Peloton CEO Says Child Died in Treadmill Accident

Peloton's CEO said that a child was killed in an accident involving the company's treadmill.

In a letter sent to all customers, the fitness company's CEO, John Foley said that they have been aware of a handful of incidents involving kids on their exercise equipment but this is the first death.

Part of the letter reads, 

“I’m reaching out to you today because I recently learned about a tragic accident involving a child and the Tread+, resulting in, unthinkably, a death."

There was another report filed this year with the Consumer Product Safety Commission which mentions another incident where a 3-year-old boy suffered a brain injury on the Peloton Tread Plus treadmill. 

Exercise equipment is generally harmful to children. In the U.S. alone, about 20,000 children are injured yearly by exercise equipment, according to the NIH. Treadmills alone are said to be the cause of over 13,000 of these accidents. 

In a statement released on Thursday, the company shared that their treadmills were designed to be operated by only people who are over 16 and weigh more than 105 pounds.

They also reiterated that pets and children should be nowhere near exercise equipment, especially when on. 

“Additionally, when the Tread+ is not in use Members should continue to follow the safety instructions by storing the safety key, which keeps the Tread+ from operating, away from the Tread+ and out of reach of children,” the statement says.

The company is trying to determine the best ways to reinforce warnings about safety precautions to prevent more accidents in the future. They however didn't share more details about the child or incident.

 About the company.

 Peloton is a fitness company founded in 2012 which sells exercise equipment and accessories. It launched with a stationary bike in 2014 and added a treadmill in 2018. The treadmill has become its highest selling product.

 Although their masterfully designed products have been accused of being overpriced, the company grew quite popular during the lockdown as one of its features includes a touchscreen display that connects you to live fitness classes online. Thousands of people were forced to stay in shape in their homes as gyms were closed and the company provided the answer to that. With models selling for as high as $4500, their Tread Plus is currently the most expensive treadmill in the market. 

The company's revenue soared to $1.46 billion in 2020 from $734 million less than a year before. The company's revenue is currently at $1.8 billion.