A bakery customer claimed that a can of soda exploded while they were holding it, causing injuries to their hand. MEA Forensic was asked to investigate why the can ruptured.

The Event:

The customer claimed that the can exploded shortly after they picked it off a counter. We received several post-incident photographs and low-quality surveillance video from the bakery.

Our Analysis:

On initial viewing, the surveillance video appeared to support the customer’s sequence of events – the can appeared to rupture soon after the customer lifted if off the counter. However, when the area of interest was magnified and reviewed frame-by-frame, a more detailed sequence emerged – the customer lifted the can off the counter, but then it moved downwards suddenly just before the contents spilled out. Our detailed analysis of the video suggested that the can may have ruptured after being dropped.

We tested the possibility that a drop could have ruptured the can. We found that drops onto a flat surface, like the counter in the bakery, caused pinhole leaks and slow depressurization; not large ruptures. However, dropping cans onto a pointed object, like the corner of the card reader seen in the post-incident photographs, produced long sidewall ruptures, secondary cracks and denting like those observed on the incident can.

Finally, we tested the effects of overpressure caused by improper storage or handling and found that in this scenario, the ends of the cans bulged and leaked at the top seam rather than rupturing along the side.

The Result:

Detailed video analysis combined with scenario testing showed that the can ruptured because it was dropped, not because it was being improperly looked after by the bakery.