
Woman's face melted off after Bath & Body Works candle explodes, lawsuit claims
Renita Francois, 41, of Valley Stream, Long Island, leaned in to take a whiff of her Sweater Weather candle when it exploded in her face on January 19, 2023, a federal lawsuit filed earlier this month claimed.
Within moments of lighting the $27 three-wick candle, which is manufactured by Premier Candle Corporation, it exploded, sending glass, molten wax, and flames into her face.
The explosion caused her eyelashes and eyebrows to sear off,. Agonizing photos show her her forehead, cheeks, and lips covered in burns and raw blisters.
'Her face was nearly unrecognizable,' the lawsuit said.
Her arms also sustained permanent dark spots where wax landed.
'The wax continued to burn as it hardened, refusing to cool,' the complaint read.
Her husband, McEvans Francois, desperately tried to help the mother-of-two by running her wounds under water to help cool the wax, but the 'damage had already been done,' the filing states.
The candle, which was sitting on her dresser, was left charred black, deformed, and with holes in it.
The former Mayor Bill de Blasio employee was rushed to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with second-degree burns.
The ordeal shook her confidence and left the once 'unshakeable' public servant 'fractured,' the complaint read.
'Renita has always been the life of the party, the connector, the woman who makes things happen,' it read. 'She was the only 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.'
Her young children even ask her: 'Mommy, what happened to your face?' and 'Are you going to be okay?'
Her lawyer, Tyrone Blackburn, said in the complaint that those questions 'cut deeper than burns ever could.'
Francois argued the tragedy was preventable as the company knew its three-wick candles were dangerous and had 'prior knowledge' that the product 'posed a serious and foreseeable risk of explosion.'
The lawsuit claimed the home products company knew they were selling 'defective candles without adequate warnings, proper testing, or necessary product modification to prevent catastrophic failures.'
Premier Candle Corporation, which is headquartered in Canada, does not have to follow US law and didn't have to undergo the 'rigorous standards required' by America, the lawsuit alleged.
'There is no automatic recall process for candles exhibiting hazardous burn behavior,' the lawsuit read. 'The US enforces mandatory recalls and imposes legal penalties for noncompliance.'
She is asking for compensatory and punitive damages, for the candle to be recalled, and for her attorney fees to be covered, among others. She is also requesting a jury trial.
Francois worked as an executive director of de Blasio's Mayor's Action Plan for Neighborhood Safety from July 2018 to April 2022. She often spoke publicly in the role.
Daily Mail has contacted Bath & Body Works, Premier Candles, Francois and her lawyer for comment.
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