E-cigarettes have taken off in the last decade. While companies market them as a safer alternative to smoking since they don’t contain tobacco, e-cigarettes present a different set of safety concerns: mechanical ones. More to the point, sometimes they explode. But how often? And what recourse do injury victims have?
Smoking Without Tobacco
E-cigarettes came about because companies believed they could sell a product that contained nicotine without the extra carcinogens in tobacco. They were right. You’ve probably seen a variety of e-cigarette and vaping pens on the street. While they can look like traditional cigarettes, cigars and pipes, some vaping products resemble USB drives or other objects, which makes them easy to conceal. JUUL e-cigarettes are especially popular with teenagers and younger people.
Not As Safe As They Seem
While the manufacturers would have you believe that e-cigarettes and other vaping products are entirely safe, that’s not true. Because vaping products use batteries, failures can cause severe thermal and chemical injuries, since they almost always happen in a user’s pocket or right in their face. Common injuries include:
- Thermal burns to the face, legs or groin
- Shrapnel injuries to the mouth and neck
- Tooth loss
- Chemical burns
These battery explosions can happen when the unit is charging, rapidly drained or short circuited. Some of these injuries are even fatal. The first vaping fatality occurred right here in Florida, while another took place just weeks ago in Texas.
But is vaping really that dangerous? In fact, it is. A recent study has found that vaping and e-cigarette injuries are vastly under reported. No other product features batteries with known problems so close to sensitive areas, raising the injury risk significantly.
What Can Injury Victims Do?
For people who have sustained vaping injuries, a product liability case is the most likely avenue for recovering damages. Companies have a responsibility to make products that are safe. If they don’t and you are injured as a result, you may have a case against them. Valrico Law Group, assists with product liability cases arising from vaping injuries – contact us for a free evaluation. Case law against e-cigarette manufacturers is building, so a seasoned personal injury attorney will now have a leg to stand on when going to court. Hopefully that’s not necessary, but if it is, there’s a chance that justice will prevail.