A seventeen-year-old boy was rushed to a children’s hospital over 200 miles away from his home. What was wrong? His jaw was in large chunks and shattered into pieces. One pediatric doctor who was treating the teen claimed this is an injury normally seen with high-speed motor vehicle crashes. However, this teen wasn’t racing down the street to impress his friends. He was doing something that many people consider relatively safe. He was in his room vaping. While relaxing in his room, Austin (the boy who was harmed while vaping) took a hit off his e-cigarette. While it was in his mouth, the device exploded. This left Austin with an injury that another surgeon who operated on him described as looking “kind of like a close-range gunshot wound.”
Details of the case we pushed by The New England Journal of Medicine to raise awareness of the dangers of vaping.
What are Vape Pens
E-cigarettes, or “vape pens” are devices marketed as the healthier alternative to smoking cigarettes. They come in a vast array of flavors ranging from plain tobacco to birthday cake. Many smokers switch to vaping because of lower health risks or to lower their craving for nicotine.
Unfortunately, former smokers are not the only consumers of vape pens. They are growing more and more popular with young teens in middle and high school. The CDC predicts that the use of e-cigarettes will increase rapidly by the end of this year.
The Risks
While you lower your risks of many diseases when you switch from smoking to vaping, this does not mean that the product comes without any health risks. Many of these vape pens are made with lithium batteries. The same batteries banned by the U.S fire Administration. These batteries are extremely likely to heat up and may even explode just like Austin’s did. Countless News organizations have listed the different injuries these explosive batteries have caused. Everything from burns to explosions.
Injured by a Vape Pen? Contact The Law Giant
At The Law Giant, Personal Injury & Accident Lawyers, we understand how traumatic and dangerous vape pen explosions can be. That’s why we are committed to helping victims recover compensation through product liability lawsuits. If you or a loved one has been hurt by a vape pen explosion, contact our firm today at (866) 523-4167 to schedule a free, initial evaluation of your case.
