New lawsuit alleges MagSafe spark ignited oxygen unit
A new lawsuit has been filed against Apple after a MagSafe Adapter allegedly sparked and ignited a customer's oxygen tank.
MagSafe adapter
Filed in the Northern Division of Eastern Illinois, the lawsuit was filed on behalf of plaintiffs Penny and Jerry Manzi.
Penny Manzi was at home using her MacBook with Apple's MagSafe Adapter that magnetically provided power to the machine. Penny was using her oxygen machine at 100-percent when the adapter allegedly created a spark that ignited the oxygen mask, "engulfing the plaintiff's skull and face in flames." The incident happened in January 2018.
Plaintiff's claim Apple was fully aware of the issues plaguing the MagSafe Adapter, but purposely misled customers by not directly notifying the Manzis of its potential dangers.
As noted in the complaint, Apple acknowledged there were issues with certain MagSafe Adapters through an extended warranty initiative. Previously available to U.S. customers, the Power Adapter Replacement Program identified older-generation T-shaped adapters for replacement. The replacement program debuted in 2011 as the result of a class-action lawsuit claiming MagSafe's design leads to "Strain Relief Damage."
According to complaints, some T-shaped MagSafe hardware showed signs of deterioration in daily use, with frayed and exposed internal wires potentially posing a fire hazard. A lawsuit in 2010, for example, claimed sparks from a faulty MagSafe unit caused a major house fire in Connecticut.
Apple's Power Adapter Replacement Program ended in January 2014.
It is worth noting that plaintiffs in today's case did not identify the MacBook model in use by the Manzis. Considering Apple initiatives referenced in the case, it can be assumed that the computer in question dates back to the first-generation T-shaped MagSafe adapter that saw use from 2006 to 2011. A second-generation iteration that ditched the T-shaped design in favor of a barrel-mounted L-shaped connector was introduced in 2012.
The Manzis are seeking an excess of $75,000 from Apple for past and present pain and suffering, loss of normal life, and medical expenses resulting from the fire.
MagSafe adapter
Filed in the Northern Division of Eastern Illinois, the lawsuit was filed on behalf of plaintiffs Penny and Jerry Manzi.
Penny Manzi was at home using her MacBook with Apple's MagSafe Adapter that magnetically provided power to the machine. Penny was using her oxygen machine at 100-percent when the adapter allegedly created a spark that ignited the oxygen mask, "engulfing the plaintiff's skull and face in flames." The incident happened in January 2018.
Plaintiff's claim Apple was fully aware of the issues plaguing the MagSafe Adapter, but purposely misled customers by not directly notifying the Manzis of its potential dangers.
As noted in the complaint, Apple acknowledged there were issues with certain MagSafe Adapters through an extended warranty initiative. Previously available to U.S. customers, the Power Adapter Replacement Program identified older-generation T-shaped adapters for replacement. The replacement program debuted in 2011 as the result of a class-action lawsuit claiming MagSafe's design leads to "Strain Relief Damage."
According to complaints, some T-shaped MagSafe hardware showed signs of deterioration in daily use, with frayed and exposed internal wires potentially posing a fire hazard. A lawsuit in 2010, for example, claimed sparks from a faulty MagSafe unit caused a major house fire in Connecticut.
Apple's Power Adapter Replacement Program ended in January 2014.
It is worth noting that plaintiffs in today's case did not identify the MacBook model in use by the Manzis. Considering Apple initiatives referenced in the case, it can be assumed that the computer in question dates back to the first-generation T-shaped MagSafe adapter that saw use from 2006 to 2011. A second-generation iteration that ditched the T-shaped design in favor of a barrel-mounted L-shaped connector was introduced in 2012.
The Manzis are seeking an excess of $75,000 from Apple for past and present pain and suffering, loss of normal life, and medical expenses resulting from the fire.
Comments
Why she plugged in the MagSafe so close to her face? Unless she has really really short arms.
Unless she was in a pure oxygen room. How can the MagSafe made a spark 59 ignite the oxygen. Not to mention the oxygen from the mask is rather small amount. Unless she stayed in Michael Jackson’s oxygen bed.
The oxygen tank did not explode, or she will be killed.
$75000 is really lowballs in Apple’s standard. I wonder how seriously hurts she was if her claim is true.
By the time that the cable is frayed enough to begin sparking, there's very visible damage. If this person continued using the power cord in this condition, Apple can not be held liable. However, if they are claiming that the MagSafe Connector made a spark, while still in good condition, Apple can't be held liable for that either. Electrical connections of any kind can cause sparks. Every time you plug in a lamp, or even the other end of the power adapter, into the wall, it creates a spark!
I'm sorry to hear what happened to this poor woman, but Apple is not responsible for this. Apple can not be expected to think for their customers!
and then yes there is the issue of how that spark caused a fire that burned her face but didn’t blow up the tank etc
Again, more speculation. Where does it say the cable was frayed? I read the entire lawsuit, and I don't mention of any this stuff people are throwing up on here.
There are several problems with the case here - as someone has mentioned, any potential spark caused by the magsafe connector would be 18" away from the woman's face and the mask it supposedly ignited. If this were truly a risk, than the shock she would get from static electricity when grabbing a doorknob would be just as dangerous.
though, as mentioned, oxygen doesn’t ignite. That takes other material such as was present at the Apollo fatal fire.”A review board ultimately identified a number of conditions that led the fire. The sealed cabin had been pressurized with pure oxygen, which fuels fire. There were combustible materials all around the capsule, as well as “vulnerable” wiring and plumbing, according to the NASA summary.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2017/01/26/50-years-ago-three-astronauts-died-in-the-apollo-1-fire/?utm_term=.982e75a0f7a5
Similarly theres “No smoking Oxygen in use”
signs plastered everywhere in a medical facility where supplemental Oxygen is available. No doubt she was warned of the hazard? Now if that mask is made of flammable material? There’s a lawsuit worth pursuing.
One thing we know about life is that it's filled with trouble and much sorrow. Americans think they can rectify that with lawsuits, and greedy lawyers are more than happy to accommodate that human nature failing.
Americans should make it much harder and much less profitable to sue for ANY reason. Doing so would actually be a blessing to the entire nation, not a burden. To think otherwise is to defend the present legal system and the lawyers who profit off of it, regardless of how well or bad it goes for their clients.
Sometimes you just need to turn the other cheek, even if it's a burned cheek, and move on with your life without pointing any fingers, and without trying to get compensation through litigation. Trust me. Americans are giving. No doubt someone would open a GoFundMe account and help you out if your own sob story hit the news. The point here is that there are alternatives to suing, and more Americans should pursue them. That also means stop watching TV and ADs that promote lawsuits. That brain-rot gets in the mind and stays there, whispering to you to sue everybody for literally anything. I still vividly remember watching TV in CA in the early 1990's. Slip and fall? I got $100k! Have a bike? Call John Riley, the Motorcycle Lawyer!
I'm happy to say most of that madness is restricted to US borders. I don't see any of that here in Japan. And it's not nearly such a problem in other countries either. So much for the land of the BRAVE. People lack courage to take a hit on the chin and simply move forward in their lives. They think they can only move forward with a lawsuit. It's simply not true.
People these days don’t want to have any accountability when it comes to checking to see if any products they own might have safety recalls or any type of program to replace them.
You can argue that it’s the manufacturers responsibility to notify you, but it’s your life and up to you to protect yourself from preventable accidents or anything that could be a potential problem. Kinda like not keeping a recalled
Samsung Note because you liked the design.
Having me mask anywhere else (and on full) is a misuse of her medical equipment and reckless in addition to what must have been a visibly unsafe cable (also reckless).