E-Cigarette Explosion Injures Girl at Orlando Theme Park

[PortMickey]

From ABC News:

"Police say a teenage girl riding a Universal Orlando amusement park ride suffered burns when an electronic cigarette belonging to another rider exploded and shot a fireball at her.

Police told the Orlando Sentinel ( http://bit.ly/2cVI0o5 ) the 14-year-old from Tennessee was riding the Hogwarts Express train Saturday with her family when an e-cigarette belonging to a rider in another group blew up in his pocket and the fireball hit her in the face and elsewhere.

Lt. Dan Brady said the explosion wasn't big, but scared everyone on the train.

The girl was taken to the hospital with mild to moderate burns to her face, arm and leg. Her name was not released. The man suffered minor injuries."

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/cigarette-explosion-injures-girl-orlando-theme-park-42513242

 

[soniam]

I wonder if they are going to ban these now. I'm torn, because I prefer people to use these over cigarettes. They probably aren't usually more dangerous than a lighter either. I don't know if the parks ban lighters.

 

[PuppyJonathan]

My generation strikes again. About time something gets done

 

[Skywise]

I think just some simple safety regulations should be enough.

Ford Pintos used to explode too but we didn't ban cars.

 

[Catvondita]

Ugh. E-Ciggs and Vapes are the worst.

 

[Baby_wants]

I think just some simple safety regulations should be enough.

Ford Pintos used to explode too but we didn't ban cars.

LOL!

 

[Baby_wants]

I wonder if they are going to ban these now. I'm torn, because I prefer people to use these over cigarettes. They probably aren't usually more dangerous than a lighter either. I don't know if the parks ban lighters.

I agree! I thought they were better somehow... I didn't realize they were a danger to people though (besides the one smoking them)...

 

[davper]

Ugh. E-Ciggs and Vapes are the worst.

Really?! Try being around cigarette smokers. My wife smokes occasionally, I won't go near hear until she sprays herself down.

 

[PuppyJonathan]

Really?! Try being around cigarette smokers. My wife smokes occasionally, I won't go near hear until she sprays herself down.

As much as I hate smoking I think the earlier comment is referring to the vape culture. The culture where the it's seen as of to bring it on the rides. That you need to puff everytime you're outside. Being in college and seeing the latter all the time is appalling.

Once again I'd like to apologize for my generation

 

[DatDudeSG]

Talk about wrecking a trip. Could you imagine being excited and riding an awesome ride, then all of a sudden you get blasted by an e cig. I think it would ruin any hopes of going on another ride with someone I didn't know.

 

[tony67]

I do wish they would limit use of these to smoking area - I have no interest in breathing the warm moist vapors you just exhaled. (although it seems since the change to the smoking areas more people are just smoking wherever they like and Disney did not seem to do anything about it - I was there a week ago and never saw so many people smoking in MK just walking around - it it was not e-cigs)

I can't see them doing much about this though - it was a very unfortunate accident - I doubt they will ban them from the park - not that I want them too.

They still have not banned selfie sticks - it was rally nice walking around Epcot F&W without all those annoying selfie sticks in your face all the time.

It seems it is a somewhat rare event - I think more Samsung S7s have exploded - but it happens: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/what-s-causing-some-e-cigarette-batteries-explode-n533516

 

[Chumpieboy]

I've seen some WDW CMs tell guests they need to put out their cigarettes when not in a DSA. Universal, however doesn't seem to care. Last week huge clouds of vapor everywhere.

I get the argument that vapor isn't as harmful to others as smoke (second hand smoke argument) but I still don't want to walk into a cloud of vapor either. It's frigging rude.

 

[Dean Marino]

All personal opinion....

This is what happens when WDW continues to eliminate authorized smoking locations.... in areas NOT in public traffic zones. The MK has TWO such areas, unused, yet Central: The Entrance and Exit Areas of the bypass, unused during daylight hours. Removed from the public.

People go for these devices. One may use them quickly in unauthorized areas, and never have a smoking tobacco product in hand when the random CM shows up.

Tried this myself, in AUTHORIZED areas. Gave 'em up due to explosion hazard. But the article tells us something......

Would everyone prefer AUTHORIZED, non general public smoking areas? Or would you prefer just a few minor explosions, pretty much anywhere in the MK? Your choice. One could try to BAN these devices... be prepared to frisk all guests... ECIGS tend to be very small .

Again, All personal opinion.... I'm not necessarily right, no one else is necessarily wrong....

 

[wilkeliza]

I believe the device was not in use so not quite sure why everyone acts like it was. It was in his pocket and he probably sat on it bending the battery causing it to short and explode. Same thing could happen with a cell phone. It seems to be a freak accident and not from using it where they weren't suppose to be.

At most parks these are regulated the same as cigarettes it is just by the time a TM or CM says to please go to a smoking area the person has already puffed and is done.

