A staple item in any house and business, the toilet is one of the most used items. Often times, the “John” is a safe place to relax and catch up on the news. You would think that a ceramic item that can weigh up to 120 pounds should not be exploding, right? Well, in the past ten years we have seen an increasingly large amount of exploding toilets. This is not a common thing, but if there is a blockage in the system or if there is a high amount of pressure built up then there could possibly be an explosion.
In 2014, Angela Wright, a woman from Baltimore, was using her toilet when she ended up on the floor covered in feces and obtaining major injuries. Mrs. Wright, is suing the Mayor, the City Council, and two city contractors for repairing the sewage system under her house in a “negligent manner”. According to Mrs. Wright, the explosion caused $14,000 in damage to her house. Her attorney, Louis Glick, says that he will seek $250,000 if the case gets tried by a jury. Another large case that occurred in 2014, is the class action lawsuit against Flushmate. A settlement of $18 million was reached because the Sloane Valve Company sold defective pressurized flushing mechanisms. One of the first reported explosions occurred in 2011, but the company became aware of the defect in 2000. One case involved a 26-year-old man who said, “it exploded and severely cut my back”, according to the CPSC website. He continued to express his concern by saying, “Had it been my grandmother our one of my nieces and nephews who happened to use the toilet that day, the consequences could have been severe. I required dozens of stitches for an extremely deep wound because of the exploding porcelain”. The settlement included cash payments that would be awarded to each customer between the years of 1997 and 2009.
The John, the loo, your house office, and the lavatory may not be as safe as you think. If you do happen to be a victim to this 120-pound ceramic bowl, make sure to seek medical assistance and contact a personal injury attorney! If you get hit (by an exploding toilet) call Witt at 806.507.0404!