Off-Duty EMT Suffers Serious Burns from E-Cigarette Explosion

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.

Indeed, in some of these cases, injuries from an e-cigarette explosion may even require surgery or skin grafts for damage repair and healing.

Users alleges that these e-cigarette explosion incidents are caused by malfunctioning lithium-ion batteries. Lithium-ion batteries that are small but powerful, and the damage they can cause through an e-cigarette explosion can be very serious.

Off-Duty EMT Suffers Serious Burns from E-Cigarette Explosion

An off-duty Bronx EMT, Ricardo J., had a pair of e-cigarette batteries in his pants pocket when they suddenly exploded.

Ricardo, an EMT at 24, said: “I went to reach down to take the batteries out of my pocket and they just blew up. There was some everywhere, like a fog in my car.”

He was left with serious and extensive second-degree burns all across his thigh and his right hand. He had been using his right hand to take the batteries out of his pocket when the e-cigarette explosion occurred.

After the explosion, Ricardo was driven to Harlem Hospital by fellow first responders.

Almost a week after the e-cigarette explosion and after treatment of his injuries, the pain from the burns on his thigh and his hand is still intense, leaving him unable to work.

“I can’t walk around too much,” Ricardo said. “The pain gets worse as it goes.”

The damage from the tiny batteries is extensive. “The scars are about 18 by 24 inches on the thigh and on my right hand. I can’t drive; it hurts.” The injuries may be severe enough that skin grafts will be necessary to treat the EMT’s burns.

Ricardo is not the only person to have suffered from severe burns from an e-cigarette explosion.

Just a few weeks ago, another man suffered from burns on his hand and leg after an e-cigarette explosion in his pants pocket. A man who worked at a local shop heard firework-like noises and saw sparks from the injured man’s pocket as the e-cigarette explosion occurred.

Ricardo is currently waiting for information regarding potential evidence over the e-cigarette batteries before deciding on whether or not he will sue the manufacturer, his lawyer said.

The lawyer said they will ask the FDNY to “preserve, inspect and produce the batteries and the clothing they took, his jeans and any other property.”

However, the lawyer said that at this point, the EMT is just “looking to get better and back to work.”

In recent years, the number of e-cigarette explosion problems and other serious incidents has grown.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has received reports of 134 fires, explosions, or overheating between 2009 and 2015.

But in the University of Washington Burn Center alone, 21 victims of e-cigarette explosion incidents have been treated since just October 2015. And in just the first six months of 2016, ten more victims of e-cigarette explosions were treated at the North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center.

E-Cigarette Explosion Lawsuits

A growing number of e-cigarette explosion 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 injury from an e-cigarette explosion, you may be able to file an e-cigarette explosion lawsuit against the device’s manufacturer.