Exploding whipped-cream dispenser fractures woman's skull; court awards €1.1mn payout
What's the story
A French court has awarded Elimie Lada -a victim of an exploding whipped cream canister- a damage payout of €1.1 million in the case.
The payout includes €10,000 to her husband and two kids, aged three and six, who were present with her at that time.
In 2013, Lada suffered a fracture to her skull while using a cream dispenser.
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Attorney
Monetary award quite large for France, says victim's attorney
Emeline Petitgirard - the victim's lawyer - said that the payout was "unusually large" for a country like France.
She said civil courts in the country are "generally skittish" about awarding bigger payouts "in the absence of death."
Adding Emilie Lada's case was especially very tragic, Petitgirard said that the "colossal" €1.1mn payout is "for a life snatched away."
The Accident
Lada's face was disfigured in the freak accident
Lada was severely injured by the exploding cream dispenser in Dec'13; she was 30.
It cracked her skull, causing intracranial bleeding, and also "tore off" a part of Lada's face.
Petitgirard said that the disfigurement of her face is "barely visible" thanks to the "quite astonishing" work by the doctors.
However, her sense of taste and smell are gone; she can no longer work.
Court's Verdict
The judgment of France's Montauban court
The Montauban court found the cream dispenser's importer, F2J.com, and its insurance provider AXA liable for the accident.
AXA said some responsibility should be borne by supermarket-chain Auchan, which sold the canister.
The court said Auchan isn't liable as Lada couldn't provide a proof of her purchase.
However, it added Auchan didn't have effective alert systems in place to warn clients about the product.
Warnings
Warnings issued over the dangerous canisters
The National Consumer Institute (INC) of France had earlier issued warnings over the dangers of similar whipped cream canisters used by the brand named "Ard'Time".
According to the Institute, the plastic lid utilized in the dispenser may not be able to withstand the pressure exerted by carbon dioxide present inside it.
The dangers of the products have been reported since Mar'13.
Similar Case
Lada's case echoes death of fitness blogger
A similar incident on 18 Jun'17 caused the death of famous French Instagram-star and fitness blogger, Rebecca Burger.
Her family said she died after an exploding cream canister hit her in the chest.
Warnings about "tens of thousands" of the defective devices being circulated have been doing rounds on social media networks in France.
Burger's was the third such accident in France since 2014.