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Local lawyer wins $3.1 million for burned girl The Yreka girl was hurt when a defective stock pot from Wal-Mart exploded By DANI DODGE A Jacksonville attorney won a $3.1 million lawsuit against Wal-Mart for a young burn victim in Yreka, Calif. Shane Reed of Reed & Associates represented the girl in a Sacramento federal court. After four days of testimony and argument, the seven-person jury came back with a $3.1 million award on Monday. It was more than the attorney had asked for. The girl, Breanne Cramer, was injured after her family purchased a defective stock pot from a Wal-Mart in Yreka. The cooking pot essentially became a pressure cooker that exploded, injuring the girl, who was 7 at the time. She suffered burns on her face and body. Breanne's father, Robert Hood, said the family is extremely grateful for the verdict. "Shane (Reed) was awesome," Hood said. "When their expert got up there at first he said there were no defects in the pot. Shane got up there and got their expert to say, 'Yes, there are many defects.' "We were sitting there in awe." The case began nearly seven years ago. Breanne's family had purchased the stock pot for $4.95 from a clearance rack the Yreka Wal-Mart. Breanne's grandmother was making chicken and dumplings, one of Breanne's favorite recipes. Then the pot blew up, spraying Breanne with the boiling contents. Breanne was burned over 11 percent of her body. She had to shave off her long, blonde hair because the doctors took skin grafts from her head. At first the kids at school accepted Breanne's burned and bald body, but later there was resentment over all the extra attention Breanne was getting, and the family moved into a new school district, Hood said. People still stop and stare at Breanne when she's at a store or the mall, Hood said. But she's learned to deal with the looks, and is excited that the money will pay for additional reconstructive surgery. "Breanne is planning on being a veterinarian, so she has a lot of school and expense ahead of her and this will definitely help her in the future," Hood said. A California attorney turned down the case before the family turned to Reed a year and a half after Breanne was burned. "It was a tough fight," Reed said. Wal-Mart's attorney had more than five assistants at all times during the trial. Reed was a one-man show. During the trial, Reed lived in a motor home that was parked in the Amtrak parking lot across the street from the federal courthouse. Reed said now that he's won the case, he'll turn his attention to trying to get the 16-quart pot recalled. "It was a piece of junk," he said, adding that using it was like playing Russian roulette. The pot was manufactured under the Wal-Mart or Mirro brand and made in Brazil. It sold in 1995 for around $4 to $10. "I think it's good that we did prove the pot was defective," Hood said. "And hopefully they will put a recall on the pot so it doesn't happen to anyone else." Reach reporter Dani Dodge at 776-4471, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.