Bicycle Pedal

Thirteen-year-old boy sustained serious injuries when the pedal stem on his new bicycle broke in two pieces, causing the jagged edge of the broken pedal stem to impale his right knee.

The break occurred as the boy was peddling up the hill; he fell from his bicycle, saw a hole in his knee and immediately began to feel intense pain. The wound was bleeding profusely and his friend ran to a nearby police station to summon help. EMTs arrived on the scene shortly thereafter and transported the boy to the hospital. Following his discharge from the hospital his symptoms included numbness, tingling, decreased sensitivity and increased pain and irritability at the site of his injury. He suffered from extensive tissue damage and had to undergo surgery.

Plaintiffs asserted product liability claims against the manufacturer of the defective component, the company that assembled the bicycle, the distributor and the retailer, including claims for negligent design, manufacture, inspection and testing, as well as claims for breach of warranty.