Exploding Toilet Leaves Man Scared To Flush

A man has been seriously injured after a toilet exploded in his face when he was checking the water pressure in his New York apartment.

Michel Pierre needed 30 stitches after his face, arms and legs were struck by shards of porcelain.

The 58-year-old, who was temporarily knocked unconscious by the blast, is now so scared his loo will burst again that he flushes it using a rope while hiding behind his bathroom door.

"Obviously there is a serious problem in the building," his lawyer Sanford Rubenstein said.

"Clearly toilets are supposed to flush, not explode."

Mr Pierre is seeking compensation from the management company of the 16-storey block, which was built in 1964 and contains 275 flats.

The water had been turned off on the day his toilet and three others exploded, and it is thought a build-up of air pressure that was pushed through pipes when the supply was switched back on may be to blame.

Theresa Racht, a lawyer representing the building's board, said: "This is a horrific incident. Everybody feels terrible that such a thing could have happened.

"It certainly makes me think twice about flushing the toilet when the water's been turned off."

She added: "This could very well be what we call a true accident."