Onewheel Lawsuit: Safety Concerns and Death Risks

Have you ever traveled on an electric skateboard through city streets and felt the wind in your hair and the thrill of the ride? It is such a great experience to have in life. Therefore, many people would like to give it a try.

However, what happens when the expected excitement takes an unexpected turn?

Just imagine you’re riding on your Onewheel, and suddenly, a lawsuit shakes the electric skateboard industry to its core.

Are these personal electric skateboards as safe as they seem? Let’s find out.

Now we’ll get into the electric skateboard world and explore the interesting twists and turns of the Onewheel lawsuit.

Do you know how important medical records are in product liability cases? Professional medical records can support such claims by demonstrating the harm caused by the products.

Onewheel electric skateboard

Ben Smither invented the Onewheel in 2006, but it was Kyle Doerksen, the founder and CEO of Future Motion Inc., who crafted a commercial variant of the Onewheel after a decade. It was introduced to the market on January 6, 2014.

Onewheel electric skateboard is a self-balancing single-wheel skateboard that is powered by an electric motor. This electric motor helps the skateboard move without the rider having to manually push it off the ground.

In the United States, skateboards are commonly used among youngsters for traveling to nearby places like school, stores, supermarkets, etc. Sports events like races and trick contests are also conducted using skateboards. However, Onewheel electric skateboards don’t have such standards. It is only used for personal travel.

For your brief understanding, let’s see the difference between the Onewheel electric skateboard and regular electric skateboards.

Differences between a Onewheel electric skateboard and a regular electric skateboard

Now that we have seen the origin and uses of the Onewheel electric skateboard, let’s discuss the accidents and injuries that happened due to self-balancing on a single wheel.

Onewheel electric skateboard injuries and accidents

Accidents that have occurred on the skateboards are literally due to the lack of balance and the structural design. A report proves that tens of thousands of people have been affected, and four deaths have occurred due to these Onewheel electric skateboards.

Sometimes Onewheel skateboards don’t function well and cause injuries to the person who rides them. These skateboards can stop unexpectedly, with the result of throwing the rider nose-diving from the wheels.

The CPSC insisted people not buy or sell these models of Onewheel skateboards given below,

• Onewheel
• Onewheel+
• Onewheel+ XR
• Onewheel Pint
• Onewheel Pint X
• Onewheel GT

People think that these accidents only cause minor injuries to the user. But it’s not. When an electric skateboard is in motion, it may stop unexpectedly and throw the rider. Some serious injuries may happen due to a sudden impact.

Reported injuries from Onewheel accidents

Bone fractures

When a person nosedives from Onewheel electric skateboard, bones can break if they fall forward because the body’s weight and the sudden stop cause the bones to break due to too much pressure.

Concussions

Concussions usually occur when a person falls and gets hit in the head. The sudden impact can shake the brain inside the skull, causing a concussion.

Ligament strain

Ligament strain occurs when the joints and ligaments are stretched or twisted too far when an individual falls or makes a sudden movement. This can cause pain and damage to the ligaments that hold the bones together.

Traumatic brain injuries

A traumatic brain injury happens when a person falls and gets a severe hit in the head. This impact can harm the brain by leading to a traumatic brain injury. Reports between 2019 and 2021 show four Onewheel deaths occurred due to brain injuries.

Death

An accident on a Onewheel electric skateboard can lead to death if it causes the severe injuries we discussed above. These injuries can be life-threatening because they disrupt the body’s normal functions.

Therefore, it’s very important to wear protective gear like helmets and pads to avoid onewheel accidents and ride safely.

If you or your loved ones were injured by an Onewheel skateboard’s defectiveness, you may be eligible for compensation from a Onewheel lawsuit. Medical record review plays an inevitable role in supporting the attorney’s effort to pursue the truth on your side. So, keep your medical records safe!

Onewheel class action lawsuit

Onewheel class action lawsuits are filed on Future Motion because of the nose dive effect that may happen unexpectedly by pushing the rider while riding the skateboard. Future Motion Company promoted three models on its website: the Pint, the Pint X, and the GT.

Each model has completely different specialties and high speeds between 16 mph and 20 mph. Onewheel electric skateboards are not advised for children less than 13 years of age.

The U.S. consumer product safety commission warned about Onewheel electric skateboards due to the continuous complaints that caused serious injuries and deaths to their users.

Future Motion has requested a recall on its Onewheel electric skateboards by the CPSC for the serious risk to riders. But Future Motion said no to the request.

