14 DAY TRIAL // Sony is getting a taste of Samsung’s exploding phone cake, as the company is being used by a customer after his Xperia Z2 exploded and caused third-degree burns to his hands.
The article includes photos showing the actual injuries suffered after the phone explosion and viewer discretion is advised.
Tom Collins explained in an interview that his smartphone was working alright before the incident, revealing that the device caught fire when he was only sending a text message.
The 36-year-old man says the phone turned into a “fireball” in a matter of seconds, burning his right-hand fingers and nearly starting a fire in his home.
“It got really hot and I heard a thud. I turned it over and there was soot everywhere, then a flame from the back. In seconds it erupted like a fireball. It felt like my hands had been scraped on the road at 80km/h. I dropped it and the carpet went up too. I got water to put out the flames,” he said.
Collins is now suing Sony and asking for $16,000 in damages, pointing out that the burning smartphone ripped off all his right-hand fingers, injured his left hand, and lead to him losing his job and girlfriend due to the 3-month recovery time after the incident. Furthermore, the man says he still has no sensation in a finger and thumb due to the severe burns.
Phone damaged by liquids
Sony has already looked into the report, and according to Collin’s lawyer, Jonathan Flattery, the company claims the device was actually damaged due to contact with water. But the lawyer says the water was used by his client when trying to put out the fire that the smartphone nearly started in his house.
Furthermore, Collins replaced the battery that exploded with a new one to continue using the device, and thus Sony says that it can’t take the smartphone back because of third-party accessories.
“Tom purchased his phone from a reputable manufacturer. He did not expect that through normal use his phone would explode resulting in him sustaining burns and serious injuries. We’re concerned that cause may not be isolated and other users of this phone are at risk of a similar accident occurring,” the lawyer said.
Sony is yet to release a statement on this incident, but this is the first report involving one of its devices, so it’s not likely this to be a widespread issue affecting all its devices.
