Is Your Cell Phone Dangerous?

Samsung Electronics Co has been under fire this year for the much anticipated release of the Galaxy Note 7 cell phone, which apparently came with an unexpected but explosive feature. There were more than 92 reports of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 explosions as of last month. Of those, there were 25 reports of burns and 55 property damage reports, including house and car damage. When Samsung advertised the release of its most powerful smartphone yet, this wasn’t exactly what consumers had in mind.

One victim of the defective product was in a Costco store in Florida when his Galaxy Note 7 exploded, burning through his pants and resulting in severe burns on his right leg. The man also sustained burns on his thumb after trying to remove the phone.

What Causes Samsung Galaxy 7 Phones to Explode?

As mobile technology advances, tech companies are pressured to seek out batteries that are more powerful, lighter and charge our devices quicker. Lithium-ion batteries seem like the solution as they can store large amounts of energy in a thin battery. However, when there is a mistake in programming that tells the phone it can handle more of a charge than the lithium-ion battery can support, this can destabilize the chemicals and cause a fire or explosion.

In particular, Samsung says the issue in the Galaxy Note 7 was a “very rare manufacturing process error.” Shortly after, Samsung recalled the phone. However, the recall has not been progressing very slowly. More than one million Galaxy Note 7 units were sold in the U.S., but (as of last month) only 130,000 were returned, which leaves hundreds of thousands of people at risk for an explosion or burns.

If your phone has exploded and caused you injury, contact a product liability attorney immediately to determine what your next steps should be.

The Law Offices of Aaron Allison is a personal injury law firm that helps those injured due to a defective product in Austin, Texas.