Wego Kite Tube Debacle Points to Need for Reevaluation of Product Safety System

In light of the Wego Kit Tube debacle, Fred Pritzker, a noted product liability lawyer, calls for the investigation and reevaluation of the product safety system in the United States. “Tubes that fly through the air are not like drugs and medical devices that save lives and cure disease, yet such drugs and devices require pre-approval before they can be marketed to the public. When a product like the Wego Kite Tube can be sold without any confirmation of its safety, isn't it fair to ask that we reevaluate the system by which product safety is supposed to be assured?” comments Mr. Pritzker.

Minneapolis, MN (PRWEB) September 11, 2006 -- In light of the Wego Kit Tube debacle, Fred Pritzker, a noted product liability lawyer, calls for investigation and reevaluation of the product safety system in the United States.

"Tubes that fly through the air are not like drugs and medical devices that save lives and cure disease, yet such drugs and devices require pre-approval before they can be marketed to the public. When a product like the Wego Kite Tube can be sold without any confirmation of its safety, isn't it fair to ask that we reevaluate the system by which product safety is supposed to be assured?" comments Mr. Pritzker.

On April 28, 2006, the Sporting Goods Manufacturing Association announced its Sports Product of the Year Award on the nationally televised Fox News Channel's "Fox and Friends" (http://www.foxnews.com/foxfriends). The winner was Wego Kite Tube manufactured by Sportsstuff, Inc. of Omaha, Nebraska, a 10-foot-wide, circular, yellow, inflatable watercraft that is designed to rise into the air as it is towed behind a boat.

Less than 75 days after it was proclaimed Product of the Year, the manufacturer, in connection with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), withdrew the product and voluntarily recalled about 19,000 Wego Kite Tubes. This action followed reports to the CPSC of 39 injury incidents, with 29 of those resulting in medical treatment. Sportsstuff had also received reports of two deaths in the United States and a variety of serious injuries.

How did this debacle occur and what does it say about the safety and regulation of such dangerous products?

According to Mr. Pritzker, "The Wego Kite Tube debacle demonstrates a lack of adequate testing. No manufacturer should be allowed to market and sell a product designed to fly adults, teenagers and children through the air at life-threatening heights without a rigorous testing program designed to objectively validate the safety of the product."

"The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) evidently acted quickly to facilitate notice of the voluntary recall but only after many people had already been injured or killed," continued Mr. Pritzker. "Given the inherent danger associated with a product designed to fly through the air, how is it that a regulatory agency is called to act only after the public is harmed? Doesn't this suggest that manufacturers of products so inherently dangerous should be required to submit affirmative proof of their safety before they are allowed to sell them to the public?"

"The Sportsstuff, Inc. Wego Kite Tube recall involved approximately 19,000 units. According to the company's website, each tube retailed for almost $600. Despite the dangers, injuries and deaths associated with the product, the company is only offering purchasers an exchange for another company product rather than a refund or some other remedy. In other words, the company is likely to still make money on the sale of this recalled but still dangerous product. How fair is that?" asks Mr. Pritzker.

Fred Pritzker is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates and the Million Dollar Advocates Forum. He has also achieved status as a Certified Civil Advocate from the National Board of Trial Advocacy and as a Certified Trial Specialist from the Minnesota State Bar Association. He has been selected by his peers as a Top 100 Minnesota Super Lawyer and Top 40 Minnesota Personal Injury Lawyer. His peers also selected him for inclusion in the 2005-2006 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. To contact Fred Pritzker, call toll-free at 1-888-377-8900. Mr. Pritzker has offices in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and represents clients throughout the United States.

For the full text of Fred Pritzker's opinion, visit the Pritzker | Ruohonen website at http://www.pritzkerlaw.com.

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