A child has died in an accident with the peloton’s Tread Plus board, Peloton CEO John Foley said in a note on Thursday.
“I reach out to you today because I recently learned of a tragic accident with a child and the treadmill +, which inadvertently resulted in death,” Foley wrote. “Although we are only aware of a small handful of incidents with the treadmill + where children have been injured, each of us is devastating in Peloton, and our hearts are focused on the families involved.”
Peloton declined to provide more information about the child, the incident or the “handful of previous incidents” to which Foley refers. But according to Bloomberg, a report submitted to the Consumer Product Safety Commission in February, mentions a second, separate incident with a Tread Plus treadmill where a 3-year-old boy sustained a “significant brain injury”.
According to the report, the child has ‘tread marks on his back’, a neck injury and facial injuries. The report was updated on March 17 with a note saying that the company was told that the child would ‘fully recover’.
According to the company’s statement Thursday, the Tread Plus was designed and tested for use by people over 16 and weighs more than 105 pounds. “If the treadmill + is not used, members should continue to follow the safety instructions by keeping the safety key, which keeps the treadmill + in operation, away from the treadmill + and out of reach of children,” it says.
Foley warned that children and pets should be kept away from Peloton exercise equipment at all times. Before you start practicing, make sure that the space around your Peloton equipment is clear. He also said that the company is currently “evaluating ways to reinforce our warnings about these critical safety measures to hopefully prevent future accidents.”
Despite their somewhat expensive price tags, Peloton’s stationary bikes and careers were very popular during the coronavirus pandemic, with most gyms closed and people at home. The company reported that revenue increased by 66 percent in the first three months of 2020. However, the company struggled early on to keep up with the demand for its products.
In October, Peloton issued a recall for climbing pedals on about 27,000 of its bikes following reports of broken pedals causing injuries, including several in need of medical attention.
About 25,000 children are injured annually in home accidents related to equipment. One of the most common types of injuries is friction that occurs when a child touches a moving belt on a machine. In 2009, boxer Mike Tyson’s four-year-old daughter, Exodus, died in a treadmill accident after a cord was wrapped around her neck.
Update 18 March, 16:31 ET: Details added about an incident in February in which a 3-year-old boy was injured on a peloton treadmill