A man was pronounced dead inside a hospital in Fort Worth Texas after suffering from serious wounds resulting from an e-cigarette explosion. The incident happened just a few days prior to his death. According to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's office, the 24-year-old resident suffered from cerebral infarction and herniation resulting from debris cutting into his left carotid artery. The man was identified as Tarrant County-resident William Brown.
The incident occurred a few days after Brown was declared dead, outside a store that sells e-cigarettes and vaping equipment. Brown was reportedly smoking his vape pen outside the store when it suddenly exploded while he was using it. According to the manager of the store, Brown hadn't bought anything from his store and the vape pen he was using wasn't a brand they were selling. Brown apparently visited the store to seek help in using his vape pen. After hearing the explosion, witnesses immediately called an ambulance. Responders arrived and brought the injured man to the nearest hospital.
Upon arrival, hospital staff immediately placed Brown in a medically-induced coma. X-ray results showed that three pieces of the vape pen were stuck in his through. Brown's lip was also severely cut. Doctors decided not to immediately operate on the man given the nature of the wounds. Family members later blamed the doctors for the man's death, saying that they could have saved his life if they operated immediately.
Hospital representatives declined to comment further on the incident citing that they are legally not allowed to do so because of the state's health privacy laws. However, the hospital has expressed their condolences to the family and mentioned that they will continue to investigate the incident to find out who was at fault.
As described by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, E-cigarettes or vapes, are battery operated device that vaporizes liquids to create a smoke that can be inhaled. These devices act as a replacement for traditional cigarettes, with some liquids containing small amounts of nicotine. In the past eight years, there have been 195 incidents of e-cigarette explosions in the United States. The latest incident happened in Florida in May of last year. A man was instantly killed when the e-cigarette he was using exploded in his face and a piece of the device shot into his head.
As of the moment, the buying and selling of these devices and e-liquids have remained largely unregulated. Most devices coming from legitimate manufacturers are often relatively safe to use. Some devices come with automatic voltage regulators and numerous failsafe systems, protecting users from explosions, overheating, and shorts. The main causes for these fires are often bad-quality batteries with poor insulators. Users are advised to never buy cheap batteries or vapes whenever possible as these are more prone to explosions than the more expensive products.
