Children’s Health Link: Tipping stoves still a problem

Source | KING 5 News

An accident may be waiting to happen in your kitchen. A serious problem, identified years ago, still persists in millions of American households, and last year it led to a two-decade high in deaths and injuries.

Although it was several years ago, Stephanie Moran remembers it like yesterday - that fateful day her son walked to the kitchen stove.

“He opened the door, put his foot on it and the whole oven flipped over,” Moran said. “The pot flew off the oven.”

It’s hard to watch the video of 18-month old-James in treatment - scalded with second- and third-degree burns created by the flying pot of boiling water.

In the aftermath of what she thought was a freak accident, Moran learned that appliance manufacturers were well aware of a troubling problem.

“They knew about it and chose not to do anything,” Moran said. “I didn’t know about it and my son is scarred for the rest of his life.”

Tip-overs of freestanding stoves - when weight is placed on the oven door - have been a persistent problem for decades. It was first identified in a 1986 lawsuit on behalf of a Texas girl who lost a limb.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has recorded 33 deaths from tipping stoves since 1980, and 84 injuries.

But two of those deaths - both children - and nine injuries were recorded just last year, which marked a 20-year high in stove-tipping casualties.

Bellevue attorney Herb Farber represented a severely scalded Seattle toddler in a 1999 lawsuit against a stove maker. He says manufacturers have been dragging their heels on a fix.

“It’s a horrific event and it does not have to happen,” he said.

Manufacturers say they have responded with warning labels.

In addition, anti-tipping brackets, which mount to the floor or wall, are packed with each new stove.

But KING 5 checked with Seattle home inspectors and appliance installers who say customers rarely are willing to pay the $50 fee to have them installed.

Ken Hungerford of Albert Lee Appliance told KING 5 he estimates about 5 percent of households have the devices.

Critics say manufacturers have ignored fixes that consumers may find more acceptable - like break-away doors.

Congress wants to know why tip-prone stoves are still a threat in up to 20 million American households.

In a few days the House Committee on Commerce and Energy will hold hearings with tough questions for the Consumer Products Safety Commission and manufacturers.

You can buy brackets to anchor down your stove at many hardware or appliance stores.

Do I Have a Stove Tipping Lawsuit?

If you or a loved one have been injured or killed due to a stove or kitchen range tipping over, you should contact us immediately. You may be entitled to compensation for your injuries and/or loss and we can help.

Learn More: Stove Tipping Lawsuit