Hundreds of children have been severely burned after tipping a cup of instant noodle soup. Our lawyers are now accepting soup burn lawsuits on behalf of the victims of these defectively designed products. The problem is that instant noodle soup cups are designed with a round base and a tall, narrow container. When filled with boiling-hot liquid, soup cups are more likely to tip over than short, stout containers.
What You Can Do & How an Instant Soup Burn Lawsuit Can Help
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting instant soup burn induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know was injured by a defective instant noodle soup cup, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Product Liability Litigation Group or call us toll-free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
Types of Cup Noodles
- Maruchan Instant Lunch
- Maruchan Beef Cup
- Nissin Cup Noodles
- Campbell’s Hearty Noodles
- Sapporo Ichiban Oriental Noodle Soup
- Tradition Instant Noodle Soup
- And more
Maruchan Instant Lunch Lawsuit Filed for Child Burn Injury
January 23, 2014 — A mother from North Carolina has filed a lawsuit against Maruchan for severe, disfiguring burn injuries that occurred when a cup of Maruchan Instant Noodles spilled on her 1 year-old daughter. The girl has needed multiple reconstructive surgeries and has scarring on her back and lower body. Click here to read more.
Child Soup Burn Injury Lawsuit Filed in California
May 13, 2013 — Chicago Tribune reports that the family of 3 year-old Jolan Jackson has filed a soup burn lawsuit against the makers of Cup Noodles in Los Angeles Superior Court. Jackson suffered second- and third-degree burns after a hot Cup Noodles somehow tripped over and spilled into his lap. He was hospitalized for 15 days and required months of follow-up surgery.
Defective Instant Noodle Soup Cups More Likely to Tip Over, Spill
Numerous studies have found that instant noodle soup cups with round bases and tall, narrow design are prone to tipping and spilling. Very simple design changes could prevent hundreds of burn injuries every year.
According to a 2006 study published in the Journal of Burn Care & Research:
“Simple redesigning of instant soup packaging with a wider base and shorter height, along with the requirement for warnings about the risks of burns would reduce the frequency of soup burns.”
Another study published in January 2008 linked 65% of soup burn injuries among children to instant noodle soup cups with a narrow base. According to researchers:
“Prevention of these types of injuries will require a two-pronged approach: educating families with multiple children and changing the soup packaging.”
— Journal of Burn Care & Research
Instant Noodle Soup Burns in Children Worse Than Other Scalding Injuries
Burns from instant noodles cause longer hospital stays than burns from other types of soup. The problem is that hot, sticky noodles stay hot much longer than water. According to this study published in Journal of Burn Care & Research in May 2007:
“Noodle soup causes a significantly longer hospital stay than other types of soup. Because the boiling temperature of water and noodle soup is about the same, but the cooling curve of noodle soup is much slower, noodle soup may present a greater danger to children than other types of soup.”
Types of Soup Burns
Children have thinner skin than adults and can easily suffer severe burns from tipping a hot cup of instant noodles on themselves.
- First-Degree Burns — Limited to the top layer of skin (epidermis). The least severe and most common type of burn. Symptoms include redness, pain, and minor swelling. No blisters form. Healing time is 3-6 days.
- Second-Degree Burn — Moderate burn involving the top layer of skin and some lower layers (dermis). Symptoms include blisters (clear fluid-filled, may break open), severe pain, redness, and swelling. Healing time may be 3 weeks or more.
- Third-Degree Burns — Most severe burn involving all layers of skin, nerves, and deeper tissues. Skin may appear dry, leathery, discolored (yellow, brown, black, white). Nerve endings are destroyed; burned area may be painless.
Soup Burns and Skin Grafts
Children with severe soup burns may need a skin graft. This procedure involves surgery to remove a healthy piece of skin from a non-burned part of the body (called the “donor site”) and re-attached on a burned area of skin. Before the skin graft is attached, patients undergo debridement, which is an extremely painful procedure to scrape off burnt, dead tissue and skin. Extensive scarring is inevitable, and the healing process can take months or years.
Do I have an Instant Soup Burn Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting instant soup burn induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know was injured by a defective instant noodle soup cup, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Product Liability Litigation Group or call us toll-free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
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