Vape pen explosion led to death of Florida man, autopsy finds
The explosion reportedly sent pieces of the pen into the man's head and started a fire in his house.
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A vape pen led to the death of a Florida man, according to an autopsy.
A 38-year-old Florida man died after his vape pen exploded and sent projectiles into his head earlier this month, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
A report from the Pinellas-Pasco Medical Examiner confirmed that the vape pen led to the death of Tallmadge D'Elia. D'Elia was found by firefighters in the burning bedroom of his family's home in St. Petersburg. He also suffered burns on around 80 percent of his body.
The "mod" type pen was manufactured by Smok-E Mountain, which according to its Facebook page is located in the Philippines, the Tampa Bay Times reports. The Facebook page is currently unavailable.
A Smok-E Mountain representative told ABC affiliate WFTS that it was likely an issue with the product's atomizer or battery, rather than the device itself.
E-cigarette explosions have led to a handful of other injuries. A Florida man was taken to the hospital in 2012 after an e-cigarette exploded in his mouth, resulting in burns and the loss of his front teeth. A similar incident took place in Idaho last January when a vape pen blew up in a man's face, according to NBC 6. And in 2016, a New York man suffered third-degree burns when an e-cigarette exploded in his pants, according to NBC 4 New York.