E-Cigarette Explosion Causes Car Accident

A woman in Tempe, Arizona, suffered second-degree burn injuries to her legs and multiple broken bones after her electronic cigarette exploded in her vehicle and triggered a crash. According to an ABC15 news report, the 20-year-old woman told police she was backing out of a driveway when her e-cigarette exploded in her lap igniting a fire. She jumped out of her truck to extinguish the flames, but her truck jumped a curb and hit a tree.

According to police, the truck ran over the woman’s legs after she jumped out, breaking both her hips. She remains hospitalized due to her injuries. A Tempe police spokesperson said the fire kept spreading and nearly burned all of her pants. The pain became so unbearable for the woman that she jumped out of the truck. Officials are still looking into what caused this woman’s e-cigarette to explode.

E-cigarette Burns and Explosions

In 2014, the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) published an alert that identified 25 separate e-cigarette fires and explosions dating back to 2009. NFPA has found that the number of e-cigarette fires reported in the media has significantly increased since the publication of that report, with 15 separate incidents identified in 2015.

Of those, 13 were described as explosions and two as ignition. In five cases that resulted in fires, three occurred when users were in the act of vaping and two happened when the batteries were being charged. Burn centers and emergency rooms in various hospitals around the country have also been reporting a phenomenal increase in the number of patients who have been coming in for treatment of e-cigarette-related burn injuries.

The Danger of E-cigarettes

E-cigarettes, like many other devices we use daily (cell phones, laptops, etc.) are powered by lithium-ion batteries. Normally, these batteries are safe. However, when they are manufactured with poor quality control or with substandard parts, they may explode or catch fire. We’ve received reports of e-cigarette explosions that have occurred when consumers have used them the way they were supposed to be used. Consumers are often criticized for improperly using these devices. But we’ve heard so many reports of e-cigarettes exploding when in use.

If you or a loved one has been injured as the result of an exploding e-cigarette, you may be eligible to file a product liability lawsuit against the manufacturer, retailer, distributor or other involved parties. Contact an experienced product defect attorney who can help you seek and obtain maximum compensation for damages including medical expenses, lost wages, hospitalization, rehabilitation, pain and suffering and emotional distress.