Many people use fitness and gym equipment their entire lives and never sustain an injury. And then there are thousands of others that are injured by workout equipment every day; fitness and gym equipment is responsible for almost nine thousand injuries each year, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
Injuries can range from head and body trauma, to staph and fungal infections, lacerations and broken bones; these injuries can be sustained through design flaws in the equipment, manufacturing defects, faulty installation and improper use.
Most people injured by workout equipment will file a claim, stating that their injuries were a result of negligent manufacturers, the retailers who sold it or the gym centers who made the equipment available for their use.
The equipment responsible for most serious injuries includes:
- Elliptical machines
- Workout benches
- Stair machines
- Rowing machines
- Treadmills
Gym injuries are commonly caused when:
- Fitness club owners provide inadequate space for machines
- Most machines are made out of heavy and hard steel, fiberglass, aluminum and other metals which allow little space for user error.
- To fill the fitness center and reduce waiting times, fitness club owners will cram equipment machines dangerously close to one another, so members have very little room to move around and injuries can occur easily.
- Unsanitary conditions of equipment or facility
- Fitness equipment, showers and other amenities are used by hundreds of gym members per month; bacteria can thrive on these surfaces and especially on shower floors.
- Staph and fungal infections can spread quickly if the club is not regularly maintained or disinfected; weak immune systems can fall victim to these infections, resulting in hospitalization or death.
- Poorly designed and dangerous equipment
- Most machines have a kill button to allow you to shut off a machine if you fall, but some do not.
- If a user falls and the button isn’t present or working properly, bones can be broken and serious injuries can occur.
- Unclear instructions for operation
- Home gym equipment arrives with an instruction and installation manual, but if the instructions are unclear, the user may install or use the equipment improperly, resulting in a serious injury.
- Retailers and manufactures can be held responsible if the instructions are improperly written.
If you have sustained a serious injury from fitness or gym equipment, you may be able to file a negligence claim for product or premise liability. Seek Parvey & Cavenago as reliable counsel, we are experienced personal injury attorneys with a track record of winning our clients far compensation.
