OneWheels—electric-powered skateboards with one central wheel protruding through the riding platform—grew rapidly in popularity nationwide after they were released as part of a Kickstarter campaign in 2014. However, over time, it became clear that there was a serious design flaw in this device that could cause it to stop abruptly while in motion, throwing operators to the ground and sometimes causing serious injuries.
If you were hurt because a OneWheel you were riding stopped without warning and threw you off at speed, you may have grounds to join dozens of other people injured in the same way by taking legal action against the manufacturer of this defective device. However, you may also have difficulty navigating the unique rules applicable to mass tort claims of this nature alone, which is why you should strongly consider seeking support with your OneWheel lawsuit in Pensacola from our experienced product liability attorneys.
What Makes OneWheels Potentially Dangerous?
OneWheels are designed to be operated in a similar way to Segways. The rider shifts their balance forward and backward to accelerate, decelerate, and reverse. To prevent high-speed crashes, these devices also have a safety feature that is designed to automatically slow the device down if the motor is working too hard or the device is going too fast.
However, there have been many reports of this safety feature malfunctioning by simply shutting the motor off rather than gradually reducing speed. This causes the board to tip sharply forward and stop so quickly that riders can be thrown off. Despite these reports, the manufacturer of OneWheels—Future Motion Inc.—refuses to acknowledge that their product causes injuries that are sufficiently serious for a Pensacola lawsuit. They publicly rejected a recommendation from the Consumer Product Safety Commission in 2022 that consumers should stop using OneWheels and that the product should be voluntarily recalled.
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Join a Mass Tort Litigation Against Future Motion Inc.
When a single person’s misconduct or a single product’s dangerous defect causes harm to many people, the injured parties generally have much better chances of securing civil compensation by working together rather than bringing individual claims. Furthermore, federal courts often consolidate lawsuits filed over the same type of accident and against the same defendant into multidistrict litigation (MDL), which is what happened with a significant number of OneWheel lawsuits in late 2023.
That MDL against Future Motion Inc. is still in progress, but it is unlikely that many more new claims will be added to it. However, that does not mean you cannot bring a civil case over an injury caused by a defective OneWheel, especially if you have assistance from our experienced Pensacola lawyers.
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Call Us Today To Discuss a Possible OneWheel Lawsuit With a Pensacola Attorney
While riding a OneWheel was never a particularly safe method of transportation, the design defect at the heart of a OneWheel lawsuit in Pensacola and elsewhere in the country did not become widely known until several years after the product’s launch. Accordingly, litigation against Future Motion Inc. is still in the relatively early stages, which makes this the perfect time to consider your legal options if you were hurt because of this product’s unsafe design.
Our compassionate legal team could provide invaluable guidance and support from start to finish. We treat our clients like family and work diligently to recover fair compensation for your losses. Call us today to schedule a consultation and learn more about your recovery options.
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