Calphalon Recalls Kitchen Knives for Laceration Hazards

Calphalon is recalling nearly 2 million kitchen knives after thousands of consumers reported that the blades snapped off and in several cases, caused serious laceration injuries. According to a Fox News report, the company issued a voluntary safety recall after 27 reported incidents of lacerations.

To date, Calphalon says it has received about 3,150 reports of broken knives. Four of the 27 reported injuries required stitches, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). About 2 million individual knives sold in the U.S. and around 7,100 sold in Canada between August 2008 and December 2016 are affected by the recall.

The recalled products include carving, paring, santoku and utility knives, sold individually or in sets. The knives were sold at major retail stores such as J.C. Penney, Kohl’s and Macy’s and online through Amazon and other websites. Calphalon is offering replacements for any affected knives. The company also has a guide to help owners determine if their knives are affected by the recall, which includes a contact phone number and a link to a form for ordering a return kit. It could take up to six weeks to complete the exchange process, according to company officials.

Knife-Related Accidents

While burn injuries are what we most associate with kitchen accidents, cuts from kitchen knives are the most common reason why people go to the emergency room. Knife accidents at home led to hospital visits almost 330,000 times in 2011, according to the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System. In a sample of more than 8,000 of these cases, more than two-thirds of the injuries were to the fingers. A defective knife where the blade can unexpectedly come off, of course, poses the risk of serious injury.

Seeking Compensation for Your Injuries

If you or a loved one has been injured as the result of a defective product such as a knife, you may be able to seek compensation for your losses by filing a product liability lawsuit against the manufacturer of the faulty product. Product defects are caused by a manufacturing defect (something that occurs during the manufacturing process) or due to a design flaw (when the design of the product is faulty). In some cases, accidents also occur because manufacturers fail to warn consumers about their products’ inherent dangers. All of the above issues provide a basis for a product liability lawsuit.

In order to be successful with such a lawsuit, plaintiffs must be able to prove that the product is defective when it is used as intended and that it caused the victim to suffer injuries and monetary damages. Injured victims can seek compensation for damages such as medical expenses, lost income, hospitalization, cost of surgery, rehabilitation and pain and suffering. Call our experienced Sacramental product liability lawyers at the Demas Law Group P.C. Contact us at (916) 444-0100 for a no-cost consultation and comprehensive case evaluation.