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Injured Onewheel users are filing lawsuits against the board’s manufacturer, Future Motion, claiming that the transportation device shut off without warning and did a dangerous nosedive.
If you suffered injuries while riding a Onewheel and you believe a defect in the board may be at fault, you could have a case. Find out more about what’s needed to move forward with a Onewheel lawsuit.
In the aftermath of an accident, it can be difficult to figure out what went wrong. While some Onewheel nosedives result from rider error, multiple lawsuits have alleged that a defect in the product is to blame. Learn more about Onewheel nosedives and abrupt shutoff accidents.
For a legal matter like this, you should consider hiring an attorney. A lawyer will make the lawsuit process simple for you while fighting for the full amount of money you deserve—at no upfront cost. Find out what else a Onewheel lawsuit lawyer will do for you.
If you’re ready to have your case reviewed (for free), help is just a phone call away. Call Console & Associates at (866) 778-5500 for a free consultation.
After an accident, here are some steps you should take.
If you haven’t already done so, have your injuries checked out.
Serious and even life-threatening injuries can appear to be minor at first. You might not realize right away that you sustained a closed-head injury, internal bleeding, fractured bones, or tears to the tendons and ligaments that will require surgical repair to fix.
Waiting to get help could allow these injuries to get worse. In the case of potentially life-threatening conditions like internal bleeding and severe bruising, bleeding, or swelling of the brain, neglecting to see a doctor could potentially even put your life at risk.
If needed, call 911 to summon emergency services to the scene of your accident. Otherwise, have someone take you to an urgent care facility or your doctor’s office. (You should not drive yourself if you suspect serious injuries, such as a concussion or another kind of traumatic brain injury.)
Many Onewheel nosedive accidents result from rider error, such as going too fast. If you believe a problem with the board itself prompted your accident, you will need evidence to prove it.
If possible, before you leave the scene of the accident to get medical care, you should do the following:
How extensively you will be able to gather evidence is going to depend on the urgency of your injuries. If you need to leave for the hospital before you are able to take full statements or power your Onewheel board back on to check the battery level, don’t stress over it. Your health is the most important thing.
If you think a defect in your Onewheel board is what caused the accident, you need to get in touch with an attorney who knows the ins and outs of this litigation.
Nosedives can occur when using the Onewheel skateboard in the absence of a defect or design flaw, so it’s important to speak to an attorney about the details of your accident as soon as possible.
If you must wait to talk to a lawyer, make time immediately after the accident to take some notes about where the accident happened, what occurred, and what injury symptoms you are experiencing. (If you’re not able to write because of the injuries, ask a witness or a family member to write down your thoughts for you.) The more information you are able to provide to a Onewheel accident lawyer, the better.
Onewheel is a battery-powered electric skateboard that moves on a single large wheel. The board is marketed as being self-balancing and suitable even for those who are new to board sports like skateboarding, snowboarding, and surfing.
“Onewheel is packed with technology that actively helps to keep you balanced,” according to Future Motion’s website. That technology includes accelerometers, gyroscopes, and various sensors that connect to the hub motor system. Together, all of these technologies are supposed to work to keep riders balanced.
Generally, riders accelerate by leaning forward and decelerate by leaning backward. Speed capacity varies from model to model and depends on factors like the weight of the rider and the riding mode the user selects. However, the largest model—the Onewheel+ XR—advertises a top speed of 19 miles per hour (as of July 2021). Some users have reported getting their boards to go even faster.
The lawsuits filed allege that Onewheel skateboards can lock up and their engines abruptly shut off while the rider is traveling, sometimes at speeds approaching 20 miles per hour. They further claim that the engine shutdown can occur without warning, causing the board to nosedive and collide violently with the ground.The lawsuits filed allege that Onewheel skateboards can lock up and their engines abruptly shut off while the rider is traveling, sometimes at speeds approaching 20 miles per hour. They further claim engine shutdown can occur without warning, causing the board to nosedive and collide violently with the ground. Riders may fall or be forcefully pushed forward, which can contribute to suffering even worse injuries.
Onewheel electric skateboards are designed to use a feature called pushback to notify riders that they are traveling too fast, pushing the limits of the board’s battery, or otherwise need to slow down. The board pushes back on the rider by raising the nose (front) of the board to slow it down.
The pushback feature has some limitations. Riders who are new to the Onewheel system or who simply aren’t paying attention to the feature might not notice it. They may react improperly by ignoring or fighting the pushback (by leaning farther forward) to maintain or increase speed.
Pushback can also occur for different reasons. Potential reasons for pushback include:
In some of the lawsuits filed against Future Motion, the victims injured in the accident claim that they were not trying to fight the pushback feature. Rather, they say the motor cut out abruptly for no apparent reason.
What happens when you’re traveling 15 or 19 (or potentially even more) miles per hour, and your self-balancing board shuts off with no warning? The front of the board does an instant nosedive, ejecting you. Often, the sudden stop and tilt of the board combine to propel the rider straight into the ground. When they have been traveling at these speeds, riders hit the ground with a lot of force. Often, their head or their leading arm takes the brunt of the impact.
Why did the board shut down suddenly? That’s the question so many injured Onewheel riders and their family members have asked. It’s also a question that Onewheel nosedive lawsuits aim to answer as experienced product liability attorneys investigate potential defects in the design, manufacturing, and marketing of Onewheel.
