Renita Francois, a former City Hall official, has filed a lawsuit against Bath & Body Works after one of their candles allegedly exploded in her face, causing severe burns.
According to the lawsuit, the incident occurred in her Valley Stream, Long Island home in New York on January 19, 2023, reported DailyMail.
Renita lit a Bath & Body Works "Sweater Weather" candle with three wicks but it exploded when she leaned in to take a whiff. She suffered serious burns to her arms and face from the blast.
She described feeling a "shockwave of fire and debris directly into her face." Her skin was "sizzling," her eyebrows were burnt off, her eyelashes melted, and she sustained severe scarring on her face and arms, as reported by the New York Post.
The pain, according to Renita, was "instant and unrelenting", worse than anything she had ever experienced.
Her husband, McEvans Francois, “witnessed his wife's face catch fire, crackle, and blister as molten wax burned her skin”, the filing stated.
He attempted to help the mother-of-two by cooling the wax and washing her wounds underwater, but "the damage had already been done".
The candle, which had been placed on the dresser, was left black, deformed and riddled with holes. After being rushed to the hospital, Renita was diagnosed with second-degree burns. The experience deeply affected her, leaving the once "unshakeable" public servant "fractured," the complaint read.
As reported, Renit has always been "the life of the party, the connector, the woman who makes things happen. She was the one who brought people together, whether for family celebrations, professional networking events, or impromptu gatherings just for the joy of it."
"Now, she finds herself forced to navigate sympathy, unwanted stares, and intrusive questions about her injuries rather than the work she is there to champion... Now, she hesitates before stepping into social settings."
The lawsuit accuses Bath & Body Works of knowingly selling "defective candles without adequate warnings, proper testing, or necessary product modification to prevent catastrophic failures."
Renita Francois is now seeking compensatory and punitive damages, a product recall, reimbursement for her legal fees and is also requesting a jury trial.