The news came in a message from Peloton CEO John Foley to some of the company’s customers on Thursday afternoon, March 18, 2021. Foley announced that a child had been killed on the Peloton Tread+ treadmill, one of the company’s premiere exercise products. Very little information has been released from the company beyond the fact that a child died and that the death has something to do with the Peloton Tread+. At this juncture, nothing has yet been alleged in regard to Peloton and defective products, with one caveat.
In announcing the tragic death of the child, the Peloton CEO did make reference to warnings that currently accompany the Tread+ and other products from the company. He indicated that a review of existing warnings associated with the Tread+ commenced following the death of the child. CEO John Foley specifically stated:
“We are currently assessing ways to reinforce our warnings about these critical safety precautions to hopefully prevent future accidents.”
One type of claim involving defective products arises as a result of improper or incomplete warnings. Other types of defective products claims involve manufacturing or design defects. In some instances, more than one of these factors may contribute to a person’s injury or death.
Not long after the announcement about the child being killed on the Peloton Tread+, word came from the company that there have been an unknown number of other children who’ve been injured by this particular product. In responding to the development that more children have been injured in connection with the Tread+, CEO Foley stated: “While we are aware of only a small handful of incidents involving the Tread+ where children have been hurt, each one is devastating to all of us at Peloton, and our hearts go out to the families involved.”
There has been no word from Peloton that other children have suffered fatal injuries as a result of contact with the Tread+. The company released no additional information about the prospect that children have been harmed on other products from the popular fitness equipment company. The Tread+ is designed for people over 105 pounds and who’ve reached at least the age of 16.
How the child was fatally injured on a Tread+ has not been publicly revealed. With that said, reference has been made to ensuring that the equipment is stored away from children and pets when not in use. In addition, the company has emphasized the importance of keeping the equipment’s safety key away from children when the Treadmill+ is not in use by an adult.
The Tread+ is one of Peloton’s best-selling products. When the high-end exercise equipment was introduced onto the market in 2018, the retail price was almost $4,300. The company has plans of introducing a lower cost version of the Tread+ in May 2021. The company has not indicated whether or not the fatal accident will delay or otherwise impact the previously planned launch of the new equipment.