Santa Ana, CA — A man was injured and his apartment almost burned down when a modified e-cigarette he was smoking blew up in his hand on Monday, March 9, 2015. The accident took place at Brookin’s apartment, in the 100 block of Santa Ana, California.
According to local reports, Brookins had taken the e-cigarette out of a charger and had taken only a single puff when the device began to his. Brookins moved the e-cigarette away from his face when it exploded. The accident sent metal shrapnel into his hand and around his room, as well as setting fire to a nightstand.
Brookins was able to extinguish the fire before it spread out of control. At this time, the cause of the explosion is unknown.
Brookins and his roommate, Sean Schoepflin, used to operate an e-cigarette store in Tuscon, Arizona. Since the accident, both have said they’ve using the devices.
Map of the Accident
View from the Road
Commentary
Reports say that the e-cigarette involved in this accident was a modified e-cigarette. Apparently, a modified e-cigarette has a longer battery life and provides a “deeper smoking experience.” Because “modified” in this case doesn’t refer to anything the victim of this accident did to the device after purchasing it, it seems as if liability for the accident would fall onto the manufacturer. I’m not a smoker, but I’m reasonably sure that these things are designed to explode. A manufacturer would be liable for any defective product that left their factory that caused injury to anyone who used it.
— Grossman Law Offices
