Federal Government Issues Warning about Dangers of Hoverboards
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), a federal agency that handles product recalls and product safety alerts, recently issued an official statement on hoverboards.
Elliot Kaye, the CPSC chairman, strongly emphasized the agency’s commitment to protecting U.S. consumers against personal injuries. Specifically, Kaye noted, consumers deserve to know the truth about the risks posed by hoverboards.
In recent months, hoverboards have been all the rage as holiday gifts in New Jersey, New York and seemingly every other state across the country. However, the soaring popularity of the devices has come at a steep price: both monetarily and in terms of public safety. There have been numerous reports of hoverboard-related accidents, resulting in significant personal injuries to users.
CPSC Chairman Kaye highlighted some of the most serious injuries that have been documented, including fractures and broken bones, abrasions and contusions, internal organ injuries and, in some of the most serious cases, traumatic head injuries.
As a result, some cities, including NYC, have gone so far as to ban the use of hoverboards on sidewalks and roads.
In addition to increasing the risk of slip & fall accidents, hoverboards have also been deemed a major fire risk. In fact, some hoverboard manufacturers and distributors have been accused of negligence in connection with the hoverboard fires because the product makers have reportedly failed to provide adequate warning labels for the devices’ lithium-ion batteries. When the batteries are charged for too long, a fire becomes more likely. According to reports, some hoverboards have even caught fire and spontaneously combusted during use.
One of the priorities for the CPSC in the coming months will be to investigate the hoverboard fires and determine precisely what aspect of product manufacturing might be causing the safety defect. To that end, CSPC field investigators are buying hoverboards on the open market and CSPC engineers are testing the devices.
To learn more about the potential dangers posed by hoverboards, read the CPSC.com article, “Statement from the U.S. CPSC Chairman Elliot F. Kaye on the Safety of Hoverboards.”
If you or a loved one has sustained an injury as a result of an accident anywhere in New Jersey, you need to talk to a qualified personal injury lawyer as soon as possible. The skilled product liability attorneys at Drazin and Warshaw, P.C. have more than 70 years of combined experience filing personal injury lawsuits and premises liability claims in accident cases. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation about your case.
