The plaintiff, who was eight months pregnant, was feeding some wash into the wringer mechanism of her new washer.
Her fingers became entangled in the wet clothes and were pulled into the wringer mechanism, causing her to sustain injuries to her arm. The washer was equipped with a safety release mechanism. However, it was located to the right of the machine and the plaintiff, while she was able to reach it, was not able to exert enough pressure on it to release the wringer. The release button was designed, pursuant to an industry-standard, to be released upon the application of 20 pounds of pressure. The wringer had no mechanism to allow the rollers themselves to release when excessive tension was placed on the rollers.[8]