Onewheel Accident Lawyers

What is Onewheel?

Onewheel is a skateboard with a large electric wheel in the middle of the board. It can be used for recreational transportation.

To use the Onewheel, a user must stand with one foot on either side of the large wheel and use their body’s angles and balance to control the machine. The user’s feet are on pressure-sensitive pads that can detect changes in the rider’s positioning. It responds to these changes and is entirely controlled by body motion. For example, to stop, the driver must lift their heel off the front pad. To go forward or backward, they must lean to the appropriate side. 

The two models currently on the marketplace have a top speed of 16-19 mph. This makes them almost as fast as motorized scooters, electric bicycles, and electric scooters.

Is the Onewheel defective?

Manufacturers have a duty to their customers to provide a safe product. If they do not, either knowingly or unknowingly, they are liable for the injuries and other damages caused by their product.

This is the case with the Onewheel.

Although the electric skateboard is fun in theory and can help people get around quickly, there have been a large number of consumers injured due to alleged safety defects in the machine. Users who are riding the Onewheel appropriately are extremely upset to be seriously injured or to have narrowly escaped injury when the Onewheel causes a nosedive.

There have been a number of defects brought to the court’s attention, but the most serious one is the “nosedive”. The nosedive occurs when the Onewheel suddenly and randomly stops. The driver is thrown forward due to the momentum and nosedives into the ground or onto the road.

These shut-offs have been occurring at any driving speed, regardless of how long or how fast a driver has been using the device. With a vehicle that can move at up to 18 mph, a rider slamming into the ground nose-first can cause life-threatening injuries.

If you have been injured by a defective product, you need to contact a West Palm Beach product liability attorney today. An experienced attorney will help you get compensation for your losses and ensure that the company is penalized so they never repeat their mistake.

What kind of injuries can a nosedive cause?

A nosedive is a serious accident, especially on a Onewheel board where many users do not wear protective gear. These accidents at a speed of 19 mph have been causing severe injuries to users and to others around them who may be hit during the stop.

The most common injury with a nosedive is a broken nose. This occurs from the user hitting the ground face-first. Contusions and abrasions accompany this injury, often around the hands and face. A broken nose is a very painful injury that can require surgery to fix. It can cause lifelong issues with confidence in your appearance.

Other users have hit their heads when they nosedive off the Onewheel, causing serious concussions, headaches, and potential memory loss. Brain injuries are some of the most long-lasting and most difficult to treat of any injury sustained from a product liability case. They can take decades to properly heal if not appropriately treated.

In severe cases, riders of the Onewheel who have nosedived have perished due to brain hemorrhages, being flung into traffic, and punctured lungs.

Some of the cases being filed for damages are:

• A Onewheel driver nosedived down a dark street and was fatally hit by a hit-and-run driver.
• A 14-year-old fell off their Onewheel, suffering a traumatic brain injury and extensive road rash. She has been in rehabilitation for two years to overcome these injuries.
• A man’s Onewheel shut off unexpectedly while driving, throwing him into the air. He hit the ground hard, causing shoulder injuries, neck pain, and a traumatic brain injury with memory loss.