Man injured by exploding vape wins $2.3 million in Missouri lawsuit, documents show

A Missouri man injured by an exploding vape recently won more than $2.3 million in a lawsuit against the company that supplied the device’s battery, court documents show.z

The judgment comes more than six years after the man was injured, according to court documents filed in St. Charles County.

In July 2017, the man was “smoking his Tobeco Super Tank Mini e-cigarette device when suddenly and without warning, the e-cigarette and battery incorporated therein exploded while in use,” his legal team said in a motion.

In the lawsuit, his attorneys blame Lightfire Holdings, LLC, for supplying the battery used in the vape, documents show.

The vape blew up in his face, breaking several teeth, fracturing his jaw, leaving burns, and causing nerve damage to his mouth and left arm, Missouri Lawyers Media reported.

The man claims the battery was mislabeled as being rated for 38 amps when the true rating was just 10 amps, and that there was nothing to prevent the battery from overheating, the outlet reported.

Further, the man’s lawyers said that Lightfire was aware of the risk that the batteries could explode when used in vapes, documents show.

Lightfire’s attorneys argued that there wasn’t enough evidence to prove that the battery caused the explosion. They added that there was “no evidence” that Lightfire “knew of a widespread issue of the explosion of the battery … when (Lightfire) was placing such products in the stream of commerce,” according to documents.

Ultimately, a jury awarded the man $2 million in punitive damages against Lightfire and $352,000 in compensation, according to a judgment filed Sept. 8.

McClatchy News has reached out to attorneys on both sides for comment.

While e-cigarette explosions are rare, the consequences can be painful and often permanent, according to experts.

In 2016, an estimated 1,007 people were treated in emergency rooms for burns caused by e-cigarettes and vapes in the U.S., according to an article published by Tobacco Prevention and Cessation.

This story was originally published September 12, 2023 at 12:37 PM with the headline "Man injured by exploding vape wins $2.3 million in Missouri lawsuit, documents show."