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Those who suffer injuries from hoverboards that explode or catch fire can seek compensation for damages, including medical expenses, lost wages, hospitalization, rehabilitation costs, scarring or disfigurement, permanent injuries, disabilities, pain and suffering, and emotional distress.
The knowledgeable Orange County Hoverboard Injury Attorneys at Bisnar Chase have extensive experience and a successful track record financially pursuing manufacturers who put defective products on the market that cause serious injury and harm to consumers.
If you have been injured due to a lithium-ion explosion or hoverboard fire, please call us at (949) 203-3814 for a free consultation and a comprehensive case evaluation with an Orange County Personal Injury Lawyer.
Do You Have an Injury Case?
Hoverboard manufacturers are obligated to ensure their products are safe and are considered negligent if their products are prone to explode and injure anyone nearby. However, injuries that occur from simple interaction with a hoverboard, such as falls or wipeouts, are not considered negligence on behalf of the manufacturer and therefore are not eligible for a lawsuit.
Call (949) 203-3814
Hoverboards a Danger
Self-balancing hoverboards, once in high demand as the latest trend in electronic skateboards, are now the focus of a safety investigation in the United States.
Airlines have banned these devices from their cargo areas, colleges have prohibited them on their campuses, and some online retailers like Amazon are pulling certain brands of hoverboards off their inventories following several incidents nationwide where these contraptions either caught fire or exploded.
Experts say what is causing these fires and explosions are shoddily manufactured lithium-ion batteries. Exploding lithium-ion batteries can cause significant or even catastrophic burn injuries. You must explore your legal rights and options if you have been injured by some of these dangerous and defective products.
What are Lithium-Ion Batteries?
Lithium-ion batteries given power to so many of the electronic gadgets we use today from cell phones and laptops to power tools and children’s toys. Lithium is hazardous by itself. It can explode if it comes into contact with water or oxygen. But the companies that make these batteries have to minimize the danger of an explosion. So, with all the new technology we have today, the battery cell containing lithium is usually not a problem. But the electronic circuitry surrounding the cell can cause problems if the battery is not properly manufactured. Lithium technology is safe, but only if the user doesn’t overcharge the battery or doesn’t let it get it too hot.
Why Do The Batteries Explode?
Lithium-ion batteries in reputed brands of laptops and cell phones are often built according to strict standards. However, counterfeit lithium-ion batteries tend to lack much needed safety features. So, suppose a faulty lithium-ion battery is overcharged or overheats. When a person is using it on a hoverboard or has it plugged into a charger, the ions can gather in one spot and be deposited and metallic lithium within the battery. Once the oxygen bubbles inside the battery reach the lithium, it causes an ignition and explosion. On the other hand, well-made lithium batteries will automatically turn off if they get too hot. Using the wrong charger can also cause such a reaction.
Understanding the Dangers of Hoverboards
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is investigating a number of hoverboard fires across the country where the lithium-ion batteries in hoverboards caught fire, destroying bedrooms and even entire homes. Some hoverboards exploded while charging, others when riders were on them. There is no single reason why these hoverboards are exploding. There is also no particular brand of hoverboard to avoid. They seem to come from a number of different factories in China.
Nearly all of these toys are made in China, many in the cheap tech-manufacturing hub of Shenzen. Millions of hoverboards have been shipped out of China to keep up with the burgeoning demand, especially in the United Kingdom and the United States. The UK’s National Trading Standards inspected 17,000 hoverboards recently. They found that of the lot they inspected, 88 percent are unsafe because of issues with the plug, cabling, charger, battery, or the cut-off switch within the board, which often fails.
Hoverboard Injuries
Lithium-ion explosions occur with such power that they can result in severe injuries. In addition to the riders, others in the vicinity could also get seriously injured. Some of the common injuries that are suffered in hoverboard accidents include:
- Burn injuries: These injuries could range from first- and second-degree burns to severe or even catastrophic burns that could cause permanent scarring disfigurement and nerve and tissue damage. These types of injuries can be extremely costly to treat and painful and traumatic for victims who suffer them.
- Bone fractures: Explosions could also result in multiple bone fractures, which could take a long time to heal and require extensive rehabilitation.
- Head injuries: An explosion is likely to throw the rider off the hoverboard causing him or her to suffer traumatic brain injuries, particularly if he or she is not wearing a helmet. Such injuries could result in permanent disabilities.
- Amputations: Severe explosions could result in riders losing their fingers, toes, or limbs.
- Facial injuries: Victims could suffer severe facial injuries depending on how and where the explosion occurs. They may suffer eye and ear injuries that could lead to loss of vision or hearing, broken nose or teeth, or severe scarring.
This CBS video shows how dangerous and deadly the Lithium-Ion Batteries inside hoverboards and other products can be.
Product Liability Issues
All product manufacturers have a legal obligation to make sure their products are safe to use. Those who make defective products can be held liable for the injuries caused by those products. Products may be faulty due to a manufacturing defect that occurs during the manufacturing process. This may happen due to inexperienced workers or substandard materials used in the production of the items. The product may be defectively designed. This means that the product is inherently dangerous because of the manner in which it is designed. So, it is dangerous regardless of how it is manufactured.
A marketing defect or “failure to warn” occurs when the manufacturer does not caution consumers about dangers that can be avoided when the user is made aware of them. For example, hoverboard manufacturers should warn consumers about the dangers of overcharging the devices or using incompatible chargers. This could help avoid potentially lethal lithium-ion explosions.
A number of different parties could be held potentially liable for injuries caused by hoverboard lithium-ion battery explosions including the manufacturer, the distributor, the retailer, the manufacturers of accessories such as chargers, etc. An experienced Orange County personal injury lawyer will be able to identify responsible parties and hold them accountable.
Contact a Hoverboard Injury Lawyer in Orange County
Please contact our Orange County Hoverboard Injury Lawyers today if you have suffered injuries from a hoverboard product. Our dedicated legal team will evaluate your case and advise you to whether you are entitled to compensation. Call 949-203-3814.
