The incidences of e-cigarette cases seem to be growing more widespread. From March, 2013, to mid-July, 2016, over 170 explosions have been documented, often happening either while the battery was charging or while the user was vaping.
Many of the injuries have involved teenagers and young adults, who are attracted to vaping. Because it is alleged that the makers of e-cigarettes have aimed the marketing of their devices at young people, the FDA recently banned their sale to minors. But that doesn’t help those folks already damaged.
Sad and Horrible Situations
Imagine being a teen with your entire life ahead of you, only to be burned on your neck and face because the battery in a nearby classmate’s e-cigarette exploded. That’s right: you don’t even use such devices, and yet you are injured simply because you are an unlucky bystander. It happened in Albertville, Alabama, earlier in 2016.
Another Alabama story: A woman in Jemison had her e-cigarette explode while she was changing the battery, burning her hand and her leg. Although she wasn’t seriously injured, many folks have sought treatment at burn centers for battery explosions. The director of the burn program at University of Alabama, Birmingham, noted that the burns can be extremely serious. Dr. Chandra Ellis commented that the explosions “cause third degree burns that require grafting and may cause disfigurement forever.”
Need more evidence that e-cigarettes are hazardous to your health?
- January, 2016: A New Hanover County, North Carolina, man lost an eye when his e-cigarette exploded in his face.
- October, 2015, to February, 2016: Four people in the Seattle area needed treatment for burns and trauma resulting from e-cigarettes. One 24-year-old needed five surgeries and skin grafts because of burns in the area from his forearm to his elbow.
- November, 2015: A Colorado man’s e-cigarette exploded in his face, causing a broken neck, smashed teeth, facial fractures, and mouth burns.
Of course, we can’t forget the young Upstate man in Greenville who suffered third-degree burns on his thigh because his e-cigarette exploded in his pants pocket. He ended up in the Augusta, Georgia, Burn Center.
How Did We Get Here?
Some say the recent FDA regulation should have been put into place much earlier. Mitch Zeller, director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products and the enforcer of the new rule, has harsh words regarding the situation. “In the absence of science-based regulation of all tobacco products, the marketplace has been the wild, wild West. Companies were free to introduce any product they wanted, make any claim they wanted, and that is how we wound up with a 900 percent increase in high schoolers using e-cigarettes, as well as all these reports of exploding e-cigarette batteries and products that have caused burns and fires and disfigurement.”
We at the Louthian Law Firm urge you to talk with us if you or a family member has been a victim of an e-cigarette explosion or malfunction.
Legal Representation For An E Cigarette Battery Explosion
If you or your loved one has suffered injuries because of an exploding e-cigarette, we want you to know that justice is possible. You may have legal recourse under defective product or personal injury statutes. To speak with an experienced attorney today, call us at 1-803-454-1200, or fill out our confidential online form for a free initial consultation.
Bert Louthian has been practicing law in Columbia with his father, Herb, since 1985. After receiving his Juris Doctorate from the University of South Carolina, Bert launched his legal career in his father’s firm. With 80 years of legal experience between them, Louthian Law, P.A. remains Family-Owned and Family-Focused.
Bert understands that when life goes wrong – when you or someone you love gets hurt or suffers a loss, it can feel like nothing will ever be right or fair again. He gets up and goes to work every day to prove that feeling wrong – and does everything in his power to make things right again.