Future Motion also claims that their skateboards are safe when used within normal board sport parameters, and when riders use safety gear like helmets and knee pads, the possibility of accidents will become low. But the CPSC decides to keep pushing for a full recall on the Onewheel electric skateboards.

Future Motion published a voluntary recall for the front sensor foot pads on a particular model called the Onewheel GT. The skateboard should have stopped by detecting the front foot pad when the rider initiated stopping the ride. But reports surfaced that these skateboards did not stop when the rider stepped off.

Future Motion’s recall in 2023

After receiving nearly 813 cases of the skateboards continuing to work after the rider has dismounted, Future Motion Inc. is recalling around 20,500 footpads for Onewheel GT Electric Skateboards. There have also been 11 reports of accidents, including bruising, friction burns, and twisted ankles.

According to the CPSC, the footpad can fail to disengage after the rider has dismounted while the board is in motion, and the skateboard can unexpectedly continue to operate, posing an injury hazard to bystanders.

From March 2022 through August 2022, the recalled skateboards were offered for sale online and at licensed independent dealers across the country for roughly $2,200.

However, more than 8,000 complaints have been raised by consumers against Future Motion Company.

Future Motion Onewheel lawsuits

Future Motion has received at least three Onewheel lawsuits in April 2024.

The wife and son of a man from Houston, Texas, who died from horrific injuries when his Onewheel switched off and nosedived while riding it in a park, filed the first wrongful death complaint in May 2020.

After severe accidents involving Onewheel skateboards harmed riders, Future Motion Inc. was sued for two further product liability claims.

In the first case, it is claimed that a man sustained severe brain injuries in a one-wheel accident in August 2020 in San Diego, California.

According to attorneys, in the other complaint, a New Yorker was involved in an accident in September 2020 that resulted in facial fractures, broken ribs, a broken right arm, and a punctured lung caused by his forward ejection from the Onewheel skateboard while hitting the ground.

Future Motion is charged in every complaint with negligence, downplaying the purported flaws, and misleading customers into thinking the Onewheel is simple to use.

Onewheel lawsuit update 2024

As of August 2024, there were 82 cases pending resolution in MDL No 3087, overseen by U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman.

A U.S. District Judge has scheduled two key trials, called “bellwether” trials, for April 6, 2026, and June 15, 2026, to test how juries might respond to evidence in Onewheel lawsuits.

Key dates leading up to the trials include the completion of all case-specific discovery by April 30, 2025, and the completion of expert discovery by September 30, 2025. The court will also hold hearings to decide on the admissibility of expert witnesses in January 2026.

In the meantime, settlement discussions are ongoing, with a series of conferences scheduled to try and resolve the lawsuits before the first trial begins in April 2026.

December 2024 Update

Around 90 lawsuits are pending in the MDL 3087.

Future Motion false advertising issue

According to the Onewheel accident lawyers representing injured parties, a onewheel nosedive accident is likely to qualify as carelessness when combined with the way the product has been advertised. If using a product could be hazardous, businesses have a responsibility to warn consumers and not mislead them about the severity of the flaws.

One of the main selling points of Onewheel electric skateboards has always been their ability to balance on their own. The ease of riding it without falling has been a big part of the enthusiasm surrounding it.

Despite the fact that Future Motion does not assert that the Onewheel is crash-proof, this does not seem to have had a significant impact on the device’s reputation as a safer, more convenient alternative to conventional skateboards.

Future Motion had not only faced criticism for fraudulent advertising but also for exaggerating the safety and simplicity of the Onewheel. A class action lawsuit against the corporation is currently pending in California due to the Onewheel XR, the most recent full-sized Onewheel, and other unethical practices associated with it.

Eligibility for a Onewheel lawsuit

Onewheel lawsuit can be filed if a product defect caused your accident and seriously injured you or a loved one.

You might have a product liability claim against the manufacturer if the Onewheel skateboard has a manufacturing error, a design issue, or insufficient warnings. Local regulations governing personal electric vehicles, such as Onewheel skateboards, may differ. It’s crucial to comprehend the local laws and how they relate to your situation.

In conclusion, personal safety should always come first in the world of personal electric vehicles. Consumers should be guaranteed by the manufacturers that they are receiving safe and dependable equipment.

Your eligibility and the merits of your claim may be affected by the availability of evidence, such as witness accounts, accident reports, and medical records. LezDo TechMed specializes in reviewing medical records that can help attorneys create compelling arguments to defend the rights and wellbeing of people impacted by electric skateboard accidents.

Take a look at our pinterest post to get a simple understanding…