Does the family deserve money from this?

**min0 lee** · 12-25-2005, 03:54 PM

Kin sue in hair spray fire death

By NICK DIVITO
and DON SINGLETON
DAILY NEWS WRITERS
The daughters of a Brooklyn woman who died of burns after puncturing a clogged aerosol can of Aquanet hair spray have filed a wrongful death suit against the manufacturer.
The victim, Lorraine Squicciarini, died in horrible pain on Dec. 14, 2003, one day after she tried to apply Aquanet to her hair as she did daily.
When the can's nozzle became clogged after she had sprayed on some of the product, Squicciarini picked up a can opener from a kitchen drawer, according to court papers filed in the Brooklyn Supreme Court suit.
"With the can opener, Lorraine Squicciarini opened a hole in the bottom of the Aquanet can in an attempt to clear the nozzle," according to the complaint. "The contents, including vapors and highly flammable and explosive materials," spurted from the can.
"The pilot light of the gas range ignited it," said the family's lawyer, David Schoen. "She soon became engulfed in flames, turning her whole body, virtually from head to toe, into a ball of fire."
Neighbors responding to Squicciarini's screams put her in a shower, but she wound up "in excruciating pain," with "80% of her skin burned off," Schoen said.
Squicciarini spent the last hours of her life in the burn unit of a Staten Island hospital, begging to die "to be relieved of the pain," Schoen said.
The suit against Unilever USA by Lorraine Squicciarini's daughters, Barbara Squicciarini of Staten Island and Marisa Ciancimino of Hazlet, N.J., does not specify damages, but Schoen said he will seek $10 million in compensatory damages and $100 million in punitive damages.
Schoen said the daughters base their suit on alleged manufacturing and design defects and inadequate warning and instruction labeling, as well as the trauma they suffered as a result of the tragedy.
"It happened two years ago, and one of the daughters still cannot sleep properly because of what happened to her mother," the lawyer said.
Schoen said he researched earlier cases of injuries involving Aquanet and determined "the printed warning against puncturing the can, which was insufficient then, remains insufficient." Unilever USA did not respond to requests for comment.

I am tired of seeing lawsuits like this. If it exploded while she was spraying herself then I can understand....but she punctured the can herself ....

This sort of reminds me of the time the lady sued Mcdonalds for burning herself with coffee.

I feel bad for the family but this is just being greedy.

**Tier** · 12-25-2005, 03:59 PM

Natural Selection

**DOMS** · 12-25-2005, 04:04 PM

Originally Posted by Tier

Natural Selection

I have a saying I use for moments like those:

"That's Natural Selection as work for you and me."

**DOMS** · 12-25-2005, 04:07 PM

Originally Posted by min0 lee

This sort of reminds me of the time the lady sued Mcdonalds for burning herself with coffee.

I think McDonald's deserved to lose that case. The coffee was over 100 degrees above the tempurature it was at and had been warned serveral times about it. But what really can McDonald's put to the screws was their attitude. The pretty much said "Tough shit." to the lady and the courts. No, "Were sorry this happened and we'll turn down the heat." Even after someone had been hurt, they still didn't want to bring the heat down.

**TJ Cline** · 12-25-2005, 04:09 PM

This should not even be considered by the Judge.....throw it out the day it's filed.

**DOMS** · 12-25-2005, 04:12 PM

There's a state (province?) in Austalia where the lawyers can be fined if they bring a frivolous suit to court. We need that in the US.

**greekblondechic** · 12-25-2005, 04:23 PM

Don't pretty much all aerosal cans have a warning label on them?

**themamasan** · 12-25-2005, 04:30 PM

I wonder how "insufficient" the warning label was? I would assume it said something like "Do not puncture this can!!"

**Mudge** · 12-25-2005, 04:36 PM

This is as stupid as the dumbass who stuck a drill up his nose because it itched.

* The bottom of the can has shit all to do with the nozzle.
* Penetration of a highly compressed, and flamable substance = STOOPEED.

**Mudge** · 12-25-2005, 04:37 PM

Originally Posted by DOMS

I think McDonald's deserved to lose that case. The coffee was over 100 degrees above the tempurature it was at

Say that again, in a way that it makes sense. Are you trying to say it was 249ºF or what?

**min0 lee** · 12-25-2005, 04:52 PM

Originally Posted by DOMS

I think McDonald's deserved to lose that case. The coffee was over 100 degrees above the tempurature it was at and had been warned serveral times about it. But what really can McDonald's put to the screws was their attitude. The pretty much said "Tough shit." to the lady and the courts. No, "Were sorry this happened and we'll turn down the heat." Even after someone had been hurt, they still didn't want to bring the heat down.

You do make a good point as far as the arrogance these guys possess but I think that case opened the floodgates for stupid cases.

MudgeThis is as stupid as the dumbass who stuck a drill up his nose because it itched.

What a dumbass

**Mudge** · 12-25-2005, 04:58 PM

5000 RPM of twisting steel and flesh dont mix, go figure!

**DOMS** · 12-25-2005, 06:36 PM

Originally Posted by Mudge

Say that again, in a way that it makes sense. Are you trying to say it was 249ºF or what?

OK, I was off on the temperatures (other sites seem to agree on the temperatures):

McDonalds also said during discovery that, based on a consultants
advice, it held its coffee at between 180 and 190 degrees fahrenheit to
maintain optimum taste. He admitted that he had not evaluated the
safety ramifications at this temperature. Other establishments sell
coffee at substantially lower temperatures, and coffee served at home is
generally 135 to 140 degrees.

That's up to °60 F in difference. That's the difference bewteen a first and second (or third) degree burn. The woman suffered third degree burns.

Again, the judge wasn't so much siding with the woman as he was punishing McDonald's for its hubris.

**Mudge** · 12-25-2005, 06:49 PM

30-40º above the temperature required to keep bacteria out of it, gotcha. So even the legally required temperature (for foods), is hot enough, to burn the boner off of my lap.

**musclepump** · 12-26-2005, 06:08 PM

A CAN OPENER for HAIRSPRAY? I don't want to say she deserved it, but... well, I just won't say it, but you know what I mean.

**Jeeper** · 12-26-2005, 06:29 PM

The woman in the Mcdonalds suit was originally only asking for 1/3 of her medical bills and they told her to screw herself. Their coffee was too hot and the woman was stupid. They apportioned the liability accordingly since both were at fault.

**Vieope** · 12-26-2005, 07:05 PM

I dont think the company should pay that, they put a label on the product to warn against those dangers.
We need to rethink the way we make products though, do they need to be that deadly?
Follow the smart example of vibrators, they work on batteries not on power lines, you can see how that could go wrong.

**BigDyl** · 12-26-2005, 07:57 PM

I think i deserve some money... for reading this post.

J/k.

Merry New Year.

**min0 lee** · 12-26-2005, 08:21 PM

Originally Posted by BigDyl

I think i deserve some money... for reading this post.

J/k.

Merry New Year.

Merry xmas

**Mudge** · 12-26-2005, 08:56 PM

Originally Posted by Vieope

I dont think the company should pay that, they put a label on the product to warn against those dangers.

WARNING: HIGHLY COMPRESSED FLAMABLE SUBSTANCE SHOULD NOT BE EXPELLED NEAR OPEN FLAME YOU SHORT BUS REJECT.

**DOMS** · 12-27-2005, 10:03 AM

**The Monkey Man** · 12-27-2005, 10:10 AM

Originally Posted by DOMS

**Dale Mabry** · 12-27-2005, 11:49 AM

Why would she use hairspray, is she stuck in the 80's? There are many fine gels and pomades to choose from.

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