Exploding vape pen sends a teen to the burn unit with serious injuries
ENGLEWOOD, CO - A vape pen explodes in a teenager's pocket in Colorado, sending him to the hospital with serious burns.
Lying in a hospital bed... 17-year old Marcus Forzani is doing his best to remain positive.
"Seeing your whole leg pussed out and all black and it doesn't make you feel too good about yourself," Forzani said.
Covered in bandages, Marcus is recovering from second and third degree burns.
"It still kind of burns," he said.
"The whole left side of my thigh all the way down to about halfway down my calf."
He sustained his injuries Thursday after he says a vaporizer battery exploded in his pocket while at school.
"Bell rang, stood up to go get my jacket which was on the other side of the classroom, 5 steps within that sparks started flying out of my pocket. It literally looked like someone was welding in my pocket."
He was taken to Swedish Medical Center's burn unit to recover --
Dr. Tanya Oswald, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon, said, "These injuries can be devastating. He sustained full thickness burn injuries.
Dr. Oswald said -- Marcus is not alone in his injuries.
"In the past 6 months we've seen an increase in the number of burn patients as well as dramatic injury patients in relation to electronic cigarettes and batter operated vapor devices."
Information, Marcus' father says people-- and specifically teenagers -- need to know.
Michael Forzani, Marcus' father, said, "You see these kids and you're going, there's a ticking time bomb. Is that one going to blow up? Is that one going to catch this kid on fire? You don't know."
Now the high school senior is hoping his message will be heard by his peers and prevent others from having to lie in the same bed he's now in.
"I just feel, people, if they know how tragic it is, they might actually make a movement and get rid of it or something," Marcus said.
Forzani has already undergone one surgery and could need at least two more.
GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/ehr89tr8