US regulators warn Peloton users to stop using treadmill after child death
The Consumer Product Safety Commission said it received reports of children and a pet being pulled, pinned and entrapped under the machine
www.theguardian.com
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US regulators warn Peloton users to stop using treadmill after child death
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www.theguardian.com
I used to play with a treadmill as a kid all the time. Ours even had a wheel that I would use as a grind stone for models.
Whoa holy fuck that video. At first it looked like he pinned his arms under it but the track didn't appear to be moving.
Then all of a sudden it starts pulling him under the complete fucking machine
Then all of a sudden it starts pulling him under the complete fucking machine
They didn't let the kid play on the treadmill, the parent was on it, the kid approached and was pulled under at the end.
That scene from Dexter comes to mind.
EDIT: It's a pity that scene/.gif gets played for laughs.
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Obviously these children should not be playing on the treadmill unattended - or at all - but regular belt-based treadmills wouldn't trap an arm like that. These seem inherently FAR more dangerous, since it's the actual segments of the track pulling the child under, not just friction from a smooth belt.
PS - As a parent, that video was an incredibly hard watch. I'd never leave my kids in that situation, but seeing the boy get trapped, then snared like that was heartbreaking, and there's no reason it couldn't happen with a parent present. He walked away, but clearly at least one other child didn't. If you're at all sensitive about children being hurt, do not watch that video. And good lord do not buy one of these treadmills.
Shit, didn't know this, so I looked it up. Thought she had fallen and hit herself in the head or something, but not like that. Damn.
After watching that video, how is there not some safety feature that kills the treadmill if there's something like that going on? Like, if the base becomes uneven, boom, emergency shutoff
Doesn't matter - no device should drag a kid under it like that.
I don't understand why there isn't a cut-off sensor that can detect that level of resistance on the tread.
The Peloton Tread+ sits higher than most other treadmills and the gap under it is pretty large so larger objects, children, and pets can be sucked right under it fairly easily. Removing the safety key when it isn't being used is a good start but taking the appropriate amount of caution to keep them away in the first place is the way to go.
Those parents are irresponsible, but that doesn't change the fact that the treadmill is inherently incredibly dangerous in its design. Not only does it have a segmented track that makes it far more likely to grab something than a smooth belt - it also doesn't appear to have any kind of emergency shut-off feature.
A parent could have been using that treadmill, a child walks in behind, and they get pulled under. That's much less of a risk with a regular belt treadmill, although those are obviously also dangerous.
Yup my exact thought. The fact the treadmill just keeps powering despite all the resistance is.. baffling
Sure, probably some absolutely shits doing that, but it is not the reason for the warning.
I'm in shock after watching that video. I had to cut it off a little over halfway through. What the fuck kind of horrible oversight in design is this?
To be fair the scene is mainly so funny because of the 40 yr old stunt double being used
Beyond this, there's definitely a broader conversation to be had about people placing dangerous, heavy, gym-grade equipment in family spaces like lounges. These things are designed to live in places specifically designed for adult exercise - not the corner of a lounge that regularly has kids running around in it.
Holy shit that's fucking horrifying and definitely doesn't seem safe. When I was younger the treadmill that my parents had as well as the different treadmills my extended family had (various aunts/uncles and my grandmother) all had a little magnetic key that you were supposed to attach to your shirt to act as an auto shutdown if you fall, not to mention that they all had enough space underneath so that children or pets couldn't get sucked in...
No shit, pretty much every home treadmill I have seen or used has a whole swath of safety features (usually magnets or a scale on the treadmill) so that if a person falls or something else happens the machine automatically shuts down, not to mention that they wouldn't usually activate unless a young child really knew what they were doing
No shit, pretty much every home treadmill I have seen or used has a whole swath of safety features (usually magnets or a scale on the treadmill) so that if a person falls or something else happens the machine automatically shuts down, not to mention that they wouldn't usually activate unless a young child really knew what they were doing
Really, really bad child proof testing.
