Woman sues IKEA over shattered glass

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A woman has sued an IKEA store in Beijing after her drinking glass burst and the broken pieces severely cut her.

On May 20 2017, the victim, surnamed Wang, was about to drink from her “Stelna” glass when it suddenly burst, and she had her lips wounded and one of her front teeth broken. Wang lost consciousness and was later sent to a hospital.

Wang was injured by the defective drinking glass. /Kanfa News Photo

According to the doctor’s records, Wang had visible wounds on her lips, which required four stitches, and she lost one of her front teeth.

Wang said that she had been to the hospital 12 times to fix her wounds and replace her tooth. What’s more, she has suffered from severe psychological trauma since the accident, including insomnia, anxiety and panic attacks.

“I have to cover my face when I go out because it hurts when I expose my teeth to the air,” said Wang. “I’m still terrified whenever I hear any abrupt sounds, greatly influencing my daily life. I can’t sleep at night nor focus on my work during the day.”

Wang contacted IKEA several times on the accident, but has yet to receive a reply, and IKEA refused to pay for Wang’s medical treatment.

The "Stelna" glass is still on sale at IKEA. /Snapshot of IKEA website

Wang then sued IKEA because of the inadequate product and asked for compensation of one million yuan (158,120 US dollars).

The case was scheduled to begin in court on Thursday, but IKEA didn’t show up at the court and refused to take the court monition.

The court will resend the monition and reschedule the court session.

According to Legal Evening News, the “Stelna” glass is still on sale at IKEA.

This issue has attracted lots pf attention on Chinese social media, including thousands of comments on Weibo.

Many netizens reported that they had also used defective IKEA products before.

"I bought a glass in IKEA and it suddenly broke in the drain last year," a Weibo user @woniuhuanggua commented.

"How could IKEA refuse to take the court paper? I think they don't take Chinese law seriously," said another Weibo user @hengwochaozhengdiande.

It is not the first time that IKEA has been reported for defective products. In 2013, IKEA recalled the "Lyda" jumbo cup after ten injuries were reported, all caused from the cup shattering. In 2011, IKEA also recalled three defective products that broke and caused injuries.