We Expose Unsafe Lighter and Get Justice for Four Kids

The Edwards Law Firm took the company that imported dangerous Chinese-made lighters to trial and proved violations of U.S. safety laws. We secured not only justice but a sizeable settlement for the family. The importer brought hundreds of thousands of these unsafe lighters to the U.S. but failed to safety test them.

Christina's four young children were horribly burned after one of them flicked a “childproof” disposable lighter and ignited a flame that set off an inferno inside the family's car. These young victims spent years going through surgeries, painful skin grafts and physical therapy in order to recover. Christina (name changed to protect the identities of minor children) was devastated. What happened? Who was to blame?

They wanted answers and they deserved justice. We saw to it they got both.

What We Proved

Our investigation of this horrendous Texas case showed:

• The Chinese-made lighter didn't meet the U.S. child safety standards
• The U.S. importer didn't adequately check the lighters for compliance
• Hundreds of thousands of these dangerous lighters had been imported to the U.S.
• Other children had been injured by them

At trial, we were able to prove the companies knew or should have known that these lighters – many of which were equipped with dancing animated characters enticing to youngsters – posed a critical danger to children. Our testing engineers were able to show the lighters failed to consistently meet U.S. safety standards for childproof lighters – that they could easily be ignited with only a child's limited strength and dexterity. Our review of documents showed the importer safety checked none of the lighters, which not only caused it to miss the high incidence of lighters that were unsafe but also violated the law.

What We Accomplished

As a result, the family received a settlement that will cover their past and future medical expenses and past and future loss of income, plus compensation for additional losses and for pain and suffering.