A bizarre and unfortunate accident has left a French Instagram model and fitness blogger dead. The cause? A canister of whipped cream.
Rebecca Burger, 33, was using a dispenser that uses nitrous oxide to become pressurized. The cartridge exploded and hit her in the chest, causing cardiac arrest. While the first responders were able to restart her heart, she remained unconscious and died the next day.
Ard’Time, which makes the dispenser that exploded on Burger, has recalled the product because reportedly the plastic head could explode and fly off the device.The post published on Burger’s Instagram page to her more than 150,000 followers read:
Here’s an example of the cartridge/siphon for Chantilly cream that exploded and struck Rebecca’s chest, killing her. Take note: the cartridge that caused her death was sealed. Do not use this type of device in your home! Tens of thousands of these appliances are still in circulation.
According to the Washington Post:
A 2014 news release by the French economy ministry advised people to be cautious when using cream dispensers: “Since 2010, several models of kitchen syphons, also called cream syphons, have turned out to be dangerous and led to home accidents.”
Women’s Best, which is an online health store that Burger promoted, honored the model in a post. It read:
We are sorry to announce the sad news of losing this beautiful soul. Our french athlete Rebecca Burger (@RebeccaBlikes) passed away. Rebecca was not only a great fitness figure but a generous and kind person to work with. Please pray for her soul to rest in peace and for her family to stay strong. We will always be proud of you Rebecca ❤
Burger was not the only person that has been harmed by such a canister. Two people were gravely injured in France in 2014, and the “BBC reported that in 2013, one victim of an exploding cream dispenser told RTL radio: ‘I had six broken ribs, and my sternum was broken. At the hospital, I was told that if the shock and blast had been facing the heart, I would be dead now.'”
Burger’s death is now under investigation.