Doctors told my 13-year-old son he could lose his foot after stepping on a plastic vaporizer – it went right through his flesh

A SCHOOLBOY almost lost his foot when a plastic vape pen he was stomping on pierced to the bone.

Harley Bennett, 13, was left in agony after the 4-inch disposable e-cigarette punctured his £200 trainers and penetrated his flesh.

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He required surgery but was warned by the surgeon that an infection in his fractured heel bone could require amputation.

His mother Samantha Robinson said: “I felt scared and sick.

“I was more scared for Harley and his reaction – when I saw how scared he was.”

Harley’s grandmother Andrea Keen added: “Can you imagine being told you could lose your foot? He’s only 13. It was awful.”

But after undergoing surgery on the injury sustained in October, the student is recovering from his ordeal.

It started when he found the discarded ELFBAR vape with friends and tried to crush it “like a coke can”.

He said: “I wasn’t thinking – I don’t know how to explain it.

“I just stepped on it and it went right into my foot.

“It was very painful.”

Harley’s girlfriend called Samantha and she took him to Cirencester Hospital where he was bandaged.

He was then transferred to Gloucester Royal Hospital, where he was put on an IV on antibiotics and painkillers ahead of a two-hour operation and skin graft.

Despite being released six hours later, Harley and cleaner Samantha were left with the trauma.

Harley, from Cirencester, Gloucs, said: “The moment the doctor told me I might lose my foot was very, very stressful – as was the recovery process – but the pain is much better now.”

Samantha added: “The hospital had never encountered anything like this before – the nurses were flabbergasted.

“The bar went in most of the way and got stuck in the heel bone. It was a clean cut of meat.”

Gran Andrea urged users to dispose of their vapes properly.

She said: “He was wearing £200 shoes with a really thick sole.

“It went straight through, straight through a sock, straight through his flesh, right down to the bone.

“That’s pretty shocking.”

ELFBAR was contacted for comment.

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