On September 2, 2016, Samsung decided to recall its newest smartphone, the Galaxy Note 7. It has sold 2.5 million units of the phone. The recall comes less than a month after the phone’s release.
The phone’s battery has the potential to explode or catch fire. Reuters reports that Samsung says they know of 35 instances so far of batteries with these problems.
What causes the batteries to catch fire?
The Galaxy Note 7’s battery is a lithium-ion battery, which is common in products such as smartphones, laptop computers, cars and toy hoverboards. In some cases, as happened last year with hoverboards, lithium-ion batteries are prone to catching fire or exploding, especially while charging.
The heat generated by the charging process can cause the chemicals inside the battery to ignite. Samsung says it’s possible that a defect in the battery’s manufacturing process may have caused a part of the battery to coil incorrectly.
The dangers of defective products
A phone or other defective product that catches fire or explodes can cause severe injuries or property damage. Phones that explode or start a fire can damage or destroy vehicles, personal property and homes, depending on the circumstances. If a person suffers injuries from a defective lithium-ion battery, they may be left with burns, nerve damage, scarring and disfigurement.
Injuries such as these often require surgical procedures, cosmetic procedures and psychological counseling. The injury victim may be unable to work while he or she is undergoing treatment.
In these types of injury cases, the injury victim often needs financial compensation to cover medical bills, lost income and other costs associated with the injury. To fight a large corporation such as a smartphone company, most people need a lawyer on their side. The negligent company will have lawyers representing them. Victims need representation as well.
