitamix from April 2017 through May 2024.

Vitamix has received 27 reports of lacerations. 11 of these reports were from the 2018 recall. They were caused by the consumer’s hands coming into contact with the exposed blades, the company reported.

Design defect in product liability lawsuits 

Design defect is one of three theories of product liability under which a plaintiff can file a lawsuit. A design defect suit would allege that some intrinsic defect in the design of the product rendered it dangerous to the public, and someone was injured as a result of that defect.

In the case mentioned above, you have a prime example of a design defect. The base of the Vitamix container can separate from the bowl causing it to expose the blades resulting in laceration injuries to customers. These injuries are compensable. While none are life-threatening or even life-altering, any injury for which you receive medical attention can become the basis of a solid product liability lawsuit. In this case, the customers likely endured laceration injuries to their hands. In some cases, these injuries might have required stitches.

So, while the injuries aren’t necessarily the worst you can imagine, they are compensable should any of the injured parties see fit to file a product liability lawsuit against Vitamix for their defectively designed product.

In some cases, lacerations to the hands could cause serious injury. If the blade of the blender were to strike a nerve in the hand, it could cause serious damage. The injured party may not have use of the hand for a period of time while they recover from the nerve damage injury. So, lacerations to the hands, while usually trivial, aren’t necessarily.

Talk to a Florida Product Liability Lawyer Today 

Halpern, Santos, & Pinkert represent the interests of those who have been injured by dangerous or defective consumer products. For more information on filing a lawsuit against a company that caused you injury, call our Florida personal injury lawyers today to schedule an appointment, and we can begin investigating your claims right away.

Source:

cbsnews.com/news/vitamix-blender-recall-ascent-venturist/