Don’t Let This Hot New Toy Burn You!
Imagine, three days after your son unwrapped the present you gave him for Christmas…it spontaneously catches fire and explodes. He wasn’t hurt, but your very expensive gift is a total loss.
Yet, for those three days your son was the most popular kid on the block. Everyone wanted a chance to experience riding his new toy. Then it happened! It made a weird noise and started smoldering. Within 5 minutes the toy was engulfed in flames. You reach for the fire extinguisher, call 911 and run outside to put the fire out.
Doesn’t seem like a great gift does it? One that requires a watchful eye, fast reflexes and an emergency preparedness mindset if something goes wrong.
Sadly, after the incident you start hearing about other mishaps in regard to this toy. And, even one of the world’s largest online retailers is now informing customers for safety reasons they will no longer stock this item. Then your local television station runs a story about the same toy your son had.
This year’s hottest gift is…well, turning out to be a nightmare for the manufacturer and leaving kids, parents, online retailers and local community fire and rescue departments scrambling.
Not only is this toy causing harm, but it seems that comments and videos are being posted on an hourly basis to YouTube, Facebook and other social media outlets warning people of the dangers.
What is this toy you might be asking?
It’s called a Hoverboard. Although, it doesn’t really hover. It’s a sleek looking, gyroscopically stabilized, two-wheeled motorized mechanism that you stand up on and control with your body movements. Think of it as a smaller version Segway without the handlebars. The hoverboard is priced between $300-$600 depending on model and manufacturer.
Overstock.com pulled the Hoverboard off its site and issued a statement telling consumers that due to safety concerns they will no longer list the product. Amazon’s United Kingdom website has removed the product as well. And most major airlines (Delta, American, Southwest and United) have declared the Hoverboard is no longer allowed as a carry-on or in any checked baggage due to concerns over battery fires. Even the Consumer Product Safety Commission has begun their own investigation citing concerns over whether the devices batteries were faulty thus causing a risk.
When you buy a toy whether for yourself or as a gift you assume a degree of safety has been adhered to and protocols in place to assure that the product has passed rigorous testing. Rarely do you think that the toy you are buying could severely burn or otherwise cause an injury. And to have it fail after just a few short days is disheartening.
If you’ve been injured by a product and would like to know what your legal obligations are, or to find out if your case has validity I invite you to pick up the phone and call us at (219)736-9700. We are an Indiana Personal Injury Law Firm that concentrates on these types of product liability claims. We’ve represented clients in cases ranging from children’s toys, bicycles, portable swimming pools, kitchen appliances, faulty smoke detectors, ski equipment, packaging equipment and many more consumer products.