Lawsuit Blames Peloton for Death of NYC Man After Bike Fell on His Neck

In the latest of the company's PR woes, Peloton has been named in a lawsuit from a woman claiming that her adult son was killed by his bike, which he had only purchased six months prior. The lawsuit also marks the first-known death involving a Peloton bike.

Ryan Furtado, 32, was found dead in his Brooklyn apartment on Jan. 13, 2022, according to the suit filed by his mother, Johanna Furtado, in Kings County Supreme Court. At the time of his death, Furtado had been doing one of the company's "Core" workouts, which "requires riders to disembark the bike to conduct exercises on the floor," the filing states.

However, when Furtado attempted to get up from the floor, he used the bike to help himself up, which caused it to spin around and fall onto his face and neck, "severing his carotid artery in his neck killing him instantly." When he was later found by the New York Police Department, the bike was still resting on his neck and face.

According to The Daily Beast, which published details of the lawsuit on Wednesday, the suit claims that Peloton instructs riders to "use the bike for stretching," but "applying pressure in a pulling and pushing fashion, [causes it] to destabilize and fall."

Although there was no precedent for the accident, the lawsuit goes on to say that Peloton should have warned users against "the foreseeable misuse that people would also use the Subject Bike to pull themselves up from the floor during a workout increasing an unknown risk of injury."

Despite the fact that there was a single warning label on the front right leg of the bike, the lawsuit says that was inadequate. Instead, it states that Peloton should have had multiple labels on the stem and base "to adequately warn the user of injury that could occur if the Subject Bike is used to pull oneself up from the floor during a workout."

Furtado is seeking damages to pay for her son’s "conscious pain and suffering," healthcare expenses, and funeral and burial costs, as well as any financial support he would have contributed to the family. She's also seeking compensation for her own pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, and "the cost of all past and future medical and psychiatric care."

Peloton, on the other hands, is denying responsibility, filing a rebuttal response claiming Furtado died as a result of his own negligence, and that the company is not legally culpable. It also added that the terms of service state that users are "obligated to defend, indemnify, and hold Peloton harmless based upon the provisions set forth."

In an emailed statement to The Daily Beast, Peloton SVP of Global Communications Ben Boyd offered "deepest sympathy and condolences to the Furtado family for this unfortunate accident," adding that "as a Member-first company, the health and safety of our Member community is a top priority."

Earlier this year, Peloton announced a recall of approximately 2.2 million bikes due to rider injuries from a faulty seat post. Although this is the first death from one of the company's bikes, in 2021, a recall of Peloton treadmills was likewise issued after a child died from being pulled under one of the workout machines, while nearly 40 others sustained fractured bones and other injuries.