JACKSONVILLE, Florida. – After a teenager died Saturday night after falling from an electric skateboard in Clay County, a child safety advocate has issued a warning to parents.
Soldiers said the 14-year-old from Green Cove Springs, who died in hospital, was not wearing a helmet when he fell off the skateboard on Plantation Ridge Parkway near Evening Breeze Lane just after 8.30pm on Saturday.
Jessica Winberry, prevention coordinator for Wolfson Children’s Hospital and Safe Kids Northeast Florida, a coalition dedicated to keeping kids safe, said she’s aware of incidents like this.
She acknowledged that children tend to be more active outdoors in the summer months with longer daylight hours and no school.
Winberry warned that teenagers often feel more independent, but are at the same risk of injury even when close to home when playing outdoors.
“It’s something we see sometimes even with small children,” Winberry said. “We just sort of drive in our cul-de-sac or something, but we’re still at the same risk of injury no matter where we are.”
She advised children of all ages to wear adequate protection whenever riding electrical devices, and a standard bicycle helmet is no catch-all, she stressed.
“When you’re buying a bike, scooter or skateboard, make sure you’re buying the right kind of safety device to go with it,” Winberry said. “A bicycle helmet may not be suitable for another type of equipment that we ride.”
The FHP report did not indicate how the teenager was injured in the fall.
It also does not name or specify the brand of the electric skateboard.
However, in February, a Tampa man filed a lawsuit in Hillsborough County Circuit Court against Future Motion Inc., the creator of the OneWheel electric skateboard. The suit claims the user was seriously injured after being ejected from his board.
In May 2020, wrongful death lawsuit was filed in Texas against the company. This lawsuit claims that a man died when the board suddenly stopped mid-stroke.
Electric skateboards pose safety risks on all levels.
In 2017, the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a recall of Boosted electric skateboards because its lithium-ion battery made it a fire hazard.
Winberry advised to check the CSPC website for the right types of devices to use with your child’s activity. You can also find more information about child safety at https://www.wolfsonchildrens.com/about/safe-kids-northeast-florida.
“Any time we do an activity, whether it’s riding a bike, skateboarding, going to the river, going to the beach, it’s a good idea just to get an idea of the types of things we need to be careful of. .as parents because when it comes to our children there are so many different types of injuries related to every activity that we do and so being prepared for what those types of things can be can really help us keep our children safe,” Winberry said.
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