A 24-year old man was tragically killed when an e-cigarette exploded, severing his carotid artery. The official cause of death was from a stroke caused by “penetrating trauma from exploding vaporizer pen.”
William Brown, known as “Eric” to family and friends, was running errands when the incident occurred. He was rushed to the hospital but died two days later from complications from the e-cigarette injury. It has not been reported which brand of e-cigarette Eric was using at the time of the incident.
It was only nine months ago that 38-year old Tallmadge D’Elia died of a projectile wound to the head from an exploding e-cigarette. The manufacturer of the e-cigarette he was using was contacted by an ABC affiliate station, WFTS who reported this response: “a representative from Smok-E Mountain tells us their devices do not explode, instead telling us it is likely an atomizer (the part a person inserts into their mouth) or a battery issue.”
Both the atomizer and the battery are part of the e-cigarette, right? One wonders how Smok-E Mountain made such a definitive statement that their devices don’t explode—obviously their devices can explode, and a man died in the process.
A recent BMJ Tobacco Control report shows there were an “estimated 2035 e-cigarette explosion and burn injuries” in the U.S. from 2015-2017. Previously, an official report from the US Fire Administration and FEMA, reported less than 200 reported incidents for the years 2009-2016.
Whether underreported or on the rise, it’s clear that the dangers from e-cigarette explosions are far worse than previously reported. This strongly suggests that the FDA needs to do more to regulate the industry to prevent explosions, injuries, and death.
Eric’s family hopes that his death raises awareness of the risks associated with using e-cigarettes (Washington Post). Unfortunately, without a more aggressive stance by the FDA to regulate the industry, we may see more deaths before anything is done.
If you or someone you know has been injured from an e-cigarette explosion you should seek immediate medical treatment and find an experienced e-cigarette injury attorney to advise you on the ability to get insurance coverage and compensation for your injuries.
