Smokers know that quitting is difficult. Beyond the physical addiction to tobacco, there’s the habit of inhaling deeply and exhaling, a poisonous daily meditation practice reinforced over years. Electronic vaporizers, or e-cigarettes, have replaced tobacco for many smokers who need a hit in their lungs but are trying not to light up.
They have been proven effective in aiding smoking cessation, but e-cigs have risks of their own. Instead of the ticking time bomb that smoking cigarettes offers, vape users face physical explosions from faulty batteries malfunctioning and causing injury. Let’s look at some recently filed e-cig injury lawsuits, reported by Tech Times.
Burning Acid
One case is based on an exploding e-cigarette that damaged the teeth, face, and legs of a 27-year-old California woman named Rachel Berven. This spring she sued the store that sold her an e-cig that damaged her teeth and left her scars from burning battery acid, lots of dental expenses, and hellish memories. “In my head, the explosion just keeps happening,” Berven told reporters.
Lawsuits have been filed around the country. At issue are faulty batteries made in China by companies that are difficult to sue in U.S. courts. In Berven’s case, she is suing the store that sold her the product, possibly because the battery manufacturer is out of jurisdictional reach (the report does not specify).
Last year a woman was awarded nearly two million dollars in damages after an e-cig exploded while charging in her car. Earlier this year, a trucker drove into a guardrail when his e-cig exploded as he puffed it on the road.
Insufficient Warning
New York Attorney Marc Freund told Tech Times the issue is that the batteries are being manufactured haphazardly and are not regulated; also they have poor warnings that never reach the consumers. Freund has filed suits on behalf of a teenager who reportedly became partially blind because of an e-cigarette explosion at a mall kiosk and another woman who says she suffered third-degree burns on her thigh when an e-cigarette battery flared up in her pocket.
Injured?
If you have been injured by a faulty e-cig or any other defective product, talk to a lawyer. Many attorneys consult for free or a minimal fee and will be happy to discuss your case.
Related Resources:
- Have an injury claim? Get your claim reviewed for free. (Consumer Injury)
- Is It Legal to Ban E-Cigarettes at Work? (FindLaw’s Free Enterprise)
- California Congressman Puffs E-Cig in Legislative Debate (FindLaw’s Legal Grounds)
- Warning: Exploding E-Cig Causes Truck Accident (FindLaw’s Injured)
