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ARTICLE · 04 APRIL 2017

Lithium-Ion Batteries: Hoverboard Suspected In Fatal Fire

Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP
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When hoverboards first hit the market they were generally not regulated by any safety standard related to their batteries or chargers.

United StatesConsumer Protection
Gregg Tatarka
Gregg Tatarka
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Since our last blog post on lithium-ion batteries, there has been a report that a self-balancing scooter, known as a hoverboard, is the suspected cause for a March 10, 2017, fatal fire that occurred in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The fire resulted in the death of a three-year-old girl. Fire origin and cause experts are still investigating, but statements from persons who escaped the home indicate that a charging hoverboard "exploded" and caused the fire.

At this time, it is unknown whether the subject hoverboard was one of those involved in the sweeping 2016 recalls announced by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Nonetheless, the CPSC issued a statement that the Harrisburg fire is the first reported fatality potentially involving a hoverboard battery explosion and fire.

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