{"id":3130,"date":"2018-08-07T14:40:59","date_gmt":"2018-08-07T14:40:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sinklaw.com\/?p=3130"},"modified":"2024-05-08T00:01:12","modified_gmt":"2024-05-08T04:01:12","slug":"iphone-catches-on-fire-in-mans-pocket-causing-serve-burns-says-new-lawsuit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sinklaw.com\/blog\/iphone-catches-on-fire-in-mans-pocket-causing-serve-burns-says-new-lawsuit\/","title":{"rendered":"iPhone Catches on Fire in Man’s Pocket, Causing Severe Burns, Says New Lawsuit"},"content":{"rendered":"

A South Carolina man caught on fire after the battery in his iPhone 6 exploded, according to a recent lawsuit. The phone was in his pocket, when it heated up, exploded and set his clothes on fire, causing severe burns.<\/p>\n

The man, Ronnie Portee, is represented by Kevin Dean of Motley Rice LLC, P.A. Injury Lawyers<\/a><\/u>. In the suit filed on July 31, Mr. Portee claimed his iPhone was defective, didn\u2019t have the proper mechanisms to prevent the battery from overheating, and lacked appropriate warnings.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur client was nearly killed by an iPhone exploding in his pocket. We trust our cell phones won\u2019t hurt us; that they\u2019re designed to be safe. They\u2019re in our pockets, purses, planes and cars; they sit by our bedside while we sleep – 95% of Americans own cell phones.[1] We don\u2019t expect cell phones to catch on fire, yet we\u2019re starting to hear more and more about the dangers of smartphones that explode or catch fire without warning,\u201d explained attorney.<\/p>\n

It seems nowhere is safe \u2013 not even Apple stores. iPhones have reportedly exploded in a Swiss Apple store, where 8 people were treated for injuries, and an Apple store in Spain reportedly saw two iPhones catch fire in two days.\u00a0[2]\u00a0What\u2019s worse, there are reports of an iPhone setting a dresser on fire while its owner was sleeping[3]\u00a0and reports of an iPhone burning into the stomach of a teenager in Florida[4], with vivid pictures of midsection burns in the shape of the phone.<\/p>\n

These explosions can happen suddenly and can surprise even the most tech savvy, as in the video of an iPhone exploding in a Las Vegas repair store[5]. Other smartphones have exploded and killed their owners, severing an artery in one man\u2019s neck and burning the chest of another man, according to reports by Reuters and InfromationWeek[6]<\/p>\n

Portee\u2019s lawsuit also named Asurion Insurance as a Defendant. Asurion provides insurance policies for a variety of cell phone providers. According to the suit, the defective phone was provided by Asurion as a replacement.<\/p>\n

Severe Burns and Multiple Surgeries<\/strong><\/h2>\n

According to the lawsuit, Mr. Portee was talking on his phone and, after ending his call, he put his iPhone in his pocket. Soon after, he felt \u201cextreme heat\u201d in his pocket. He saw his clothes begin to burn. His body became engulfed in flames. He had to be airlifted to a burn center to be treated.<\/p>\n

The incident left Mr. Portee with second- and third-degree burns on his arms and back, which required multiple surgeries. He now has permanent scarring and walks with a limp caused by nerve damage.<\/p>\n

The Cause of the Explosion<\/strong><\/h2>\n

A preliminary investigation was conducted, suggesting that the iPhone\u2019s internal battery failed, causing \u201ca significant and localized heating event.\u201d What\u2019s more, the phone seems to lack a sufficient fail-safe mechanism against overheating, such as automatically shutting down or alerting the user with substantial visible or audible warnings. An explosion is not the sort of thing you expect to happen to your phone and the lawsuit alleges there were not sufficient warnings of this possibility.<\/p>\n

Attorney Kevin Dean said his team is currently testing other iPhone batteries to determine the exact defect, and investigating other instances of battery explosions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have reason to believe this is a serious manufacturing or design defect in iPhones putting consumers at risk who had no warnings of this danger,\u201d Dean said. \u201cWe will continue our investigations and testing on behalf of Mr. Portee and others who own iPhones.\u201d<\/p>\n

There have been multiple media reports of iPhone battery explosions since 2016. Apple has also been hit with multiple federal lawsuits regarding the battery life of its phones.<\/p>\n

The case is\u00a0Ronnie Portee v. Apple Inc. et. al.,<\/em>\u00a0case number 3:18-cv-02106<\/a><\/u>, in the U. S. District Court for the District of South Carolina.<\/p>\n

\"Severe<\/p>\n

Keep Safe \u2013 Signs of Danger in Your Smartphone<\/strong><\/h2>\n

There are many signs of potential danger in your smartphone. Here are a few to look out for:<\/p>\n