I recently read an article where an electronic cigarette exploded in a Florida man's mouth, causing him to suffer severe burns and permanent disfigurement to his face and mouth. The gentleman lost some of his front teeth, lost a part of his tongue and sustained burns to his face. Results of the Fire Department's investigation showed that the electronic cigarette's battery flew out of the tube during the explosion and caused the closet, carpet and other furniture in the room to catch on fire. Firefighters described the event as someone trying to hold a bottle rocket in their mouth when it goes off! The exact cause of the explosion remains unknown; however, the battery is the main culprit fire officials are looking to.

Inherently, our laws protect consumers from injuries caused by products and hold manufacturers, distributors and retailers (who make millions of products available to the consumer public each year) responsible for the injuries their products cause. When you are injured by a product due to either a manufacturing or design defect or a failure to provide adequate warning for a product you can bring a products liability claim against the manufacturer, distributor or retailer responsible. In a products liability case, the responsibility lies with the party who can most effectively reduce the hazard of the product before it reaches the marketplace. This is because manufacturers can better anticipate hazards associated with their products and guard against these hazardous conditions than consumers can.

Manufacturing defects are those that occur in the manufacturing process and usually involve poor-quality materials. Design defects occur where the product design is inherently dangerous no matter how carefully the product is manufactured. Failure-to-warn defects arise in products that have hidden dangers that could be avoided through adequate warnings to the consumer. For any of these defective conditions, companies are held to a standard to fix any defects prior to placing their product in the marketplace. This is the cost for these companies to do business. More information is required as to what went wrong with the battery in the Florida man's electronic cigarette, however, it appears he may have a claim under any of the three (3) theories.

Many who sustain an injury as a result of a defective product, such as this Florida man, suffer severe consequences and are entitled to recovery for their medical bills, permanent disfigurement, lost wages, pain, suffering, inconvenience and mental anguish. If you have been hurt due to a product put on the marketplace notwithstanding a manufacturing defect, a design defect or an inadequate consumer warning you should contact a skilled products liability attorney to consult with on your case so they can assist you in navigating through the claims process with the at-fault company and their insurer.

This blog post was written by Maryland and Washington DC accident lawyer Chamille Kittles. Price Benowitz LLP is a full service law firm with offices across DC, Maryland, and Virginia. In addition to Ms. Kittles, the firm's personal injury team includes Rabihah Scott and Virginia accident lawyer Thomas Soldan.

When I first started my family, I worried about renting a place near the right daycare and in a good school district. I wanted my son to have a big room filled with toys and a backyard to run and play as he grew. I focused on having things in place to give him a great start in life. I did a visual inspection of each place I considered renting. I looked for cheap repair work and places where people cut corners. I budgeted and found what I thought was the best quality in my price range. I demanded that any potential new home be clean and sanitized. I wanted to make sure my home was safe. My son loved the place we made our first home home and all was well. I can only imagine that every parent preparing for a move or to start a family goes through some version of what I did during that first move. I know that every move after that seemed just as important and I went through the same process. I think my son has grown up enough to think that I am too demanding.

I cringe to think of how many parents did all the same things that I did with very different results. It seems horrible to know that the place they made a home hurt their children. I can only imagine the feeling of guilt that a parent would have knowing that their decision hurt the child they love so much. Many parents did not realize that the homes they lived in or rented were painted with hazardous lead paint. Having lead pain around children can be dangerous, especially if that paint chips, peels, cracks, or otherwise winds up ingested by the child. Lead has difficulty leaving the human body, so it builds up in the system. This build up is especially dangerous for children because their small size means that the concentration is higher in the body and can more easily become damaging.

High levels or concentrations of lead in a person's system can lead to lead poisoning and children are especially vulnerable to the symptoms and impacts of lead poisoning. Lead poisoning can cause many physical ailments. Some of the signs include: tiredness, headaches, short attention span, restlessness, constipation, hyperactivity, and vomiting. Worse than the physical ailments which can be treated immediately are the mental and behavioral ailments that are not as obvious. Lead poisoning has also been linked to behavioral and learning disabilities especially in young children.

No amount of money can every really compensate a family for the lifetime of care that they will have to provide the child that suffers from this sort of ailment. A skilled attorney can assist in gathering the proof you need to protect your child's interest. A skilled attorney can also explain the critical time lines and restrictions in these types of cases. A Price Benowitz attorney can help you understand Maryland's legal precedents and apply them to your specific situation.

This post was written by Washington DC and Maryland Accident Attorney Rabihah Scott. Price Benowitz LLP is a Washington DC based law firm with additional locations in Maryland, Virginia, and New York. If you have been injured and would like more information about the firm's Virginia Personal Injury attorney, please visit our website.