Have you had an e-cigarette or vape pen explode? These small devices can cause catastrophic injuries when they explode, particularly if the device requires a rechargeable lithium-ion 18650 battery to power the device. These explosions may occur due to dangerous design, flawed manufacturing, and inadequate safety warnings.
After suffering an injury from a vape pen or e-cigarette explosion in North Carolina, you may have the right to pursue financial compensation for your losses. Contact Poisson, Poisson & Bower, PLLC, for a free initial case review to discuss how our firm can help you seek maximum compensation and get your life back on track.
Our lawyers have advocated for the rights and interests of accident victims across North Carolina for three generations. Let us put your mind at ease, knowing our dedicated attorneys are fighting tirelessly to pursue the compensation and justice you deserve.
Are E-Cigarette and Vape Pen Explosions Common?
E-cigarettes and vape pens hit the U.S. market around 2007. Since then, the number of device explosions has rapidly increased. The U.S. Fire Administration reported 195 vape pen or e-cigarette explosion incidents in one eight-year period. However, another study concluded that approximately 2,035 emergency room visits in the U.S. in just two years were related to e-cigarette and vape pen explosions.
What Are the Differences Between a Vape Pen and an E-Cigarette?
Vape pens and e-cigarettes both fall into the category of devices known as electronic nicotine delivery systems. Although both devices enable users to consume nicotine products, each type of device has a different design and delivery method.
E-cigarettes resemble traditional cigarettes and contain three major components: a battery, a cartomizer (a combination of the nicotine cartridge and the atomizer that creates vapor from the cartridge’s liquid), and a mouthpiece. Many e-cigarettes also include a light or LED at the front end that glows to resemble the tip of a lit cigarette.
How Vape Pens and E-Cigarettes Injure Users
According to the FDA, reusable lithium-ion 18650 batteries can overheat in a process known as thermal runaway, especially while being charged or during extended use of the vape pen or e-cigarette.
Some explosions have reportedly occurred when users swap out or replace the rechargeable battery in their e-cigarette or vape pen. Incompatibility between the device’s power needs and a replacement battery’s voltage can cause the battery or the entire device to overheat and explode.
Faulty design or manufacturing of a device or replacing its battery can cause a failure in the separator between the anode and cathode, allowing them to touch and overheat the battery. Since many rechargeable batteries use lithium-ion solutions, a flammable substance, overheating the battery can cause the solution to combust.
The battery has a wrapper that protects the negative and positive ends from coming into contact with each other. Frequent removal of the battery can cause damage to the wrapper allowing the positive and negative ends to touch causing a thermal runaway event.
Common Injuries from Vape Pens and E-Cigarettes
Vape pens and e-cigarettes can cause injuries if they explode in use or in an owner’s pocket or purse.
Common injuries from vape pen or e-cigarette explosions include:
- Thermal or chemical burns
- Lacerations
- Shrapnel wounds
- Fractured fingers
- Hand ligament, tendon, and muscle injuries
- Eye injuries
- Mouth injuries, including broken or missing teeth and broken jaws
- Neck injuries, including broken neck bones
- Facial injuries and scarring
- Penetrating brain injuries
Can I Sue If My Vape Explodes?
If you had a vape pen or e-cigarette that injured you in an explosion, you might have a product liability claim against the device manufacturer, the battery manufacturer, the battery distributor and/or the retailer that sold the battery and/or device. In North Carolina, a product liability claim requires you to prove at least one of these:
- The device’s manufacturer, distributor, or retailer failed to provide adequate warnings or instructions for the device or battery, and this failure caused your injury.
- The device’s manufacturer acted unreasonably in designing, manufacturing, or assembling the product, which caused the explosion.
- The explosion occurred due to a breach of warranty.
Potential Compensation in a Vape Explosion Lawsuit
If you’ve been injured by a vape pen or e-cigarette explosion, you may have the right to pursue compensation for the losses caused by your injuries.
You could be entitled to money for:
- Permanent scarring and disfigurement
- Medical expenses
- Costs of care and support services you need for permanent disabilities
- Lost wages
- Reduced earning capacity
- Physical pain and emotional distress
- Diminished quality of life
How Our Lawyers Can Help Build Your Case
At Poisson, Poisson & Bower, PLLC, our attorneys are ready to help you with every step of the claims process.
Let our legal team take care of:
- Investigating the fire or explosion to recover evidence we can use to hold a device manufacturer, distributor, or retailer liable for your injuries
- Hiring experts to examine the products to determine whether they were defective and whether the warnings were sufficient to warn of the dangers associated with use of the product
- Documenting your expenses and working with experts to calculate your future losses and needs so we can pursue full financial recovery for you
- Handling communications and negotiations with company representatives and defense lawyers and aggressively negotiating for maximum compensation in a settlement
- Fighting for financial recovery for you in court and at trial, if necessary
Contact Our Vape Products Liability Lawyers Today
If you’ve suffered injuries from an e-cigarette or vape pen explosion or as a result of a lithium-ion 18650 battery explosion, get legal help to pursue compensation for your losses. Contact Poisson, Poisson & Bower, PLLC, today for a free, no-obligation consultation to speak with an e-cigarette and vape explosion lawsuit attorney in North Carolina. We are ready to discuss your options for pursuing financial recovery.
