iPhone ruptures in cyclist's pocket and spews burning chemicals causing third-degree burns
iPhone ruptures in cyclist's pocket and spews burning chemicals causing third-degree burns
36-year-old Gareth Clear posted images to Twitter to warn others about the dangers of Li-ion batteries.
Owen Hughes
By Owen Hughes August 2, 2016 12:05 BST
A cyclist was taken to hospital with third-degree burns to his leg after his iPhone exploded in his back pocket. Gareth Clear, 36, was left needing a skin graft after what he described as a "minor fall" from his bike that caused his smartphone to ignite.
Clear was out riding in Sydney, Australia on Sunday 21 July when the accident occurred. He claims he looked down at his leg to see smoke coming from his back pocket before feeling "searing heat" as his iPhone 6 caught fire.
"I just saw smoke coming out of my back pocket...and then all of a sudden I felt this surging pain," he told The Sydney Morning Herald. "I just remember looking at my leg and I had this black discharge all down my leg and this smell of phosphorus."
. . .
Clear hopes his experience will raise awareness around the dangers posed by lithium-ion batteries, which have been known to explode when subjected to high heat, stress or faulty circuitry.
More:
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/iphone-ruptures-cyclists-pocket-spews-burning-chemicals-causing-third-degree-burns-1573826