 

[soniam]

Gringott's is at Universal, so this has nothing to do with WDW reducing smoking areas, unless Uni is doing it too. Also, Gringott's is a locker ride, so technically you should check most things. They don't use a metal detector for it, so you can keep stuff in your pocket.

I had completely forgot that we weren't allowed to bring a balloon animal chicken hat onto Gringott's in March. It was my son's and wouldn't really fit in a locker. I was holding it, because I knew he would lose it. The team member in the underground vault hallway, so pretty darn far into the queue, said that we either had to get rid of it or not ride. DS chose to get rid of it. The team member said that it could come loose and scare someone. I asked him if he thought it was scarier than Voldemort The team member at the end of the hall asked us what happened and was really surprised that he wouldn't let us take it. Somehow I think they have their priorities wrong here. Exploding gas or balloon animal in your face

 

[PuppyJonathan]

Gringott's is at Universal, so this has nothing to do with WDW reducing smoking areas, unless Uni is doing it too. Also, Gringott's is a locker ride, so technically you should check most things. They don't use a metal detector for it, so you can keep stuff in your pocket.

I had completely forgot that we weren't allowed to bring a balloon animal chicken hat onto Gringott's in March. It was my son's and wouldn't really fit in a locker. I was holding it, because I knew he would lose it. The team member in the underground vault hallway, so pretty darn far into the queue, said that we either had to get rid of it or not ride. DS chose to get rid of it. The team member said that it could come loose and scare someone. I asked him if he thought it was scarier than Voldemort The team member at the end of the hall asked us what happened and was really surprised that he wouldn't let us take it. Somehow I think they have their priorities wrong here. Exploding gas or balloon animal in your face

The attraction this happened on was the hogwarts express

 

[mikepizzo]

It would be interesting to see where this particular e-cig was purchased. If it was an actual quality e-cig or a cheap Chinese knock off. It wouldn't be the first time a product with a cheap battery has exploded.

For the record, I have very limited knowledge about "brand name" e-cigs compared to off brand/third party e-cigs.

 

[tony67]

I believe the device was not in use so not quite sure why everyone acts like it was. It was in his pocket and he probably sat on it bending the battery causing it to short and explode. Same thing could happen with a cell phone. It seems to be a freak accident and not from using it where they weren't suppose to be.

At most parks these are regulated the same as cigarettes it is just by the time a TM or CM says to please go to a smoking area the person has already puffed and is done.

That seems to be the case - it was in his pocket. It could happen with anything that uses that type of battery - for example a camera or as you point out a phone. In the previous article I linked someone had the battery in their pocket and it was shorted out by a coin in their pocket that caused it to explode.
Using the wrong charge can also be an issue it seems.

It would be interesting to see where this particular e-cig was purchased. If it was an actual quality e-cig or a cheap Chinese knock off. It wouldn't be the first time a product with a cheap battery has exploded.

For the record, I have very limited knowledge about "brand name" e-cigs compared to off brand/third party e-cigs.

Yeah - that is why they have so many rules around those batteries on planes or sending them via mail\UPS etc... When I get batteries from Amazon they have a warning label on them and have to be shipped via ground I believe. When I got a bad one they would not even let me ship it back and just sent a new one.


I don't see anyway that Universal could have prevented this - or could prevent it in future.

 

[wilkeliza]

That seems to be the case - it was in his pocket. It could happen with anything that uses that type of battery - for example a camera or as you point out a phone. In the previous article I linked someone had the battery in their pocket and it was shorted out by a coin in their pocket that caused it to explode.
Using the wrong charge can also be an issue it seems.


Yeah - that is why they have so many rules around those batteries on planes or sending them via mail\UPS etc... When I get batteries from Amazon they have a warning label on them and have to be shipped via ground I believe. When I got a bad one they would not even let me ship it back and just sent a new one.


I don't see anyway that Universal could have prevented this - or could prevent it in future.

I forgot chargers can also cause it as well. I still think it was probably bent or a coin shorting it though because don't chargers usually happen while they are plugged in? I'm the worst at using the factory provided charger.

I wonder if this could have also been a situation like my brother. I'll take him vaping any day over him smoking because I can finally visit with him. He currently makes his own coils and vape fluid and I always wonder if he messed up the coil if that can cause a short or not. I hope he never gets burned but for someone who hasn't been able to quite at least his house and he himself no longer reeks of cigarette smoke and like I said I can actually go see him now because of that because prior I would have an asthma attack pretty quickly after being in their apartment.

 

[Catvondita]

As much as I hate smoking I think the earlier comment is referring to the vape culture. The culture where the it's seen as of to bring it on the rides. That you need to puff everytime you're outside. Being in college and seeing the latter all the time is appalling.

Once again I'd like to apologize for my generation

Def the culture. I live in a super yuppie Brooklyn neighborhood and everyone acts like total tools.