PELOTON WARNS ABOUT TREAD+ AFTER DEATH
Peloton told some customers Thursday that a child died after interacting with the company’s treadmill, the Tread+.
“I’m reaching out to you today because I recently learned about a tragic accident involving a child and the Tread+, resulting in, unthinkably, a death,” CEO John Foley wrote in a letter to customers.
Peloton did not give many details on how the child died but said the company knows of “a small handful of incidents” involving the Tread+ in which a child was hurt.
Peloton is best-known for its home workout bike, which is equipped with a screen so exercisers can watch live or recorded classes while working out. The company introduced the Tread+, which costs $4,295, in 2018 and announced plans late last year to debut a lower-cost version of the treadmill in May.
The company said the Tread+ was tested for people who weigh more than 105 pounds and are older than 16.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said it is investigating. The agency reports that emergency rooms treated 22,500 treadmill injuries in 2019, including about 2,000 children under 8 years old. The agency is aware of 17 deaths related to treadmill use between 2018 and 2020.
In his letter to customers, Foley said each child injury is “devastating to all of us at Peloton, and our hearts go out to the families involved.”
Demand for Peloton equipment and subscriptions soared during the pandemic as people canceled their gym memberships and stayed home. Peloton’s stock climbed more than 400 percent in 2020.
In his letter to customers, Foley urged people to keep children and pets away from the company’s equipment and remove the safety key from the treadmill after working out.