The Icelandic companies CU2 ehf. and Bidskylid Njardvik ehf., have been sentenced by the Reykjavik District Court to pay a five year-old girl ISK 3.4 million in compensation for selling her sour spray novelty confectionery which damaged her lung.
The sour spray was purchased by the girl’s mother at a snack stand in Njardvik in 2003; CU2 was the company which imported it.
The spray comes in special cans and is only designed to be sprayed into the mouth in small amounts. The young girl, however, is said to have easily opened the can and began to drink the liquid straight and some of it managed to enter her lung, RUV reports.
The girl, who is now 11, has still not fully recovered. The judge came to the conclusion that the confectionery was sourer than could be considered reasonable and that the packaging was too easy for young children to open. It was also considered provable beyond reasonable doubt that the product harmed the child.
It is not yet known if the guilty importer will attempt to recover funds by suing the products manufacturer overseas.
I think the importer must sue the stupid mother…
LAME compensation, no wonder companies do what ever they want if this is the soft punishment
wow that is totally unjust the kid is mental for dinking it……
If the manufacturer is American, it will counter sue the child for damaging its products and harming reputation of its products.
I am sorry that kid got sick. But if she had drunk bleach by undoing one of the safety caps would the company also be told to pay the damanges ?
Where is the line that personal responsibilty stops ?
In general Iceland has still common sense attitude to compensations. But maybe we see more rule by lawyers coming.
Is the Darwin Awards still running ?
@ Fisy This was a product marketed FOR children, unlike bleach which should be kept away.
“I am sorry that kid got sick. But if she had drunk bleach by undoing one of the safety caps would the company also be told to pay the damanges ?”
Sorry to say, but that’s a silly comparison.
Products designed and manufactured for kids, should think of all case scenarios before production, other wise is responsible for any mis-use of the product, no matter how absurd the case may be.
FISY “Where is the line that personal responsibilty stops ?”
IT STOPS WHEN IT SAYS “KEEP AWAY FROM CHILDREN”, BUT THOSE CANDYS WHERE PRODUCTS TO BE HELD OVER TO CHILDREN, FOR CHILDREN CONSUME.
WHATEVER IS SOLD OR DESIGNED TO BE PUT ON THE HANDS OF A CHILD NEEDS TO BE 100% SAFE.