Virtually every activity poses some kind of risk. Still, there are considerable differences between the risks presented by Onewheel electric skateboards and those posed by traditional skateboards.
For one thing, these devices can go a lot faster—approaching or, by some accounts, exceeding 20 miles per hour on some models—than a rider on a traditional skateboard.
Onewheel riders also rely on electrical components, rather than being in control of their own momentum and balance as they would be when using a four-wheeled, on-the-ground skateboard. This could become a problem if the power to the device were to fail suddenly, which is what lawsuits already filed allege happened to plaintiffs.
The number of lawsuits against Future Motion regarding Onewheel skateboard injuries is continuing to grow. As more riders become aware of the litigation and their legal rights, even more claims are likely to be filed.
It’s impossible to say just yet how many injured riders have blamed themselves or written off their nosedive as a freak accident when—as the lawsuits allege—a product defect could be to blame. However, a publicly available survey of Onewheel users (which was conducted by a rider and in which our office had no involvement) shows that nearly 28 percent of participants believed that their boards “nosedived for no good reason.”
Any fall could cause serious injuries, but this outcome is particularly likely when a person traveling at speeds of nearly 20 miles per hour is violently and suddenly pushed toward the ground. Some of the types of injuries Onewheel riders have reported sustaining in nosedive accidents include:
While any body part could potentially be harmed in Onewheel skateboard accidents, some areas are more prone to injury in accidents of this nature than others. Onewheel riders often report injuries to their:
Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are some of the most serious injuries a person can sustain, and multiple Onewheel wrongful death claims have been filed pertaining to fatal brain injuries. Some types of brain injuries include:
Brain injuries can range from mild to severe, but each has the potential to impact numerous aspects of a victim’s functioning, such as:
These effects can spill over into other areas of an injured individual’s life, preventing them from being able to take care of themselves and live independently. While brain injuries and the effects they cause can be treated, rehabilitation is difficult. Many brain injury survivors live with long-term or even lifelong impacts or impairments.
The impact of being thrown off of the board—often, straight into the ground—can easily fracture your bones. Some of the fracture injuries you might suffer include:
A broken bone can be a serious injury. Broken bones can significantly restrict your mobility and activities for weeks, months, or longer. In some instances, people injured in Onewheel nosedive accidents may require surgery to set and repair the damaged bone so that it can heal properly.
A broken bone may mean having to wear an uncomfortable and restrictive cast. Physical therapy may be required to regain strength after the bone finally heals. If you have a physically demanding job, a broken bone might keep you out of work. You may also be unable to drive or to get around on foot, or to do your other daily activities.
In the most horrifying Onewheel accidents, families of victims have claimed that their loved ones sustained injuries so serious that they could not survive. When you have lost a family member or another loved one, perhaps the only thing more difficult than living with this loss is having to make sense of the fact that this death didn’t have to happen.
The plaintiffs in some of the lawsuits currently being filed against Future Motion are surviving family members of fatally injured riders. These claims, called Onewheel wrongful death lawsuits, can serve several purposes for a grieving family. Through the process of litigation—a process in which an attorney will handle every stage for you—you might get answers that the company won’t voluntarily give you and hold it accountable for all that it took from your family. You can also seek compensation for everything you have lost, economic and otherwise.
To have the grounds to sue for Onewheel scooter accidents, you need to be able to prove two major elements of a claim:
With regards to that liability piece, Onewheel lawsuit attorneys are currently investigating potential defects in the design, manufacturing, and marketing of the electric skateboard models. To be eligible for compensation, you would need to be able to prove that it was a defect of the device, and not your own actions (like ignoring or fighting pushback), that caused the accident.
The types of damages for which you can sue in a Onewheel lawsuit may include your medical expenses, any lost wages or decrease in future earning potential, and the pain and suffering associated with your injuries.
You might be able to pursue a Onewheel injury lawsuit if you were a rider using the transportation device.
If you are the surviving family member of a Onewheel rider who sustained fatal injuries, you may have the grounds to file a wrongful death claim.
In either case, you need to be able to prove your damages and Future Motion’s liability. As such, your case will be stronger if you were using the Onewheel in a safe and proper manner and if you promptly sought medical care for your Onewheel skateboard injuries.
It isn’t easy to stand up to a company like Future Motion or to conduct the meticulous investigation required to prove that a defective board caused your Onewheel accident. When pursuing an injury claim against a manufacturer, it’s in your best interests to hire an experienced product liability lawyer to handle the legal process for you.
When you hire a lawyer to represent you in an injury claim against Future Motion, here’s what you can expect:
If you think you can’t afford professional legal representation, you may be surprised. Attorneys are handling Onewheel accident lawsuits on a no-win, no-fee basis.
This means that it costs you nothing to speak to a lawyer about your potential case and that you will pay nothing upfront throughout the course of your claim.
You will only end up paying in attorneys’ fees a fraction of the settlement or jury award that your attorney ends up successfully getting for you. If you don’t recover compensation in your claim, you owe nothing for the legal services, which means you can move forward with your case risk-free.
The accident changed your life, but that doesn’t mean things can’t get better. With a Onewheel lawsuit attorney on your side, you can recover the compensation you need to afford top-notch medical care, remove the financial burden from your family, and make any adjustments or accommodations to help you navigate life after an injury.
Call (866) 778-5500 or contact us online for a free, confidential case review. It costs you nothing to find out your options and get started with a claim.
