While rushing out of the house in November 2022, Kerri Absolom didn’t notice that her vape had caught fire when she saw a stream of smoke rising from her pocket and pain in her upper thigh.
The 35-year-old mom was rushed to the hospital after the “blood-curling” ordeal that left her with third-degree burns and oozing skin.
“The smell of burnt flesh made me feel sick,” Absolom, a retail manager from Dorset, told NeedToKnow. “I’m not squeamish, so I looked and was shocked to see my leg had been burnt to a crisp. As I saw a small flame begin to flicker in my pocket, I tried to furiously pat it out with my hands.”
Absolom explained that there were “sparks” coming from the pocket like fireworks.
“I tried, along with my husband, Christopher, to yank my trousers off as it got worse,” she remembered. “My hand was in such throbbing pain that I hadn’t even registered what it had done to the rest of my body.”
As she went to rinse her hand under the water, she looked down to see her leg so badly burnt that the skin was “rolling into one oozing mass.”
Christopher, 35, called for an ambulance, and the firefighters brought her into the garden where they sprayed her leg with a hose to attempt to relax the “excruciating” burn.
The firefighters confirmed that the lithium battery from the vape came in contact with her keys, which caused it to ignite.
Absolom was given morphine in the hospital and admitted to the burns unit for a week. Her skin was constantly sagging, and she had to undergo a skin graft to help it heal without scarring,.
But the recovery process wasn’t easy — physically nor mentally.
“The agony was unbearable,” Absolom shared. “Even getting in the shower was painful. And I kept getting allergic reactions and rashes from the pain medication.”
She went through three sessions of laser treatment to help with the physical recovery and help treat the scar tissue quickly.
The mental strain of recovery took a toll on her, too, and she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
“I struggled to sleep because I was in a constant state of fear and became terrified that something else would explode in the night,” she said.
“The smell of toast cooking would make me panic. At work, if someone dropped something in the warehouse or if there were sparklers and Christmas crackers being pulled at work parties, I’d freeze in a state of fear.”
Due to her PTSD, Absolom stayed out of work until January 2023. Even though her leg has mostly healed, she still has scars.
“I’m so careful with electronics and have since quit vaping. I had no idea that the batteries could be so dangerous,” she admitted.
She’s taken photos of her scars and skin grafts and sent them to the local vape shop to warn other customers about the risks they could be taking.
“Even though I’m coping with the trauma much better, I’m still very self-conscious about my leg. I no longer wear shorts in summer or skirts higher than my knees,” Absolom said.
“I also think back to how much worse it could’ve been – what if my son had been in my arms when it caught fire? The thought of him suffering injuries like mine terrifies me more than anything,” she added.
“For now, though, I’m glad to have left such a dangerous habit behind.”
