As we previously mentioned on this blog, a growing number of e-cigarette users are becoming seriously injured by this product, which manufacturers market as a safe alternative to cigarettes and other tobacco products. It appears that the batteries that provide the charge in e-cigarettes can have the tendency to explode, causing burns and other serious injuries.
You do not even have to be using the device for it to malfunction. One user is suing LG Chem America, which made the lithium-ion battery replacement in his e-cigarette device, for negligence after one of the battery exploded in his pocket this past March.
According to The News Journal, the man had the device in a front pants pocket as he was carrying groceries from his car to his house. Suddenly, one of the batteries in the e-cigarette exploded, causing the man second-degree burns on his leg from his hip to his knee, his lawsuit alleges.
The man was forced to undergo skin grafts after the wound became infected. He is also suing the store that sold him the device for failing to warn him that incidents like the one he experienced could occur. The store claims it began handing out safety literature to customers before the plaintiff bought his e-cigarette, though it is not clear if the plaintiff specifically received this information.
When a product’s manufacturer or retailer fails to warn a buyer about a device’s potential for injury, the consumer often has no reasonable way of learning about the danger until it is too late. This is why companies that fail to offer reasonable warning are liable for any resulting injuries.
