Child dies in an accident with a peloton treadmill
An accident with a peloton treadmill killed a child, the company's managing director said on Thursday.
In a letter posted on the company's website, John Foley, Pelotons C.E.O. and a co-founder said the company, known for its popular interactive stationary bikes, recently learned of the fatal accident and was aware of "a small handful of incidents" in which children were injured by its treadmill + treadmill.
"While we have known only a small handful of Tread + -related incidents that have injured children, everyone in Peloton is devastating and our hearts go out to the families affected," said Foley.
The company urged Peloton users to adhere to the safety warnings for Peloton products and urged members to keep them where children cannot reach them and keep safety keys out of children when the machines are not in use.
"There are no words to express the shock and sadness everyone at Peloton feels as a result of this terrible tragedy," a spokesman said in a statement.
Details of the accident that led to the child's death were still unclear. The company said it would not release any further details, such as when and where it took place, "out of respect for family and their privacy."
The Tread + works similarly to a standard treadmill, but has a 32-inch touchscreen that allows users to exercise with the help of peloton instructors and exercise with others in real time. The price starts at $ 4,295, according to the company's website.
A spokesman said the equipment was "designed and tested" to be used by people who are at least 16 years old and weigh more than 105 pounds.
A 2020 study by the American Journal of Emergency Medicine found that most home treadmill injuries occurred in children under the age of 16 and that the coronavirus pandemic posed a unique risk of injury as more adults worked from home and children participated in distance learning . The study found that common injuries included hand and finger damage such as frictional burns or degloving, in which some of the skin tissue becomes detached from the muscle below.
During the pandemic, Peloton's popularity has boomed. The company's value rose to over $ 40 billion during the pandemic as physical gyms closed and people's exercise habits disrupted.
On Thursday, the company's share price closed 4.6 percent due to the fatal treadmill accident.
Last year the company suffered another setback when it recalled pedals on about 27,000 of its stationary bikes after receiving reports that clip-in pedals caused injuries that required stitches or other medical care.
Susan Beachy contributed to the research.
