Wendy Littlefield says she's had to have five surgeries and can't make a fist as a result of the accident.
A Nevada mom claims she's now crippled by agonizing pain after her NutriBullet exploded and left her hand severely mutilated.
"It mangled my pinky finger, broke a lot of bones, mangled tendons," Wendy Littlefield told Inside Edition.
The NutriBullet is a popular compact blender with a powerful force and regarded as a great holiday gift.
Littlefield, of Henderson, was using the blender to mix beans and tomatoes when she says the canister suddenly blew up.
“[I] was in motion to turn it off and then there was the explosion,” she claimed.
The blades sliced into her right hand.
And she is not alone. At least 22 other people have claimed similar injuries and are suing.
A video paid for by the plaintiffs’ attorney demonstrates their allegations about what happened. They believe the heat of the quick-spinning blades creates friction and causes pressure to build up, forcing the container's top to blow off and potentially exposing the user's hands to the blades.
Littlefield says she’s had five surgeries so far and can barely move her fingers or make a fist.
She must now wear a protective glove to cushion her hand, and she says she can no longer work with her daughter Cambrie, a kid beauty pageant hair and makeup consultant who has been featured on TLC’s Toddlers and Tiaras.
“My mom is my best friend and it’s so hard to see how hard she, on a daily basis — how much she struggles,” the distraught daughter told Inside Edition.
NutriBullet is fighting back, claiming the demonstration video is misleading and accuses Littlefield’s lawyer, Doug Rochen, of "trying to sway public opinion by orchestrating a publicity campaign that makes a very safe product appear dangerous."
“Reports of our blenders causing injury are extremely rare. We typically find that customers have failed to adhere to the operating instructions and warnings provided,” the company said in a statement.
But Littlefield says she was not misusing the product when her injuries occurred.
“These are dangerous units. They need to be removed from market,” Rochen added.
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