New York Complex Business Litigation Attorneys

The U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued safety warnings relating to self-balancing scooters, commonly known as HoverBoards. The CPSC is the federal regulatory agency responsible for protecting consumers from unreasonable risks of injury and death from consumer products. The CPSC warning advised companies that import, manufacture, distribute, or sell Hoverboards in the United States that they comply with currently applicable safety standards, including all referenced standards and requirements contained in UL 2272 – Outline of Investigation for Electrical Systems for Self-balancing Scooters. The UL standard can be purchased from Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (http://www.comm-2000.com/). Additionally, all lithium ion battery products must comply with test requirements under UN/DOT 38.3 Transport of Dangerous Goods for Lithium Metal and Lithium Ion Batteries. The CPSC believes that certain Hoverboards do not meet these voluntary safety standards and that they pose an unreasonable risk of fire to consumers. Moreover, the CPSC advised that consumers risk serious injury or death if their self- balancing scooters ignite and burn. From December 1, 2015, through February 17, 2016, CPSC received reports, from consumers in 24 states, of 52 self-balancing scooter fires resulting in over $2 million in property damage, including the destruction of two homes and an automobile. CPSC believes that many of the reported incidents, and the related unreasonable risk of injuries and deaths associated with fires in these products, would be prevented if all Hoverboards were manufactured in compliance with the safety standards. If you, or a loved one have purchased a Hoverboard you should be aware of fire dangers. The lawyers at Napoli Shkolnik, PLLC are representing consumers who want refunds for defective Hoverboards or who have been injured by these defective Hoverboards.