Daniel Anderson suffered severe chemical and heat burns to his left leg and hands. His injuries were caused by fire and heat from a lithium-ion e-cigarette battery he bought from Big E’s Vapor Shop.
As a result of his injuries, he was unable to work for 16 weeks, lost $13,103.20 in wages, and now has over $109,000 in medical bills.
He filed a lawsuit against Big E’s Vapor Shop and the battery distributor, VapeUSA Corp. of Oklahoma, on February 6, 2018 in Sedgwick County District Court.
Anderson is represented by a lawyer in Wichita who said:
It was like a flame thrower. It just ignited and was a big ball of fire.”
The incident occurred on February 29, 2016. Anderson was carrying the e-cigarette battery, car keys and coins in his pants pocket while at work. When the metal items touched, the battery exploded.
The FDA suggests that e-cigarette users carry loose batteries in a case so they don’t accidentally touch other metal objects. This can cause the battery to overheat and catch on fire or explode suddenly.
E-cigarette explosions have been linked to at least 195 fires and 133 injuries in the U.S. from 2009 to 2016, according to a report by the U.S. Fire Administration in July 2017.
Source: E-cigarette battery explodes in Derby man’s pants. ‘It ignites like a bomb,’ lawyer says