A California teenager suffered devastating injuries to his hands and face when a vape device exploded, burning through ligaments and bones. The incident resulted in the amputation of parts of his middle and index fingers.
Aiden Dean Adams, 15, was vaping with friends under an overpass near his Bakersfield home when the device exploded as he raised it to his mouth, sending shrapnel into his face, according to the Daily Mail.
Bleeding heavily, Aiden walked toward a nearby road and flagged down a passing vehicle, hitchhiking his way home. His parents, shocked at the sight of their son’s injuries, called 911. Paramedics rushed Aiden to the hospital, where doctors performed hours of surgery to reattach his thumb, which was “almost completely severed.”
The incident marked the culmination of a years-long battle Aiden’s parents faced regarding his vaping habit. His father, Robert Dean Adams, shared that they had repeatedly found vape devices in his room since he began using them at age 10. Despite their warnings about health risks such as lung disease, heart problems and addiction, Aiden continued vaping.
“But I’m not ignorant—he’s a teenager,” Mr. Adams told the Daily Mail.
Recalling the moment he saw his son at the doorstep, Mr. Adams described the harrowing scene: “His hand was just turned inside out. Digits were hanging. There was a lot of tissue exposure. You could see bone, fingers, hand, ligaments.”
Aiden’s injuries will keep him out of school for weeks as he begins a long recovery process. His parents remain uncertain when he will be able to return.
The vape that exploded was one Aiden had reportedly obtained from someone, though he did not disclose who. Known for scavenging discarded vapes and repairing them, Aiden had been attempting to fix the device, identified as a Geek Vape Orange Fcuking Fab Geek Bar Pulse X 25k.
Aiden had banged the vape against the ground, believing something inside was misaligned. Shortly after, when he placed the device to his mouth, it exploded.
“A big flash is all [Aiden] remembers,” Mr. Adams said.
The explosion not only severely injured Aiden’s left hand but also left shrapnel in his face, singed his hair and covered his shirt in blood. Both of his hands were described by his father as “horrible.”
“The palm of his hand was turned inside out. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen an explosive injury first-hand,” Mr. Adams explained. “There was a lot of soft tissue damage. His whole inside left hand was completely exposed, and his thumb was almost completely severed.”
A passerby who noticed Aiden managed to drive him home, where the teenager directed the driver to his address.
Before the incident, Aiden had left home in a positive mood, which his parents noted was unusual.
While in the ambulance, his parents feared the worse, that they would lose their son.
“What happened to him – the vape exploding was never in my mind,” said Mr. Adams.
In 2024, middle and high school students in the U.S. reported using e-cigarettes more than any other tobacco product, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
