6 people sue over personal injuries caused by electric Citi Bikes
Our New York dangerous product attorneys know that it can be a terrifying experience when a product suddenly reacts in a way that it is not supposed to. Our NYC & Westchester product liability attorneys also know that brakes which suddenly engage, when they are not supposed to, can be an extremely dangerous situation, especially since it can cause the bicycle operator to fall and sustain injuries.
In a recent lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, six people claim they were injured after being thrown off of electric pedal-assist Citi Bikes with faulty brakes, new court papers show. All claimed they were injured in separate 2019 incidents when the breaks locked and they went flying over the handlebars, their Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuits allege. Based upon these repeated instances, it is highly likely that there is a design defect in the braking system, which caused them to activate, when they operator does not intend to brake.
Lyft — which runs Citi Bike — bought the e-bikes from manufacturer Shimano North America Holding, Inc. which recommended that power modulators be added to the hub breaking systems of each bike. Only Citi Bike never installed the power modulators,
The plaintiffs are suing Lyft, Shimano and other companies that help run Citi Bike claiming they were negligent because the product was dangerous and caused their injuries, the court papers say. The plaintiffs are all seeking damages for their personal injuries.
In April 2019, Citi Bike temporarily pulled roughly 1,000 e-bikes after they received a series of complaints over “stronger than expected braking force on the front wheel. Citi Bike brought back just 250 e-bikes in February 2020 with efforts to increase the e-bike fleet to the thousands affected by the coronavirus pandemic. However, it is not clear what efforts it undertook to address the numerous complaints they received about strong braking or unexpected braking.
Our New York City and Westchester dangerous product lawyers believe that it’s not like there were a couple of e-bikes on the street, they were all over the city. It was really a breach of public trust. Also that most bike riders suffered either arm, elbow or wrist injuries and fractures as they put their hands out to protect their faces when they went flying. Many required surgery and some had to have follow-up surgeries. As the riders were using the pedal-assist bikes they were “caused to be seriously, severely and permanently injured, through no fault of [their] own, when the bicycle[s], without warning, inexplicably stopped and the plaintiff[s were] propelled forward and caused to be injured.
If you suffered personal injuries because of a dangerous product in New York City, including the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn, or in Westchester County, including White Plains, Yonkers, Rye, Harrison or New Rochelle, call our personal injury lawyers who handle dangerous product cases.