A Texas man died after his e-cigarette exploded and cut a major artery in his neck, according to a medical examiner's report.
William Eric Brown, 24, went to his local vaping store, Smoke & Vape DZ in Fort Worth, Texas, on Jan. 29 and never returned, his grandmother, Alice Brown, told NBC DFW.
“He said, ‘I’ll be right back granny.’”
The vape pen exploded while Brown, a licensed electrician, was in his car, parked outside the store. Brown never entered the vape store, according to an employee of Smoke & Vape DZ who declined further comment to NBC DFW.
The e-cigarette explosion was so strong that it melted the ashtray in Brown’s car, his grandmother said.
The Tarrant County Medical examiner’s report said Brown died of a “cerebral infarction and herniation” after the vape pen cut open the left artery in his neck.
According to his grandmother, doctors performed an X-ray when Brown was brought to hospital and found a metal piece of the vape pen lodged in the back of his neck.
“This is so hard for me to go through,” Alice Brown said. “If they had told me he got hit by a car or run over by a bus or something it would have made sense. This doesn't make sense.”
Brown is the second person in the U.S. known to have died from an exploding vaporizing pen. A Florida man died last year in a house fire that was started by an exploding vape pen.
The FDA recommends making sure your vaping devices have a safety features like firing buttons and vent holes to prevent explosions. They also strongly discourage users from charging their vapes overnight. E-cigs are not required to be subjected to product safety testing, according to the U.S. Fire Administration.
While there are vaping products specifically designed to prevent fires and explosions, they aren’t currently allowed in the U.S. due to FDA regulations.
NBC News was unable to reach Smoke & Vape DZ for comment.
