ONLY ON 13: Warning after tempered glass shower door suddenly shattered

CYPRESS, TX (KTRK) -- It can happen at your most vulnerable time and without warning causing tiny pieces of glass to rain down. A Cypress woman is talking about her near-miss with her shower door to warn others.

"First thing I thought, did something happen," said Kara Diehl. "But nothing, it just exploded."

Many shower doors like Diehl's are made out of tempered glass -- a stronger glass that is meant to be safer if it breaks because it does so into tiny pieces rather than large dangerous shards. Glass experts say it's rare for glass to break out of nowhere but it can happen.

"There was glass everywhere," said Diehl.

Diehl was startled awake last month by a "crash and boom sound."

"I am so grateful no one was in the shower when that happened," she said.

Glass experts say the explosions are most often caused by tiny undetectable imperfections in the glass.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission tracks incidents and injuries. In 2015, 24 injuries were reported. In 2014, there were 54 and in 2013, there were 36 incidents during which someone was injured.

Diehl, a mother of two boys, plans to file a report. She also hopes her story raises awareness.

"Just to let people know that's a possibility," she added.