As the years go by, mobile devices are getting safer. Manufacturers are improving the designs of their products, including battery manufacturers, and the public has been educated about the potential dangers of using cheap third-party charging gear. Still, there will be occasional stories like this one about a four-year old girl who required painful skin grafts after her smartwatch exploded causing third-degree burns to the back of her hand.
Four-year old Yiyi Huang suffered a third-degree burn when her smartwatch exploded while she was wearing it
After the device was removed from the child’s wrist, the extent of the damage to Yiyi’s hand was obvious and she was rushed to the hospital where she remains following the skin graft procedure. The name of the smartwatch manufacturer has not been revealed and Mr. Huang is said to be in talks with them over compensation for the incident.
After an investigation, Fitbit found no malfunction on the part of its device. A company spokesman said days after the incident, “Based on our initial investigation, including testing of her device by a leading third-party failure analysis firm, we have concluded that Ms. Mitchell’s Fitbit Flex 2 did not malfunction. The testing shows that external forces caused the damage to the device.”
