Fire Hazard in Scooters and Hoverboards
A recent string of fire related incidents involving scooter and hoverboards and rising concerns over a potential design defect. Our New York City product liabilty lawyers know that a dangerous design that creates a spontaneous fire, during normal operation of a product, is an obvious hazard that causes unreasonable risks of injury to its users. When companies put dangerous products on the market, our New York City dangerous product lawyers fight to get victims of dangerous products the compensation that they deserve for their injuries.
The recalled Jetson Rogue self-balancing scooters/hoverboards were sold on Amazon and Walmart.com from August 2016 through June 2019 for between $200 and $400. They feature a black base with LED lights and two pedals, one on each side of body. The product's model number is written on the bottom of the hoverboard and is a six-digit number preceded by "ROGUE." These scooter and hoverboards have lithium-ion battery packs that can overheat and cause a fire. There have been several reported injuries already.
The CPSC urges consumers who own these products to immediately stop using them and contact Jetson for a free repair or full refund. Consumers should also consider consulting with experienced New York product liability lawyers if they have been injured due to this dangerous product. Those who have experienced a fire or other damage due to these recalled scooters/hoverboards may be entitled to compensation through dangerous product lawsuits.
The statistics of injuries related to product fires are alarming. According to the National Fire Protection Association, U.S. fire departments responded to an average of 164,100 structure fires involving consumer products per year between 2013 and 2017. These fires led to an average of 410 civilian deaths, 1,250 civilian injuries and $1.2 billion in direct property damage annually. Product fires are responsible for 16% of all home fire deaths and 8% of direct home fire property damage.
The rise in product fires involving lithium batteries is a major safety concern. In 2017, there were an estimated 19,000 residential structure fires caused by lithium-ion battery failures or malfunctions in consumer products such as laptops, cell phones, hoverboards, e-cigarettes, and other electronic devices. These fires led to an estimated 24 civilian deaths, 140 civilian injuries, and $164 million in direct property damage.
If you sustained a burn injury because of a poorly designed product and or a lithium battery that overheated in either a scooter or any other product, call our New York City product liability lawyers.
Our NYC product liability lawyers know that these types of injuries should not occur because products should be tested thoroughly during the product development stage, to detect these types of hazards and engineer their products so they are safe for their ultimate users. Our NYC dangerous product lawyers are often asked when can I sue for an injury that was caused by a dangerous product. An injured consumer can sue for either a manufacturing defect, a design defect or a failure to warn. In general a manufacter defect occurs when a product is not manufactured to the company's specifications or there is a defect that arises in the manufacturing process of the product. A design defect occurs when the design of the product itself is dangerous and there is a reasonably safe alternative. Cases of design defect have ranged from the Ford Pinto, which combusted when impacted from the side, to vehicle roll over cases to food that is poorly prepared and contains substances that can cause its consumers to get sick or injured, like in the famous McDonalds high temperature coffee case. A failure to warn occurs when a product can become dangerous when used in some foreseeable way, and the manufacturer fails to warn of the dangerous propensities of the product.
In addition to lithium batteries, dangerous products in general have caused so many injuries in the US, that they are a major cause of concern. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) found that in 2018, an estimated 21,400 people visited the emergency department due to injuries related to dangerous products. In 2019, more than 15,500 consumers were treated for product-related injuries. Additionally, CPSC data showed that at least 530 deaths were caused by unsafe products during both 2018 and 2019. These numbers highlight the risks posed by dangerous products, emphasizing the importance of maintaining product safety to protect consumers from harm. With proper safety protocols in place and safe product designs, these injuries, deaths, and other risks can be avoided. It is imperative to ensure that all products are rigorously tested and meet the applicable safety requirements before being made available to consumers. Taking proactive steps towards protecting consumer safety has never been more important. When manufacturers don't or won't behave in a responsible way, our New York City product liability lawyers fight to hold them accountable in court.