Apple faces lawsuit claiming that swollen Apple Watch batteries can cause significant injuries

Millions of people around the world wear them around they wrists, but many smartwatch users may not be aware that a certain hardware defect can possibly cause serious injuries. According to MacRumors, Apple now faces a new lawsuit in the US after an Apple Watch owner suffered dangerous cuts due to the swollen battery inside of his smartwatch. The lawsuit describes an incident involving a man named Chris Smith, who was wearing an Apple Watch Series 3.

Approximately three years after buying the third generation Apple Watch, the integrated battery supposedly started to swell up, which caused the display to pop off the case of the smartwatch. Due to this more or less well-known type of defect, the sharp glass edges of the display were exposed. While driving a golf cart, Smith then allegedly cut himself on said display edges and suffered deep wounds on his forearm. 

These cuts were apparently deep enough to injure a vein, which can in theory certainly lead to considerable blood loss. The plaintiffs now claim that Apple was aware of the fact that Apple Watch batteries can suddenly swell up, but that the Cupertino-based company did not leave enough space inside the Apple Watch that would prevent the display from detaching from the case. This lawsuit includes all Apple Watch models except the latest Apple Watch Series 7 (from US$379 on Amazon).

The plaintiffs therefore seek damages from Apple, which in the US can quickly amount to millions of dollars. It remains to be seen if this lawsuit will be successful, but the case of Chris Smith can already be read as a cautionary tale for all Apple Watch users. Smartwatches with swollen or bloated batteries are unsafe to use and should be taken off immediately. This also applies to smartphones with similar defects.