SaferProducts incident

Failure type

Explosion / rupture

Incident narrative

SaferProducts.gov consumer incident report 20190213-043B6-2147382737. Severity: Injury, Seen by Medical Professional. Product: Weed Eater Ground Sweeper 2510 (Weed eater brand Ground Sweeper 2510 leaf blower, electric). Incident: On Feb. 12, 2019 my 78 year old mother went into her garage, plugged in a Weed Eater brand electric leaf blower to blow the driveway off. She plugged the unit in, turned on the power switch on the leaf blower and it literally exploded in her hands causing lacerations and trauma to her right hand. She quickly went to her doctor who referred her to have x rays done at a nearby imaging facility. The doctor thought the hand could be broken due to the extent of the swelling and bruising. My mother followed all the safety precautions. The unit is stored in a dry, closed indoor storage room off the garage when not in use. She was not using an extension cord or anything out of the ordinary. The fan wheel of the blower burst through the side of the blower, shattering the plastic motor housing. The fan blade struck my mother in the hand causing bruising bleeding and swelling.