But that's no the only treatmill with that design. The issue is that a lot of gym style equipment is rarely tested for kids since kids are not found in gyms. In this case it is a home product, but it's following gym standards.
But that's no the only treatmill with that design. The issue is that a lot of gym style equipment is rarely tested for kids since kids are not found in gyms. In this case it is a home product, but it's following gym standards.
Yeah that video was terrible. The kid got up at the end and ran away though, which was a huge relief considering how bad the video got
Yeah, thankfully that kid survived but a younger child might not be so lucky.
Jesus christ that's tragic.
I'm not watching any video of a child being hurt so I don't know the situation. But it's hard to watch kids at all times and so I don't fault anh parents for their kids getting hurt, but the company not child proofing something that is in so many family households. As a kid I definitely played around my parents treadmills... Putting my race cars on it and shit. That was the 90s of course. No rules
I'm not watching any video of a child being hurt so I don't know the situation. But it's hard to watch kids at all times and so I don't fault anh parents for their kids getting hurt, but the company not child proofing something that is in so many family households. As a kid I definitely played around my parents treadmills... Putting my race cars on it and shit. That was the 90s of course. No rules
No. The child managed to free himself. But he does go under the machine.
OP
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Kid frees himself and runs away on his own on the video. But is still a very hard watch. The main point is that the device can trap and pull a kid bellow it.
It's definitely something that owners really need to take seriously. I've had my ankle go sideways once or twice at the gym, resulting in a near-slip/catch-myself, but I'm an adult in a public space. Treadmills in general are at least kind of dangerous, but this is a 455-pound, commercial-level machine that doesn't belong anywhere near children. People need to know what they're inviting into their homes.
I would hope that Peloton addresses this sooner rather than later with something other than "just take out the safety key." I have also heard that at the end of the more recent tread classes the instructor will remind you to remove the safety key which I'm not sure whether they have done that in the past since I only have the Bike.
As far as I can tell, the issue is that the Peloton isn't heavy enough to weigh it down so it's possible for the treadmill to lift itself over an object (think of it like a tank's treads). That's a pretty big design flaw in the pursuit of the lighter exercise equipment.
Jesus, this is terrifying. Treadmills are definitely attractive nuisances—one of my worst injuries ever as a kid was when my friend and I were ducking around with my mom's Nordictrack. Somehow I got my foot wedged in the gears or something, and the thing ripped out my big toenail at the root and flung it across the room. I started shrieking as my friend picked up my toenail and just kind of gawked at it.
It's normal for a treadmill to keep moving against resistance. The belt needs to maintain speed with up to hundreds of pounds on it. It's why treadmills have safety keys, if you fall while running it will auto shutdown the machine.
It's almost 500lbs. I think the issue is the peloton is designed in a way that makes the back end higher off the ground and easier for this type of accident to happen but i could see this happening with other brands too. Don't let your kids play on exercise equipment and remove the key while not in use. They are very heavy and have a lot of power.
I have a gym in the garage that has a power cage, heavy weights, and a cross trainer. The garage is constantly locked and off limits to the children, and even then I have all the weight plates removed from the bars and racked, the bars stowed, and the cross trainer locked whenever they're not in use. They're all dangerous enough for adults - let alone children.
Even with all these precautions, though, one of my kids could very easily get hurt if they came into the garage while my wife or I was using it. Gym equipment is scary. It absolutely does not belong in the corner of a family room like the one in the video.
That being said, I also believe there are numerous design flaws with the Peloton treadmill that increase the danger to completely unacceptable levels. Forget other people coming in: what if I slipped off the back of the treadmill and caught my hand or foot under the tracks?
If Dexter taught us one thing, and it has, its that kids and treadmills dont mix.
Edit: i couldnt finish that video, that was horrific.
Edit: i couldnt finish that video, that was horrific.
My parents use the treadmill in our house. After each use, they remove the emergency shut off key, turn off the power switch, and unplug it from the wall outlet.
I feel somewhat better that our preschooler could not figure out how to get it to work.
I feel somewhat better that our preschooler could not figure out how to get it to work.
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