Onewheel Skateboard Injuries Attorney in Denver, Colorado

What makes OneWheel electric skateboards dangerous?

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there are two basic issues with the one
wheeel that makes them dangerous and
have caused injury the first issue that
was
recognized by the company at least as
far as admitting to it was the onewheel
GT electric
skateboard the
GT had an issue where the foot pad when
you stand on these you have One Foot In
Front One Foot In back one of the foot
pads I believe it was the front foot pad
would fail to cause the product to stop
operating would fail to disengage after
the rider dismounted while the board was
in motion and the skateboard uh could
unexpectedly just continue to operate
posing an injury to
bystandard I have a client who a little
stepdaughter four years old was watching
her stepdad ride this thing up the
driveway he steps off of it it shoots
out from under him hits her in the foot
breaks her foot she needed to have
surgery it took several months to
recover from that injury we have that
incident on videotape the ring camera at
the home recorded the thing uh happening
uh but there was a recall issued by the
consumer product safety commission for
that issue with the GT Model onewheel
electric skateboard and that was issued
by the consumer product safety
Commission in cooperation with the
company on August 11 2022 but there was
a second issue where these products are
causing injury which is while you’re
riding it by Design if the battery gets
fully charged uh there’s supposed to be
uh a what they call a push back uh which
helps you
recognize uh the charging of the battery
I am not sure why it was design designed
this way uh but in many of these
products what was happening was it was
the push back if you’re going 15 18
miles hour down the street it caused
people to lose their balance even
experienced riders that owned these
things for many months had a lot of
experience riding them were experiencing
this problem of the push back causing
them to lose balance and fall and the
company for quite a while uh resisted a
recall of them and on November 16 2022
one of the commissioners of the consumer
product safety commission issued a press
release it’s publicly available on the
website of consumer product safety
commission and it’s titled future motion
refuses to recall deadly onewheel
skateboard it’s dated November 16 2022
and the language of this says
immediately stop using all all onewheel
electric skateboards Dash they are not
worth dying for I’ve never heard
anything so strong issued by the
consumer product safety commission it
went on to say that the onewheel
self-balancing electric skateboards can
eject their Riders causing Serious
injury and death at least four people
have tragically died from traumatic head
injuries the cpsc asked future motion to
stop selling the one wheeel and to
advise its customers not to use this
product the company refused future
motion is unwilling to take appropriate
action to fix a product Hazard that has
killed people cpsc had to take action
and issue this warning to not buy or use
this product I have never in all of my
years seen anything
so damning issued by the consumer
product safety commission about a
product
eventually the company did recall all
the one-wheel
skateboards uh there was a a recall date
of September 29
2023 uh and there the consumer product
safety Commission on its website
published what is titled future motion
recalls onewheel self-balancing electric
skateboards due to crash Hazard four
deaths reported the recall says name of
product one whee Electric skateboards
all models and it states the hazard to
be quote the skateboards can stop
balancing the rider if the board’s
limits are exceeded posing a crash
Hazard that can result in serious injury
or death and the remedy they list here
is a refund or repair now the company’s
still in business this recall covered
300,000 of these units that have been
sold but the advice is if you have any
of the
skateboards made by Future motion called
onewheel that were the subject of this
recall issued in September 2023 stop
writing it at least return it to the
company for refund or repair but if
you’ve been injured by one of these you
got a
claim

Denver, CO personal injury attorney George McLaughlin talks about what makes OneWheel electric skateboards so dangerous. There exist two fundamental issues with the Onewheel that render them dangerous, leading to injuries. The company, acknowledging the primary concern, especially with the Onewheel GT electric skateboard, identifies a problem with the foot pad. When riders utilize these devices with one foot in front and one foot in the back, the front foot pad, specifically, can fail to halt the product’s operation or disengage after the rider dismounts while the board is in motion. This malfunction results in the skateboard unexpectedly continuing to operate, posing a risk of injury to bystanders.

An illustrative incident involves a client’s four-year-old stepdaughter who suffered a broken foot when the skateboard shot out from under her stepfather as he dismounted. This incident, recorded on a Ring camera, prompted a recall issued by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on August 11, 2022, in collaboration with the company.

The second issue arises during Onewheel operation when the battery reaches full charge. The design incorporates a “push back” mechanism intended to alert riders to the charging status. However, in numerous instances, the push back, especially at speeds of 15-18 miles per hour, causes riders to lose balance and fall. Despite experienced riders encountering this problem, the company resisted recalling the products for an extended period. On November 16, 2022, a CPSC commissioner issued a press release titled “Future Motion Refuses to Recall Deadly Onewheel Skateboard,” publicly denouncing the company’s reluctance and urging users to immediately cease using all Onewheel electric skateboards due to the serious risk of injury and death.

Eventually, on September 29, 2023, the company initiated a recall covering all Onewheel skateboards, involving 300,000 units sold. The CPSC’s recall notice, titled “Future Motion Recalls Onewheel Self-Balancing Electric Skateboards Due to Crash Hazard – Four Deaths Reported,” outlined the hazard of the skateboards ceasing to balance the rider if the board’s limits were exceeded, posing a crash hazard leading to serious injury or death. The provided remedy was either a refund or repair. While the company remains in operation, users are strongly advised to discontinue the use of these recalled skateboards and return them to the company for a refund or repair. Individuals who have suffered injuries due to these issues are encouraged to consider pursuing a legal claim.

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