Mesa man says Christmas tree ornament exploded in his face, sending him to ER

Click here for updates on this story

    MESA, AZ (KTVK) — It’s that time of year to put up your Christmas decorations. That’s exactly what a Mesa man was doing when he said his kid’s favorite ornament exploded.

Paul Lanphear said he was changing the batteries of a Hallmark Christmas ornament when it exploded right in his face. “I guess from now on I’m going to need to wear face protection when I’m changing the ornament batteries. It’s just crazy,” he said.

The random battery explosion sent Lanphear to the emergency room. He said he was concerned that debris or acid from the battery got into his eyes.

Lanphear said the button batteries were provided by Hallmark along with the ornament. “When you’re changing out the button batteries, wear some eye protection,” he said.

Lanphear said he reached out to Hallmark to let them know about the exploding batteries. He said the company took down a report on the incident.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.