A man from New York City suffered serious injuries when his Nutribullet Blender exploded, causing significant damage to his hand. Joseph Sanchez was preparing a protein smoothie with celery, milk, and protein powder in July 2022 when the plastic cup burst, injuring his right hand. He described a horrifying scene where blood was pouring onto the floor.
In a state of shock, Sanchez, a 46-year-old hairdresser, quickly fashioned a tourniquet from a tie and headed to the hospital to control the bleeding. Medical professionals discovered that he had severed an artery in his dominant hand, leading him to file a lawsuit against Nutribullet in Manhattan’s Supreme Court.
According to Sanchez, he is now dealing with severe, persistent pain, lifelong trauma, and numbness in his hands. The blender, which typically costs between $45 to $150, can generate heat and pressure that might lead to explosions.
Sanchez also noted that Nutribullet has been aware of similar explosion incidents, mentioning that he first heard about such a problem back in 2011. However, the lawsuit did not provide details on prior complaints.
His attorney, Daniel Ecker, described the case as “very scary and intrusive.” Nutribullet currently faces over 140 personal injury and product liability lawsuits filed in federal court. In 2022, the company agreed to pay a $10 million settlement in class action lawsuits related to injuries from its products, although they did not admit to any wrongdoing.
The company maintains that they had no intention of misleading customers and did not issue recalls or redesigns of their blenders. A similar case was dismissed recently; a woman named Lori Lynn Hoff, who claimed her blender exploded while she was making celery juice in 2020, had her lawsuit thrown out in June, with the judge ruling against her testimony.
Nutribullet markets itself as a top personal blending brand, claiming over 80 million users worldwide. As of now, they’ve not provided any comment on the recent case.
