Exploding E-Cig Severely Injures Florida Man

Officials blame the e-cigarette's lithium battery for the explosion
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 28, 2015 5:52 PM CDT
Exploding E-Cig Severely Injures Florida Man
A 21-year-old Florida man was severely injured when his e-cigarette reportedly exploded in his face Monday.   (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

There's got to be a less dramatic way to quit smoking. WPTV reports a Florida man is in the hospital after his e-cigarette exploded in his face Monday, leaving him with a badly burned face and neck. Ema Richardson found her 21-year-old brother Evan Spahlinger on the floor and covered in soot after hearing an explosion and smelling smoke, according to CBS Miami. “I found my brother not breathing with his whole face burned and his neck burned and trying to throw up a little or maybe he was gasping for air,” Richardson says. Spahlinger was rushed to the hospital and put into a medically induced coma.

Richardson tells CBS that Spahlinger has internal and external burns and damage to his lungs. She says the mouthpiece from his e-cigarette may have gone down his throat and exploded a second time. According to WPTV, Spahlinger underwent cosmetic surgery Tuesday. Before he was taken to the hospital, Richardson tells CBS her brother managed to tell her he was done with e-cigarettes forever. Officials believe the explosion was caused by the e-cigarette's lithium battery, the culprit blamed in other e-cigarette explosions around the country. (Forget about packing e-cigs into your checked luggage.)

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