A six-year-old girl has been sucked under a Peloton treadmill – sustained severe scratches and bruises, her father said Monday.
“It was pretty traumatic,” Brandon Ratliffe told ABC TV’s Good Morning America about the incident involving the harassed Peloton Tread + model and his daughter Jocelyn, with photos of her badly scratched, red and bruised leg.
“She fell and the treadmill pulled her leg under it.”
Federal regulators issued an urgent warning over the weekend urging their owners with children to stop using the Peloton Tread + after 39 incidents in which children were injured – including one in which a child was killed.
The employees released a scary video showing a boy being dragged under one of the devices. The child was eventually freed and was OK.
“CPSC personnel believe the Peloton Tread + poses serious risks to children due to abrasions, fractures and death,” the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said in a statement Saturday.
“In light of several reports of children being trapped, pinned and pulled under the back roll of the product, CPSC is appealing to consumers with children at home to stop the product immediately.”
The agency said that if parents still want to use the machines, they should keep the equipment in a locked room away from children and pets and unplug it when not in use.
Peloton retorted in a statement that it was “disappointed that CPSC, despite the offers of cooperation, and despite the fact that the Tread + meets all applicable safety standards, was not prepared to engage meaningfully with Peloton before addressing the inaccurate and did not issue misleading notice press release.
“There is no reason to stop using the Tread + as long as all warnings and safety instructions are followed,” the company said, urging users to make sure their workout is clear before using the machine. and that they remove the safety key and keep it out of the reach of children when not in use.