Sportsstuff recalls dangerous kite tubes

Sportsstuff Inc., a manufacturer and distributor of inflatable towable water toys, has recalled its 19,000 Wego Kite Tubes, a brand of airborne rafts pulled by boat, in a new phenomenon that has seen at least two U.S. deaths this year, one of them in Wisconsin.

Sportsstuff’s voluntary pull-off move, in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), on Thursday came a day after the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) warned thrill seekers that airborne sports are illegal on state lakes. The Army Corps of Engineers has prohibited the extreme sport on lakes in several states.

The Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services department is assisting the CPSC in the recall of dangerous items by searching stores, thrift shops and other locations where any such items may remain.

The CPSC and Omaha, Nebraska -based Sportsstuff Inc. have already pulled the product, the Sportsstuff Wego Kite Tube, off the market and are now asking consumers who purchased the items to immediately stop using them.

There have been 39 injuries noticed countrywide with 29 of those resulting in medical treatment, according to a news release from the U.S. Safety Commission. The manufacturer of the product has notified the commission of deaths in Wisconsin and Texas involving Wego Kite Tubes, the commission said. Injuries have included a broken neck, a punctured lung, as well as chest, back and facial blows.

Gregory Bykowski, 42, of Delafield, Wisconsin, was died June 26 on Little St. Germain Lake in Vilas County when he suffered fatal head and chest blows after the tube kite he was using hit the water after initially going into the air, authorities said.

The tube, which has been sold since October 2005 for between $ 500 and $ 600, is a 10-foot-wide circular, bright yellow, inflatable watercraft designed to be towed behind a powerboat. A rider in the tube becomes airborne by pulling on handles connected to the tube.

"Once these kite tubes are airborne, you have no control over them," said Jane Beathard, an ODNR spokeswoman. "You can't steer them. You're basically riding the wind."

A precaution, “Never kite higher than you're willing to fall" and a skull with crossbones is printed on the rafts.

In a letter posted on the Sportsstuff’s Web site addressed to consumers who bought kite tubes, Company Chief Executive Leroy Peterson said the firm has been unable to determine the causes of the serious injuries and deaths of kite tube users that have been reported.

The letter said: "While Sportsstuff does not believe that the products are defective or unreasonably dangerous, in an abundance of caution, Sportsstuff is cooperating with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to withdraw the kite tubes from the market and undertake a voluntary recall to replace those in the possession of consumers with products of comparable value."

Consumers should immediately stop using the kite tubes and contact Sportsstuff at (866) 831-5524 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. CST Monday through Friday to learn how to obtain free replacement products. Users can also visit the firm’s Web site at www.sportsstuff.com for more information.

To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC's hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270, or visit CPSC's web site at www.cpsc.gov/talk.html.