Southwest Ohioans injured by smartwatches, tools, sex toys, other products

Consumer product injuries are on the rise, and more than 15 million people across the United States were treated in emergency departments for these types of injuries in 2024, says estimates from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System. One reason why this may be happening is the massive and growing popularity of online shopping and the sales of goods from third-party vendors from around the globe who do not always ensure the highest levels of quality control, according to consumer advocacy groups.

“Unfortunately, repeated investigations keep finding unsafe products being sold on these (online marketplace) platforms, which means we all are increasingly exposed to products like toys, electronics, batteries and household items that do not meet U.S. safety rules,” said Courtney Griffin, director of consumer product safety with the Consumer Federation of America.

Some people might think that power tools and devices with sharp or moving mechanical parts must be among the most injurious consumer products. But NEISS data show that stairs, ramps, landings, beds, pillows, mattresses, chairs and sofas cause far more injuries than any category of hardware.

Household items that may seem innocuous carry hidden risks. Clothing has been responsible for four times as many emergency department visits as home power tools. More injuries are caused by blankets than by fireworks and flares.

Things go wrong

Juan Bailey is a West Chester resident who purchased a RYOBI hedge trimmer in August 2022 from a Home Depot in Butler County. The device was manufactured by Techtronic Industries Co.

Bailey claimed the hedge trimmer malfunctioned the very first time he used it, and the blades began operating even though he had not activated the switch trigger.

Bailey said the blades cut through a protective glove he was wearing, lacerating his thumb and middle and index fingers. He sought medical care and received sutures to close his wounds.

Bailey filed a lawsuit against Home Depot and Techtronic Industries in the summer of 2024 seeking damages related to medical bills, employment-related losses and ongoing and future problems. The case was settled later that year; the terms were not made public.

A Home Depot spokesperson said, “We’re committed to the safety and quality of our products, and require that the manufacturers with whom we do business follow and abide by all applicable codes, laws, regulations and standards for the products that we sell.”

Trimmers and small power garden tools sent more than 27,000 people to the hospital with injuries in 2024, says data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System. Similarly, lawn and garden equipment were responsible for more than 94,000 injuries to U.S. consumers, while lawn mowers sent 93,000 people to emergency departments in search of medical treatment.

Like many products, power tools and outdoor maintenance equipment can be dangerous if the devices are not operated properly or when users do not read and closely follow safety warnings and instructions. If users aren’t careful, they can make painful, life-changing or even deadly mistakes.

However, consumers aren’t always to blame when things go wrong with the things they buy and use.

Allegations of defects

Adam Christman was installing flooring in his kitchen in the summer of 2023 when he alleges his Fitbit malfunctioned. The Pleasant Plain village resident wore the smartwatch to monitor his heart rhythm.

Christman sued Fitbit, claiming he suffered serious and substantial burns that caused long-term discoloration and scarring of the skin. His lawsuit, filed in federal court in June 2025, claims the smartwatch’s lithium-ion battery overheated, which was an issue that led Fitbit to recall more than 1 million smartwatches in 2022.

The company received at least 115 reports of the wearable devices overheating, sometimes causing second- and third-degree thermal burns.

These watches were first introduced to the market in 2017, and Fitbit stopped production of that model in 2020. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission last year announced that Fitbit agreed to pay $12 million in civil penalties for knowingly failing to report to the commission that its smartwatches contained a defect that could cause injury.

In court documents, Fitbit denies Christman’s allegations. The company said the product or materials in question likely were misused, abused, mishandled or altered, and the product conformed to all safety and health standards required at the time it was made. The case remains active in federal court.

In another incident in 2023, Dayton resident Norma Bridges alleged she was injured when a portable power station she bought on Amazon exploded. She filed a lawsuit in federal court in February against the online retailer and the Chinese manufacturer of the product. Amazon has denied her allegations in court filings.

Amazon reached a settlement with a Butler County woman who alleged she was injured six years ago while using an adult sex toy that she purchased from the online retailer. The device was manufactured by a company called Lovetoy Product Limited in China but was sold on Amazon’s website. The woman claimed she was hurt when a metal rod punched through the toy’s rubber exterior.

The woman’s attorney, Kenneth Ignozzi, said he could not speak about the case — which was dismissed in 2023 — because of a confidentiality agreement. Amazon did not respond to requests for comments.

Attorneys for Amazon in the Bridges case say they do not comment on pending litigation. Legal counsel for plaintiffs and defendants in other consumer product injury cases that were filed in courts in southwest Ohio did not return this news outlet’s requests for comment.

Emergency department visits for consumer product-related injuries jumped 18% in 2024 after increasing 0.6% in 2023; 8% in 2022; and 7% in 2021, says NEISS. Before that, injuries plummeted in the first year of COVID, when people sheltered in place and limited activities during stay-at-home orders.

