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Vaping Causes Teenager’s Lungs to Become Completely Blocked

Published on Sep 5, 2019 at 11:46 am in Product Liability.

On July 26, 2019, 17-year-old Tryston Zohfeld’s previously healthy lungs suddenly failed. He says he woke up vomiting, and his heart was beating rapidly. The Texas teen was rushed to the Cook Children’s Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas. Doctors put him in a medically induced coma while they ran tests to figure out the cause. Tests for diseases like pneumonia all came back negative even though chest X-rays showed his lungs were completely blocked.

His condition kept getting worse and doctors didn’t know the cause. That’s when a family member revealed that Tryston had vaped since he was in the eighth grade. His parents were shocked because they hadn’t known about his secret habit. His father, Matt Zohfeld said to ABC, “The lightbulb started coming on. It started making sense why we weren’t finding anything else.”

It’s believed that the chemicals from excessive vaping are what caused the damage to Tryston’s lungs. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced in August that they are investigating severe pulmonary disease that has been found among people who use e-cigarettes and other vaping instruments. There are 153 possible cases of lung disease across 16 states that could be linked to vaping, so the CDC and FDA are investigating.

Although Tryston will be able to “lead a fairly normal life,” as doctors say, vaping had permanently scarred his lungs. He was released from the hospital after 18 days and will have to attend a rehabilitation program. Tryston said, “I was definitely given a second chance, and as soon as I woke up from that coma, I knew what I wanted to do. This is really what could happen and it’s not something to look over. They’re not as safe as you think.”

More and more medical evidence is showing signs that vaping isn’t as safe as previously thought. Louisville teens and adults who vape regularly should be aware of the negative health effects and be leery of vaping substances. If you’ve experienced a severe lung disease and it’s thought to be from vaping, you might have a lawsuit against the e-cigarette company. Contact us at Thomas Law Offices so we can schedule a free consultation.

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Tad Thomas - Trial Lawyer

Tad Thomas

Managing Partner

Tad Thomas has dedicated his practice to representing plaintiffs in various types of civil litigation, including personal injury, business litigation, class actions, and multi-district litigation.

After graduating with his law degree in 2000 from Salmon P. Chase College of Law at Northern Kentucky University, Mr. Thomas immediately opened his own private practice and began representing injury victims.

In 2011, Thomas Law Offices was established in Louisville, Kentucky. Over the past decade, Mr. Thomas has expanded his firm and now has offices in three additional locations: Cincinnati, Ohio, Columbia, Missouri, and Chicago, Illinois. He is also a frequent lecturer on topics like trial skills and ethics and technology.

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