Many Ohio residents are likely at least familiar with e-cigarettes; in fact, some may be vapers themselves. While manufacturers say the devices are intended to provide a safer alternative to smoking cigarettes, there is little federal regulation so far. Unfortunately, this also means that there isn’t much oversight into safety protocols surrounding the devices and their component parts, and some are finding this translates into hazardous occurrences that leave users injured, as is the complaint in a recently filed product liability suit.
A man and his wife are suing two vape shops, Tobacco Zone and Rockin Vape, as well as the battery manufacturer LG. The married couple alleges that the batteries they purchased at those shops for the man’s e-cigarette exploded and caught fire. Unfortunately, the device was in the man’s pants pocket at the time.
The incident left the husband with second- and third-degree burns. He was rushed to a local medical center for treatment of the burns on his legs and was in the hospital for about a week. Already, the man and his wife are facing medical costs totaling over $200,000, and the man will still need further surgery and treatment beyond what he has already received.
For his pain and suffering and their mounting medical expenses, the couple has filed a product liability suit in their county’s circuit court, alleging that were the batteries defective and claiming negligence because they were never warned of any risk of explosion. They are also seeking damages for loss of consortium due to how the physical injuries have affected their marital relations. Ohio users should be aware of the possible risks associated with any defective components or batteries for the e-cigarette devices, and have the right to seek legal counsel if they have suffered injury due to this or any other dangerous materials or devices.
Source: chicagotribune.com, “E-cigarette battery explosion hurts man, his marriage: lawsuit”, Steve Schmadeke, June 28, 2017
