After a child died in an accident involving a Peloton treadmill, the company warns owners to keep children away from its Tread+.
- Peloton warns customers to keep kids away from treadmills after a child died in an accident involving their Tread+ model.
- CEO John Foley wrote a letter to the owners of their equipment, explaining that they should be extremely precautions if there are children or pets in the household.
- According to NIH, 25,000 children get injured in treadmill incidents each year.
Peloton CEO John Foley alerted owners of their equipment to keep their children away from their Tread+ treadmill. In a letter the director sent to those in possession of this particular model, he explained that there was a “tragic accident involving a child and the Tread+, resulting in, unthinkably, a death.”
In another statement, the company said there are “no words to express the shock and sadness everyone at Peloton feels as a result of this terrible tragedy.”
According to CNN, Foley didn’t reveal details of the fatal incident “out of respect for the family and privacy.” However, he said that Peloton is “aware of only a small handful of incidents involving the Tread+ where children have been hurt.”
“We need your help.” – Peloton asks its customers for assistance.
The association’s director stated:
“We design and build all of our products with safety in mind. But in order to help ensure that you and your family members stay safe with Peloton products in your home, we need your help.”
The CEO added that owners of their workout equipment must keep children and pets away from the treadmills at all times. He advised that they should ensure the area is clear before a workout.
Moreover, Foley strongly recommended that the treadmill’s safety key must be removed and stored out of reach once people are done exercising.
NIH also insists that mechanical home exercise equipment can put children in danger.
Each year, 25,000 children get hurt in accidents involving exercise equipment. This was revealed in a 2014 study from the US National Institutes of Health(NIH).
Additionally, in 2019, the American emergency departments treated around 2,000 treadmill-related injuries in children under the age of 8, as per the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
To avoid similar accidents, NIH recommends positioning treadmills to face the doorway or using a mirror to improve visibility, in case there are kids in the household.
Although Peloton and NIH’s warnings are focused on children’s safety, people of all ages could be at risk if suchlike workout machinery is not used properly.
According to NIH, treadmills comprise two-thirds of exercise equipment injuries. Only in the US, there are 46,000 treadmill-related incidents each year. Shockingly, this is four times higher than the number of stationary bike accidents, which is considered the next-most dangerous exercise equipment.
