Exploding Smartphone Causes Injury Inside Moving Car with Pro Basketball Player and Friends

By B.N. Frank

Activist Post and many other media sources have reported about smartphones and other “Smart” devices (see 1, 2) catching fire and/or exploding. This includes utility “Smart” Meters (see 1, 2) that utility customers are being forced to accept on their homes and on buildings throughout their communities.

The most recently reported smartphone explosion involved a pro basketball player and his friends while they were inside a moving car:

PLANO, Texas – A professional basketball player in Texas is off the court after his cellphone exploded in his hand, burning him.

Khouraichi Thiam, 31, told WFAA-TV he was in a car with friends May 15 when his LG K20 Plus suddenly exploded in his right hand.

“It just blew up,” he said. “It exploded. The driver, who is my friend, was screaming. We all were screaming. I thought I was going to die.”

During the explosion, battery acid spewed onto Thiam’s right hand. He suffered second-degree burns and said he can’t move his thumb, his index finger or his middle finger. Parts of his hand are also numb, suggesting he suffered nerve damage.

His hand is expected to stay in a sling and brace for at least four weeks, Thiam said.

Many cellphone explosions have been linked to phones with lithium ion batteries, WFAA reported.

LG spokesman Frank Lee told WFAA in a written statement Thursday that the company didn’t know of Thiam’s case until the news station contacted it.

“It is regrettable that this gentleman had this experience … Our team would like to be introduced to the consumer so we can take the appropriate steps and also have our safety engineers examine the device,” Lee said.