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In May 2019, a man in Houston was allegedly riding his Onewheel electric skateboard in a neighborhood park on a flat, paved surface. Suddenly, the Onewheel suddenly shut off and nosedived, causing the front of the board to slam down and throw the man onto the pavement. He suffered severe head and brain injuries and was airlifted to a nearby hospital for emergency surgery. Unfortunately, he didn’t survive.How Onewheel WorksThe Onewheel by Future Motion is a self-balancing electric skateboard with one large wheel in the center and footpads on each side. It uses sensors to keep balance and moves when the rider leans forward or backward. To stop, the rider lifts their heel off the front footpad.What Makes OneWheel DangerousOnewheel boards can suddenly stop while moving, which can throw riders off and cause injuries. The “pushback” feature, meant to warn riders when they’re pushing the board too hard, has also caused nosedives or unexpected shut-offs. Additionally, there have been reports of footpads continuing to work even after the rider steps off, leading to accidents. These issues have led to many lawsuits, claiming that the Onewheel is not safe to use.
Onewheel’s popularity keeps growing. By 2020, it became a sport where riders race on off-road trails, like mountain biking. The first official Onewheel race happened in 2016 at Vail Ski Resort during the GoPro Mountain Games in a boardercross-style competition. The event, called Race for the Rail, had competitors racing for a trophy made from a Onewheel frame rail. Future Motion has hosted this race every year since, making it the main competition for Onewheel riders. In 2020, the cash prize for the top men’s and women’s riders increased from $2,500 to $10,000.
Between 2019 and 2021, there were at least four reported Onewheel deaths and numerous serious injuries caused by the product failing to balance the rider or suddenly stopping while in motion. The deaths were due to head trauma, and the injuries reported include traumatic brain injury, concussions, paralysis, broken bones, and ligament damage. The CPSC reviewed Onewheel products and found that they can throw riders off, leading to serious injuries or even death.
In 2022, there were significant developments regarding the safety of Onewheel electric skateboards:August 2022: Future Motion issued a recall for the front sensor footpads on the Onewheel GT model after over 8,000 reports of the skateboard failing to stop when riders dismounted. They encouraged concerned owners to visit a website for information, but the company insisted their products worked as intended and didn’t need a full recall.November 2022: The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) took action against Future Motion, issuing a public warning that all Onewheel electric skateboards posed a risk of serious injury or death due to a defect that could cause riders to be ejected. The CPSC urged consumers to stop using Onewheels immediately, highlighting at least four deaths caused by the defect. Despite these concerns, Future Motion refused to recall the product, leading the CPSC to continue pushing for a recall and warning people not to buy, use, resell, or donate Onewheels due to the hazards they present.
May 2023: Two law firms requested records from the CPSC related to injuries and consumer complaints about Onewheel electric skateboards. They were concerned about the product’s safety, specifically looking for details on incidents like sudden stops and ejections.September 2023: Future Motion finally issued a recall for all Onewheel electric skateboards, 10 months after the CPSC urged consumers to stop using them. The recall affected 300,000 skateboards, including all models of Future Motion’s Onewheel self-balancing electric skateboards: the Onewheel (original), Onewheel+, Onewheel+ XR, Onewheel Pint, Onewheel Pint X, and Onewheel GT. You can find the model name on the side of the skateboard, and the Onewheel logo is printed on the rail. The recalled Onewheel electric skateboards were sold online at www.onewheel.com, on other websites, and in independent shops across the country from January 2014 to September 2023. They were priced between $1,050 and $2,200.Future Motion also introduced a firmware update called “Haptic Buzz,” which alerts riders when they are nearing the board’s limits. For more details on the recall, visit: Future Motion // Recall Notices (onewheel.com).November 29, 2023: A group of federal judges is scheduled to decide whether to combine all Onewheel-related lawsuits into a single multidistrict litigation (MDL). The lawsuits claim that design flaws, especially in the “pushback” safety mechanism, have caused severe accidents and injuries.December 9, 2023: The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) decided that all Onewheel skateboard lawsuits from across the country will be combined and handled by one judge in the Northern District of California for discovery and pretrial proceedings. This MDL will handle both personal injury and wrongful death claims, as well as consumer economic loss class claims.
This year has seen the filing of additional Onewheel lawsuits against Future Motion. For example:March 2024: A lawsuit about a serious Onewheel injury, which included a broken collarbone and brain hemorrhages, was moved to the multidistrict litigation for pretrial discovery and hearings.April 2024: In Zurheide v. Future Motion, a plaintiff in Boca Raton, Florida, was riding a Pint X Onewheel when the device suddenly malfunctioned and nosedived. The accident resulted in a fractured foot and heel, requiring surgery and the implantation of hardware.June 4, 2024: A new Onewheel injury lawsuit was filed in Washington. A rider on an Onewheel XR was thrown off the device when it suddenly stopped, resulting in a dislocated elbow, broken bones in the forearm, and a need for surgery. This case will be transferred to the Onewheel MDL.August 27, 2024: Settlement talks began between the parties and their insurance companies. Although no agreement was reached, another settlement conference was scheduled for November 12, 2024. Financial information will be shared under a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA), and coverage briefs will be exchanged by September 23, with responses due by October 22, 2024.September 3, 2024: There are currently 84 pending cases in the Onewheel injury MDL.
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