Yuba
Bicycles of Sausalito, California has announced a recall of 1,000 Mundo V4 cargo bicycles. The recall was issued following two reports of
passengers getting their feet caught in the rear wheel of the bicycle.
Fortunately, neither reported incident resulted in an injury. According to the United States Consumer Products Safety Commission:
The recalled bicycles are Mundo V4 cargo bikes. The 26-inch bicycles have steel frames, aluminum fenders on the front and rear wheels, and a wood utility deck mounted on the rear cargo rack. The bikes come in orange, black or blue. The word "Mundo" is on the top tube of the bicycle frame and "Yuba" is on the down tube.
Approximately
1,000 Mundo V4 cargo bikes were sold nationwide online between May 2011
and December 2012 for around $1099.00. Consumers are encouraged to stop
using the bicycles immediately and contact Yuba Bicycles toll free at
(811) 889-9822 or online at www.yubabikes.com. Yuba Bicycles will install a free wheel cover/wheelskirt at no cost to the consumer.
In Illinois, the manufacturer of a product can be held liable when their
product fails and the injured person was using the product in a
reasonably foreseeable manner. Obviously, it is reasonably foreseeable
that passengers will ride on Mundo V4 cargo bikes, and they should be
able to do so without getting their feet caught in the rear wheel.
Therefore, any resulting injury could be the basis for a claim against
the manufacturer. This is arguably an instance not of poor manufacturing or poor product quality, but of poor design. A reasonably alternative design could have been utilized where there was no "pinch point" - a space where a foot could get caught in the rear wheel.
The
attorneys at Keating Law Offices have handled numerous product
liability cases. The Illinois Bicycle Lawyers of Keating Law Offices are
committed to making sure that bicyclists stay safe. Please check back
regularly at our blog, www.IllinoisBicycleLaw.com, for updated information on bicycle-related product recalls.
If
you have any questions regarding this post or an issue involving
Illinois personal injury law, please contact Illinois Bicycle Attorney
Mike Keating at 312-208-7702 or MKeating@KeatingLegal.com
