Lithium-Ion Batteries and Fire Hazards

Lithium-ion batteries are popular with manufacturers because of their efficiency and power. Because these batteries are lightweight, they are often found in smartphones, laptops, and toys. Many medical devices and power tools also use lithium-ion batteries. Unfortunately, these batteries can cause dramatic fires which run the risk of seriously injuring a consumer. Contact our law firm to discuss any accident involving a defective product powered by one of these batteries.

Why Lithium-Ion Batteries Can Be Dangerous

This type of battery is popular because it stores a tremendous amount of energy in such a small space. Lithium-ion batteries are light but powerful. Without them, your smartphone would probably be clunkier and need to be recharged more often.

However, lithium-ion batteries run the risk of causing fires. And these fires are very difficult to extinguish.

For example, lithium-ion batteries are found in most electric vehicles, and many of these vehicles catch on fire when they crash. One Tesla Semi needed an astounding 50,000 gallons of water to cool the lithium-ion battery after it hit a tree and erupted in flames. The battery reached a temperature of 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Officials were so worried it might reignite that they transported the semi to a facility and monitored it for 24 hours.

The batteries in phones and toys are smaller than the ones in electric vehicles, but the fires are still hard to put out. A consumer can suffer significant burn injuries.

Shockingly, many incidents occur during normal use, when a person is simply charging their phone or a child is playing with a toy. The rapid, intense fire can cause third- or fourth-degree burns and require amputation. A fire which cannot be contained might also burn down a house or cause other property loss.

Contact our office to discuss if you can bring a product liability claim. This type of lawsuit seeks compensation when a defect in a product causes injury. Some lithium-ion batteries are poorly designed, or there is a weakness in the construction which leads to explosion or fire. Other product liability claims stem from a lack of critical safety warnings.

If possible, keep whatever remains of the item which caught fire so that your legal team can inspect it. Sometimes we can sue the battery manufacturer, but in other cases the product manufacturer is to blame.

Contact Us to Set Up a Free Consultation

Burn injuries are terrifying. Injured victims can deal with risk of infection and possible amputation. Burns also leave disfiguring scars which can cause embarrassment. Our clients often deal with emotional anguish and physical pain for the remainder of their lives.

Give our office a call if you believe a defective battery has caused an accident. We can meet to discuss whether to seek financial compensation against a manufacturer or a different party. These are tricky cases to bring, but our firm can connect with expert witnesses who can help us inspect the product for a defect. A Greenville product liability attorney at Davis & Snyder is standing by.

Source:

apnews.com/article/tesla-semi-fire-battery-crash-water-firefighters-7ff04a61e562b80b73e057cfd82b6165