Toys of all types were associated with more than 210,000 emergency department visits in 2024.

The threats

Stairs, ramps, landings and floors accounted for about 3.1 million injuries that led to hospital visits in 2024. About 1.1 million injuries were blamed on beds, mattresses and pillows, while nearly 747,000 incidents were chalked up to use or mishaps involving chairs, sofas and sofa beds.

Trips and falls on stairs, ramps, landings and floors can result in sprains, strains, fractures, head injuries and other serious wounds. Beds and mattresses can cause neck and back issues, and consumers, especially children and seniors, can get hurt if they fall out of bed or the products break.

Kids can end up in the ER if they jump or fall off couches. People routinely trip on or fall out of chairs or they break.

Other common sources of injuries included exercise products and equipment (564,850 incidents;) clothing (465,500); bicycles and accessories (454,000) and ceilings and walls (406,600).

The risks of exercise equipment and bikes are fairly obvious. As for clothing, products sometimes can have toxic chemicals, poor designs that create choking hazards and materials that can easily catch fire. Faulty wall and ceiling construction can lead to collapse or other dangerous problems.

Emergency departments, urgent care centers and physicians see consumer product injuries every single day, and most come from very ordinary things, said Dr. William Marriott, CareFlight medical director for Premier Health, a major health system in southwest Ohio.

“You don’t have to be doing anything risky,” he said. “A small slip or a simple fall can cause a serious injury, especially in older adults. If something in your home doesn’t feel sturdy or safe, fix it, replace it or avoid using it. Little changes can prevent a lot of visits to the emergency department.”

Marriott said he believes these kinds of injuries have increased over time, which corresponds with people having more products and stuff in their homes than ever before. Normal use of products can lead to injuries, and some items can break, tip over or cause a fall.

But Marriott said product misuse is more common than actual malfunctions.

“Most (injuries) are avoidable,” he said. “A lot of injuries happen because a product is used in a way it wasn’t designed for, like climbing on furniture instead of using a step stool, or rushing while carrying things on the stairs.”

He said, “Most injuries stem from everyday situations where a little extra caution could have made a difference.”

Griffin, with the Consumer Federation of America, said some products that were once dangerous and even deadly have become much safer, thanks to innovations and updated designs. Safety improvements have been made to cribs, garage doors and nursery items, and child‑resistant packaging has proven to be very helpful. Griffin, however, said threats remain such as poorly made-batteries that can cause fires and burns, and button batteries in toys that if swallowed are a choking hazard and can cause esophageal injuries.

Griffin said manufacturers are responsible for designing their products to be safe. “Blaming consumers for product-related incidents is a well-worn tactic that individualizes a structural problem,” she said. “When we see a repeated pattern of use — even if that use differs slightly from the original intent — it indicates a design issue."

Griffin said she is very concerned about online marketplaces because they have made it easy to purchase goods that do not meet mandatory U.S. safety rules. She said products of concern include toys, electronics, helmets, furniture and smoke alarms.

Third-party sellers

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission last year issued a decision and order against Amazon, directing the company to take steps to recall more than 400,000 products from third-party sellers that were listed on the company’s online platforms.

The commission contends that Amazon is a “distributor” of goods that were defective or failed to meet consumer product safety standards, including faulty carbon monoxide detectors, hairdryers without electrocution protection and children’s sleepwear that did not comply with federal flammability regulations.

The commission ordered Amazon to publish recall notices, notify purchasers via email of the recalls and issue refunds to purchasers who submitted proof that they either destroyed or disposed of the affected products.

But Amazon filed a lawsuit against the commission that says the agency does not have the authority to issue recall orders to third-party logistics providers like itself, who only store products in their warehouses and transport the items to customers.

In court documents, Amazon says third-party sellers are independent businesses that can ship and deliver their products directly to buyers or they can outsource the storage, packing, shipment and delivery to Amazon. Amazon says it does not sell or take title of any of the third-party sellers’ products.

Amazon said it voluntarily agreed to block further sales of the products in question and contacted purchasers to notify them of the potential hazards and instruct them to dispose of the items. But Amazon says these were voluntary actions and the company argues that the Consumer Product Safety Commission overstepped its authority.

Consumer Reports says Amazon, Target, Temu and Walmart have growing numbers of third-party sellers on their platforms and third-party sales may account for nearly 60% of global ecommerce sales by 2027.

Last year, the Federal Trade Commission said that the agency sent warning letters to Amazon and Walmart about third-party sellers making deceptive claims on those companies’ online marketplaces about their products being made in the U.S.

Tips to avoid

Be especially careful if you have young children or older adults at home. They’re more likely to get hurt from falls