Idaho Man Suffers E-Cigarette Injury

A man in Pocatello, Idaho has suffered from a serious e-cigarette injury after the device blew up in his face, causing second-degree burns and knocking out his teeth.

The 30-year-old injured man, Andrew H., had been using an e-cigarette (vaping) when it suddenly exploded in his face. The explosion led to second-degree burns across his face and neck. The impact of the explosion also knocked two of his teeth out, and seven more teeth were lost during surgery, KPVI, a local Idaho news station, reported.

The e-cigarette injury was initially so bad that he couldn’t speak in the immediate aftermath of the accident. His food has to be liquidized since he cannot currently eat solid food. He will need to have his teeth replaced.

The injured man’s mother, Angalee, told KPVI that her son had been vaping for a year, and never expected this kind of e-cigarette injury.

Angalee is no stranger to e-cigarette usage herself but has quit. Angalee was not just worried about her son, but also his kids—her grandchildren. “I’m the one that heard them cry and say, ‘Where’s dad?’ All they saw was his mouth blown up and all the blood.”

“I’m the one that heard them cry and say, ‘Where’s dad?’ All they saw was his mouth blown up and all the blood,” she told KPVI.

Angalee is worried about the safety of e-cigarette devices as a whole. Angalee’s message to anybody who vapes or is even considering it: “So please don’t vape. If you are vaping and you think this is okay. Don’t do it in front of the kids because this is going to happen.”

Andrew has not yet said whether or not he plans to file a lawsuit over his e-cigarette injury.

E-Cigarette Injury Background

E-cigarette usage, more popularly referred to as vaping, is becoming more and more widespread. According to a report by FEMA, over 2.5 million Americans were using e-cigarette devices in 2014. That number has since grown.

The number of e-cigarette injury accidents relative to e-cigarette users is fairly small. Such incidents are rare: between 2009 and 2014, there was a total of 25 individual incidents of e-cigarette injury from explosions. No one died from these explosions, and while most had minor injuries, some suffered serious e-cigarette injury due to these incidents.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed regulations to help prevent e-cigarette injury incidents like these.

Vape shop owners note that e-cigarette injury incidents may be caused by a number of factors leading to device failure.

According to Ben B., who owns a vape shop in Pocatello, “You know there’s just so many different things that can cause a failure. Maybe the device was dropped. Maybe the battery wasn’t a brand new battery. Maybe the battery was torn up a little bit.”

E-Cigarette Injury Lawsuits

An e-cigarette explosion problem has recently surfaced, the devices capable of causing burns, fractures, and eye damage from inside pockets, hands, or in a person’s face. According to a growing number of e-cigarette users, an e-cigarette explosion can cause severe injuries that may even lead to hospitalization, such as in the case of Andrew Hall.

A growing number of e-cigarette injury lawsuits are being filed against makers of e-cigarette and vape devices, alleging they are made with cheap batteries that lack proper ventilation. This manufacturing defect causes heat to build up and lead to dangerous explosions.

If you or someone you love has suffered from an e-cigarette injury explosion, you may be able to file an e-cigarette injury lawsuit against the device’s manufacturer.