E-cigarette explodes inside man's pocket

BREMAN, Ga. - A Bremen father has a warning for others after an e-cigarette exploded in his pocket.

Jeremy McDow said he was on his lunch break when he felt a burning sensation coming from his pocket.

 "I began to feel an itching and a burning,  I mean an extreme burning on my legs, so I hopped up immediately," said McDow.  "By that time my entire leg was engulfed in flames."

McDow said the flames burned his pants onto his leg and burned his shirt along with his hand when he reached into his pocket to grab the lithium ion batteries.

"They were so hot that when I put them down and I threw them to the ground they actually melted through the tile on the floor," said McDow.

McDow said he spent two weeks at the hospital, recovering from third degree burns to his hand and leg.

"They said it was the equivalent of a miniature hand grenade going off in my pocket," said McDow when talking about how medics at the hospital described his injuries.

He is now back at home with his wife and two young children, but things are not the same.  He wears a glove on his hand and cannot walk like he used to.

"It's really been tough on all of us," said McDow's wife Alexis McDow. "They do not understand why he can't play with them like he used and why he can't be outside for long periods of time," said Alexis talking about her children.  

McDow said he is talking about his experience because he believes it is becoming all too common and he does not want this to continue happening.

"I'm hoping they will place a warning on these batteries, if not regulate them somehow," said McDow.

The McDow family said this accident has turned their world upside down.  The new homeowners said the medical bills are mounting and is has been difficult since Jeremy was off work recovering.

"When you have a mortgage to pay, a wife in college and three and five-year-olds you can't make it off 60% pay," said McDow.

The family has started a fundraising website

McDow said he has filed a lawsuit.