In Ogden, Utah, a six year old boy, John Robinson, is recovering from personal injuries and burns caused when a big pot of boiling water tipped over on him. Turns out that it was his little brother, Jacob, who should have been the injured one because he was the one who climbed up on the stove, causing it to tip. When John saw what was happening, he rushed in to get his brother out of the way and was the one in harm’s way when the stove tipped and splashed scalding water all over him.
According to his mother, Amber Robinson, she heard a crash and saw that the entire oven was tipped over. It turns out that Jacob had used the oven door as a step to climb up to check on the corn cobs that his mom was cooking on the stove. On camera, Mrs. Robinson showed reporters just how little effort it takes to make the stove tip away from the wall.
In these kind of situations, there is no question that the stove should have been anchored to the wall to prevent if from tipping and preventing personal injury. This was an accident waiting to happen. Most stoves have instructions advising home owners to make sure this happens. In Utah, a landlord has the responsibility to make sure the units they rent out are safe for adults and for children. This would include making sure the stove didn’t tip over. In my view, it was completely foreseeable that this would happen. Children climb on things all the time, such as dresser drawers. In a situation like this, a reasonable and prudent landlord would have made sure that items that are considered fixtures in the house, such as the oven, are safe for their intended use and will not tip over if a child stands on the oven door. In my view, in a case like this, the landlord and/or the property manager is completely responsible for John’s injury. Although Utah state and donations may pay for John’s medical treatment, they may not pay for the cosmetic treatment he will need to lighten the scarring on his body. I would recommend that the Robinson’s contact an attorney to explore what legal options against the landlord might be available. Often, personal injury/accident lawyers will be able to resolve these kind of claims without going to court.
Published by: Ron Kramer
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