Denver, CO personal injury lawyer George McLaughlin talks about his experience in handling electric blanket fire and thermal burn injury cases. The individual received their first electric blanket fire case in the late 1980s when a partner, handling an estate connected to a fire-related fatality, enlisted their expertise in product liability. Sunbeam, a prominent American appliance manufacturer recognized for producing various appliances, including electric blankets, was involved in the case. Sunbeam had introduced a new technology featuring a specialized heating element known as a Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) heating element.

In contrast to traditional coils, the PTC heating element utilized copper conductors covered with a proprietary black plastic material containing embedded carbon. The heating process relied on this plastic material, not the copper wires. The issue surfaced when the copper wires inside this plastic wire broke, resulting in a tiny electrical arc that could ignite the plastic and lead to a fire.

Despite Sunbeam’s long-standing safety circuit, certain circumstances rendered it ineffective in detecting broken wires, allowing fires to occur. In the early 2000s, Sunbeam improved its safety circuit, reducing the occurrence of fires. However, the inherent flaw in the design continued to pose a risk. Although fire incidents decreased, recent cases have involved thermal burn injuries. Individuals wake up with unexplained burns on their face, hips, or legs after sleeping with the electric blanket. These thermal burn injuries, not associated with fires, represent a relatively new trend, contrasting with the historical prevalence of electric blanket fires since the early 1980s.