A rather odd and seemingly unlikely event has an 83-year-old retired man filing a personal injury civil suit against a number of companies.
The man entered the lawsuit in the United State District Court in Medford, Oregon after a bottle of prune juice, contained in a plastic bottle, exploded in his face. The impact from the chunks of plastic caused injuries to the man’s face and other parts of his body. Now, he is going after Sunsweet Growers Incorporated, Graham Packaging Company and Walmart Stores for their roles in producing and selling the defective product.
The man purchased the bottle of juice from a Walmart supermarket in early 2010 and stored the bottle in his fridge. Not long after, on Feb. 28, 2010, the man removed the bottle and attempted to open it so he could pour himself a glass. As he held the bottle with the cap facing to the ground, the bottle suddenly burst from the bottom of the container. His face was hit by both juice and pieces of plastic, an incident he detailed in the lawsuit.
The force of the blast apparently knocked him over, sending him to the ground where he hurt his hand and wrist. He also was hit in his left eye with prune juice and the shards of plastic left large bruises around both of his eyes,
The man and his lawyer claim the juice fermented inside the bottle, creating the pressure that caused the explosion. According to them, this was an oversight by all three companies who were responsible for producing the juice and bottle it came in and selling it in stores.
None of the companies involved would release a comment on the matter until they completed their own investigation into the mishap. The amount of money being sought in the case was also not disclosed.
As this case shows, personal injury cases can result from just about any situation. An everyday event can leave a person injured and seeking ongoing medical attention. A person dealing with an injury as a result of another party’s negligence may choose to seek compensation and would benefit from contacting a qualified attorney.
Source: The Oregonian, “Southern Oregon senior citizen files federal lawsuit after prune juice mishap,” Bryan Denson, Sept. 11, 2011
