I would say that's a pretty freak accident. They probably warn you not to connect normal bulbs to dimmers and timers, too, if you get right down to it. Lawyers have got us putting warnings on every single thing for the one tenth of one percent accident. I feel for the guy and hope he can rebuild his life, but it's going a little far to think that we should stick to ol' incandescents (which have caused their share of fires over the years, I am sure--I melted a lamp as a child with one, just by putting a lightweight pillowcase over the lamp (not touching the bulb, btw).
If you look at the link I sent it's not just lightbulbs, by the way, but if you want to avoid all "green" products because they're new, that's your right.
