Yahoo News Golf pro left with third degree burns after vaping pen exploded in his pocket - also writing off his car
A pro golfer was left with third degree burns after his vape exploded while he was driving - also writing off his car.
Will Hawksworth was engulfed in flames when the brand new batteries on his vape pen blew up in his pocket and set fire to his clothes.
As he frantically searched for somewhere to pull over so he could extinguish the flames, the molten vape fell between the seats of the Audi A5 he was driving.
As he battled to put out the flames on his chest, the 24-year-old watched in horror as the car also went up in flames.
Will, a professional PGA golfer from Sheffield, is now in the process of claiming compensation from ecigarette battery company Efest.
He said: “It felt like I was being burnt alive. It was the most painful thing you could ever imagine. My clothes burnt onto my chest and my skin was completely burnt.
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“I was terrified. I thought this was it and I could have lost my life.
“I’ll never go near a vape pen ever again. They are lethal.”
Will, who started smoking at 15, but has used vape pens instead for the past five years, said he has never had an issue until January when he bought brand new batteries for his vape pen and charged them at home before putting them in.
As he and 25-year-old girlfriend Molly drove home from the supermarket, she spotted sparks flying from gilet pocket.
“I heard a noise that sounded like fireworks and then my gilet just burst into flames,” said Will.
“The battery blew up as I pulled over. By the time I stopped I was pretty much engulfed in flames.
“It burnt through my clothes and fell down the side of the car seat. I got out and took my clothes off and covered myself in snow. It was agony.
“The car just went up in flames. It was completely burnt out.”
Will, who was treated in hospital for severe burns, was allowed home after six hours of treatment but had to attend regular appointments at the burns clinic having suffered second and third degree burns to his torso.
He has been left with scars for life and irritable skin that glows red when exposed to heat.
He said he turned down the option of a skin graft because he didn’t want to create further wounds on his body but has been left unable to expose his skin to the sun.
He has now opened a compensation claim against Efest and is hoping to take the company to court.
Efest has been contacted for a statement.
