Children & Adults Suffering Serious Burns Due To Design Defects
Forty-Three percent of all burns happen at home. The most common pediatric burns occur when a child places their hands on the glass door of a fireplace.
The problem is believed to exist in all Fireplaces with the following features:
- Single Pane Glass Front
- Sealed (front cannot be opened)
- Gas Heated
- Flush Mount (without warnings or standard guarding on the front)
Testing of a such a fireplace under circumstances similar to a family’s regular use recorded front glass temperatures of approximately 360 degrees Fahrenheit.
This is believed to be a result of the shallow depth of the sealed firebox (no front vent) coupled with the use of single pane as opposed to double pane glass (as is used in most designs).
The temperature is well in excess of those known to cause third degree and other serious disfiguring burns.
If you or any member of your family has been burned contact us immediately.
Featured Incident
Toddler Suffers 3rd Degree Burns
On December 22, 2006, Deirdre Wooldridge was wrapping Christmas presents in front of the gas fireplace in her rented home accompanied by her daughter, Marin, then two days shy of her first birthday.
Marin, who had just started walking, lost her balance and fell hands first into the sealed front of the fireplace.
By the time her mother pushed her off the glass (within one second), Marin had suffered severe and disfiguring second and third degree burns to her face, palms, hands and forearms.
Marin was then transferred to Shriner’s Childrens’ Hospital where she has undergone extensive treatment for her burns, including skin grafts to her palms.
Deirdre Wooldridge has been advised that at least one more skin graft procedure and physical therapy will be required in order to adequately treat Marin’s palm burns.
The Fireplace
The fireplace which caused Marin’s burns is a Superior Model No. DVT333530. This fireplace is manufactured by Lennox Hearth Products, Inc., a California corporation with its principal place of business in Orange, CA. Lennox Hearth Products, Inc. is a subsidiary of Lennox International Inc.
