They neither hover, nor are they boards, yet we persist in calling them hoverboards. And despite the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s warning that no hoverboard is safe, we persist in buying them, riding them, extracting teeth while riding them, doing drive-by shootings from them, and, yes, dying from them.
Now the families of two girls killed in house fire started by a hoverboard that burst into flames while charging are suing the distributors of LayZ Board self-balancing scooters, seeking around $700,00 in damages.
Where There’s Smoke…
The March 2017 fire claimed the lives of 2-year-old Ashanti Hughes and 10-year-old Savannah Dominick in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and the CPSC ruled last year the hoverboard was at fault. According to PennLive.com:
Dominick heard a pop and saw the hoverboard burst into flames while connected to an electrical outlet around 7 p.m. on March 10, 2017. The blaze ignited some curtains and quickly spread, filling the home with smoke.
Savannah Dominick rushed upstairs to warn six other residents. The smoke detectors never made a sound, the suit states. Steven Dominick also ran upstairs but was unable to locate anyone in the thick smoke. He escaped by jumping from a balcony.
Savannah Dominick, Ashanti Hughes, two other children and an adult were trapped on a ledge, which collapsed, propelling Savannah back into the burning house, according to the suit. Ashanti landed on a second-floor roof, but that also collapsed, sending her into the flames.
…There’s Fire
The lawsuit claims importers and distributors of the LayZ Board were negligent in continuing to market the devices even despite the risk of overheating and igniting. The lawsuit also names the owner of the house, saying the building lacked working smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, or a fire escape.
If you, like many others, have suffered a hoverboard injury, contact an experienced personal injury attorney today.