A Long Island man says he knows what it must feel like when a bull is branded after his iPhone exploded in its pants pocket and sent him to a burn unit.
The injuries sustained from the alleged explosion of the iPhone 5C required Erik Johnson, of Lindenhurst, N.Y., to be hospitalized for over a week. He was treated for second and third degree burns on his inner thigh.
"I just want my leg back to what it was, you know," says Johnson.
Johnson was with his brother at a cousin's wake on Valentine's Day with his iPhone in his pocket and bent to retrieve his keys when he heard a "pop."
"And just like an instant burn, my leg just starts going on fire, try to get it out, can't get it out," says Johnson. "I was literally jumping up and down trying to get the phone out of my pocket, but I think the phone melted my pockets shut so I couldn't get into it and I had to rip my pants off and throw the pants to the side."
Some witnesses they could smell flesh burning, says Johnson.
The iPhone is in bad shape. It appears the left side of the phone blew open as a result of the alleged explosion and the back of the handset is said to have fused with its metal case.
Mike Della, a personal injury lawyer, plans to suit Apple on Johnson's behalf.
"What makes it even worse is that he had to miss his cousin's wake, his funeral," says Della said. "He couldn't be there with his family."
Apple says it is looking into the alleged incident.
Some iPhone 6 Plus handsets can start to warp under pocket pressure as was revealed shortly after Apple's newest flagship device debuted. At the time Apple pointed out that the handful of cases in which the bending occurred was microscopic to the millions that did not show bending tendencies.
The case of the exploding iPhone 5c, if not caused by other factors, appears to be more rare than the bendy phones. Still, one time is too many, according to Johnson's lawyer.
"Even if this only happened this one time, that's one time too many," says Della. "What if this happened to a child?"
