Rad Power Bikes Inc. has been hit by yet another lawsuit alleging that their popular e-bikes are defectively designed.
The lawsuit was filed by an attorney who claims that the e-bikes are defective because they use disc brakes in conjunction with a quick-release front wheel, which can cause the front wheel to fall off.
He claims that he was riding the e-bike when the front wheel disengaged from the bike frame, resulting in “increased instability or wobbling and even complete dismantling of the bike.”
This defect caused him to be sent “flying over the handlebars or otherwise crash while biking at high speeds,” he alleges.
According to his lawsuit, he was riding a RadRunner e-bike to the grocery store when he was forced to brake to avoid a vehicle:
“Upon braking, Mr. Mason was thrown over the handlebars – and saw the front wheel flying through the air. Mr. Mason landed on his back, resulting in five broken ribs and a broken clavicle.”
Rad Power Bikes was previously hit by a lawsuit involving a 12-year-old girl who died when the RadRunner e-bike she was riding with a friend began wobbling uncontrollably.
Her parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit which also claims that the braking system is defective due to the dangerous conjunction of disc brakes with a quick-release system for detaching the front wheel.
These lawsuits cite many complaints from people, including parents of children who experienced a sudden loss of braking power, or the front wheel completely detaching from the bike during hard braking.
His lawsuit was filed on September 15, 2023 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington (Seattle) — Case 2:23-cv-01446.
Source: Atty Says E-Bike Flaws Sent Him ‘Flying Over The Handlebars’