E-cigarettes could be more dangerous than normal cigarettes.
Especially if the smoking device can blow up in your face, like it did for 29-year-old Cordero Caples, a Memphis native living in Colorado Springs.
FLORIDA MAN IN COMA AFTER E-CIG EXPLODES IN FACE: FAMILY
Caples was smoking the e-cig Friday during a work break when the device exploded, breaking his neck, burning his mouth and knocking out his teeth, his sister Colessia Porter said. The Colorado college student was rushed to Memorial Hospital in critical condition, and underwent a successful spinal surgery on Sunday night, she told the Daily News.
“He could have lost his life,” she said. “There’s people that have lost limbs from this. We cannot have something of this magnitude happening to people.”
The victim, who is a father of a 1-year-old girl, was almost paralyzed for life from the explosive-cigarette. He came out of the spinal reconstruction surgery in stable condition, Porter said. She said he was suffering immense pain prior to the surgery, and was relieved, but still aching from the incident. He told her he didn’t know that the vaping devices could become dangerous handheld bombs.
“If he knew that he was dealing with something that would explode on him, he definitely wouldn’t have put himself in that situation,” she said.
Caples’ dreams of becoming a fitness trainer could be dashed because of this accident, his sister said. His family, including his 1-year-old daughter, has been distraught about the e-cig blow up.
“It’s devastating to see a healthy man with all his strength be put in a position where he can possibly be paralyzed from an e-cig,” she told the Daily News.
Explosions with the e-cigs have been linked to faulty batteries, research from the U.S. Fire Administration showed.
“E-cigarette manufacturers should consider changing to a different style of electrical connection,” the October 2014 study said. “The inclusion of protection circuits into the e-cigarette device would improve battery safety.”
Porter said the dangerous device needs to be taken off the market until it’s properly regulated to prevent these accidents.
The portion of the e-cig that Caples was smoking from that survived the blast was from Kangertech, a Chinese company founded in 2007. The company said it upholds the “highest quality standards,” according to its website. The company did not respond to a Daily News’ request for comment. Porter said her family was speaking with lawyers and considering suing the e-cigarette company responsible for the explosion.
A GoFundMe for Caples‘ medical bills was created on Sunday, and had raised $160 as of Monday afternoon.
