Brooklyn, NY – An Orthodox Jewish Brooklyn teen got a firsthand lesson on the dangers of vaping yesterday, after an electronic cigarette that he was holding exploded in his hands, causing possibly permanent damage to both his vision and his hands.
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14 year old Lior (Levi) Domatov was at the Kings Plaza Shopping Center yesterday with friends trying out e-cigarettes at the Plaza Vapes kiosk when the incident occurred as reported by PIX 11.
“The guy was showing me different products of the vaporizers,” said Domatov. “While he was showing me, he connected one of the vaporizers to the battery of the store. He gave it to me to hold and when I was holding it, it exploded in my hands and my face.”
Domatov sustained a cut to his left cornea rendering him sightless in that eye. Doctors do not know yet if that injury, as well as damage to his hands, are permanent.
Employees of Plaza Vapes distribute cards to mall shoppers offering a 15 percent discount and promoting its Instagram page which shows photos of vapors offered for sale in flavors including cookies, blueberry and strawberry pancakes and several varieties that mimic the flavors of childrens’ cereals including Captain Crunch, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Froot Loops and Apple Jacks.
State law prohibits the sale of e-cigs to minors and attorney Marc Freund, who is representing Domatov, took the mall to task for allowing the vendor to target underage shoppers.
“The duty falls to Kings Plaza and the kiosk owner to make sure there’s signs in place to warn the children,” said Freund. “There was not even a single sign advising of the city and state law until after this incident takes place.”
Asked for comment on the incident, a Plaza Vapes employee said only that she was new to the job but had heard what happened, while no one at the mall’s management office was available to discuss the matter.
Yeah this is going to be a problem
Refuah Shleima! Hope he has a full recovery.
I’ve seen his lawyer before. He’s won a lot of money for some people who have been hurt really bad. This is terrible what happened to this buchur! Hashem Yerachaym!
What? The kid already knew that tobacco products are not allowed to be sold to minors. Does the Plaza and the kiosk owner need to post signs on that? I suppose that other age limitations become the responsibility to post signs? It is correct the proprietor should have sent the kid away and not tried to sell products. But put up signs?
The lawsuit will certainly name the manufacturer who must be insured for their products, and there is money here to be made somehow. There is sure plenty of liability to spread around.
When will our poskim step up to the plate, follow the piskei halacha from the greatest poskim of today’s and yesterday’s generation that smoking is completely ossur – Min Hatorah? Next they need to make an issur on non-smoke tobacco products that carry many of the same dangers.
There is probably a BIG sign up today!!
Vaping saves lives — accidents happen in cars too, but cars are good, not bad.
These e-cigarettes are just as deadly as the regular nicotine ones. In fact, not too long ago, there were actually ads for e-cigarettes appearing on television. Cigarette ads on tv, had been banned since 1971. Thankfully, the e-cig ads no longer appear. Also, it was that long ago, that the Jewish Press used to run full page cigarette ads. When I asked them why they were still doing so, they claimed that the revenue helped defer the costs of producing the paper. In any event, they no longer advertise cigarettes.
What is vaping?
No one expects the 14-year-old to take any responsibility for what happened?
Seriously? a 14 year old thinks he is legally allowed to try and buy e-cigarettes?
Sorry he was injured, and it could have happened to an adult just as easily, but why is everyone harping on whether signs were posted or not? the store salesman should be punished for allowing a minor to use this, but what is Kings Plaza responsible for? having more money than the kiosk owner to go after?
the kid is far from blameless.