As lithium-ion batteries are being used in more and more consumer products – from cell phones to laptops to hoverboard and electric bicycles — their dangers are being exposed, sometimes with fatal consequences. The batteries can produce fires that are explosive and aggressive in nature.
These fires, which are difficult to extinguish, have resulted in severe injuries and deaths throughout the country. In Pennsylvania, a fire that erupted in a hoverboard while its lithium battery was charging overnight destroyed a home and killed two sisters. The New York City Fire Department in one year responded to 200 e-scooter and e-bike lithium-ion battery fires that resulted in six deaths.
Often these fires are caused by manufacturing defects, and a number of products that use lithium batteries have been recalled.
If you or a loved one suffered serious injury or death due to a fire caused by a lithium-ion battery, you may have grounds for a lawsuit.
Kline & Specter has distinguished itself in successfully representing parents of children who died in a fire tragedy caused by a lithium-ion tragedy and has advocated on behalf of victims, resulting in a significant product recall.
With 60 attorneyss, our law firm has the experience and expertise to investigate and litigate lithium battery explosions and fires. Call for a free evaluation of your case.
The problem with the batteries is that they all use highly flammable materials and can result in what experts call a “thermal runaway,” a chain reaction that can lead to a fire or catastrophic explosion. One analyst has said that in cases in which fires occur spontaneously while charging, the likely cause is a manufacturing defect.
After one five-alarm apartment fire whose origin was believed to be a lithium battery in a scooter in New York City, at least seven people were injured and more than 200 firefighters had to be called out to respond to the blaze.
Said FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh: “In all of these fires, these lithium-ion fires, it is not a slow burn. There’s not a small amount of fire, it literally explodes. It’s a tremendous volume of fire as soon as it happens, and it’s very difficult to extinguish and so it’s particularly dangerous.” Watch an alarming video aired by the BBC of a lithium-powered bike exploding into flames.
Incidents such as these are becoming more common as the lithium batteries are being used in more consumer tech products such as cell phone, laptops and cameras since they allow manufacturers to get more hours of battery life into small devices. And there have been an increasing number of manufacturer issues with lithium-ion batteries.
Kline & Specter lithium battery lawyers handle cases in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and New York. For cases outside those states, Kline & Specter works with local attorneys in each state as applicable.