A man from Collier County, Florida is seeking charges against an e-cigarette manufacturer after suffering extensive burns in the face, throat, and mouth as well as slipping into a coma after the incident last October.
According to Wink News, the injuried of the man identified as Evan Spahlinger required special attention that he had to be sent to a burn unit in Miami. His lawyers noted that the e-cigarette manufacturer should have prevented the device from overheating. Aside from the manufacturer, Spahlinger also sued a vapor shop located on Airport Pulling Road as they reportedly failed to warn him of the risks involved with the device's usage.
Accordingly, Spahlinger bought the e-cigarette, which is a "Rig Mod V .2" model, from the store called Vaping Station last July. The manufacturer was named as Vaping American Made Products, Naples News reported. Three months after, the e-cigarette exploded in his face and caused him to inhale the smoke, flames, and scorching hot air. The lawsuit adds, "On the way, Evan's esophagus and lungs began to swell from his internal burns."
E-cigarettes are said to be the safer version as opposed to smoking actual tobacco and cigarettes. These devices deliver vaporized nicotine through a heated liquid solution but the safety of these items are being questioned. The U.S. Department of Transportation recently banned e-cigarettes from checked-in bags on airplanes, Miami Herald reported.
The lawyer of Spahlinger, John H. Uustal, said in a statement, "This malfunction left Evan permanently injured and caused him unimaginable mental anguish."
The lawsuit mostly focuses on the lack of regulation of e-cigarettes in the United States. The suit adds that these devices are continued to be sold in an untested and unsafe condition. If such continues, it will cause injuries in the future until "those responsible are held accountable. This industry presents lucrative business opportunities in an unregulated environment, and consumers are being hurt as a result."
This is not the first case regarding e-cigarettes as last fall, a woman in California, who also suffered from the same incident, was awarded by a jury with $1.9 M.
