A London gardener has won a £5,000 payout after cutting himself with a faulty Sainsbury’s own-brand razor.
Nick Silverthorn, 48, suffered serious facial cuts whilst shaving with the £2.50 Men Advance 3 razor purchased from his local Sainsbury’s store in Richmond.
The incident, which occurred on Boxing Day 2023, left him with blood streaming down his face after discovering one of the blades had become detached from the razor head manufactured by Wilkinson Sword.
“I put on the hot tap and my shaving lotion and I was on autopilot,” Silverthorn said.
Silverthorn suffered serious facial cuts whilst shaving with the £2.50 Men Advance 3 razor
Sainsburys
“I started shaving on one side with one stroke and then another stroke on the other side. I noticed after a few seconds that I had started bleeding badly on my left cheek and then on my right hand side as well.”
The cuts were unlike any ordinary shaving injury, according to Silverthorn.
“It just kept coming. Due to the wounds being on my face, it took me nearly half an hour dabbing with tissues before the blood finally stopped,” he added.
Quick-thinking Silverthorn had relatives photograph his injuries and preserved the razor, box and receipt as evidence.
MORE LIKE THIS:
The wounds took weeks to heal, leaving him with permanent scars on his cheek.
The trauma of the incident led to recurring nightmares for months afterwards.
“I had had a bad experience with operations and blood in the past and it took me straight back and I kept seeing blood on my face in my dreams. It was a bad time for me,” he said.
Instead of binning the faulty razor, Silverthorn contacted product liability specialists Express Solicitors.
The firm approached Sainsbury’s, who referred them to Wilkinson Sword as the manufacturer of their own-brand product
Getty
The firm approached Sainsbury’s, who referred them to Wilkinson Sword as the manufacturer of their own-brand product.
After sending the razor for testing, the razor giant offered to settle the claim for £5,000 within a month.
The settlement was reached with no admission of liability, and the case was concluded within ten months.
Product liability expert Jack Klein of Express Solicitors highlighted the significance of the case.
“Not many people who cut themselves shaving would think to sue one of the World’s biggest razor companies,” he said.
“But Nick did and by keeping the razor as proof he won a settlement. It just shows that if you are injured by any product there may be a valid claim no matter how big the company are.”
