A Bear man received second-degree burns to his leg and had to undergo skin graft surgery after an electronic cigarette battery exploded in his pocket, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday in Delaware.
George Ayers was walking from his car to his house with his arms full of groceries when one of the two batteries in his front pants pocket exploded on March 9, according to the lawsuit. His attorney described a chaotic scene in which Ayers’ son saw the fire and could smell burning flesh.
“The public needs to be made aware of the danger of this product,” his attorney Laura Simon said. “People are using it with no idea an explosion and severe burns can result.”
The lawsuit claims Delaware Vapor, which sold him the lithium-ion battery replacements and e-cigarette device at its location at 510 Peoples Plaza in Glasgow, and LG Chem America, which manufactured the batteries, were negligent and failed to warn users of the danger.
Brendan Styles, operations manager at Delaware Vapor, said store records show Ayers purchased the product on Sept. 29, 2015, and was warned of the danger.
