Peloton CEO John Foley released a statement Thursday in wake of the tragic news that a child died in an accident involving their Tread+ treadmill.
“While we are aware of only a small handful of incidents involving the Tread+ where children have been hurt, each one is devastating to all of us at Peloton, and our hearts go out to the families involved,” Foley said.
Peloton has chosen to not disclose any additional details about the incident “out of respect for the family and their privacy.”
Foley asked that owners keep children and pets away from Peloton equipment at all times, and specifically for the Tread+, the safety key is removed, and stored somewhere out of the reach of children, or anyone else who isn’t allowed to operate the treadmill.
CNN points out a study from the U.S. National Institutes of Health which found that people of all ages are four times more likely to sustain a self-inflicted injury from a treadmill than any other piece of exercise equipment. Each year, Americans report 46,000 treadmill-related injuries, with the stationary bike coming in a distant second. Additionally, two-thirds of injuries sustained while operating exercise equipment come from the treadmill alone.
In October, Peloton issued a recall of pedals on about 27,000 first-generation stationary bikes, which were sold between July 2013 and May 2016, after receiving over 100 consumer reports regarding breaking pedals, as well as 16 instances where users suffered leg injuries.
